Scan barcode
persychan's review against another edition
emotional
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
cathyolibrarian's review against another edition
4.0
I liked the world built and the characters we met in Shadow Magic well enough to pick up this second book, but I wasn't overly impressed with it. Overall, ok.
nicolemhewitt's review against another edition
5.0
This review and many more can be found on my blog: Feed Your Fiction Addiction
Dream Magic is great fun and highly imaginative. I wish I’d read the first book on the series, though—when the book was offered to me, I was told it was the second in a series, but that it was a standalone, and that was sort of true, in the sense that it had it’s own story arc, but it was definitely a continuation of the first book. On the positive side, it wasn’t confusing at all—Khan did a great job of “reminding” readers what had already happened, but I was missing a connection to those events (and the characters that went with them). Still, considering that, it’s actually amazing that I enjoyed the book so much—which is a testament to Khan’s storytelling skills.
What Fed My Addiction:
Complete story arc.
I mentioned this above, but it’s worth repeating because I think this is a fantastic feature in a MG series. Though the story very obviously is a continuation of book one, it has its own complete story arc. There is a new villain introduced and that villain’s story is resolved (with room for the possibility of continuation) by the end. If other MG readers are anything like my kids (especially my son when he was that age), this is key. My son as a middle schooler had a short attention span. He might pick up a series and start reading it again completely out of order. He also might binge-read a whole series or wait six months to read the next books. Series like these where each book can stand alone are (but are still very much a cohesive series) are perfect for him!
Darkly different.
I loved the supernatural creatures in this story and the way that Khan balances making them mostly harmless but still keeping them spooky. For instance, the zombies don’t go around attacking people for their brains—but they apparently do like to eat them. Plus, they’re decomposing and keep needing to be sewn back together. And they’re not great communicators (their speech sounds pretty much like moans and groans). I thought that this was a fun way to play with these supernatural characters and keep them very creepy without being truly horrific. There were lots of creatures too—ghosts, zombies, trolls (who were sort of seen as the enemy, but there were a few allies as well). And Lily’s obvious love for all her “people” was charming.
The consequences of magic.
One of the biggest themes of this book is Lily trying to learn how to control her magic and the consequences when she uses it. The people in her kingdom believe that a female who uses magic is a curse, so at first she has to hide her ability—but it soon becomes necessary to show the world. Every time Lily uses her magic, though (especially in her relative ignorance), it drains her and, even more importantly, it changes her. Since she doesn’t know what all the consequences will be, she has to be very careful. Of course, caution isn’t always possible when you’re being attacked by supernatural creatures!!
What Left Me Hungry for More:
Little bit of a slow start.
The beginning of the book felt a teensy bit slow to me, but I think the main reason for that was because it was establishing where these characters had ended up and the state of the kingdom after the last book. It was great to have that information, but since I wasn’t connected to those events or characters yet, it took me a little while to feel truly engaged. The action didn’t pick up until about a third of the way through the book when the first threat really showed up.
This was a fun, slightly dark (but not at all too dark) middle grade read. I highly recommend reading the first book instead of jumping in at this second installment. I waffled a little bit on my rating for this one between 3.5 and 4 stars but ended up landing on 4/5 stars because I’m fairly certain that if I had read the first book, I would have easily given it 4 stars.
***Disclosure: I received this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. No other compensation was given and all opinions are my own.***
Dream Magic is great fun and highly imaginative. I wish I’d read the first book on the series, though—when the book was offered to me, I was told it was the second in a series, but that it was a standalone, and that was sort of true, in the sense that it had it’s own story arc, but it was definitely a continuation of the first book. On the positive side, it wasn’t confusing at all—Khan did a great job of “reminding” readers what had already happened, but I was missing a connection to those events (and the characters that went with them). Still, considering that, it’s actually amazing that I enjoyed the book so much—which is a testament to Khan’s storytelling skills.
What Fed My Addiction:
Complete story arc.
I mentioned this above, but it’s worth repeating because I think this is a fantastic feature in a MG series. Though the story very obviously is a continuation of book one, it has its own complete story arc. There is a new villain introduced and that villain’s story is resolved (with room for the possibility of continuation) by the end. If other MG readers are anything like my kids (especially my son when he was that age), this is key. My son as a middle schooler had a short attention span. He might pick up a series and start reading it again completely out of order. He also might binge-read a whole series or wait six months to read the next books. Series like these where each book can stand alone are (but are still very much a cohesive series) are perfect for him!
Darkly different.
I loved the supernatural creatures in this story and the way that Khan balances making them mostly harmless but still keeping them spooky. For instance, the zombies don’t go around attacking people for their brains—but they apparently do like to eat them. Plus, they’re decomposing and keep needing to be sewn back together. And they’re not great communicators (their speech sounds pretty much like moans and groans). I thought that this was a fun way to play with these supernatural characters and keep them very creepy without being truly horrific. There were lots of creatures too—ghosts, zombies, trolls (who were sort of seen as the enemy, but there were a few allies as well). And Lily’s obvious love for all her “people” was charming.
The consequences of magic.
One of the biggest themes of this book is Lily trying to learn how to control her magic and the consequences when she uses it. The people in her kingdom believe that a female who uses magic is a curse, so at first she has to hide her ability—but it soon becomes necessary to show the world. Every time Lily uses her magic, though (especially in her relative ignorance), it drains her and, even more importantly, it changes her. Since she doesn’t know what all the consequences will be, she has to be very careful. Of course, caution isn’t always possible when you’re being attacked by supernatural creatures!!
What Left Me Hungry for More:
Little bit of a slow start.
The beginning of the book felt a teensy bit slow to me, but I think the main reason for that was because it was establishing where these characters had ended up and the state of the kingdom after the last book. It was great to have that information, but since I wasn’t connected to those events or characters yet, it took me a little while to feel truly engaged. The action didn’t pick up until about a third of the way through the book when the first threat really showed up.
This was a fun, slightly dark (but not at all too dark) middle grade read. I highly recommend reading the first book instead of jumping in at this second installment. I waffled a little bit on my rating for this one between 3.5 and 4 stars but ended up landing on 4/5 stars because I’m fairly certain that if I had read the first book, I would have easily given it 4 stars.
***Disclosure: I received this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. No other compensation was given and all opinions are my own.***
cimorene1558's review against another edition
3.0
Seemed a much quicker and less interesting read (and more disturbing because spiders! Way too many of them, way too large).
saphsel's review against another edition
4.0
Wow, nice story! You barely notice they are just 13 years old.
driedfrogpills's review against another edition
4.0
Dream Magic returns readers to the land of Gehenna, where things aren't going so well for the new Lady Gloom. Trolls threaten war, zombies are overrunning the castle and people are disappearing. In order to solve all these mysteries, Lily Shadow and her friend Thorn will have to set out from Castle Gloom and investigate the local towns. But there's a great threat on the horizon, and Lily will need all her allies and use all of her secret magic if she wants to save her people.
This second installment of the Shadow Magic series is definitely an improvement on an already good story. The characters are stronger here, the action tighter and the plot more exciting than its predecessor, hinting that the series will only continue to get better with each new book. I ended up loving Lily so much more in this book than in the first; she's really coming into her own as a queen and a magician and it's a joy to see her progression. Khan doesn't shirk on the darker elements, either. There are absolutely lovely bits of unsettling creepiness that helps balance out the action and the humor in other parts of the book.
And the illustrations continue to be amazing.
If you read the first book, definitely read the second. If you've never read either but enjoy a book with complicated characters, strong world-building and a mix of humor, horror and action, you should check out the Shadow Magic series.
Thanks to Netgalley and Disney-Hyperion for a free e-ARC of the book in exchange for a review.
This second installment of the Shadow Magic series is definitely an improvement on an already good story. The characters are stronger here, the action tighter and the plot more exciting than its predecessor, hinting that the series will only continue to get better with each new book. I ended up loving Lily so much more in this book than in the first; she's really coming into her own as a queen and a magician and it's a joy to see her progression. Khan doesn't shirk on the darker elements, either. There are absolutely lovely bits of unsettling creepiness that helps balance out the action and the humor in other parts of the book.
And the illustrations continue to be amazing.
If you read the first book, definitely read the second. If you've never read either but enjoy a book with complicated characters, strong world-building and a mix of humor, horror and action, you should check out the Shadow Magic series.
Thanks to Netgalley and Disney-Hyperion for a free e-ARC of the book in exchange for a review.
thedizzyreader's review against another edition
4.0
The whole family betrayal thing is getting a bit repetitive, but overall the story was still relatively interesting. Curious to see what fantastical adventures Thorn and Lily will get up to in book 3!
bibliobethreads's review against another edition
4.0
Welcome to my post on the blog tour for Dream Magic, the second book in the Shadow Magic series by British author, Joshua Khan, a series that Rick Riordan has quoted on the covers: "I defy you not to love this story." Well, with an endorsement like that, what else could I do but read it? I read the first book, Shadow Magic recently, check out my post HERE and definitely recommend reading the series in order to get the back story of the characters and an introduction to a beautiful fantasy world that I just loved.
So, as mentioned in the synopsis, this world involves a number of different lands, ruled by six Houses of Magic. In the first story, it focuses on the House of Shadows and the thirteen year old ruler, Lilith Shadow who takes up the mantle of ruler after her parents and brother were murdered. She makes friends with Thorn, a peasant boy who is currently a squire at Castle Gloom and along with his giant bat, Hades, helps her deal with an attempt on her own life shortly after ancient enemies, the Solars from Lumina come to Gehenna after she becomes engaged to their heir, Gabriel. Here's where we are now. Lily is no longer engaged to Gabriel and is somewhat weakened after the surprising events at the end of the last story but is gradually growing stronger with the help of her father, now a ghost but managing to appear to her in the library of Castle Gloom and helping her amass the skills she needs to defend her land and her people.
For there is a new threat in Gehenna. The trolls have started marching, determined to create a war as their people have started disappearing and they blame the House of Shadows. However, villagers from all over the lands, inside and outside Gehenna are going missing, including Lily's protector and faithful executioner, Tyburn. When Lily and Thorn investigate, they uncover a strange plague of jewel spiders that put everyone they bite into a seemingly endless sleep. After many frightening incidents, they discover that a powerful sorcerer is controlling these jewel spiders for his own dastardly reasons. What is his connection with the House of Shadows and why is he so hell-bent on revenge? Can Lily and Thorn solve the puzzle of what's going on before they lose any more of her people or become embroiled in a bloody war with the trolls?
Once again, Joshua Khan knocks it out of the park with an amazing fantastical world that was so exciting to read about and was a genuine roller-coaster of a reading experience. He has a huge, seemingly endless imagination for creating new worlds and it was another magical story that I thoroughly enjoyed. We learn a lot more about the characters back stories, especially Thorn and his family in this book which I appreciated and even a tid-bit into the stoic Tyburn's past which only made me hunger for more! Of course, it was wonderful to see the return of Hades the giant bat who has to be one of my favourite non-human characters and I hope to see lots more of him in future books in the series. Finally, I also love that the author doesn't shy away from using potentially scary creatures, like zombies and massive spiders, which is exactly what I wanted from authors I chose to read when I was younger. I would suggest that because of this it might not be suitable for much younger children but if you have a particularly precocious reading child - go for it, it's certainly a wonderful series to read!
For my full review and many more please visit my blog at http://www.bibliobeth.com
So, as mentioned in the synopsis, this world involves a number of different lands, ruled by six Houses of Magic. In the first story, it focuses on the House of Shadows and the thirteen year old ruler, Lilith Shadow who takes up the mantle of ruler after her parents and brother were murdered. She makes friends with Thorn, a peasant boy who is currently a squire at Castle Gloom and along with his giant bat, Hades, helps her deal with an attempt on her own life shortly after ancient enemies, the Solars from Lumina come to Gehenna after she becomes engaged to their heir, Gabriel. Here's where we are now. Lily is no longer engaged to Gabriel and is somewhat weakened after the surprising events at the end of the last story but is gradually growing stronger with the help of her father, now a ghost but managing to appear to her in the library of Castle Gloom and helping her amass the skills she needs to defend her land and her people.
For there is a new threat in Gehenna. The trolls have started marching, determined to create a war as their people have started disappearing and they blame the House of Shadows. However, villagers from all over the lands, inside and outside Gehenna are going missing, including Lily's protector and faithful executioner, Tyburn. When Lily and Thorn investigate, they uncover a strange plague of jewel spiders that put everyone they bite into a seemingly endless sleep. After many frightening incidents, they discover that a powerful sorcerer is controlling these jewel spiders for his own dastardly reasons. What is his connection with the House of Shadows and why is he so hell-bent on revenge? Can Lily and Thorn solve the puzzle of what's going on before they lose any more of her people or become embroiled in a bloody war with the trolls?
Once again, Joshua Khan knocks it out of the park with an amazing fantastical world that was so exciting to read about and was a genuine roller-coaster of a reading experience. He has a huge, seemingly endless imagination for creating new worlds and it was another magical story that I thoroughly enjoyed. We learn a lot more about the characters back stories, especially Thorn and his family in this book which I appreciated and even a tid-bit into the stoic Tyburn's past which only made me hunger for more! Of course, it was wonderful to see the return of Hades the giant bat who has to be one of my favourite non-human characters and I hope to see lots more of him in future books in the series. Finally, I also love that the author doesn't shy away from using potentially scary creatures, like zombies and massive spiders, which is exactly what I wanted from authors I chose to read when I was younger. I would suggest that because of this it might not be suitable for much younger children but if you have a particularly precocious reading child - go for it, it's certainly a wonderful series to read!
For my full review and many more please visit my blog at http://www.bibliobeth.com
dandelionsteph's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Death, Blood, and War
Moderate: Fire/Fire injury, Kidnapping, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Body horror, Death of parent, Infidelity, and Murder
Minor: Slavery, Xenophobia, Animal death, Bullying, Child death, and Misogyny
The crystal spiderstheybedax's review against another edition
4.0
Lots of familial betrayal...seems like the revolutionary thing would be a family not out to kill each other. I love this world and I love Thorn and Lily was even better developed. I look forward to seeing what the future holds for Castle Gloom...barring it's not a long lost cousin who deems they are best fit to rule, etc..