I loved this!!! Such a delightful and wonderful start for a series, with amazing characters and plot twists!

Lulabelle, Kat, and Rosie are three sisters who somehow manage to fall into a strange, magical world, full of dragons and odd creatures and adventures! Each of them has different reactions, but they all know one thing: if they are to survive the attacks of the Fog Banshee, and save their new friends and their families, they need to stay and work together.

This was so much fun to read! The sisters were the kind of siblings that you really see in non-fictional life, so realistic in their conversations and spats and remarks. They were full of surprises and life, and it was a delight to see them in action.

The story was not exactly fast-paced, but for the target audience the book is looking to attract it was just fine. It had mystery and dark scenes, too, mind you – the first one in the beginning of the book was especially chilling – but nothing that can’t be handled, I suppose, by young readers. The villain was sort of obvious but only if you looked close enough – I’m an adult and have read enough stories to guess correctly, but beginners or youngsters might really be shocked by the plot twist.

I hope we see the sisters in more adventures and scary situations, and see what they’ll end up coming up with to solve each case. And more of Aidan and Donovan, please, they were my favorite characters! (Maeve was the only problematic one for me, but you can’t have it all, I guess)

***I was given an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The opinion stated in this review is solely mine, and no compensation was given or taken to alter it.***

this was a great start to a children's novel, I loved the eye catching cover and getting to know the storyline. It was a great story and had interesting characters in it.

Three sisters go on a summer vacation with their parents to camp by a lake. They go exploring on the first day and find a passing through a cave into a magical world. As the sisters make friends and learn about the new world, a sinister force (Spellbinder and Fog Banshee) is bent on destruction and stealing till it finds a magical treasure that’s been hidden for hundreds of years. The sisters, with the help of their two friends, have to unravel the mystery and save the Hill before fog banshee destroys it all.

This middle grade read was perfect. Magic, loyalty, friendship, mystery, mayhem, adventure, and so much more. This was a great read and I’m glad NetGalley allowed me to read it.

Thank you to NetGalley and Miriam Pittman for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!
After stumbling through a portal to another world, sisters Kat, Rosie, and Lulabelle Harper are swept up in a quest to stop the evil Fog Banshee and learn the secrets behind its sudden appearance in Ancora. Ancora: The Fog Banshee's Curse is a tale of magic, adventure, and friendships that is sure to capture the attention of any young fantasy fan. Set in a Narnia-esque world full of magic and unique creatures, The Fog Banshee's Curse follows the Harper sisters and their new friends Aiden and Maeve as they try to solve the mystery of the fog banshee and the sinister spellbinder who summoned it. The mystery was well done and had me searching for clues the whole way. I had my suspicions about the culprit, but the token he was after took me by surprise!
The Fog Banshee's Curse is the perfect setup for the rest of the Ancora series, and I'll definitely be keeping up with the series as more books come out. I'm dying to know how this all plays out and learn more about the characters' backstories!
I'd recommend this book to middle-grade readers looking for an adventure. If you enjoy magic, mystery, captivating characters, and flying horses, check out Ancora: The Fog Banshee's Curse!

Sometimes, a hidden world and an unexpected adventure are just a heartbeat away. Sisters Lulabelle, Kat, and Rosie are spending a summer at a cabin in the country with their parents. While their father teaches and their mother works on her paintings, the girls set out to explore their new surroundings. Venturing into a mysterious cave, the sisters discover that an entire world—Ancora—lies on the other side of the rock. Braving the unknown, the girls enter a land of magic and lore, making friends with a boy named Aiden, and a girl named Maeve and her family. Lulabelle, Kat, and Rosie spend their summer helping their newfound friends uncover the secret behind the terrifying fog banshee while balancing family time on the other side. Though their ultimate departure is sad, there may be more tying the girls to Ancora and their new friends than they realize.

Captivatingly written, this story keeps readers on the edges of their seats from beginning to end. Longer chapters prepare confident middle grade readers for young adult novels, but the pacing is done so well that readers will keep reaching for the next chapter despite their length. Wholesome messages of family, friendship, and honesty fill the narrative and are mixed with magic and mystery to build an entertaining and heartwarming story. Frequent reunions with the girls’ parents provide a safe anchor for the children throughout their adventures. Myriad references to Irish tradition and culture give this story a foothold in the familiar within an unknown landscape.

One of the most compelling elements of this story is the mystery of who is summoning the fog banshee and why. Red herrings are found throughout the story, causing readers to be constantly trying to put together the pieces of this complex puzzle. It is a question that will keep readers wondering through the majority of the story.

This is a skillfully entertaining tale that blends magic and mischief in such a way as to have readers eating up this installment and clamoring for the next one.

Fantasic characters. Interesting plot. The story will keep you engaged the whole time. I loved it from the first sentence.

What a cliff hanger! Is there a living royal descendant? Will the Harper girls convince their parents to return to the cabin? Or, is the door to Ancora going to change locations? What is the story of Aidan's parents, who were they? Who is Aidan really? Is Donovan going to become a key player in this series? Who knows...

The good news is there are seven more books planned for this series and the second book Ancora: The Frozen Flame of Vallengard, comes out this Spring! I assume that each book will focus on each province and I am excited to see which characters carry over into the other provinces.

Shades of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe emerge in this new fantasy series about three normal sisters who find a secret way into a magical world consisting of once-united but now divided kingdoms. Several common tropes are present including prophecy, an orphan with a mysterious past but clearly special lineage, and monsters straight from Celtic tradition. But there is new adventurous content as well (including some very unique monsters/beasts) and a cast of compelling characters. The narrative voice is wry and funny as well, although this didn't quite make up for the at times tedious pace (particularly in the first half, where there was too much world building with actual payoff for my taste). Overall it was enjoyable and I look forward to the second volume, due later in 2021.

Let me start off by saying that I received a copy of this book for free from NetGalley.

Honestly, I don’t think that I was expecting TOO much from this book, but it’s safe to say that I was pleasantly surprised and that I think I’ll actually pick up the second book when it’s released. I definitely enjoyed the authors writing, the characters, and the world building.

The story is about three sisters, Kat, Lulabelle, and Rosie who enter into a “cave” inside a rock that leads them to the magical world of Ancora. In Ancora the three sisters go on an adventure where the meet new friends, discover magic exists, and find terrors that they could never have imagined exist outside their world.

The story was, for the most part, predictable. While I figured out which object was the missing token nearly immediately, the “Spellbinder” that we encountered was a surprise. Also, the existence of the lumina did seem pretty obvious as well, but I feel like it was still a nice revelation. At no time in this story was I bored and I think that the author did an excellent job with pacing and keeping me as a reader intrigued.

Okay, spoilers here maybe, but is Donovan the exiled royalty? Did anyone else get that vibe? I definitely look forward to reading about more of his self-imposed loneliness. And Aiden was hands down my favorite character in this story!

Overall, I would definitely recommend this book. It was a quick, but enjoyable, read!