qrschulte's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
mysterious
tense
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
5.0
I loved this book!!! If you’re looking for a Harry Potter dupe that actually has diversity (race, gender, sexuality, disability) you have to pick this up. I loved all the nods to other authors in the “background” characters’s names; a very fun addition. AND I CAN’T WAIT TO HEAR WHAT HAPPENS NEXT TO MY SWEET BABIES!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Classism, Racism, Gaslighting, and Xenophobia
Moderate: Blood, Kidnapping, Confinement, Abandonment, Child abuse, Hate crime, and Emotional abuse
Minor: Murder, Torture, Medical content, Stalking, Injury/Injury detail, Outing, and Child death
scorpstar77's review
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism
Moderate: Mental illness
clarabooksit's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
slow-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
3.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Classism, Bullying, and Racism
Minor: Violence, Slavery, and Murder
ejthephoenix's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
relaxing
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
5.0
The book is actually 401 pages long. Its an amazing read and as a fan of Harry Potter I loved it. This book is so magical and inclusive and I wish this were real so bad. I want to be part of this world. All of the characters are so diverse and I feel like many people are represented through this book. I can't wait for the second one
Content Warnings
Moderate: Bullying, Murder, Child death, Classism, and Racism
emily_mh's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
I can definitely see the overwhelming potential for this series and I will be continuing with it, but unfortunately this first book fell a little flat for me.
Let's start with the positives! Clayton has created an incredibly rich magical world. I liked the steampunk vibes and how this played into the types of transport featured. In terms of the Arcanum Training Institute, it was clear a lot of thought had gone into the Paragons and what magic could do, and it was cool seeing this reflected in the classes that Ella took. My absolute favourite part of the worldbuilding was the shops and foods that Clayton envisioned. It's these little details that really bring worlds to life for me!
As well as this, the main character Ella was a lovely one to follow. I liked her determination and curiosity. Finally, I thought it was sweet that Clayton named so many minor characters after her author friends - it was a nice touch.
Now time for the negatives. My biggest one is that you are really thrown in the deep end regarding worldbuilding - names and terminology are thrown at you in a kind of info-dumpy way so that for the first wee while I was a bit lost and overwhelmed. I still don't fully understand the difference between Conjuring and Marvelling, and why the latter shunned the former (maybe I missed something important??).
My other major issue with the book was pacing. I am being fully serious when I say that an actual plot directly involving the MC doesn't begin until you are over 60% of the way through the book. Prior to this Ella is finding her footing at the ATI, which is an important part of the story, but means that the overarching plot that is mentioned in the synopsis is pushed into the last third of the book and rushed through. I also found the way the climax was written to be quite anti-climactic. I will say that when the plot did kick in I was enjoying my time with the book much more, which gives me lots of hope for the next instalment in the series.
Overall, while I was a little disappointed by this book I would by no means say it was bad and I'm really looking forward to picking up the next instalment and seeing where Ella goes next.
As a side note, I listened to the audiobook for this one which I definitely would not recommend. The narrator could not do the accents required by the narrative and there were too many mispronunciations (e.g. preening was pronounced as pre-enning, and mimicry was pronounced as me-me-cry). The narrator also didn't follow textual cues (e.g. "she whispered" or "she hollered") and seemed more focussed one enunciation than narrating naturally and with flow.
Let's start with the positives! Clayton has created an incredibly rich magical world. I liked the steampunk vibes and how this played into the types of transport featured. In terms of the Arcanum Training Institute, it was clear a lot of thought had gone into the Paragons and what magic could do, and it was cool seeing this reflected in the classes that Ella took. My absolute favourite part of the worldbuilding was the shops and foods that Clayton envisioned. It's these little details that really bring worlds to life for me!
As well as this, the main character Ella was a lovely one to follow. I liked her determination and curiosity. Finally, I thought it was sweet that Clayton named so many minor characters after her author friends - it was a nice touch.
Now time for the negatives. My biggest one is that you are really thrown in the deep end regarding worldbuilding - names and terminology are thrown at you in a kind of info-dumpy way so that for the first wee while I was a bit lost and overwhelmed. I still don't fully understand the difference between Conjuring and Marvelling, and why the latter shunned the former (maybe I missed something important??).
My other major issue with the book was pacing. I am being fully serious when I say that an actual plot directly involving the MC doesn't begin until you are over 60% of the way through the book. Prior to this Ella is finding her footing at the ATI, which is an important part of the story, but means that the overarching plot that is mentioned in the synopsis is pushed into the last third of the book and rushed through. I also found the way the climax was written to be quite anti-climactic. I will say that when the plot did kick in I was enjoying my time with the book much more, which gives me lots of hope for the next instalment in the series.
Overall, while I was a little disappointed by this book I would by no means say it was bad and I'm really looking forward to picking up the next instalment and seeing where Ella goes next.
As a side note, I listened to the audiobook for this one which I definitely would not recommend. The narrator could not do the accents required by the narrative and there were too many mispronunciations (e.g. preening was pronounced as pre-enning, and mimicry was pronounced as me-me-cry). The narrator also didn't follow textual cues (e.g. "she whispered" or "she hollered") and seemed more focussed one enunciation than narrating naturally and with flow.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Xenophobia, Bullying, and Racism
Moderate: Violence and Hate crime
Minor: Excrement, Death, Toxic friendship, Blood, Gore, Murder, Police brutality, Confinement, Physical abuse, Child death, Torture, Slavery, Racism, Animal cruelty, and Medical content
Graphic: bigotry. Note: the racism in the graphic warning above refers mostly to ethnic racism. Minor: missing loved one, illness, self-injury, loss of a loved one, imprisonment.rinku's review against another edition
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
I was so excited to read The Marvellers since I love magic and boarding school but, in the end, I noticed that MG may not be my genre (excluding Warriors lmao). For me, it was just too childish, and the plot was too simple, but the diverse world was still so amazing.
The plot was just progressing so slowly since the introduction to the world was quite lengthy. Ella is the first of her kind to go to the magic school Arcanum. Since everything is new to her, there was barely anything happening in the first two-thirds of the book which was a bit boring. Additionally, there were big time skips that further slowed down the story. The main event that was described in the synopsis that one of their teachers disappears only takes place after two-thirds of the novel. I wasn’t the biggest fan of this whole event, and the kids became way too obsessed with this teacher they only knew for a few months. Another problem is that the plot goes in circles for a long time which is partly caused by the bad communication between characters. The ending was so predictable as well – but okay, it’s a children’s book.
I really don’t want to give HP any more attention, but the inspirations from it were very obvious at some points. I didn’t like that the general idea of different houses was taken over because it always separates the children in an arbitrary way. Just to list of a few other similarities I noticed: Like Harry, Ella is something special and different from the other students; there’s a mysterious prison that is very isolated and where people break out in the course of the story; there are talking statues of the school founders, similar to the house ghosts; a random sport event is mentioned; there’s one scene where Ella raises her hand but she isn’t called by the teachers even though she’s the only one raising her hand.
But of course, the magic system was quite different. It was a bit complicated at the beginning and I could imagine that children could find it complicated as well. Another problem I had was with the writing style. Like I’ve said, I’m not the target audience, so children may like it, but the humour was so juvenile. There were also some similes that were just weird.
One of my favorite things about The Marvellers and why I still gave it three stars were the characters. I love how diverse not only they were, but also the school and the world itself (e.g., the teachers, the food they eat). Sadly though, I wasn’t able to bound too much with the main characters. I also find it a bit annoying that we still need the cliché mean girls.
With all things considered, I won’t read the next book of The Marvellers series. It’s a great diverse series for children but I’m just not the target audience for it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism and Bullying
librarianlayla's review
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
sad
fast-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? It's complicated
5.0
Everything we needed and more.
If you're looking for a book filled with mystery, diverse characters and set in a magical school with a best friend trio - then this is for you.
Ella's journey through her first year at the Arcanum is non stop action. This world is rich and fully fledged with magical creatures, marvellous abilities and very real, raw, experiences.
The way that Ella is treated by students and teachers alike really drew a lot of parallels with my childhood as we as struggles that continue to this day. This book really made me feel things.
Book 2 cannot come quick enough!
If you're looking for a book filled with mystery, diverse characters and set in a magical school with a best friend trio - then this is for you.
Ella's journey through her first year at the Arcanum is non stop action. This world is rich and fully fledged with magical creatures, marvellous abilities and very real, raw, experiences.
The way that Ella is treated by students and teachers alike really drew a lot of parallels with my childhood as we as struggles that continue to this day. This book really made me feel things.
Book 2 cannot come quick enough!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Bullying, Hate crime, and Xenophobia
Minor: Murder, Child death, Racism, and Death
purplepenning's review
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Toxic friendship, Grief, Kidnapping, Racism, Bullying, Forced institutionalization, and Hate crime
Minor: Blood
betweentheshelves's review against another edition
adventurous
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
4.5
Thanks to Macmillan Children's and NetGalley for an advanced copy of The Marvellers to review! This middle grade, magical school fantasy should definitely be on your radar of May releases. It is absolutely a delight to read! From beginning to end.
Clayton's skills in world building are on full display here! If you're a fan of magical schools in the slightest, you'll absolutely love this. Arcanum is a magical school in the sky. What isn't to love about that? The way that we're presented with the world and the school quickly pulls you into the story. I promise you'll be hooked from the get go!
And the characters! Not only do we get to see them through interactions, but the bits and pieces between chapters. Throughout, Clayton includes news clippings, messages, etc. to help with building characters and the world. And it works so well! Not only does it help with world building, but we get to see different character personalities as well. Honestly, it just makes you fall in love with this little group of misfits even more.
All in all, if you're looking for a new middle grade fantasy to dive into, definitely pick this one up when it comes out in May!
---------
Let me tell you, this book is a delight! From the magic school to the friendships made to the overall world. Middle grade fantasy fans will definitely enjoy this! Stay tuned for a full review to come next week.
Clayton's skills in world building are on full display here! If you're a fan of magical schools in the slightest, you'll absolutely love this. Arcanum is a magical school in the sky. What isn't to love about that? The way that we're presented with the world and the school quickly pulls you into the story. I promise you'll be hooked from the get go!
And the characters! Not only do we get to see them through interactions, but the bits and pieces between chapters. Throughout, Clayton includes news clippings, messages, etc. to help with building characters and the world. And it works so well! Not only does it help with world building, but we get to see different character personalities as well. Honestly, it just makes you fall in love with this little group of misfits even more.
All in all, if you're looking for a new middle grade fantasy to dive into, definitely pick this one up when it comes out in May!
---------
Let me tell you, this book is a delight! From the magic school to the friendships made to the overall world. Middle grade fantasy fans will definitely enjoy this! Stay tuned for a full review to come next week.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism
Moderate: Xenophobia, Blood, and Bullying
Minor: Medical content, Death, and Kidnapping
readwithasherreid's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
This book was kindly sent to me (unsolicited) by the publishers. All thoughts in my reviewer are my own.
THE MARVELLERS is a masterpiece of our time!! I wish I had this Middle-Grade Fantasy when I was growing up, but I am beyond ecstatic that today’s young readers will have this in their libraries! Dhonielle Clayton is a master at her craft. This world is one you are enthralled and excited about from the very beginning. THE MARVELLERS yanks you into their eccentric world and you will not want to leave!
As with all good stories set in magical schools, not everything is as it seems. Ella deals with a LOT in this book. Watching her try to navigate this new world whilst being true to her own heritage, dealing with microaggressions left and right, on top of all the other horrible things she is put through for being the first Conjurer to a Marvellian school was hard to read about at times. I can clearly see the pull of inspiration our real-world had on Clayton’s writing and I am deeply grateful for her commentary. Recommending this book solely as a “fun magical fantasy school” would be dishonest! Clayton writes about a lot of serious topics in this middle grade. Although the story has loads of fun, lighthearted moments, it is also about Ella dealing with being profiled and verbally attacked on a daily basis.
I will leave this by saying, I truly believe this is a novel every single person should pick up!! There were a few twists that I did not expect, characters I fell fast in love with, and a world I do not want to see an end to. THE MARVELLERS is brilliant! I am still reeling from the ending and desperately hoping that we get more books in this series! THE MARVELLERS is *the* story to heal your inner child!!
CWs/TWs: kidnapping (minor), blood (moderate), death (minor), medical content (minor), microaggressions (major), racism (major), etc.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism
Moderate: Blood
Minor: Kidnapping, Medical content, and Death
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