Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for giving me free access to the digital advanced copy of this book.

This was a very charming novel. I love the message of the story that is about love and sacrifice. I found all the characters to be charming. I loved the relationship between Kyle and Nora. This story had great themes of friendship and family. Thus, I recommend this for fans of Gail Carson Levine, Jessica Day George, and Shannon Hale!

This book was such a happy surprise! I loved reading it. The plot and characters drew me in from the very first.

Nora is a great main character. She is a strong young woman who is compassionate and loving. She risked her own life for others several times in the course of the story. I just loved her!

Kyn is a prince. I liked how he was willing to stand back and observe a little bit. It was interesting to see the difference between Kyn and his father the king. The king was a lot more intense and take charge. I guess sometimes that’s necessary, but he seemed a bit harsh with his son and others around him.

The plot was amazing. There is so much magic in it. I loved the idea of the stones being able to help those who needed help. And I never knew just what would be coming next.

I’m really hoping for more books in this world by this author. This one was so good!

trigger warning
<spoiler> being drugged </spoiler>

Nora, her brother and said brother's best friend are on a mission to brew the thing that will heal their sister. It's dangerous, but it could change everything.

Instead of having people going on a quest, this novella starts when they reach their goal and everything could be going great but of course, it would make for a boring story if they just go, everything happens as planned and they return.

I am a bit torn about their motivation. Dani, for whom they're brewing a healing potion, has been born with legs that won't hold her weight and the idea is to follow this ancient legend to get a potion that will make her normal, and... that's an ableist idea, that disabled people can only lead a great life if they're healed. I also don't get why it had to happen now, and why it was not possible to wait till the boys are older and could be a bigger help on the quest.
I would have been more comfortable with some kind of illness, or maybe a curse.

Apart from that, this feels like a solid ya adventure in a short enough format that you can read it in one sitting. I was not hugely into it, but I think that others readers, especially those who don't regularly see their culture represented in media, could love this.

The arc was provided by the publisher.

I enjoyed this story and wish it had been longer. I did not realize it was a novella. The base for world building is there is just needs more time and detail. The characters are strong and 3 dimensional. I hope she does more.

Nora and the Sacred Stones is a great book for upper elementary and middle school readers! Nora gives off Robin Hood vibes when she goes in the palace in order to steal medicine for her sister. The dynamic between Nora and Kyn is electric and I love the cat and mouse game between the two of them. This book wasn't definitely not what I expected but in the best way!

Great Middle grade book 4/5 stars. Good plot line students in 5-6 grades will enjoy the story. Fast paced and easy to follow. My 3rd grader loved this book as well.

I loved this middle reader book! Nora is a young woman with a special gift that she uses to help her family. She’s not able to share her gift publicly as it would be dangerous for her and her family. This book is the first in a series and is full of family, courage and mystery. It would be a great read for readers who like fast paced reads that get you into the story. It was short, and got me sucked in just in time for it to be over. I can’t wait to read more in this series!

This is a young adult/middle-grade book that I would have rated higher if not for the romance angle between the main two characters. It felt a little unnecessary, given the other relationships explored during the adventure. This might just be me, and the children of the age group might appreciate the ending more, but I do not know for sure.
To backtrack a little and go back to the story itself, it is a short story that feels like it could be part of a larger world with complex worldbuilding involved but surprisingly works well as a standalone as well. This latter part is quite rare in my experience.
This story is quite strong and does not over-explain itself making it entertaining for even an adult to read and enjoy. Nora is always trying to help her family. The world she lives in has forgotten the old stories, but royalty has preserved the stones and used marriage as a way of keeping ownership in check. The stones give out some form of energy that is utilized in specialized ways. Nora, however, seems to be able to harness it much more easily. In order to save her sister, and using snippets of information, she finds herself in a royal palace in the dead of night to try and create an almost fictional elixir.
Nora's adventure alone is not the bulk of the book. The trading and travelling in this new world were quite fascinating to watch. I am guessing my nieces would really like the way things play out. There is treachery in the air as well as uncertainty. There are growth arcs for several of the characters, making it a very good book for children looking to branch into more thrilling adventure/fantasy worlds.
I received an ARC thanks to NetGalley and the publishers, but the review is based on my own reading experience.

Trespasser, Thief, Assailant—these were never titles Nora planned on. She was just trying to protect her sister. With the help of her little brother and his best friend, Nora embarks on a life-or-death quest that could rock the very fabric of their society.

After breaking into the royal palace, Nora discovers that the ancient power of the sacred stones is more than just a legend. But in her desperate attempt to help her sister, Nora may have awoken something deep inside the earth—a power she doesn’t fully understand. As Nora flees, she accidentally encounters Prince Kyn, heir to the Liardian throne. She narrowly manages to escape, but now the young prince knows who she is and what she looks like.

Eager to prove himself to his father, Prince Kyn leads a mission to find Nora and bring her back to House Liard. Unfortunately, his search is riddled with obstacles he never saw coming. Kyn soon realizes he needs Nora’s help more than he could have possibly imagined. In fact, the whole world does.

I loved, loved, loved this middle grade fantasy story. It was filled with heart, danger, excitement, budding romance, magic, adventure and not to mention the main character is a feisty female who knows her own mind. What more is there to ask for?

My only qualm was that it finished soooooo quickly… I felt like the story was just getting started and I had just whet my appetite and… it was over!!!!

I need more Nora and more sacred stones in my life… asap.

This book reads quickly just like how Nora is most of the book.

The adventure Nora undertook in trying to help her sister made this a book my daughters were drawn to. It is a fun fantasy to obtain the powerful stones, but of course a lot of chasing and fleeing happens (adds some suspense for the kiddos).

Reading level and content wise, this book is perfect for elementary aged readers. It does a good job at precisely telling the story and keeping young readers interested. A good simple enjoyable kid's fantasy read!

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for providing a copy of this ARC for my honest review.

Nora and the Sacred Stones by Laura Hatch Rupper, 112 pages. Eagle Gate Publishing (Covenant Communications), 2022. $8.
Language: G (0 swears, 0 “f”); Mature Content: PG; Violence: PG
BUYING ADVISORY: MS - ESSENTIAL
AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE
Nora (16yo) knows that she is an above average puller, but even she doesn’t realize how good she is until after sneaking into the palace to use the Ballutite stone there. Prince Kyn (17yo) disappointed his father by not detaining the girl who was in their kitchens in the middle of the night, but he didn’t think she was doing anything sinister. However, to prove himself to his father, Prince Kyn is determined to track her down and bring her back to the palace.
The simple magic system Nora uses is beautiful, and I love how Rupper describes it throughout the book. Nora has to make some tough decisions, and she does so with the intent – most of the time – to do what is right. The fire in her leads Nora to retaliate sometimes, but mostly she allows her fire to drive her forward even when she doesn’t know how things are going to turn out.
Nora, Limar, and Prince Kyn are all implied White. Beck is described as having “work-tanned” skin. The mature content rating is for intoxication and implied sexual harassment. The violence rating is for mention of suicide, battle scenes, and death.
Reviewer: Carolina Herdegen

Thank you to the publishers, author and NetGalley for the free copy of this audio book.

This was a cute little read. Plenty of detailed world building without feeling like the information is being crammed in. The characters were fun, and I would be interested in reading more in this world!

I rather enjoyed this middle grade fantasy novel. I requested it from NetGalley because my kids love these sorts of stories and I thought they might like this one.

It started well. You’re thrown right into the world, but I thought the amount of detail given was perfect. Not too much “tell”; just enough to give clarity and lots of “show”. Very strong start.

I liked the characters, but other than Nora, they were a bit flat. Nora was very vivid. By about 30%, it was quite obvious she’s a Mary Sue. Very typical tropes: she’s all-powerful, the first like her in generations and coveted. She has no idea. She’s definitely wide-eyed and very modest. A little silly for a 16 year old in such a rough life and naive. But it IS a middle grade fantasy, so I’m less upset by it.

I like that this did not end on a cliffhanger. The finish felt a bit lacklustre compared to the rest of the book no like things came to a conclusion too quickly and easily. But, again, this is middle grade and probably appropriate for it’s intended audience. The magic system was my favourite part. Very original. Despite the lack of cliffhanger, there is room to continue to explore this world and I’d be open to reading a subsequent volume.

I enjoyed this and would recommend.

Nora has an incredible connection with the earth that she uses to help thise she loves that leads her on an exciting adventure. Super cute and sweet adventure story. I would have loved to read this as a kid and i enjoyed it now as an adult. Im excited to see what is next for Nora and her friends.

What a delightful read this was. We follow Nora, a teenage girl with the ability to pull power from stones as she attempts to sneak into a royal place and make a revar (basically a magic potion ) to cure her little sister. Then we follow her and her younger brother and his friend as they attempt to make it home - while overcoming obstacles on the way. This was a fast paced short read. The characters were easy to like and the magic system was easy to understand. It had several twists and turns which I enjoyed. My only complaint was that it was SHORT! Almost short story short. I am typically all for getting to the point in books but I felt like this one actually could have added a bit more detail and depth in some areas. Still, I really enjoyed it and it is one that I will definitely be reading to my kids when they are old enough! I also would love to see a sequel to see where this story goes! So much potential!

View my review on YouTube here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z8VCZ--TO_c

I really enjoyed getting to know Nora and her world! I thought the stones were so fascinating. I did feel that there was so much more to the story than what was on the pages, so I hope there will be more. This is a great book for early middle grade readers!

Thank you to NetGalley, Covenant Communications, and Laura Hatch Rupper for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

Nora and Prince Kyn's story was so fun to read. I couldn't out it down. I truly hope there will be a sequel. I want to know what happens next.

Nora is caught by Prince Kyn in the royal castle after using one of their sacred stones (to make an infusion) to help her younger sister get well. Kyn learns more than he should have, because Nora's young companions (one is her brother) are terrible criminals. They use names and answer questions while Nora is too busy to stop them. Honestly, no good-cop bad-cop used at all!

There is a chase scene, but the real excitement is what Nora can do with the powerful stones, who wants control, and what they're willing to do. And, it seems that the prince is kind-of cute. Fear, desperation, and peril, coming right up!

This adventure in a magical realm is fun, not completely predictable, and really gave me a craving for cake. No swearing or other objectionable stuff. There are a lot of rocks, and maybe some improved trust or family relationships. I suspect another book is coming.

5/5 Stars

Thanks to Covenant Communications and Eagle Gate Publishing, and NetGalley for the preview of this ebook; the review is voluntary.

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What a delightful book. It held the interest of the entire family , we were all interested in the characters of Kyn and Nora and how the story would pan out. Interesting that it is told from two points of view but it is not at all confusing, even the youngest of us knew who was talking. Well worth a read, good family reading together book.