Author & Illustrator: Monroe S. Tarver
Publisher: Wizarding World Press
Genre: Children / Fantasy
ISBN: 978-0-9723936-5-2
Pages: 112
Price: $6.99
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Imagia, the elf princess, has no friends. While others play in the forest, she is being groomed to be queen of the kingdom, and spends all her time studying with different teachers. One day an unexpected opportunity allows her to slip outside the palace walls. She meets a fluttery, Flutterwalk, and they play for hours with Imagia’s magic pearls. But the evil queen, Baddora, is watching in her scrying bowl, and sends one of her spies out to bring Imagia to the Green Towers.
Baddora has read a prophesy of three magic pearls, which when brought together will grant ultimate power. She holds one, and she believes Imagia has one, also. The third belongs to Treewind, the wizard. Imagia has no idea of the powers she possesses, but she finds out as she attempts to free herself from Baddora’s evil clutches. With the help of Treewind and Flutterwalk, she manages to escape.
Imagia and the Magic Pearls is the first in a series of the Tales from the Mapmaker, and features an all black cast of characters. This is a fun fantasy, with interesting creatures and a scary mission. The illustrations are beautifully done, with bright and unusual colors. But there were a couple of story points that didn’t quite work for me. Imagia ran off without giving any thought to where she was going, when she ended up at Baddora’s castle, which seemed odd. I was also disappointed that Treewind rescued her, rather than Imagia using her own wits and imagination to escape. Overall, though, this is a nice story with a happy ending.
Reviewer: Alice Berger
Bergers Book Reviews 