Magora: The Uprising by Marc Remus – Book Review

Book: Magora: The Uprising

(Book 4 in the Magora Series)

Author: Marc Remus

Genres: Children's, Middle Grade, Fantasy, Art, Adventure

"Run, Holly. He's going to kill you!"

Magora: The Uprising is the fourth instalment in Marc Remus fantasy-art world Magora series.

Magora is a world that four children travel to through a painting. The main character Holly is accompanied by her three friends: Rufus, Amanda, and Brian.

The book begins right in the middle of a calamity. The Smoralls who adopted Holly several years prior are in a row and Ms. Smorall, who has always hated and mistreated Holly is begging the little girl to run.

Prior to this event, Holly had thought the Smoralls were ordinary people. But in Magora: The Uprising many secrets are revealed and many more questions arise.

"Why did all of this have to happen? Why did Grandpa Nikolas build a world that would fall apart?"

Suspenseful, the book barely allows the reader a quick breath before new events and troubles occur.

As the books progress, we see each of the characters develop in their own way. In the fourth book in the series, Holly has several hurdles and responsibilities thrown at her and she handles quite well. We see her, even at the age of 14, grow wiser and smarter. She is also creative, thoughtful, and kind.

When we last left Holly in book three, things were a mess in Magora, with the Unfinished increasing in numbers and attacking the island.

The Unfinished are incomplete people or animals that need blood in order to be completed. Otherwise, they would suck a person in front of them dry just to reach completion.

Unfinished painting by Keith Haring

In Magora: The Uprising, the Unfinished have multiplied in numbers, destroying places and are raging to kill people in order to be finished. We also learn that they are controlled by the Duke of Cuspidor, an illusive villain who has been trying to trap – and may be murder – Holly since book one.

One of the things I liked in the fourth book was the new side to Amanda that Remus gives his readers. In first book, I felt that Amanda was a love-hate kind of character, more hate and less love, because she was rude and haughty. But in Magora: The Uprising, we learn more about her and her family and why she acts the way she does. There is an embedded social comment in there.

"I thought that by bullying people, I could make them do what I want, and they'd be nice to me."

In book four, we also learn more about the Woodspeople, a species of people who came to Magora at some point but are believed to be extinct. (Book 5 is called Magora: The Woodspeople)

Holly by Marc Remus

I liked Remus' take on bookworms, which in Magora are real worms.

"Bookworms react to people. They were bred to sense if the book can help a person or not."

Overall, Magora: The Uprising is a must-read; I'd recommend you at least start at book two – although starting the series from book one would allow you to connect things better.

It's fast-paced, suspenseful, exciting, and most importantly magical with lots of creativity from both the characters and the author.

"I've finally found a home," said Amanda. "Magora is my home."

Check out my book reviews for the previous book in the Magora series.

Magora: The Gallery of Wonders (Book 1)
Magora: The Golden Maple Tree (Book 2)
Magora: The Bridge in the Fog (book 3)


About the Author:

Marc Remus has been a full-time painter for 20 years, which has prompted him to come up with Magora.

"I always wondered what it would be like to fall into one of my paintings," he says. "I have also painted the covers for all the Magora books, designed the logo, and did the interior layout."

You can check out his artwork at his website. You can also connect with Marc via Facebook, Twitter and check out his TV documentary.

Magora: The Gallery of Wonders is currently under translation to both German and Spanish.