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ablee0728's review against another edition
adventurous
inspiring
mysterious
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
5.0
odurant8's review against another edition
4.0
Super cute and clever. I’d love for there to be a sequel.
jenbsbooks's review against another edition
slow-paced
5.0
I was looking for something in Audible's PLUS catalog that was NOT also available at the library ... this is an exclusive (although I was able to grab the Kindle copy from the library). YA ... but I thoroughly enjoyed this. I think the audio edition really has the edge. Great narration, but it's the music that really makes the difference. Now, normally I don't care for music in audiobooks - random music at the beginning/end or chapter changes. Annoying! Here though, it was part of the story and added SO much. When it mentioned the tune of "itsy bitsy spider" and then that was heard there playing in the background ... and then there were full fledged classical orchestrations. Perfect balance though, the music never overwhelmed the narration.
Told in a very conversational 1st person/present tense ... the first line is "It's harder to charm a chicken than you might think" as that's what our MC is doing as the book starts up. In this world, music is magical, play a tune and it's a spell for all sorts of things, even coaxing a chicken to to come out from her hiding place.
Many comparisons to Harry Potter ... our MC does end up at a school for the musically gifted, learning more about music and magic. For me, it reminded me of E.E.Holmes books (The Gateway Trilogy ... older girls going to a school to learn magic. The boy side-kick had some similarities too).
This was pretty light and fun, although there were some serious and sad moments too ... every chapter heading is a play on words/punny (Catch Us If You Cannon, Nothing But Treble, Overture and Out). No numerical chapters listed, just the headers ... I like to have both.
There were some additional pictures in the kindle/print copy (matches the cover illustration).
I can see there are two sequels and a prequel ... I plan on continuing on. Immediately ;)
Told in a very conversational 1st person/present tense ... the first line is "It's harder to charm a chicken than you might think" as that's what our MC is doing as the book starts up. In this world, music is magical, play a tune and it's a spell for all sorts of things, even coaxing a chicken to to come out from her hiding place.
Many comparisons to Harry Potter ... our MC does end up at a school for the musically gifted, learning more about music and magic. For me, it reminded me of E.E.Holmes books (The Gateway Trilogy ... older girls going to a school to learn magic. The boy side-kick had some similarities too).
This was pretty light and fun, although there were some serious and sad moments too ... every chapter heading is a play on words/punny (Catch Us If You Cannon, Nothing But Treble, Overture and Out). No numerical chapters listed, just the headers ... I like to have both.
There were some additional pictures in the kindle/print copy (matches the cover illustration).
I can see there are two sequels and a prequel ... I plan on continuing on. Immediately ;)
brittster622's review
5.0
I read a lot of middle grade books because I enjoy them and because I’m a school librarian. While I generally enjoy them, it is rare that I find one that I truly love. However, The Mystwick School of Musicraft was absolutely wonderful.
I loved the magic system. It was so unique and well thought through and interesting. There were perfect bits of mystery woven through the story that kept me flipping but the storytelling itself was compelling enough on its own. The characters were well placed and interacted in a believable and lovable way. I even loved the chapter titles. If my husband was near, I read him every chapter title I flipped to because they put a smile on my face or made me laugh every time (plus he was a music major for a while and could appreciate them even more than I did at times).
Literally the only thing I didn’t like about this book was that it ended. So if I can get a sequel, then that problem will be solved! This is also my first experience with this author and I hope that her other works will also blow me away because I will be picking them up soon.
I loved the magic system. It was so unique and well thought through and interesting. There were perfect bits of mystery woven through the story that kept me flipping but the storytelling itself was compelling enough on its own. The characters were well placed and interacted in a believable and lovable way. I even loved the chapter titles. If my husband was near, I read him every chapter title I flipped to because they put a smile on my face or made me laugh every time (plus he was a music major for a while and could appreciate them even more than I did at times).
Literally the only thing I didn’t like about this book was that it ended. So if I can get a sequel, then that problem will be solved! This is also my first experience with this author and I hope that her other works will also blow me away because I will be picking them up soon.
mjauvalp's review
3.0
i feel bad giving this book only two stars. i loved the story but it was clearly made for people much younger than me although i would highly recommend it for anyone under 10.
arodda's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
An interesting take on magic school!
orsuros's review
5.0
The audible version of this with the added music was amazing. I loved the world and characters, and I'd love to read more in the world if any sequels come out.
siantaylor27's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
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
3.25
nyash's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0