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A review by bookishoutsider
Dream Magic by Joshua Khan
5.0
Ah Gehenna, how good it is to be back! After falling in love with all things Gehennish in Shadow Magic I was utterly thrilled to be back in the world of Lily, Thorn, Tyburn and Hades, and what a ride it turned out to be!
Having saved the Kingdom Thorn thinks it's time for a rest but unfortunately things don't quite work out that way. The troll clans are massing and threatening war, there's a much-unwanted guest in the form of Gabriel Solar, and villagers are going missing in large numbers. Turns out that there's much more work for Lily, Thorn, squire and friend Wade, new troll maid Dott and the castle's very own zombie army.
If you like magic, giant friendly bats, princesses who are just a teeny bit Goth, squires who don't know their place but will do anything to save the girl, troll girls who think Gabriel Solar is 'bootiful' then Dream Magic is definitely for you. Thanks to unforeseen events the secret is out that Lily can do magic, forbidden thanks to an ancient curse it might be the only thing that saves Gehenna.
Tyburn is missing, there's an evil wizard intent on destroying both Lily and Castle Gloom, but worst of all? There are spiders... Beautiful crystalline spiders but all the same, spiders! They're incredibly venomous and one bite sends you into the Dreamtime where Weaver, the evil wizard, is using the power the dreams create to take revenge on Lily and her family.
Dream Magic is better than Shadow Magic, I didn't think that was possible but it is. I adored everything about it, the way that Lily steps forward with her magic knowing that she may be executed just for knowing never mind doing, the interaction with Lily's family from her father in the Library, the only place he appears to be able to manifest, to her mother and brother in the Dreamtime, beautiful and heartbreaking at the same time. Thorn is just as grumpy as ever but his feelings for Lily are so sweet and sometimes it's hard to remember he's still only a twelve-year-old boy. His relationship with Hades is wonderful to see, you'd never think a giant bat would be the perfect companion for a boy but he most definitely is.
Both Shadow Magic and Dream Magic go beyond the standard middle-grade novel, the friendship between Lily and Thorn, the world-building and the page-turning writing will hook any reader who loves fantasy. I know I picked up Dream Magic at 11pm intending to read a couple of chapters and didn't pit the book down until I had finished, 4 hours later... Joshua Khan has an amazing way with words, and the world he has created leaps off the page thanks to this.
Now starts the long wait for Burning Magic, where a certain young K'leef hopefully makes a welcome return and Lily and Thorn (and Hades, naturally) must team up yet again for another epic adventure!
Having saved the Kingdom Thorn thinks it's time for a rest but unfortunately things don't quite work out that way. The troll clans are massing and threatening war, there's a much-unwanted guest in the form of Gabriel Solar, and villagers are going missing in large numbers. Turns out that there's much more work for Lily, Thorn, squire and friend Wade, new troll maid Dott and the castle's very own zombie army.
If you like magic, giant friendly bats, princesses who are just a teeny bit Goth, squires who don't know their place but will do anything to save the girl, troll girls who think Gabriel Solar is 'bootiful' then Dream Magic is definitely for you. Thanks to unforeseen events the secret is out that Lily can do magic, forbidden thanks to an ancient curse it might be the only thing that saves Gehenna.
Tyburn is missing, there's an evil wizard intent on destroying both Lily and Castle Gloom, but worst of all? There are spiders... Beautiful crystalline spiders but all the same, spiders! They're incredibly venomous and one bite sends you into the Dreamtime where Weaver, the evil wizard, is using the power the dreams create to take revenge on Lily and her family.
Dream Magic is better than Shadow Magic, I didn't think that was possible but it is. I adored everything about it, the way that Lily steps forward with her magic knowing that she may be executed just for knowing never mind doing, the interaction with Lily's family from her father in the Library, the only place he appears to be able to manifest, to her mother and brother in the Dreamtime, beautiful and heartbreaking at the same time. Thorn is just as grumpy as ever but his feelings for Lily are so sweet and sometimes it's hard to remember he's still only a twelve-year-old boy. His relationship with Hades is wonderful to see, you'd never think a giant bat would be the perfect companion for a boy but he most definitely is.
Both Shadow Magic and Dream Magic go beyond the standard middle-grade novel, the friendship between Lily and Thorn, the world-building and the page-turning writing will hook any reader who loves fantasy. I know I picked up Dream Magic at 11pm intending to read a couple of chapters and didn't pit the book down until I had finished, 4 hours later... Joshua Khan has an amazing way with words, and the world he has created leaps off the page thanks to this.
Now starts the long wait for Burning Magic, where a certain young K'leef hopefully makes a welcome return and Lily and Thorn (and Hades, naturally) must team up yet again for another epic adventure!