Book Reviews
Quotations from KIRKUS Book Review - June 2026
"A whimsical and magical novel that celebrates the magic of storytelling."
" Maier offers an imaginative adventure that will get kids excited to read."
" Maier’s writing in this charming exercise in magical realism is wonderfully descriptive."
"The jokes throughout are endearingly silly and well suited to a middle-grade audience."
"OUR VERDICT: GET IT"
- Kirkus Reviews, June 2026
For full review go to https://www.kirkusreviews.com/
Reviews from Instagram Bookfluencers
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💭 My thoughts: I first want to say a huge thank you to the author for sending me a copy of her book in exchange for an honest review. I absolutely LOVED it!
I immediately fell in love with the little world and the characters in it.
The writing style was beautiful - descriptive and cozy, but not so much so that the plot gets smothered by prose.
It reminded me of The Mysterious Benedict Society in some ways, and Willy Wonka in others, haha!
This was the perfect curl-up-on-the-couch-with-a-cup-of-hot-cocoa kind of read!
I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!
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Reviews from Amazon Readers
A Time for Real and Adventure!
A story is real when you feel the heart of the author. These hidden stories tell many tales of hope, conquering fear. Adventure is always found in genuine heartfelt tales. This author provides real heart and the adventures that follow the heart.
At first, I wasn't sure if this book was for me. As I read, I found the characters intriguing drawing me further in. I don't want to give anymore away as I hope you will discover the Thickets for yourself.
A great read!
Initially, I had problems getting into the book, not least because
I rarely read books that belong to the fantasy genre in the broadest sense.
The author uses a trick to make the book accessible to readers of all ages. She provides the intelligent, mature main character Petrolina (10) with a really refreshing childlike playmate and fellow adventurer, and later
a teenager is added who establishes the connection to the adult world and somehow ??? contributes magical power.
The power is also necessary, because the evil in the village, which has insidiously crept into the minds of most of the inhabitants, has to be fought.
The author develops a good level of suspense in many very inventive and imaginative episodes, which are thankfully crowned with success: The adversaries are given a leg up, perhaps even two....., but they will not be completelydefeated...., so one can happily and confidently hope for a continuation of Petrolina's fight against evil!!!
One more note on the language of the book:
Even if the story hadn't captivated me, I would definitely have finished the book because of its language. A great pleasure!
Amazon Reader
12 Months ago