From Goodreads: Without warning, Helen is thrust into an extraordinary world filled with magic rituals, fantastic creatures, and a dangerous, powerful beast known as the Master, who would destroy it all. Everything hinges on finding the lost Book of Wisdom before the Winter Solstice. Can Helen work out the riddles and help her new friends to make amends for a foolish prank?

Quote from book: "Yann continued, "If the Master of the Maze has all the answers and follows none of the rules, and if no one else can ask the Book for help, he will soon have unlimited power over the fabled beasts. And he will not stop there." Yann came closer to Helen, and spoke quietly. "Soon he will look at your world and start using questions and answers to get round your magic, too." Helen shook her head. "We don't have magic." "Yes, you do, you just call it science." Yann turned away and spoke into the emptiness of the cave. "The one question to which the Master craves the answer is: how can I rule this world?"

My Opinion: Wow! No pressure there, kids! Helen is visited by Yann, a centaur with a horrible gash on his leg, and even though she doesn't believe in fabled creatures, she agrees to sew him up (her mother, a veterinarian, would love this because she wants Helen to become a vet, also, but Helen only wants one thing: to be a musician), and thus begins her foray into the wonderful world of mythical beings. She goes on a quest with Yann, a selkie, a phoenix, a fairy and a dragon, in search of the Book of Wisdom.

I enjoyed this book very much, most of all because of the kids (human and fabled being alike). They were written very well, in that they actually acted like kids, albeit kids on a very dangerous quest. The setting, Scotland, was described in detail, and the world building was great.

I think this book would definitely appeal to readers aged 8 to 12, which is the target audience. The fantasy aspect will appeal to a lot of kids this age, and the story itself will keep them reading.

Highly recommend: 5/5 stars.

I received a copy of this book free of charge in exchange for my honest opinion. ( )

A fun set of twists on mythology and puzzle solving. ( )

A Centaur named Yann visits Helen's mother's Veterinary practice to get a wound on his leg stitched up, much to her surprise. Centaur's are fables. When he returns again with a selkie (in Human form) and a fairy, she knows that she has stumbled on to a world she shouldn't have.

And they've been naughty. They stole The Book and lost it and must find it again before The Master does. It's a race against time and the evil lurkers of the fabled world.

I didn't finish reading this book. It didn't captivate me or hold my attention and I found all the characters two-dimensional and the plot lack lustre. Whilst I know that it was not aimed at me and more at children/young adults, I still found it dull. I did find the writing fine, however, but the story itself was not for me. ( )

An entertaining fast read, but not particularly memorable ( )