[I received an electronic review copy of this book from Netgalley and Atheneum Books for Young Readers in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]
Summary
Antonia Durant wants nothing more than to be a wizard. She’s been apprenticed to Master Betrys for almost 6 months. She’s learning so much all the time. But her magic isn’t getting any better. She can’t even make a turnip dance.
Moppe Cler works in the kitchen at Master Betrys’ home. She has enough magic to make a whole kitchen full of turnips dance! But she’ll likely never have Antonia’s magical knowledge.
Antonia’s afraid her mother will make her leave Master Betrys if her magic doesn’t improve. But then she finds out her mother only let her go in the first place because she wanted Antonia to spy on Master Betrys. Betrys knows something about the lost crown of Medasia. Rival factions want the crown for their own purposes. And Master Betrys and the girls are caught in the middle.
After a disastrous magical display at a gala, Master Betrys is ready to expel both of her apprentices. But when she is later falsely accused of treason, Antonia and Moppe are her only hope for freedom.
Review
This was fantastic! It’s well-written middle grade fantasy with magic and mermaids, sea serpents and secrets. The world-building and the pacing was great. I especially enjoyed how the author chose to deal with magic words/spells. Brilliant. And if you get a close look at the cover, you will see all sorts of great references from the book.
At its core, this is a friendship story. Antonia and Moppe see a lot to envy in one another. They are antagonistic to each other out of jealousy and competition. The envy/jealousy was realistic without being too angsty or overplayed. But in time they start to see they are better together. There’s great foreshadowing of the conflict that will arise. And all of it plays out so well!
I would absolutely read more books from this world if this becomes a series. Hand this to fans of the Twinchantment books or the Fairytale Reform School series or the Camelot Code series – or really any middle grade fantasy.