J D Grolic

Let me start off by admitting that it took me waaaaaay longer to finish this book than it should have. I had a plan... it was a good plan... that plan had a timeline, and Life disagreed with my plan, and sooooo here we are... waaay late in the game. Please, do not take that negatively and assume that my sluggishness was the book or author's fault... it was all me... my bad!! I only mention this because I overshot my review deadline by a mile, and for that, I am sorry.

NOW that that's settled, let's move right along...

This book is a solid Middle Grade fantasy with a magical shop stocked with mystical/magical items. It is a quaint, unassuming shop that is owned & operated by 2 eccentric Magicians and their Brownies that do all of the heavy lifting & crafting.

Anywho...

The writing in this book is atmospheric. I even enjoyed the pacing, though some might feel it's a bit sluggish in spots... that is until the mysteries start to pile up. Unfortunately, the real action doesn't start its crescendo until it is (almost tragically) (nearly criminally) (somewhat) uncomfortably too late... although strangely enough, it works here... you just need to be a bit patient.

My main gripe is not only that the sleuthing isn't kicked into high gear until much much later in the book BUT when it does get more interesting, the resulting climax is more of a whimper than a ROOOAAAAR!! The mysterious puzzles (which there are only a few) are analyzed and solved too quickly and too neatly. The ending is somewhat satisfying and even leaves room for a sequel, but I'm on the fence about whether or not I will be seeking it out.

Overall:
This book is written well. The pacing is a bit spasmodic, and the conflicts are too easily resolved, BUT I truly/madly/deeply love the Magic System and the fact that ANYONE can become a Magician... they just need some guidance from an established/knowledgeable Magician and a whole lot of time and effort to spend practicing. I love it SO much!! With every crazy/scary/dark thing that is going on around the world these days, I badly needed to get lost in this book's whimsy. I truly appreciate that aspect, and it's reflected in my rating. If we were in a less discordant time and I possessed a headspace less desperate to be soothed, I probably would have leaned towards giving a more critical review & rating. I am thankful that my anxiety riddled/chaos driven headspace was assuaged perfectly with this book's peaceful/calming aura. Was it a solid read? Yes. Was it groundbreaking? No, BUT even though it is a tame Middle Grade read, it definitely is a catalyst for my more zen like calm these days admist the fall of humanity's consciousness. I enjoyed myself, AND honestly, that's the perfect gift!!

So, if you're a lover of good, clean, wholesome fantastical tales containing relateable/attainable Magic Systems with mysteries to solve... if you're a fan of yarns that are peppered throughout with cute Onomatopoeias... then this is definitely for you! To all of the naysayers and poopers of parties, I believe you too should give this a go even if it doesn't sound like your genre of choice because we live in turbulent times... couldn't we all use a bit of Magic and whimsy in our lives??

~ Enjoy

*** I received an advance review copy for free from BookSirens, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. ***… (plus d'informations)