Member Reviews

Thanks to NetGalley and publishers for an e arc in exchange for an honest review.

I thought this was such a cute kids book. I love the idea of a magical forest while magical creatures that need to be taken care of. I love the characters and the magical creatures we meet. I think this will be a cute series for kids and lessons they can learn from the book.

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I requested this for my eldest daughter as she loves this type of books. She could not put this book down.she absolutely loved it. Depending on the child's reading level I would recommend it is anywhere between 8-12. It is such a cute story and I would definitely recommend it for children of this age bracket

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Blaze the Phoenix (Magical Rescue Vets #3). By Melody Lockhart, Illustrator: Morgan Huff. 2022. Arcturus Publishing (ARC eBook).

Rosie is becoming impatient with being treated as a kid and wishes to be a grown up. But when she and Kat enter Starfall Forest, they find a sneezing Phoenix. And curiously, those who get caught in his sneeze turn younger. As other magical creatures and the veterinarians are turned young, Rosie and Kat must figure out how to remedy the situation. Blaze the Phoenix helps Rosie learn patience in problem solving and in growing up. Friendship is another theme as Rosie and Kat work together to help the residents of the magical Starfall Forest. Overall, the story and illustrations deliver an entertaining story

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This is a book about a group of friends that medically treat magical beings. When one of them moves away and goes to a new school, she begins thinking that maybe now it's time to let go of these 'childhood games' and grow up. But then she gets called by her friends, to help them treat a sick phoenix.

I requested this from NetGalley without realizing that it was a part of a series, so, you can imagine that it felt a bit weird to be thrown into the middle of the action, without any clue about who these characters were, what they were doing etc. I'll admit that this one was on me.

But then again, I also think that the writing was a bit dry and a bit over the place -in the sense that it was not engaging or interesting enough and that we were constantly jumping from scene to scene and were meeting new characters but none of them made an impact.-

Some may say that I feel this way because I am not the target audience, but I have definitely read middle grade and children's books that I loved, as an adult.
I feel that this book, while somewhat cute at some points, was also a bit boring and forgettable. It's been a little less than a month since I finished reading it, and I cannot recall any of the character's names, or any of the events, besides maybe one or two significant ones.

I hope that the people who will get to read this, will enjoy it, but unfortunately, that was not really the case for me.

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I am always on the lookout for chapter books for my daughter. She is a 3rd grader and I want her books to be both appropriate and engaging. She really enjoyed both the Magical Rescue Vets books that we previewed. I thought they were cute as well.

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I received an advance reader copy of this book to read in exchange for an honest review via netgalley and the publishers.

Magical Rescue Vets: Blaze the Phoenix is the third book in this adorable series for children. I think these books are fantastic and so much fun!
We meet lots of new magical creatures in this book and lots of mayhem.
Rosie and Kat see a phoenix who keeps sneezing. It turns out if your caught in the phoenix's sneeze, you get turned younger. The girls are tasked with getting the phoenix to the magic vets practice, without being turned any younger. With help from a gnome and another vet, the girls manage to get the phoenix to the vets. When the vets get caught in his sneeze and made younger, it's up to the girls to figure out what to do to make the phoenix better and get everyone back to normal.
Rosie feels fed up at the start of this book as she wants to be more grown up and listened to by others, especially grown ups. This adventure teaches Rosie a valuable lesson about not rushing to find a solution but taking the time to get it right and that growing up too fast isn't great - children should enjoy being children. It also teaches about patience and choices.
This is a great series and I can't wait to start book four very soon!

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Rosie is tired of not being listened to by her parents and other adults. Se wished that she was grown up. During summer holiday, Rosie and Kat are in for an adventure that wasn’t expecting. In Starfall Forest, they go to see the magical vets to tell them about a red Phoenix sneezing. The very buy vets tell them to go and get the Phoenix. They get help from one of the vets and a gnome. Fortunately the vet has brought a blanket to cover up the Phoenix. If it sneezes, theybecome younger. When they returned to the surgery, the vets are able to figure out what has caused this illness that made the Phoenix so sick. They know what the remedy is. Rosie and Kat must go out to get it. However, the gnome already has it. He gives the plant to the vets but the Phoenix sneezes again and makes the vets and gnome small. Rosie and Kat don’t know what to do so they gonot the lobby of the surgery. They decide to do what needs to be done for the enchanted animals. After doing that they go back to the surgery and discover that the vets are still small. What will Rosie ad Kat do to get the vets and gnome back to normal?

The author wrote about a mythical creature — the Phoenix which I have been interested in since I was a child. It’s a fascinating story that is also a mystery. I actually didn’t solve the mystery. It’s the angst of an old gnome who is very worried and rude. The story implies one shouldn’t rush to find a solution to a problem due to a fear. Patience is a virtue. Being old isn’t awful. I loved the solution and surprises throughout the story. The illustrations are great!

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This is a really lovely series, my daughter is really enjoying me reading them to her, I don't think it's long until she'll be reading them on her own. She's obsessed with vets and magical creatures so this is the perfect series for her.

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This is the second Magical Rescue Vets book that my son and I have read and we both enjoyed it.

This book introduces more of the magical wildlife of Starfall Forest including the main animal protagonist, a phoenix.

My son found the effects of the phoenix's hiccups amusing and he especially liked that Rosie's problem made more sense than Kat's problem in Holly the Flying Horse did.

This is a fun book for upper primary age readers.

Thank you to NetGalley, Arcturus Publishing, and Melody Lockhart for giving me a free digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

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This is the second in the series that I have read. I feel like it's perfect for kids ages 7-11 (,or 3rd-5th grade). Easy to read and strong messages of friendship and helping others make it a fun and high interest read for kids. Rosie and Kat are friends who share a secret: there are magical creatures in the Starfall forest and they often venture in to help the vets who care for these magical creatures. Last book, I enjoyed the creativity of the animals and this novel didn't disappoint either!
The book starts with a mystery of baby magical creatures popping up without supervision around the forest. It is soon deduced that a phoenix is responsible for the reverse aging going on. Can the magical vets and Rosie and Kat help cure the phoenix and prevent more magical beings from becoming young again? Read on to find out!

I love the illustrations! They are well done and match the plot well! I feel like if I had littles at home, I would have them color the illustrations if they weren't already colored in - it would be a fun way to make it interactive!

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Best friends Rosie and Kat are back at Calico Comfrey the magical vet clinic of Starfall Forest. Rosie is tired of being treated like a kid and in order to grow up fast, she begins by getting rid of her childhood toys. When she joins Kat at Calico Comfrey, they're dismayed to find that nobody needs their help, even though they know they can help! When they get word that an ill phoenix is loose in the forest they volunteer to help find it. But the Phoenix isn't ill exactly. He's got magical hiccups, casting his magic on anyone who steps in front of the fire he breathes every time he hiccups. When all of the adults are turned into toddlers, Rosie and Kat are suddenly the most responsible ones around. They just didn't realize how much responsibility. Can the girls keep everything running, while trying to care for a bunch of toddlers, doctors and gnome, and help Blaze get rid of the hiccups? And is Rosie really ready to give up being a kid?

We flew through this book it seemed. The animals to be discovered throughout Starfall are incredible, like boombadgers or flutterpuffs. I especially love the human world tie-in of the game boombadgers, it's a neat inside secret. I can't wait to get paperback copies to read with my 8yo, so we can read the first two in the series. I've struggled to get her into chapter books, these are the first ones to really take.

Review from my 8 year old: I loved how Blaze turned into an egg and was reborn and how he turned the others into babies. I loved how Sir Horatio drew on the wall and of course, how it ended. My favorite animals were Blaze, the flutterpuffs, and the boombadger.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the author via Netgalley and Arcturus in exchange for an honest review

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Thank you NetGalley and Melody Lockhart. First I must say that I read this out loud to my 8 and 5 year old. I selfishly requested it because of the illustrations. Such a cute and fun read that both enjoyed. We loved the story and characters. My son thought the premise of a secret hospital for magical creatures was the coolest thing ever. Will definitely be adding these to our library rotations.

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I read this with my daughter and we thoroughly enjoyed following along Rosie and Kat during their visit to the magical Starfall Forest. It was filled with gnomes, knights, gem dragons, and more! It also was a story about friendship and the ups and downs of growing up. Can’t wait for the next one!

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The front cover draws your in. It’s bright and colourful and I think children will like this . There is not many chapters in the story and there is illustrations as well. The plot is good and I think children will like this book.
Thank you NetGalley for letting me read this book.

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I received a ebook copy of this for free through Netgalley. Thank you to them for giving me the opportunity to read this book.

This book is absolutely adorable. This is perfect for Elementary aged kids. I plan on reading it to my goddaughters who are 1 and 3 and I know they will love it. This series gives me Disney Doc Mcstuffin's vibes but instead of a kid being a doctor to her toys, this is kids taking care of colorful mystical and mythical creatures. Pink cat creatures with wings, purple frogs, an adorable phoenix that causes a little bit of trouble, and many more cute creatures that I so wish were real. The underlining lesson of this book is that it's ok to be a kid and that everyone grows up at their own speed. It's ok to have some responsibilities and still want to play with toys. Fantastic lesson for kids that grow up way too fast these days. I can't wait to get the other books in this series and share them with my goddaughters and nieces. I also hope one day this is turned into a movie or tv show because I would love to see the adorable characters animated.

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I read this book and Holly the Flying Horse back to back, though I confess the timeline was slightly difficult to determine which book came first, though it did not detract from my enjoyment of the story.

Rosie is the new girl in town living in the cottage on the edge of the Starfall Forest, where she has become privileged to help out in a magical veterinary clinic. She notices one day looking out the window at school that there is a strange red bird with sparkling feathers. Then she notices a baby Grumpling on the playground, though it disappears before anyone else can see it. Later, she and her BFF Kat go to the surgery and Rosie mentions the curious bird. The vets tell her they have some cases of full grown animals showing up as babies again and they realize the bird, which is a phoenix, is causing the problem as he has the magiccups and is breathing fire causing creatures to revert to their tiny, younger selves. They need to catch the bird and cure him before his magic runs out from all the hiccuping.

Another cute story in this series, although this one felt a bit like it borrowed from a TV series in the US where the same thing happened, although the creature causing the regressions was an alien, not a phoenix. Since I read two different books back to back, I liked Holly's story better but young readers will enjoy the magical hijinks in the surgery. Super cute and ideal for bedtime reading.

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**I was provided an electronic ARC from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for honest review.**

Melody Lockhart returns with the next installment in Magical Rescue Vets, Blaze the Phoenix. Kat and Rosie are determined to continue to be helpful to the vets, but Rosie seems to think that she has done a lot of growing up as a result of helping. When many baby animals start showing up, including a horse that was an adult just that morning, Kat and Rosie have to figure out what is happening to the animals and people.

I have not read any other books in this series, but did not have issue following the story. There were some aspects that clearly showed that a reader who was familiar with the rest of the series might have gotten more out of the work. However, I feel pretty confident,, that any reader could jump in at this book with no trouble understanding the main plot.

This is a children's chapter book that could hold some crossover appeal for young middle grade readers. Morgan Huff's illustrations are sweet and really bring the narrative to life. In fact, I feel like this book would have been more effective as either a picture book or graphic novel. The concept of growing up being paired with the phoenix was clever. I acknowledge that the target age demographic is certainly not me, and feel like children would enjoy the whimsy of the story.

I would not hesitate to recommend this book, or this serious, to a young reader. I feel that fans of Hex Vet might find an aged down version here.

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This is formatted and illustrated like an easy chapter book, but the vocabulary is a bit advanced. However, I can see readers who like magical creatures and animal books enjoying this one.

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Magical Rescue Vets: Blaze the Phoenix is the third book in the Magical Rescue Vets series by Melody Lockhart. Due out 1st May 2022 from Arcturus, it's 128 pages and will be available in paperback and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links and references throughout. I've really become enamored of ebooks with interactive formats lately.

This is a well written and action driven story full of friendship, family, and the care and nurturing of magical creatures. It's written as a chapter book and is appropriate for all ages, but the intended age range is approximately 7-10 years. The language is very clean and there's no violence. I was a little dismayed to see main character Rosie being ignored and shooed away by her parents and teacher - but it's presented in a way which will certainly resonate with kids that age who are impatient to grow up and be taken seriously by the adults around them.

The art by Morgan Huff is line drawn monochrome, but suits the story very well and is nicely rendered. The book is generously illustrated throughout (in B&W).

The resolution and denouement are satisfying and well done. This series only contains 4 books at present, but promises to be one which will be perfect for binge reading. I would've devoured these when I was 7 years old.

Four stars.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

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My kids and I loved reading Magical Rescue Vets: Blaze the Phoenix. The characters were very interesting and the plot kept us wanting to read more. We can’t wait to read about Kat and Rosie’s next adventure!

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