A Review & A Giveaway: The Vanishing Sculptor by Donita K Paul

A review? A giveaway? What happened to your bloggy manifesto, Amanda? Well, I already had about 4 or 5 things to review sitting on my virtual desk when I wrote my manifesto. But regardless I would have accepted this book because I LOVE IT.

A few years ago I picked up Donita K Paul‘s first book, DragonSpell. It is a young adult Christian fantasy novel. Didn’t know those existed, did you? I read it because I wanted to find some books the older kids in our children’s ministry in Birmingham would like. Little did I know I’d be glued to every single page! It’s kind of a Lord of the Rings quest meets Harry Potter’s funny names meets Narnia’s Christian allegories.

The setting is an other world full of singing, healing, telepathic dragons. There are seven races of people–including dog-like, dwarf-like and elf-like. It would take me too long to explain but with names like emerlindians and trumanhofers you know it’s going to be fun!

So, when Donita K Paul’s new book, The Vanishing Sculptor came across my inbox, I was psyched stoked excited. This one is a stand-alone novel set several hundred years before the DragonSpell books. The official recap says,

Return to the world of the dragon keepers, where the fate of three missing statues will determine the fate of the world. Tipper, a young emerlindian woman, has been responsible for the upkeep of her family’s estate since her sculptor father disappeared several years ago. To make ends meet, she’s been forced to sell off the artwork he left behind. When at last her father returns, accompanied by two strangers from a distant land, Tipper discovers that her actions have unbalanced the foundation of her world, as well as her father’s life, and she must act quickly to undo the threat. But how can she save her father and the world on her own? The task is too huge for one person, so she gathers the help of some unlikely companions—including her guardian, the giant parrot Beccaroon, the wizard Fenworth, and his librarian Librettowit—and sets out on a quest, eventually witnessing the loving care and miraculous resources of Wulder.

I’m about 115 pages in. I’ve been reading it every day after VBS and keep wishing Asa wouldn’t crawl on my back so I could finish it! So, wanna read it? It’s so popular it’s not on PaperBackSwap.com. You might be able to hit up your local library, bookstore or amazon OR YOU COULD WIN IT HERE! For some reason I didn’t get a book to giveaway. BUT I contacted Waterbrook and hopefully they’ll send me a second copy. If not, you can still win my very gently read copy. Just leave me a comment here and I’ll pick a winner by Monday! (Don’t worry, I’ll have it finished by Monday!) Waterbook is sending Mary Carolyn her very own book! Congrats Mary-Carolyn! (Which means I’m keepin’ mine!)