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maria_rb's review against another edition
3.0
I wanted to know more of the backstory of this world and the main character and his familiar.
life_full_ofbooks's review against another edition
4.0
3.5-
Fantasy is not my favorite genre, but I continue to dabble with it because you never know when a book will grab you. I decided to try this one because the synopsis sounded pretty good.
It’s 1912 and Biddy is a 16 year old girl who has lived her entire life on Hi-Brasil, an island that holds magic, with Rowan a mage, and Hutch, his familiar. Rowan goes off at night to find magic on the mainland and while these jaunts are worrisome for Biddy and Hutch, Rowan always comes home; until one day he doesn’t. Biddy soon realizes that even though she isn’t magical, she can still use magic to save Rowan, and in the process she learns more about herself.
While fantasy isn’t always my thing, I love books that allude to there being magic in our world, and thus I really loved that aspect of this story. When I first read the synopsis, I was intrigued that it takes place in 1912, but throughout the book I kept wondering why that needed to be mentioned. Aside from a couple of mentions about women’s fashion there was nothing that made 1912 standout and I feel it was something that either could have been explored more, or shouldn’t have been mentioned at all.
I thought the theme of family being more than blood was sweet, and it gave the book more of a YA feel, but I was annoyed that Biddy didn’t seem to get that until the end. At the same time, though, I could see how being raised by a mage and a familiar could make one feel like she doesn’t belong when she isn’t magical in the slightest.
All in all this was a cute book and I thank NetGalley and Redhook Books for an advanced copy of this book. Pub date- Feb 28, 2023
Fantasy is not my favorite genre, but I continue to dabble with it because you never know when a book will grab you. I decided to try this one because the synopsis sounded pretty good.
It’s 1912 and Biddy is a 16 year old girl who has lived her entire life on Hi-Brasil, an island that holds magic, with Rowan a mage, and Hutch, his familiar. Rowan goes off at night to find magic on the mainland and while these jaunts are worrisome for Biddy and Hutch, Rowan always comes home; until one day he doesn’t. Biddy soon realizes that even though she isn’t magical, she can still use magic to save Rowan, and in the process she learns more about herself.
While fantasy isn’t always my thing, I love books that allude to there being magic in our world, and thus I really loved that aspect of this story. When I first read the synopsis, I was intrigued that it takes place in 1912, but throughout the book I kept wondering why that needed to be mentioned. Aside from a couple of mentions about women’s fashion there was nothing that made 1912 standout and I feel it was something that either could have been explored more, or shouldn’t have been mentioned at all.
I thought the theme of family being more than blood was sweet, and it gave the book more of a YA feel, but I was annoyed that Biddy didn’t seem to get that until the end. At the same time, though, I could see how being raised by a mage and a familiar could make one feel like she doesn’t belong when she isn’t magical in the slightest.
All in all this was a cute book and I thank NetGalley and Redhook Books for an advanced copy of this book. Pub date- Feb 28, 2023
rebeccactma's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
This book somehow manages to capture all the magic of nostalgia. Closing the book and knowing Biddy will leave Hy-Brasil and start her own life brought in all the feelings of growing up, leaving for college, traveling the world. I adored the characters from the very beginning and as a bunny owner I LOVED how accurate and hilarious Hutchincroft was in rabbit form. A book that surprised me by making me cry and one I'd happily read all over again.
harpothemarx's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
savannahwhitten's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
violettereads's review against another edition
4.0
A young girl, living on a deserted island with her magician Guardian, longs to travel to the bustling mainland but finds her efforts rebuffed until one day when her Guardian dissapears.
I enjoyed the story, it's more speculative than fantasy and it was well written. The setting adds a historical fiction layer to it and it works well with the plot line
We start off with Biddy basically dying to leave this magical island that is deserted except for her, her magician Guardian and his familiar. No one can visit because it keeps people out but Rowan, the magician leaves often to get supplies by transforming into a raven. One night, he travels to the mainland and doesn't return, prompting Biddy to use whatever magic she can find to figure out what happened and ultimately leading her to understand why she was kept on the island and what lurks outside.
I enjoyed the story, it's more speculative than fantasy and it was well written. The setting adds a historical fiction layer to it and it works well with the plot line
We start off with Biddy basically dying to leave this magical island that is deserted except for her, her magician Guardian and his familiar. No one can visit because it keeps people out but Rowan, the magician leaves often to get supplies by transforming into a raven. One night, he travels to the mainland and doesn't return, prompting Biddy to use whatever magic she can find to figure out what happened and ultimately leading her to understand why she was kept on the island and what lurks outside.
nea's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
reidob's review against another edition
4.0
I must admit that I have not always considered fantasy to be in my wheelhouse. When contemplating the "sff" side of things, I usually consider myself titled much further toward the "sf" than the "f." Not that I have not admired many fantasy novels and their authors. I love the Wayward Children novels of Seanan McGuire, for instance, and all of the "Ninth" books of Tamsyn Muir. I recently finished and favorably reviewed The Girl Who Fell Beneath The Sea by Axie Oh. But many in this genre have left me cold, and I always wondered why.
I think I may now have the answer, at least for me. What many fantasy authors seem to lose track of is that it is not magic, or power, or fantastical creatures that are at the heart of any story but the persons who populate it (even if those "people" are not people at all but sentient slime mold or antlered dog-beasts). The Magician's Daughter is a powerful antidote to this tendency.
What this wonderful book contains is the story of a girl coming of age in a magical world in which she has but a minor part. She is being raised by a man who found her washed up on the shores of his magical island. Rowan, her adoptive father, is a mage but is embroiled in an ongoing feud with the powerful Council of Mages over the use and hoarding of magic. Our hero, Biddy, loves her life on the hidden island but, at the age of sixteen, has begun to chafe at the constraints she faces. She has read hundreds of books about the world out there but has never seen it. For reasons he only vaguely alludes to, Rowan is unwilling to let her see them firsthand. Eventually, though, Biddy has an essential role to play in resolving the magical conflict and must be exposed to the world, whether either she or Rowan are ready for this to happen.
These are wonderful, engaging characters, and even the bad guys, when they emerge, are multifaceted and have fascinating backstories we are eager to hear. The resolution of the central conflict is gratifying, harrowing, sad, and joyful by turns.
If there was anything I didn't entirely enjoy about this splendid book it would have to be that the dénouement felt a bit dragged out. After the climax the author devotes another 50 or so pages to the aftermath, which seemed a bit much. But this is a very minor criticism for a book that singlehandedly restored my faith in a genre. I supposed it is too much to hope for a sequel; we will just have to wait and see.
I think I may now have the answer, at least for me. What many fantasy authors seem to lose track of is that it is not magic, or power, or fantastical creatures that are at the heart of any story but the persons who populate it (even if those "people" are not people at all but sentient slime mold or antlered dog-beasts). The Magician's Daughter is a powerful antidote to this tendency.
What this wonderful book contains is the story of a girl coming of age in a magical world in which she has but a minor part. She is being raised by a man who found her washed up on the shores of his magical island. Rowan, her adoptive father, is a mage but is embroiled in an ongoing feud with the powerful Council of Mages over the use and hoarding of magic. Our hero, Biddy, loves her life on the hidden island but, at the age of sixteen, has begun to chafe at the constraints she faces. She has read hundreds of books about the world out there but has never seen it. For reasons he only vaguely alludes to, Rowan is unwilling to let her see them firsthand. Eventually, though, Biddy has an essential role to play in resolving the magical conflict and must be exposed to the world, whether either she or Rowan are ready for this to happen.
These are wonderful, engaging characters, and even the bad guys, when they emerge, are multifaceted and have fascinating backstories we are eager to hear. The resolution of the central conflict is gratifying, harrowing, sad, and joyful by turns.
If there was anything I didn't entirely enjoy about this splendid book it would have to be that the dénouement felt a bit dragged out. After the climax the author devotes another 50 or so pages to the aftermath, which seemed a bit much. But this is a very minor criticism for a book that singlehandedly restored my faith in a genre. I supposed it is too much to hope for a sequel; we will just have to wait and see.