My favourite books of 2021 – Lottie’s Locket by Maria Johnson

My favourite books of 2021

As part of the writing community, I get to read lots of books from relatively unknown authors. Let me tell you, this is such a pleasure and an honour. These days I find it difficult to pick up a traditionally published book after exploring the treasures in the world of self-publishing. From now until New Year’s Eve, I’m going to showcase my favourites. If your book is not on here, it doesn’t mean I didn’t enjoy it. It’s been a very difficult decision choosing these books! They’re also not in any particular order.

Right, is that all my disclaimers out of the way with? I hope so!

Lottie’s Locket by Maria Johnson

Lottie’s Locket is a wonderfully written book that whisks you away to a truly fantastic world. The description of Orovand is splendid and leaves you wanting to escape there yourself. This book is a real delight for your imagination and will leave you wanting to find your own magical locket. 

 

My Review

I’ve spent a wonderful afternoon in the magical world of Lottie’s Locket. When Lottie is gifted a locket on her 11 birthday, she gets quite the adventure! She’s whisked away to a magical world filled with gold, scrumptious food and unicorns! As Lottie discovers the world of Orovand, she soon finds herself at the heart of an Agatha Christie style mystery. Can she solve the mystery in time to return home?

I really enjoyed this book. It was well written, and the description was wonderful. The story itself was engaging. A brilliant story both for young and old readers!

 

Other books that I’ve read by Maria

The Boy from the Snow

A very well written story with a number of sub-plots. The story follows Daniel as he uncovers a life-changing secret. I’ll be honest in saying that historical fiction is not my go-to genre but I loved the sound of this book. I really enjoyed the romantic sub-plot and the interaction between characters. The Boy from the Snow is very well written, well researched and the world-building is wonderful.

For me I felt there was a little too much going on. Lots of characters, lots of names of places and I found myself a little lost and overwhelmed at times. I suspect this is just a reflection of my own preference towards shorter books.

If you enjoy historical fiction then I would recommend this book!

 

The Veiled Wolf 

The Veiled Wolf is the sequel to The Boy from the Snow. Whilst I enjoyed The Boy from the Snow, The Veiled Wolf is definitely my favourite. From page one I was already invested in each of the characters.

There is a spy in Gaeson and Daniel must work to find out who it is, before anyone else he loves is killed. Wars are fought and death plots are discovered as they work tirelessly to discover who the spy is. Everyone seems to have their own secrets, which is only making the job harder.

Amongst all the troubles with the spy, life is still going on.

I really enjoyed this story that mixed history, mystery, and real-life events. A brilliant read from a wonderful author.

 

Where can you find Maria?

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