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onespaceymother's review
4.0
Read out loud to kids:
Elly (age 8): 4 stars. I liked how there were natural elements and they used the word “puffling” into Gryphling. My fav character was the Roc, Ria.
Max (age 11): 3 stars. I liked the cloud castle. I would’ve rated it higher if their first quest hadn’t seemed so short and easy. My favorite character was Bay, because he seemed like a nice guy. That’s who I’d hang out with.
Elly (age 8): 4 stars. I liked how there were natural elements and they used the word “puffling” into Gryphling. My fav character was the Roc, Ria.
Max (age 11): 3 stars. I liked the cloud castle. I would’ve rated it higher if their first quest hadn’t seemed so short and easy. My favorite character was Bay, because he seemed like a nice guy. That’s who I’d hang out with.
sarrie's review
adventurous
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
A Breath of Mischief is a classic fantasy story for young readers telling of a quest to find a missing guardian. Aria is a young girl raised by the wind, who suddenly finds herself attempting to save the Wind from a man who gives her a classic riddle quest. Of course things are not as the seem, and the man most definitely does not have the best of intentions - but that’s for Aria and her companion Gwen to find out along the way.
As far as fantasy quest books this one hits every classic beat. It’s predictable and you can count on it to stay on the path. For adult readers this can be frustrating and make for a slow and tedious read, but I’m certain a younger reader will eat this up. It’s whimsical and told in a very removed style that reminded me a little bit of Lord of the Rings (but very simplified of course). The characters, while cleverly created and unique in style don’t give us much as far as emotional weight but the story moves fast enough that it probably isn’t necessary in the right audience’s hands.
The world is just a vehicle and the magic is plentiful but not explained out or complicated in any way - so ultimately this one is a simple moral quest story. To talk about it too much would spoil it in fact. I can’t say I recommend this for adult readers like myself who enjoy middle grade and younger, but I would say this could be a great jumping in point for young readers who enjoy fantasy and want a new read. So for your young kids - this is a great pick up.
smorrison4's review
medium-paced
4.0
As an adult reading this book I found myself saying "no, don't do it, it's a trap" to Aria quite a lot while she was trying to complete the quest. I think that kids will enjoy this book and will have a harder time seeing the trap that Aria is being led in to. I love that by the end of the book all the the otherlings have the same knowledge and I hope that the elements start sharing more information with them so things like this don't happen in the future. Overall, a fun, middle grade read.
roshreviews's review
adventurous
fast-paced
3.75
In a Nutshell: A fun magical adventure story for tweens. Goes exactly as per formula, but little ones will enjoy it. I wish it had had more surprises along the way.
Story Synopsis:
Aria has grown up in a castle amid the clouds with her parent/guardian (the exact relationship is never clarified), Wind. She spends her days up in the skies with her best friend Gwyn, a young gryphling. However, her happy routine is suddenly disrupted when, one morning, she awakens to discover the Wind missing, and their lovely floating castle lying on the ground. When Aria and Gwyn go looking for Wind, they discover that Wind has been held captive, and only if they complete three quests set out by the kidnapper will the Wind be set free. Now it is up to Aria and Gwyn to save the Wind. But can they trust the kidnapper’s word?
The story is written in the first person perspective of Aria.
Bookish Yays:
🐉 Enjoyed the representation of the four natural elements through the characters and the magical talismans.
🐉 Plenty of adorable magical animals for children, including a gryphling and a dragon.
🐉 Fast-paced.
🐉 Lots of adventures, courtesy Aria’ quest.
🐉 The Wind uses the they/them pronouns, and this is done naturally in the flow of the story without hammering the pronouns or representation into our head. Well done!
🐉 That gorgeous cover! Perfect for the book!
Bookish Nays:
👾 The story goes almost like a paint-by-numbers adventure. I wish it had pushed the envelope a bit.
👾 The biggest problem with Aria was that she refused to ask for help when it would have been beneficial and even sensible. Self-dependence can go too far at times. We shouldn't resist help if it works for the better, especially when friends offer it. Aria does learn her lesson, but it comes too late in the plot. And even then, she is still the sole saviour of the day. Teamwork and trusting of friends gets a very secondary role in this book.
👾 The three quests ended up being quite straightforward than dangerous and difficult. For something supposed to be a tricky riddle, each task was surprisingly easy for Aria to figure out.
👾 There's a difference between being brave and being foolhardy, and I wish children's fiction upgrades itself to highlight this distinction. A couple of decades ago, jumping into the action without second thought would have been okay for children's adventures. But times have changed and rash decisions are today more risky than rewarding. So the message coming from such stories also needs to be updated. One cannot stop seeing the wood for the trees.
👾 How exactly is Aria connected to the Wind? Was she their actual daughter? Was she chosen by them as their protégée? Some background detailing would have helped, especially considering how little Aria actually knew about her guardian as against the other ‘-lings’ in the story.
All in all, I would have adored this story had I read it when I was in my tweens. As an adult, I still found it decent but I did expect to be more thrilled considering that this is my go-to genre when I am looking for a quick light read. Of course, the book wasn’t written for people of my age, so my feedback shouldn’t be of main importance. I think kids will enjoy the characters and the adventures. And I hope that through Aria’s mistakes, they learn not to handle treacherous situations with impetuousness.
3 stars from adult me, but at least 4.5 stars from the ‘me’ of three decades ago. Averaging the two ratings.
3.75 stars.
My thanks to Sourcebooks Kids and NetGalley for the DRC of “A Breath of Mischief”. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.
Story Synopsis:
Aria has grown up in a castle amid the clouds with her parent/guardian (the exact relationship is never clarified), Wind. She spends her days up in the skies with her best friend Gwyn, a young gryphling. However, her happy routine is suddenly disrupted when, one morning, she awakens to discover the Wind missing, and their lovely floating castle lying on the ground. When Aria and Gwyn go looking for Wind, they discover that Wind has been held captive, and only if they complete three quests set out by the kidnapper will the Wind be set free. Now it is up to Aria and Gwyn to save the Wind. But can they trust the kidnapper’s word?
The story is written in the first person perspective of Aria.
Bookish Yays:
🐉 Enjoyed the representation of the four natural elements through the characters and the magical talismans.
🐉 Plenty of adorable magical animals for children, including a gryphling and a dragon.
🐉 Fast-paced.
🐉 Lots of adventures, courtesy Aria’ quest.
🐉 The Wind uses the they/them pronouns, and this is done naturally in the flow of the story without hammering the pronouns or representation into our head. Well done!
🐉 That gorgeous cover! Perfect for the book!
Bookish Nays:
👾 The story goes almost like a paint-by-numbers adventure. I wish it had pushed the envelope a bit.
👾 The biggest problem with Aria was that she refused to ask for help when it would have been beneficial and even sensible. Self-dependence can go too far at times. We shouldn't resist help if it works for the better, especially when friends offer it. Aria does learn her lesson, but it comes too late in the plot. And even then, she is still the sole saviour of the day. Teamwork and trusting of friends gets a very secondary role in this book.
👾 The three quests ended up being quite straightforward than dangerous and difficult. For something supposed to be a tricky riddle, each task was surprisingly easy for Aria to figure out.
👾 There's a difference between being brave and being foolhardy, and I wish children's fiction upgrades itself to highlight this distinction. A couple of decades ago, jumping into the action without second thought would have been okay for children's adventures. But times have changed and rash decisions are today more risky than rewarding. So the message coming from such stories also needs to be updated. One cannot stop seeing the wood for the trees.
👾 How exactly is Aria connected to the Wind? Was she their actual daughter? Was she chosen by them as their protégée? Some background detailing would have helped, especially considering how little Aria actually knew about her guardian as against the other ‘-lings’ in the story.
All in all, I would have adored this story had I read it when I was in my tweens. As an adult, I still found it decent but I did expect to be more thrilled considering that this is my go-to genre when I am looking for a quick light read. Of course, the book wasn’t written for people of my age, so my feedback shouldn’t be of main importance. I think kids will enjoy the characters and the adventures. And I hope that through Aria’s mistakes, they learn not to handle treacherous situations with impetuousness.
3 stars from adult me, but at least 4.5 stars from the ‘me’ of three decades ago. Averaging the two ratings.
3.75 stars.
My thanks to Sourcebooks Kids and NetGalley for the DRC of “A Breath of Mischief”. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.
lenaandthebooks's review against another edition
3.75
"A Breath of Mischief" is about the young Aria who was rised by the wind. One morning the wind disappeares and Aria and her flying friend Gwyn go on an adventure to rescue the wind.
I requested this book because the story sounds interesting and one of my reading goals for 2023 was to read more fantasy.
The story itself was pretty short and very fast paced, but it worked really well for the story. The chapters also were pretty short. I almost rushed through the story and couldn't put it down.
The plot was predictable for me but I still enjoyed the story and reading it. The end sadly felt a bit rushed.
I think this book would have a good possibilitie to become an interesting story.
This book reminded me from the vibe a lot of "Howls moving castle" and I highly recommend it to every youg and old fantasy fan!
I requested this book because the story sounds interesting and one of my reading goals for 2023 was to read more fantasy.
The story itself was pretty short and very fast paced, but it worked really well for the story. The chapters also were pretty short. I almost rushed through the story and couldn't put it down.
The plot was predictable for me but I still enjoyed the story and reading it. The end sadly felt a bit rushed.
I think this book would have a good possibilitie to become an interesting story.
This book reminded me from the vibe a lot of "Howls moving castle" and I highly recommend it to every youg and old fantasy fan!
carriepond's review against another edition
4.0
MarcyKate Connolly's A Breath of Mischief is an adventure fantasy geared toward middle-grade readers. In the world of the novel, each of the four elements (Wind, Water, Earth, and Fire) have elemental rulers, who have their own kingdoms and children called, collectively, "otherlings"-- not-quite-human kiddos magically imbued with some of the powers of their parent element. Our main character, Aria, a "windling," has a pretty great life when the story begins. She lives in a castle in the clouds, flies around the skies with her gryphling (young gryphon) pal, Gwyn, entertains all manner of airborne creatures (including the occasional dragon), and falls asleep to the music of chimes while the Wind rustles her hair. One morning, Aria and Gwyn are alarmed to discover that the Wind is gone--and so are Aria's associated powers. The pair soon realize that the Wind is being held captive by an alchemist Worton, who agrees to release the Wind if Aria is able to retrieve three magical objects, hidden across the world. During their quest, Aria and Gwyn meet their fellow otherlings-- a waterling named Bay, an earthling named Terran, and a fireling named Brigid. It turns out that the stakes are even higher than Aria and Gwyn imagined, and it's going to take the otherlings and all manner of magical creatures to save the day.
This was a cute and enjoyable read. My favorite part of the book was the world-building that Connolly did-- it was a delight to read about this world full of magical creatures and living nature. I guessed all of the twists, but am also an adult, so maybe that is to be expected. I read one review that said the book didn't have much "bite," and I would agree with that. There were times throughout the book that we the reader were told "oh man, this could be really bad," but there was never really any suspense or worry that anything bad was actually going to happen. Still, the world Connolly creates is fun, and this was a fun way to kill a couple of hours.
3.5 stars, rounded to 4. Recommend for those interested in reading light middle grade without super high stakes.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for a free copy in exchange for an honest review! This one releases in April 2023.
This was a cute and enjoyable read. My favorite part of the book was the world-building that Connolly did-- it was a delight to read about this world full of magical creatures and living nature. I guessed all of the twists, but am also an adult, so maybe that is to be expected. I read one review that said the book didn't have much "bite," and I would agree with that. There were times throughout the book that we the reader were told "oh man, this could be really bad," but there was never really any suspense or worry that anything bad was actually going to happen. Still, the world Connolly creates is fun, and this was a fun way to kill a couple of hours.
3.5 stars, rounded to 4. Recommend for those interested in reading light middle grade without super high stakes.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for a free copy in exchange for an honest review! This one releases in April 2023.
pellobooks's review
3.0
I feel that this story could have been lengthened a lot more in favour of developing the world better, creating characters that were not so flat and that the trials that Aria has to go through were not so similar to each other. I was kinda tricked by the beatiful cover hehehe.