A review by ros_lanta
Like A Charm by Elle McNicoll

3.75

Elle McNicoll has a writing style that I love and always produces characters I instantly care about.  Like a Charm was no exception and there was a lot that I really liked about this book. 

Unfortunately though the plot just didn't work for me - I didn't have much interest in the fantasy elements of the story. I had a similar reaction to her sci-fi book Show Us Who You Are. As someone who doesn't usually read contemporary fiction (middle grade or otherwise) this is unusual for me to say, but I read her books for the real world aspects not the SF ones. My favourite book of hers so far is easily A Kind of Spark which is pure contemporary. 

Ultimately I will probably carry on reading (and hopefully enjoying) everything Elle McNicoll writes, I just don't know if I will ever love one enough to want to reread.  I would highly recommend her to kids though and suspect that had I read her books as a child they might have been favourites.