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4.18 AVERAGE
4.18 AVERAGE
adventurous
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
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
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
relaxing
sad
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:
Yes
Sophie Foster is a genius with a photographic memory, in high school at age 12, with the unique (and rather annoying, to her) ability to read minds. She's also, as it turns out, an elf - one of the magical races that hide themselves in other realms from humans. She finds this out rather suddenly one day, when she encounters a boy whose family has been looking for her since they discovered her existence 12 years before. Suddenly plunged into the elf world, Sophie abandons literature and chemistry and instead embraces elementalism (where she learns the very best way to bottle a tornado), telepathy, and other Elfin subjects, while navigating a new school and trying to fit in with her foster parents, a couple who had lost a daughter not too long before. Oh, and she also has memories planted in her brain that she can't quite access, and someone is trying to kill her. Plus, middle school.
I picked this one up on the recommendation of a library patron who desperately wanted book 3 in the series - and no libraries in our area had it. Well, we have the whole series now!
I only have a few complaints, which is why I didn't give this five stars: Sophie is a total Mary Sue- good at just about everything, instantly, and even the stuff she doesn't excel at (alchemy) is seen as endearingly adorable. Also, she finds out she's an elf and is instantly okay with leaving her family, friends, and entire life behind, to the point of erasing their memories of her. Easy come, easy go? Also... I hate to say it, but this book seems to be trying really hard to be the next Harry Potter. All that said - still, very well written, and I've already checked out book 2.
I picked this one up on the recommendation of a library patron who desperately wanted book 3 in the series - and no libraries in our area had it. Well, we have the whole series now!
I only have a few complaints, which is why I didn't give this five stars: Sophie is a total Mary Sue- good at just about everything, instantly, and even the stuff she doesn't excel at (alchemy) is seen as endearingly adorable. Also, she finds out she's an elf and is instantly okay with leaving her family, friends, and entire life behind, to the point of erasing their memories of her. Easy come, easy go? Also... I hate to say it, but this book seems to be trying really hard to be the next Harry Potter. All that said - still, very well written, and I've already checked out book 2.
Jason would have given it 6 stars if he could have. He read it in one day, and only took a break for lunch!
What a start to a series.
We meet Sophie as 12 year old who can hear peoples thoughts. She is a very bright and has been advanced in school. She feels she doesn't fit in at school or with her family.
One day she meets Fitz, another Telepath, who shows her why she feels she doesn't fit in and she is shocked. It also forces her to make a very tough decision - this part of the story I felt very sad at.
As Sophie learns more of who she is and what she can do, her life becomnes more full. She makes friends, has adventures and learns that family is not just your parents but a lot more.
I loved the characters, the setting and the plot. I was so sucked into the plot and the world. I already have the 2nd book and plan to read it soon.
We meet Sophie as 12 year old who can hear peoples thoughts. She is a very bright and has been advanced in school. She feels she doesn't fit in at school or with her family.
One day she meets Fitz, another Telepath, who shows her why she feels she doesn't fit in and she is shocked. It also forces her to make a very tough decision - this part of the story I felt very sad at.
As Sophie learns more of who she is and what she can do, her life becomnes more full. She makes friends, has adventures and learns that family is not just your parents but a lot more.
I loved the characters, the setting and the plot. I was so sucked into the plot and the world. I already have the 2nd book and plan to read it soon.
This is a wonderful middle grade fantasy - my younger self would have loved it. I mean my adult self definitely enjoys it but if I was 10 this would probably be my personality.
Sometimes I think adult authors could take lessons from children authors in world building because this book managed to develop an interesting “magic” system and not make my eyes want to burn out of my head with weird names and complicated hierarchies. It’s a long enough series I know the characters will likely grow with it, and there were enough breadcrumbs in book one to intrigue me for book two. Onwards!
Sometimes I think adult authors could take lessons from children authors in world building because this book managed to develop an interesting “magic” system and not make my eyes want to burn out of my head with weird names and complicated hierarchies. It’s a long enough series I know the characters will likely grow with it, and there were enough breadcrumbs in book one to intrigue me for book two. Onwards!
Description:
Twelve-year-old Sophie Foster has a secret. She’s a Telepath—someone who hears the thoughts of everyone around her. It’s a talent she’s never known how to explain.
Everything changes the day she meets Fitz, a mysterious boy who appears out of nowhere and also reads minds. She discovers there’s a place she does belong, and that staying with her family will place her in grave danger. In the blink of an eye, Sophie is forced to leave behind everything and start a new life in a place that is vastly different from anything she has ever known.
Sophie has new rules to learn and new skills to master, and not everyone is thrilled that she has come “home.”
There are secrets buried deep in Sophie’s memory—secrets about who she really is and why she was hidden among humans—that other people desperately want. Would even kill for.
In this page-turning debut, Shannon Messenger creates a riveting story where one girl must figure out why she is the key to her brand-new world, before the wrong person finds the answer first.
My Thoughts:
Wow what can i say. This was a great middle grade fantasy. I loved it. It took me a couple chapters to get into it but oh wow it was good.
I think [a:Shannon Messenger|5265998|Shannon Messenger|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1353026719p2/5265998.jpg] did a awesome job with way she set up her world within our real world but she also did a great job with the characters. I loved all of them. Sofie was my favorite. She did do certain things that frustrated me. Oh and sophies parents are awesome. They are so supportive and loving. You just don't see that very often in middle grade (or at least what i know about MG) or Ya. So to see that was so refreshing. I wish i could live with them. Lastly the magic was good. Elves in this world develop gifts like empath or telepathy, etc. I just think thats a good easy sytem for MG.
just wow. I really loved this book and i'm so excited to read the rest of this series. This is a book i'm going to show to my future kids.
I recommend this book if you like middle grade. :)
Links: https://witchybooks.tumblr.com/
Twelve-year-old Sophie Foster has a secret. She’s a Telepath—someone who hears the thoughts of everyone around her. It’s a talent she’s never known how to explain.
Everything changes the day she meets Fitz, a mysterious boy who appears out of nowhere and also reads minds. She discovers there’s a place she does belong, and that staying with her family will place her in grave danger. In the blink of an eye, Sophie is forced to leave behind everything and start a new life in a place that is vastly different from anything she has ever known.
Sophie has new rules to learn and new skills to master, and not everyone is thrilled that she has come “home.”
There are secrets buried deep in Sophie’s memory—secrets about who she really is and why she was hidden among humans—that other people desperately want. Would even kill for.
In this page-turning debut, Shannon Messenger creates a riveting story where one girl must figure out why she is the key to her brand-new world, before the wrong person finds the answer first.
My Thoughts:
Wow what can i say. This was a great middle grade fantasy. I loved it. It took me a couple chapters to get into it but oh wow it was good.
I think [a:Shannon Messenger|5265998|Shannon Messenger|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1353026719p2/5265998.jpg] did a awesome job with way she set up her world within our real world but she also did a great job with the characters. I loved all of them. Sofie was my favorite. She did do certain things that frustrated me. Oh and sophies parents are awesome. They are so supportive and loving. You just don't see that very often in middle grade (or at least what i know about MG) or Ya. So to see that was so refreshing. I wish i could live with them. Lastly the magic was good. Elves in this world develop gifts like empath or telepathy, etc. I just think thats a good easy sytem for MG.
just wow. I really loved this book and i'm so excited to read the rest of this series. This is a book i'm going to show to my future kids.
I recommend this book if you like middle grade. :)
Links: https://witchybooks.tumblr.com/
adventurous
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
My oldest kid read the entire series. Younger kid and I are listening in the car. I have decidedly mixed feelings about the story. First, Shannon Messinger seems unsure about what age Sophie is. Is she 12 and emotionally young? Or is she on the cusp of teen hood? Is she wise beyond her years? She isn’t sure.
Second, so much whinging. Middle grade, fantasy, and romantasy books fall back on this trope too often. Every glance means insecurity. It might be true (who doesn’t wonder), but it’s tedious and overwrought when it’s the go-to interpretation. Enough.
Why don’t the characters’ accents match up? Some are English (Fitz), some are American (all the other kids). Dialect breakdown.
We’ve moved onto the second book, and we’ll probably go through the entire, entirely too long series.
Second, so much whinging. Middle grade, fantasy, and romantasy books fall back on this trope too often. Every glance means insecurity. It might be true (who doesn’t wonder), but it’s tedious and overwrought when it’s the go-to interpretation. Enough.
Why don’t the characters’ accents match up? Some are English (Fitz), some are American (all the other kids). Dialect breakdown.
We’ve moved onto the second book, and we’ll probably go through the entire, entirely too long series.
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced