A review by rhensie
City of Stolen Magic by Nazneen Ahmed Pathak

adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

Thanks to NetGalley & the publisher for sending me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is a beautiful middle-grade book that had me hooked the entire time. The magic systems alone are incredibly well-done and thoughtful. Chompa, our protagonist, is very human, flawed, and for the most part, acts as one would expect a child to act - sometimes imperfectly, but always with passion. I really enjoy
the aspect of her losing her hair, giving younger kids a heroine who doesn't look 'perfect' by traditional beauty standards, but is bold and inspiring nonetheless
. 

I initially found the switch in POV a bit jarring, but I think I acclimated to it within a few chapters. I really enjoyed these alternate POVs over time, though there were things I would've preferred to have seen/learnt about via Chompa's point of view. 

I do think this is, at times, perhaps too dark for its audience; in particular, what happens to Chompa's
mother was pretty disturbing, even for an adult reader without much detail given of the act, what is implied is horrific. Also, I didn't fully understand Amina's motivations for doing what she did. She didn't stop the machine, she didn't kill Moshin, only ended her own life, and left Chompa alone. I'm not sure what she thought she was accomplishing by doing that.
I would recommend this to an older middle grade reader. 
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