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blewballoon's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
I really enjoyed this. I checked at one point if it was YA or not, in some ways it reads young because not only is the main character Biddy only about 16 years old, she grew up in an unconventional way and is an interesting mix of intelligent and naive. The adult characters are seen through her perspective, but as an adult reader I had the experience of understanding them more quickly than Biddy did. I thought the writing was fantastic, both in terms of the prose and in terms of the plotting. I would be wishing for something to go a certain way, and then when it didn't I would realize that what had happened was inevitable based on the prior setup in the story. It was narratively satisfying. The audiobook was very pleasant to listen to and really suited the tone of the story, with subtle distinctions and accents to make it clear who was speaking. I would highly recommend this to anyone interested in a coming-of-age historical fantasy.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Torture, Violence, Body horror, and Confinement
Minor: Kidnapping, Sexism, and Misogyny
emma_sky's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Confinement
Minor: Death, Torture, Abandonment, and Blood
tlskayte's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence, Confinement, Torture, Kidnapping, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Death
autumnalis's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
I received this ARC from Orbit/Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you.
You ever read a book in which you acknowledge that it has flaws, but completely forgive them because it feels like it was written just for you?
For fans of Howl’s Moving Castle, with a Howl-esque MC as a found father and a lovely found family.
I absolutely fell in love with the depth of the characters, the magical setting of Hy-Brasil, and I deeply empathized with Biddy’s complicated love and longing for magic.
You ever read a book in which you acknowledge that it has flaws, but completely forgive them because it feels like it was written just for you?
For fans of Howl’s Moving Castle, with a Howl-esque MC as a found father and a lovely found family.
I absolutely fell in love with the depth of the characters, the magical setting of Hy-Brasil, and I deeply empathized with Biddy’s complicated love and longing for magic.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Torture and Confinement
yvo_about_books's review
5.0
Finished reading: August 20th 2023
"That, Rowan had told her once, was what magic meant. A chance of something better."
I had a fantastic first experience with The Unlikely Escape Of Uriah Heep back in 2020, and I've been looking forward to read more of H.G. Parry's work ever since. I'm not sure why it took me this long, but this newest story couldn't have come at a better time... I adored every single minute I spent with The Magician's Daughter, and I couldn't give it any less than the full 5 stars it deserved. While completely different than her debut, I fell in love with this historical fantasy story straight away. The Magician's Daughter almost has that magical realism feel, which can go both ways for me, but in this case it hit the nail on the head. I loved the idea and descriptions of both Hy-Brasil and the magic itself, and the historical references are well incorporated. This wasn't the only thing I loved though... This book also stood out for me both due its impeccable writing and the development of the main characters. There was something enchanting about the writing style, and I found myself glued to the pages and unable to stop reading. Biddy makes for such a fantastic main character, and I loved learning more about the world through her eyes... Especially when she starts seeing the 'real' world for the first time in her life. The rest of the cast all added a little something special to the plot as well, although I think I loved Hutch the most of all of them. The plot is well structured, and there are plenty of twists and moments of danger along the way... Biddy's mission almost has that quest vibe, and I loved both how the plot evolved and how everything was wrapped up in the end. There is no doubt that The Magician's Daughter will appear on my list of 2023 favorites!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Torture, Violence, Death, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, Blood, and Abandonment
Moderate: Classism, Confinement, Sexism, and Death of parent
ijustreallyliketrees's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I loved this one. It reminded me of the books I loved reading growing up and it invoked a strong feeling of nostalgia (especially the cosy/domestic scenes on Hy-Brasil). I loved the characters, and the way magic was written about.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Violence
Moderate: Confinement, Kidnapping, and Torture
Minor: Death of parent and Sexism
imaginaryalchemist's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
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
4.0
I enjoyed The Magician's Daughter well enough, just not as much as I hoped I would. Some of the characters felt a little flat, and I would have liked to see more development with them.
In my opinion the main antagonist, Vaughn, in particular suffered from this. He's mostly just talked about and doesn't take too active of a role in the story.
I would've also liked to see Anna get more screentime, I liked the moments with her Biddy. They were sweet, and the characters had good chemistry.
Hutchincroft is hands down my favorite character. He's such a kind, gentle soul who truly cares about those around him.
Rowan was a very interesting character, and I wish we could have had chapters from his POV. He felt like one of the more three-dimensional characters out all of them.
I will admit that I am a sucker for a good found family story, so I did really enjoy that aspect. Rowan, Biddy, and Hutch clearly cared deeply for each other and I loved the scenes with all of them together in Hy-Brasil.
The world building was quite interesting, I liked the magic and lore with Hy-Brasil and would have liked to learn more about it. One of the big draws for me was its Irish setting but we didn't get to see much of that.
Overall, it was a fun read. I was left feeling like I wanted more from the story, but I enjoyed what I got.
In my opinion the main antagonist, Vaughn, in particular suffered from this. He's mostly just talked about and doesn't take too active of a role in the story.
I would've also liked to see Anna get more screentime, I liked the moments with her Biddy. They were sweet, and the characters had good chemistry.
Hutchincroft is hands down my favorite character. He's such a kind, gentle soul who truly cares about those around him.
Rowan was a very interesting character, and I wish we could have had chapters from his POV. He felt like one of the more three-dimensional characters out all of them.
I will admit that I am a sucker for a good found family story, so I did really enjoy that aspect. Rowan, Biddy, and Hutch clearly cared deeply for each other and I loved the scenes with all of them together in Hy-Brasil.
The world building was quite interesting, I liked the magic and lore with Hy-Brasil and would have liked to learn more about it. One of the big draws for me was its Irish setting but we didn't get to see much of that.
Overall, it was a fun read. I was left feeling like I wanted more from the story, but I enjoyed what I got.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Body horror, Abandonment, Confinement, and Kidnapping
Minor: Death and Death of parent
Honestly, there wasn't much in this book that I'd add a content warning for. The scenes in the orphanage are quite depressing, showing how destitute the girls truly were, but it didn't go into any graphic detail. Characters are tortured off screen and it can be disturbing, but again it doesn't go into any graphic detail. The ravenstone could count as body horror. Especially with Storm, who was left half-transformed by it. It also describes how Biddy feels as she transforms between raven and human.kat1105's review against another edition
adventurous
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? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Physical abuse, Violence, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, Abandonment, Grief, and Death
Moderate: Physical abuse, Child abuse, Confinement, Kidnapping, Misogyny, and Torture
clarabooksit's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Death of parent, and Violence
Moderate: Kidnapping, Injury/Injury detail, Torture, Animal death, Murder, Grief, Sexism, Confinement, Blood, and Child abuse
Minor: Classism, Fire/Fire injury, and Abandonment
miraclesnow's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
tense
fast-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? Yes
5.0
Any book that gets me to openly sob gets 5 stars.
This is what magic should feel like: fantastical, dangerous, and thrilling in equal measure. And this is exactly the feelings and experiences this book gave me, so much so I couldn’t help but to relate it to Howl’s Moving Castle. They both now take up a special place in my heart, because they both make me feel magical. ✨
This is what magic should feel like: fantastical, dangerous, and thrilling in equal measure. And this is exactly the feelings and experiences this book gave me, so much so I couldn’t help but to relate it to Howl’s Moving Castle. They both now take up a special place in my heart, because they both make me feel magical. ✨
Content Warnings
Moderate: Torture, Violence, Sexism, Kidnapping, Death of parent, Dysphoria, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Chronic illness, Terminal illness, Classism, Confinement, Animal death, and Murder