Reviews

'Just a Pinch of Magic' by Alechia Dow is a delightful middle grade novel about friendship and magic.
Wini's family's bakery is in trouble and so she devises a spell to help that will draw on love. But the spell goes wrong and a woman appears in town from the Enchantment Bureau. Fearing that she will get in trouble for her spell, Wini teams up with the new girl in town, Kal to see how they can fix what went wrong. Kal is searching for her place in the town while also dealing with her anxiety and a grandfather that has suddenly appeared. She believes she has found a friend in Wini. Together, the girls will have to figure out how to save the town and put things right.
What a cute middle grade novel. Dow does a great job of creating a fun world and filling it with enchanting characters. I love the magic as well, especially the infusion of baking and word magic. There are recipes inserted between some of the chapters, which I found not only immersive but also an added bonus amidst all of the mouth-watering descriptions and metaphors. A certain aspect of the plot was quite easy to figure out but I think it would still work well for its intended audience. I hope that Dow writes more middle grade in the future because this was pure delight.

Content Warnings

scoutabout's review

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Magic system and characterization were not consistent, writing style was not to my taste

cakt1991's review

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adventurous medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I’ve loved all of Alechia Dow’s YA books, so I had a lot of faith that I’d enjoy her middle grade debut just as much. Just a Pinch of Magic is an absolute delight that swept me away. The setting itself has cozy small-town vibes with a magical twist, and I loved how each of the girls’ families’ specializations, baking and books respectively, appealed to two of my favorite things, and I loved the recipes sprinkled throughout.

Wini and Kal are both interesting protagonists who bond over being outsiders, with Kal being new to town and Wini bearing the stigma of her mother’s past actions of having cursed the town. I loved seeing the two bond amid all the chaos, especially with Wini getting into more trouble for casting an illegal spell to try to “fix” her family’s situation. I love how the two bonded over their shared magical misadventures, not to mention their desires to see their two queer single fathers happy…possibly with each other. Their friendship was so sweet and positive, supporting one another through all their struggles and being the other’s biggest hype-person.

The book is definitely more on the cozy, “just vibes” side, which likely won’t bother the target demographic as much, or those looking for something in that vein. But if you’re looking for something more epic in line with some of the other middle grade fantasy titles patterning themselves in the Percy Jackson vein, you’ll likely be disappointed. However, if you’re in the mood for a fun, whimsical, slice-of-life read with emphasis on female empowerment for young girls, I recommend checking this out!

waywordxwitch's review against another edition

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5.0

~ ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion ~

I love Alechia Dow! I love her inclusiveness of queer characters and I especially love that her main characters are usually curvy girls of color. This was so cute and fun for her first middle-grade debut. Different track than YA but enjoyable all the same - the 2 girls and their different but similar struggles - and all the love lol. Super cute witchy debut.

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