Fablehouse – Heart of Fire Written by E. L. Norry. Reviewed by Radhika, Age 9

My favourite character was Heather as she’s hilarious, daredevil and intelligent and I can relate to her as she is very forgiving. She loves cycling to the inexplicable Cairn, climbing up gnarled trees and running around the village with her friends. Arlene on the other hand, loves going to church and she tries her best to listen to adults. Nat loves making mischief with his illusions and Lloyd always has words of wisdom to share.

I felt sad for the children as their fathers had gone to the army and weren’t allowed to marry their mothers and they were left in the orphanage, abandoned and alone. At the same time, they must defeat the mythical legendary questing beast, who is said to be undefeatable, from the legend of King Arthur. It had a head of a serpent, body of a leopard and rear of a lion, with a forked tongue and horns and it reminded me of the Sphinx and Centaurs because they are all mythical creatures that are made up of different specimens. Can they stop the questing beast from attacking the village and wreaking havoc over the land?

Excitement, adventure and mystery – this book has it all. I felt a burst of thrill as this rollercoaster of a book took me on a journey that I will never forget as I strolled between the silver birch trees, ambled over the crisp, golden autumn leaves along the meandering riverbank and chatted animatedly with Heather, her friends and Pal, the medieval knight who has time travelled into their world.

I loved how this phenomenal book was full of different layers of friendship, bravery, trust, trials and tribulations that work well together just like a nuanced lasagna. This masterpiece kept me on tenterhooks the whole way through. This book is perfect for fans of mystery, adventure and fantasy.