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A review by carriepond
A Breath of Mischief by MarcyKate Connolly
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.