Wednesday 1 May 2024

Magicalia: Race of Wonders by Jennifer Bell


From the internationally bestselling author of Wonderscape and The Uncommoners, comes a spectacular new fantasy series inspired by astronomy, science and Pokémon, irresistible to fans of Nevermoor, Skandar and the Unicorn Thief and Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.

When her dad is kidnapped, Bitsy and best friend Kosh are swept into a secret world of ancient meteorites and strange beasts called magicores, each conjured using a different emotion. Using a powerful beastiary called Magicalia, the friends must quickly become conjurors themselves, before following a trail of clues that will take them from London to India to Paris, in a race to rescue Bitsy’s dad from a mysterious villain…

On one level, this is an adventure story like any other - that's not a criticism! Our young heroine and her friend get swept into a magical world where they have to constantly scramble and learn to keep up. Naturally their outside view is essential to solving the current problems, leading to a bigger war in the future.

However, this story is so much more than that. The central idea - that some people can conjure magical animals based on emotions - is fascinating, and leads to so many possibilities in the future. Bitsy and Kosh are great characters, and there's a lot to explore with them in the future. 

This is a fantastic read with a lot of potential to run for a long time, and I really hope it does! This first entry only touched on a couple of the scary options - what would a magicore conjured from lethargy look like? Or rage? I can't wait to find out!


Magicalia: Race of Wonders publishes on the 2nd of May, 2024. I received a free copy and am giving an honest review.

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