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mariahistryingtoread's review against another edition
2.0
This book was initially very charming but started falling off as it progressed.
Marabel is the ignored twin to beloved Prince Marco. On their birthday, Marco is kidnapped by their aunt; the evil queen Mab. Marabel along with her best friend Ellie and her fathers' Unicorn Floriano set out to rescue him.
I'd say the central theme of this novel is to think for yourself. The people in Magikos are taught to live and die by the Book of Fates; a historical record of what's to come in the future. Despite obvious signs that the book is not a reliable source the people are happy to mindlessly go along with it.
My favorite aspects of the book were in regards to Marabel slowly deconstructing her own misconceptions about the world. It's not solely limited to the Book of Fates. It extends to a lot of practices within her kingdom she's never thought twice about before. There's a magical wall that separates the 'polite society' of Magikos from the more magical, tempermental Desolate Barrens. Most of the book takes place in the barrens as the evil queen resides there. On the journey Marabel learns that while it is still dangerous not everything is true about *why* it's so dangerous. I love books that turn a protagonists preconceived truths on their head. When done well it makes for amazing character growth.
That being said the execution was lacking. It starts off well planting the seeds of doubt in Marabel when they encounter a mixed group of magical creatures and humans. This is important because in Magikos magical creatures are either forced out or caged as it's believed the majority are evil. However, every event after this first one does little to prove Magikos wrong. Sure, the magical creatures they come across are not these horrifying brutes Marabel initially thinks them to be, but they still more often than not do try to harm her group. And it seems the takeaway is just that because they didn't harm her in the very specific way that she thought they would - like giants eating humans - her worldview is now being shifted. Which seems too far-fetched for a 13 year old. I don't think she as a kid just learning about the world at large would have the capacity for such objectivity right out the gate. Wouldn't this serve to solidify her prejudice further? There's not a lot of discussion or exploration of the concept either. She just kind of occasionally thinks in the back of her head 'oh this isn't what I expected!' and that's kind of it. It's later revealed that magical creatures have been acting out of character for plot reasons but my point still stands that there weren't enough good or neutral interactions to balance it out. The story would have benefitted from having a magical creature other than Floriano (who they already knew) join the group in order to better humanize the Desolate Barrens.
I couldn't help but compare this to the Last Kingdom of Bamarre by Gail Carson Levine. That book does a phenomenal job showing the whole process of breaking down bigotry. It's messy and hard, but it was realistic and got the message across while being a fun read. Above all it was all worth it in the end because it felt *earned* due to all the work put in by the main character.
I also was confused then annoyed with the worldbuilding. It's clearly a medieval-ish fantasy kingdom - kings, queens, etc. But, the author had this way of writing that would take me out completely. Barrett would use a certain phrasing or joke that would immediately just feel a little off. There were a lot of times that it would randomly feel very satirical akin to the now popular modern meta fairytales when previously it was played straight. I distinctly felt like this book was trying to be the movie version of Ella Enchanted. For example, the kids ride a dragon and the dragon goes through this whole spiel that's like the one given to passengers on a plane. Like why would he - a dragon in a like 1500s setting - frame it that way?
It would be fine if it was one or the other, but it was a strange mix that left me questioning how this universe worked all the time. At the beginning it's not too bad though still noticeable. However, it starts cropping up a lot in the last third which is what knocked off a star because it was totally off-putting to have the immersion constantly broken by tongue in cheek little 'jokes'.
For example, Floriano can open doors with his horn. He tries to use it to help the kids out of a locked room at one point. It doesn't work for once and when it doesn't work his horn says something like 'Need update to Unicron 7.0'. And then Floriano is like 'it's okay I have a Wiz-fi account'. This was literally never talked about before. Suddenly they maybe have Internet? How does that work? And if they do have Internet or an Internet adjacent thing why do ALL of the people of Magikos listen to the book instead? The Internet means a broadening of horizons which suggests there would be a larger faction of naysayers in Magikos. Yet, only two people ever actively think of going against the book.
There's this game that's clearly a parody of Angry Birds, an apple watch kind of thing with a Siri equivalent called Scary, a 'Magikos' Got Talent' competition is mentioned, word is trending on 'Flitter'. It's all stuffed into the last handful of chapters which changes my perception of the whole story up until this point. NONE of this is established in the book beforehand. It completely ruins the story to suddenly be bombarded with all these anachronisms.
If this was intended to widen the gap between Magikos and the Desolate Barrens then why weren't more contemporary elements popping up all over the journey? Instead it doesn't begin until they reach the evil queens' castle more than halfway into the book, then it never ends.
I prefer 'regular' fantasy over urban fantasy, but I don't hate urban fantasy. It can be just as good. It's just a preference. But, I *do* hate being led to believe a book is going to be one thing when it's another.
The ending caps off things in an unsatisfying way. It was much too neat. Marco is not a real character so we never saw how the parents' treatment affected him. The priests aren't ever interrogated about their role tricking the kingdom with their interpretations of the Book of Fates - like was it intentional or not? - and it's mostly fixed with only a couple conversations. The fact that it took until like the penultimate chapter for Marabel to find out why Queen Mab was upset hurt the narrative immensely.
She should have been subconsciously realizing it on her own throughout the book (trust me the signs were there) so when she actively goes against her kingdom's antiquated systems it brings her arc full circle rather than a pile on of ideas that were forced on her in a specific way so as to complete the plot as Barrett intended.
I enjoyed the way the book handled the mistreatment of Marabel at first. I felt like Barrett really nailed the golden child/scapegoat dynamic. But, I disliked that her parents escaped the consequences of their actions. Kids books do this a lot. Unless the parents are pointedly *supposed* to be the villains they often are forgiven without proper accountability because 'family'. I think it does a lot of kids a disservice because even if you have great parents it's dismissive of how a person intentionally or not can still ruin a relationship or be a bad person even though they have have other good qualities. This trope also ignores the fact that it's okay not to forgive people even if they are someone you love. Authors are going for the happily ever after tidy bow ending so I get why it's done, but I hate that so many books for kids will introduce neglectful and/or emotionally abusive parents and then remove culpability. Short of physical abuse, authors will make a kid character forgive just about anything.
If the parents are ultimately condemned for this or if it's acknowledged that this is just a fact of life and the character moves on I don't mind it. It even helps me better sympathize with the main character. But, in this book it's thrown out there that Marabel has been pushed aside for two seconds and then dropped because it's time for the happy ending. Heck, Marabel's step mom doesn't apologize or offer any explanation at all for her actions. There's no indication that her father is really trying to make it up to her either.
So yeah, decent book not really standout bad or good. As a kid I would have enjoyed this more because while some of it would have bothered me I wouldn't have pieced it together like I can now. Don't get me wrong I did still enjoy it. It moves quickly, it's well written, it's fun. And despite the flaws at the heart of it is a story about a young girl discovering her own worth which I always like to see. I wouldn't recommend it, but I will say that I don't regret spending time on it.
Marabel is the ignored twin to beloved Prince Marco. On their birthday, Marco is kidnapped by their aunt; the evil queen Mab. Marabel along with her best friend Ellie and her fathers' Unicorn Floriano set out to rescue him.
I'd say the central theme of this novel is to think for yourself. The people in Magikos are taught to live and die by the Book of Fates; a historical record of what's to come in the future. Despite obvious signs that the book is not a reliable source the people are happy to mindlessly go along with it.
My favorite aspects of the book were in regards to Marabel slowly deconstructing her own misconceptions about the world. It's not solely limited to the Book of Fates. It extends to a lot of practices within her kingdom she's never thought twice about before. There's a magical wall that separates the 'polite society' of Magikos from the more magical, tempermental Desolate Barrens. Most of the book takes place in the barrens as the evil queen resides there. On the journey Marabel learns that while it is still dangerous not everything is true about *why* it's so dangerous. I love books that turn a protagonists preconceived truths on their head. When done well it makes for amazing character growth.
That being said the execution was lacking. It starts off well planting the seeds of doubt in Marabel when they encounter a mixed group of magical creatures and humans. This is important because in Magikos magical creatures are either forced out or caged as it's believed the majority are evil. However, every event after this first one does little to prove Magikos wrong. Sure, the magical creatures they come across are not these horrifying brutes Marabel initially thinks them to be, but they still more often than not do try to harm her group. And it seems the takeaway is just that because they didn't harm her in the very specific way that she thought they would - like giants eating humans - her worldview is now being shifted. Which seems too far-fetched for a 13 year old. I don't think she as a kid just learning about the world at large would have the capacity for such objectivity right out the gate. Wouldn't this serve to solidify her prejudice further? There's not a lot of discussion or exploration of the concept either. She just kind of occasionally thinks in the back of her head 'oh this isn't what I expected!' and that's kind of it. It's later revealed that magical creatures have been acting out of character for plot reasons but my point still stands that there weren't enough good or neutral interactions to balance it out. The story would have benefitted from having a magical creature other than Floriano (who they already knew) join the group in order to better humanize the Desolate Barrens.
I couldn't help but compare this to the Last Kingdom of Bamarre by Gail Carson Levine. That book does a phenomenal job showing the whole process of breaking down bigotry. It's messy and hard, but it was realistic and got the message across while being a fun read. Above all it was all worth it in the end because it felt *earned* due to all the work put in by the main character.
I also was confused then annoyed with the worldbuilding. It's clearly a medieval-ish fantasy kingdom - kings, queens, etc. But, the author had this way of writing that would take me out completely. Barrett would use a certain phrasing or joke that would immediately just feel a little off. There were a lot of times that it would randomly feel very satirical akin to the now popular modern meta fairytales when previously it was played straight. I distinctly felt like this book was trying to be the movie version of Ella Enchanted. For example, the kids ride a dragon and the dragon goes through this whole spiel that's like the one given to passengers on a plane. Like why would he - a dragon in a like 1500s setting - frame it that way?
It would be fine if it was one or the other, but it was a strange mix that left me questioning how this universe worked all the time. At the beginning it's not too bad though still noticeable. However, it starts cropping up a lot in the last third which is what knocked off a star because it was totally off-putting to have the immersion constantly broken by tongue in cheek little 'jokes'.
For example, Floriano can open doors with his horn. He tries to use it to help the kids out of a locked room at one point. It doesn't work for once and when it doesn't work his horn says something like 'Need update to Unicron 7.0'. And then Floriano is like 'it's okay I have a Wiz-fi account'. This was literally never talked about before. Suddenly they maybe have Internet? How does that work? And if they do have Internet or an Internet adjacent thing why do ALL of the people of Magikos listen to the book instead? The Internet means a broadening of horizons which suggests there would be a larger faction of naysayers in Magikos. Yet, only two people ever actively think of going against the book.
There's this game that's clearly a parody of Angry Birds, an apple watch kind of thing with a Siri equivalent called Scary, a 'Magikos' Got Talent' competition is mentioned, word is trending on 'Flitter'. It's all stuffed into the last handful of chapters which changes my perception of the whole story up until this point. NONE of this is established in the book beforehand. It completely ruins the story to suddenly be bombarded with all these anachronisms.
If this was intended to widen the gap between Magikos and the Desolate Barrens then why weren't more contemporary elements popping up all over the journey? Instead it doesn't begin until they reach the evil queens' castle more than halfway into the book, then it never ends.
I prefer 'regular' fantasy over urban fantasy, but I don't hate urban fantasy. It can be just as good. It's just a preference. But, I *do* hate being led to believe a book is going to be one thing when it's another.
The ending caps off things in an unsatisfying way. It was much too neat. Marco is not a real character so we never saw how the parents' treatment affected him. The priests aren't ever interrogated about their role tricking the kingdom with their interpretations of the Book of Fates - like was it intentional or not? - and it's mostly fixed with only a couple conversations. The fact that it took until like the penultimate chapter for Marabel to find out why Queen Mab was upset hurt the narrative immensely.
She should have been subconsciously realizing it on her own throughout the book (trust me the signs were there) so when she actively goes against her kingdom's antiquated systems it brings her arc full circle rather than a pile on of ideas that were forced on her in a specific way so as to complete the plot as Barrett intended.
I enjoyed the way the book handled the mistreatment of Marabel at first. I felt like Barrett really nailed the golden child/scapegoat dynamic. But, I disliked that her parents escaped the consequences of their actions. Kids books do this a lot. Unless the parents are pointedly *supposed* to be the villains they often are forgiven without proper accountability because 'family'. I think it does a lot of kids a disservice because even if you have great parents it's dismissive of how a person intentionally or not can still ruin a relationship or be a bad person even though they have have other good qualities. This trope also ignores the fact that it's okay not to forgive people even if they are someone you love. Authors are going for the happily ever after tidy bow ending so I get why it's done, but I hate that so many books for kids will introduce neglectful and/or emotionally abusive parents and then remove culpability. Short of physical abuse, authors will make a kid character forgive just about anything.
If the parents are ultimately condemned for this or if it's acknowledged that this is just a fact of life and the character moves on I don't mind it. It even helps me better sympathize with the main character. But, in this book it's thrown out there that Marabel has been pushed aside for two seconds and then dropped because it's time for the happy ending. Heck, Marabel's step mom doesn't apologize or offer any explanation at all for her actions. There's no indication that her father is really trying to make it up to her either.
So yeah, decent book not really standout bad or good. As a kid I would have enjoyed this more because while some of it would have bothered me I wouldn't have pieced it together like I can now. Don't get me wrong I did still enjoy it. It moves quickly, it's well written, it's fun. And despite the flaws at the heart of it is a story about a young girl discovering her own worth which I always like to see. I wouldn't recommend it, but I will say that I don't regret spending time on it.
bookph1le's review against another edition
2.0
The writing was okay, but this book didn't engage me. l can see how some middle grade readers might like it, though. Full review to come.
Complete review:
I read a fair amount of middle grade literature, and I'm often amazed by how gorgeous, textured, and wonderful those books are. That was not a feeling I had when I finished Marabel and the Book of Fate. That doesn't make this a bad book. It tells a decent story, but nothing that knocked my socks off. However, I can see where it might be far more interesting and engaging to its target audience than it was to me. Some spoilers to follow.
One of my biggest complaints about this book was that it felt kind of all over the place at times. This is particularly a problem with the way Marabel's father is portrayed. He goes from being indifferent to being downright mean to her at various points in the book, and every time this happened it felt jarring to me. People in Marabel's world rely a great deal on the Book of Fate, which makes them rather passive at times, so I could see how her father woudn't pay her much mind, but it didn't make sense to me when he was outright cruel to her at times.
Another thing that irritated me about this book was it felt way too on the nose at times. It starts out with a fantasy setting, but then it ends up incorporating a lot of modern technology into its settings. Twitter, for instance, becomes Flutter. This made the book feel like it was trying to hard to be relevant, as if modern kids could only be drawn into it if they felt as though Marabel's world looked a lot like their own. I also thought these references were inconsistent with the fantasy setting at times, undermining the world the author was trying to create.
Rounding off the downsides, I never felt like this book had a very coherent plot. It's called Marabel and the Book of Fate, but the Book of Fate is, in many ways, incidental to the whole book. Rather than feeling like there was one cohesive narrative here, I felt like the author strung together a lot of episodes. When Marabel sets out on this quest, there's a real sense of urgency, but then the book takes her on a world tour of her world. This left me with an impression rather like being on a whirlwind tour, with the guide showing me the highlights of various parts of the world without every really digging into what made the world tick as it did.
There are some good themes here, but I would have liked to see the book go father with them. There's a strong theme of Marabel learning to believe in herself despite others' underwhelming expectations of her. I also liked that the book plays around with the Chosen One trope, making it clear that everyone is banking on the wrong Chosen One. There are some gender themes here was well, but they also felt underdeveloped. I had the impression the author maybe wanted to say people underestimated Marabel because she was a girl, but I felt it was more that everyone expects her brother to be the hero because he's the first born.
One thing I did really like about the book was its banishing of the evil stepmother trope and the sibling rivalry trope. Despite that everyone fawns over Marco and ignores Marabel, this doesn't affect the twins' relationship. Marabel loves her brother and sees his goodness, and Marco is uncomfortable with his sister being brushed aside in favor of him. I would have really liked to see more of the twins' dynamic in this book, but I think it's something that's likely to come up in future installments.
Overall, I think this book just tackled too much. The author is obviously extremely familiar with tropes in fantasy and myth, but this book seems determined to skewer them all. Marabel and the narrative would have been better served had the book focused on a much smaller number of this tropes, giving it the space to really interrogate them in a meaningful manner.
Complete review:
I read a fair amount of middle grade literature, and I'm often amazed by how gorgeous, textured, and wonderful those books are. That was not a feeling I had when I finished Marabel and the Book of Fate. That doesn't make this a bad book. It tells a decent story, but nothing that knocked my socks off. However, I can see where it might be far more interesting and engaging to its target audience than it was to me. Some spoilers to follow.
One of my biggest complaints about this book was that it felt kind of all over the place at times. This is particularly a problem with the way Marabel's father is portrayed. He goes from being indifferent to being downright mean to her at various points in the book, and every time this happened it felt jarring to me. People in Marabel's world rely a great deal on the Book of Fate, which makes them rather passive at times, so I could see how her father woudn't pay her much mind, but it didn't make sense to me when he was outright cruel to her at times.
Another thing that irritated me about this book was it felt way too on the nose at times. It starts out with a fantasy setting, but then it ends up incorporating a lot of modern technology into its settings. Twitter, for instance, becomes Flutter. This made the book feel like it was trying to hard to be relevant, as if modern kids could only be drawn into it if they felt as though Marabel's world looked a lot like their own. I also thought these references were inconsistent with the fantasy setting at times, undermining the world the author was trying to create.
Rounding off the downsides, I never felt like this book had a very coherent plot. It's called Marabel and the Book of Fate, but the Book of Fate is, in many ways, incidental to the whole book. Rather than feeling like there was one cohesive narrative here, I felt like the author strung together a lot of episodes. When Marabel sets out on this quest, there's a real sense of urgency, but then the book takes her on a world tour of her world. This left me with an impression rather like being on a whirlwind tour, with the guide showing me the highlights of various parts of the world without every really digging into what made the world tick as it did.
There are some good themes here, but I would have liked to see the book go father with them. There's a strong theme of Marabel learning to believe in herself despite others' underwhelming expectations of her. I also liked that the book plays around with the Chosen One trope, making it clear that everyone is banking on the wrong Chosen One. There are some gender themes here was well, but they also felt underdeveloped. I had the impression the author maybe wanted to say people underestimated Marabel because she was a girl, but I felt it was more that everyone expects her brother to be the hero because he's the first born.
One thing I did really like about the book was its banishing of the evil stepmother trope and the sibling rivalry trope. Despite that everyone fawns over Marco and ignores Marabel, this doesn't affect the twins' relationship. Marabel loves her brother and sees his goodness, and Marco is uncomfortable with his sister being brushed aside in favor of him. I would have really liked to see more of the twins' dynamic in this book, but I think it's something that's likely to come up in future installments.
Overall, I think this book just tackled too much. The author is obviously extremely familiar with tropes in fantasy and myth, but this book seems determined to skewer them all. Marabel and the narrative would have been better served had the book focused on a much smaller number of this tropes, giving it the space to really interrogate them in a meaningful manner.
hmbb99's review against another edition
4.0
A fairy tale story about a princess but with a twist. In this story, the princess is hero and the prince is waiting to be rescued. The story was easy and fun to read. The characters were full of personality, especially the unicorn and the dragon. The author was inventive with incorporating modern day references to social media and technology in this fantasy world. I think this would be a good book for young children to read.
linesuponapage's review against another edition
4.0
Marabel's twin is the "chosen one" however he is the one that saves himself and the kingdom of Magickdome, that would be Marabel. She who is invisible everyone when her brother is around.
Marabel and the Book of Fate is a treat for young girls who want to read about strength and the power to save others while learning more about themselves while participating in an imaginative adventure.. The story reinforces the message that a girl, no matter how invisible, can change the world. I recommend this book for any girl or boy that loves adventure, loves fantasy and wants to start on the journey to help Marabel rescue her Twin Brother, Marco.
Author Tracy Barrett creates strong characters, colorful, vivid story telling and an outcome that I just didn't see. Illustrator Sara Gianassi continues on with the vivid story telling through the pictures. Which are fresh, youthful and stunning.
I rate this book as 4 stars. The only thing I didn't like is that I can't read more about Marabel, her family and her best friend, Elle.
Won't you join me on a ride to Magickdom?
Marabel and the Book of Fate is a treat for young girls who want to read about strength and the power to save others while learning more about themselves while participating in an imaginative adventure.. The story reinforces the message that a girl, no matter how invisible, can change the world. I recommend this book for any girl or boy that loves adventure, loves fantasy and wants to start on the journey to help Marabel rescue her Twin Brother, Marco.
Author Tracy Barrett creates strong characters, colorful, vivid story telling and an outcome that I just didn't see. Illustrator Sara Gianassi continues on with the vivid story telling through the pictures. Which are fresh, youthful and stunning.
I rate this book as 4 stars. The only thing I didn't like is that I can't read more about Marabel, her family and her best friend, Elle.
Won't you join me on a ride to Magickdom?
sc104906's review against another edition
3.0
I received this as an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
Magikos is lead by the word of the Book of Fate. The King and all of his subjects conduct this book before making any decisions. It is from this book that Marabel’s twin brother, Marco, was selected as the chosen one. His fate is destined to begin when he turns thirteen. While, Marabel has always been cast aside, she is the only one willing to save her brother, who is magically kidnapped from their birthday party. Marabel, her easily frightened maid, and talking unicorn, travel beyond the wall that contains magical beings to save Marco from their aunt’s magical castle. Along the way, each character is forced to confront their preconceived notions.
I thought this book was cute and funny. There were many fantasy related pop culture references, which may not hold up to the test of time. However, I think today’s readers will have an enjoyable time with Marabel and her friends.
Magikos is lead by the word of the Book of Fate. The King and all of his subjects conduct this book before making any decisions. It is from this book that Marabel’s twin brother, Marco, was selected as the chosen one. His fate is destined to begin when he turns thirteen. While, Marabel has always been cast aside, she is the only one willing to save her brother, who is magically kidnapped from their birthday party. Marabel, her easily frightened maid, and talking unicorn, travel beyond the wall that contains magical beings to save Marco from their aunt’s magical castle. Along the way, each character is forced to confront their preconceived notions.
I thought this book was cute and funny. There were many fantasy related pop culture references, which may not hold up to the test of time. However, I think today’s readers will have an enjoyable time with Marabel and her friends.
mommasaystoread's review against another edition
4.0
I read this entertaining mid-grade fantasy with my own mid-graders and not only did they enjoy it, but I did as well. The story has a good flow and is fast paced and exciting. It's full of magical creatures and a quest to save a kingdom. Marabel's journey is perfect for sparking the imagination of young readers and keeping them engaged in the story.
thedizzyreader's review against another edition
3.0
When Marabel sets off to rescue her brother, she discovers much more than she bargained for... about her family, her kingdom, and herself.
It's rare that the first book in a series can function well as a standalone, but this story has it all: family feuds, funny moments, magicical creatures, adventure, and a tender resolution at the end.
It's rare that the first book in a series can function well as a standalone, but this story has it all: family feuds, funny moments, magicical creatures, adventure, and a tender resolution at the end.
planebookworm's review against another edition
3.0
Marabel and the Book of Fate is a fun and quirky middle grade novel following the twin sister of the “Chosen One.” As the oft overlooked princess of the kingdom of Magikos, Marabel goes on a quest to help one she loves and learns what it means to do what’s right and be more than what others think of her. This was a fun and quick book that had everything from my childhood dreams. Talking animals, dragons, fairies and just about any other magical creature you could think up. Although I enjoyed the read, there were a few things a found a bit problematic. The first was that Marabel didn’t have quite as much personality as I would like. Also, there were a lot of “modern” things throughout the story, such as “magic detectors” (like a metal detector but for magic), mideval video games and other references to modern day technology that just didn’t quite fit in with the otherwise mideval setting of the story. When one of these things was mentioned, it would sever my suspension of disbelief and throw me out of the world, as it felt a bit forced. I think if I read this book as the targeted audience, I would have absolutely loved it, but it was still an enjoyable read.
yapha's review against another edition
4.0
Fun fantasy. Some of the names of things were a little TOO cute (WhizFi, Flitter). Nice strong female main character. More like 3 1/2 stars. Recommended for grades 3 and up.
alaspooriorek's review against another edition
2.0
I was charmed by this novel at first, but the longer I read the more I felt the story went a little haywire. Also, Marabel is legit kind of dumb. . .
2.5/5 stars
2.5/5 stars