Good morning, here is the Koźlaczek family. I would love to list all its members here, but there are so many of them that we would have spent more time here than we are given. So let’s focus on the most important ones at the moment. Malina is a twenty-something-year-old barista at the Star Bunny café, the granddaughter of the incredible, well-known, powerful and fearless Narcyza Koźlak and the daughter of the mayor, the current leader of the coven, Aronia Koźlak. Some people could get to know it earlier thanks to the text Idiot is finished ( Fabryka Słów , 2018), and recall it when reading the anthology Pumpkin and Jemioła (SQN, 2018). However, those who hear about it for the first time need not worry – the collection Miracle Honey Raspberrythe first adventure of Malina with the finished idiot opens, that is, as you might suspect, her boyfriend.
The family is like a tree
The book itself, with the subtitle Chronicle of the Koźlak family,are eight fantastic, fun, magical, and never-let-go adventures that our time passes with far too quickly. I am a fan of Aneta Jadowska and her hexalogy about Dora Wilk, which is why I have known for a long time that the style in which this author writes suits me very well, but it was with this book that I also realized that we also have a common sense of humor. Comedy, whether situational or verbal, is an integral part of this book. It does not matter if we read about revenge on Aronia’s unpleasant rival, or about the skills in creating the image of Narcissa, or even about the fight against an evil witch, Jadowska wrote each story in the book very lightly and funny. But don’t get me wrong – they are not infantile. The plot of each adventure has been thought out in advance and then neatly described.
Who wouldn’t want to live in Zielona Jar?
If someone asked me who this book is for, I would answer that for all those who wish to get away from overwhelming topics, both private and those from the country or the world. Another strong point for me here is the characters. Jadowska gave us a great introduction to this family of individualists who, despite their differences in power and characters, support each other and care not only for the good of their family, but also for the safety of their family sides. As other heroes and heroines (such as the Drzewiecki family and their green magic) are also shown in an interesting way, a person not only gets involved in the described events very quickly, but also simply thrills with the fate of the characters.
If not a charm, then …
As I have already mentioned, there are only eight adventures. Most of them are reported to us by Malina, but there are also those in which we jump a bit in time, thanks to which we get to know Koźlaczek’s past better. Even though the heroines are witches, the subject of magic is presented sparingly. The adventures themselves vary in intensity and involve both more magical and less magical events. Without revealing too much, I will add that in one, someone is turned into a goat, in another, the body of a murdered man appears in the labyrinth during the festival, while in the next, the problem is Europol chasing Narcissa.
Candy for the eyes
Looking at the edition, I can only say that SQN, Jadowska and Babińska are a trio created at least in heaven. The book is not only well written, but also embellished with brilliant graphics by Magda Babińska, and also published with a hard cover. I am asking for more of these!
Where do they serve toppings?
The Miracle Honey Malina is such a literary wrap. A dressing full of good emotions after all the terrible events served by 2020. This is the kind of reading I definitely needed and which I will recommend. Forgive me Dora, but I have a feeling that I would be friends with Malina.
