Reviewed by Kim Anisi for Readers' Favorite

If you are looking for a fantasy story that combines popular themes like werewolves, vampires, wizards, and witches in a different way and is filled with unique characters, then Semester Aboard - More than Magic by Elizabeth Kirke is a book you should put on your 'to read' list.

Jen, who is on a moving campus, i.e. a cruise ship, for a semester learns a lot more than just what is on her timetable during that trip. One night she sees a group of other students on deck and something quite unusual happens that baffles Jen. The rest of the group notice her and from then on follow her around to make sure Jen tells nobody about what she saw. While they spend time with her, the strange group of students also notice something special about Jen - that she is more like them than like normal humans.

Elizabeth Kirke weaves a story about a variety of mythical beings in Semester Aboard and shows where they clash, where they work together well, where they need each other, and how there is no clear line between which kind of being is good and which not. Thankfully, this book is not one of those trashy vampire/werewolf novels that are cluttering book shelves in book stores these days. It's a delightfully different take on fantasy creatures and the friendships between the different characters are believable and touching. You start liking the characters and you get comfy with the book - it almost feels like you are part of the group and right in the middle of it. You simply do not want it to end!

I really hope that there will be a sequel. It would be so very interesting to see what else happens in the lives of all those characters and to read another beautifully written book.