Another gem – a review of the book “Magic Castle”

Magic is all over there …

Sophie Anderson, a British writer who has captivated us more than once ( The House on Crow’s Paws , Fairy Tales of the Snow Forest ), wrote another magical novel for teenagers – The Magic Castle. The main character – Olia – lives in the Castle of Mila with her family. Her parents look after a majestic building that hides many secrets. The girl is encouraged to explore countless rooms, corridors and gardens by her grandmother – the heroine’s soul mate. One day, one of the storms that shakes the castle changes Olia’s life forever – she must, with the help of her friends, find the secret door that … leads to another land, then reach the Black Sea wizard’s fortress and cut off his beard. As we read, Anderson guides us through parallel worlds of danger. We know that only Olia can save the castle, her family, and actually the whole world, but whether this mission will be successful is a great unknown. We share emotions with the heroine – we fight for the family, we long for security and stability, we are worried about the future, but we are also excited about fabulous adventures. It should be emphasized, however, that such a range of feelings does not help us believe in this character creation. Olia is a teenager who has many doubts about her actions, analyzes and makes independent decisions, shows remarkable determination, but unfortunately it seems a bit artificial. The awareness of responsibility for the whole world overwhelms the protagonist, which is not always expressed in her actions. An adult reader will probably look suspiciously at this creation, while a teenage reader may find reasons to identify with the brave heroine. who has many doubts about his actions, analyzes and makes independent decisions, shows remarkable determination, but unfortunately it seems a bit artificial. The awareness of responsibility for the whole world overwhelms the protagonist, which is not always expressed in her actions. An adult reader will probably look suspiciously at this creation, while a teenage reader may find reasons to identify with the brave heroine. who has many doubts about his actions, analyzes and makes independent decisions, shows remarkable determination, but unfortunately it seems a bit artificial. The awareness of responsibility for the whole world overwhelms the protagonist, which is not always expressed in her actions. An adult reader will probably look suspiciously at this creation, while a teenage reader may find reasons to identify with the brave heroine.

 Believe in magic!

Anderson is a storytelling master – the story is captivating and incredibly colorful. Apart from the slightly sparse outfits of the heroes, I like the world presented very much. The book, enclosed in a beautiful, light-reflecting binding (design and illustrations on the cover – Urszula Gireń ), has been enriched with aesthetic black and white illustrations by Saara Katariina Söderlund , Olia’s glossary, mini-interview with Sophie Anderson, section entitled Untangling Magic: Creative Writing Exercises with Sophie Anderson (Five Steps of Building an Action: How to Come Up with Your Own Ideas and then Turn It into Magic!)and thanks. The Kobiece Publishing House also took care of the end paper, which undoubtedly enchants with its charm and complements the aesthetics of the book. Without a doubt – this is another of the (most) beautiful publications I have ever held in my hands and I hope that the next Anderson novels will also be published in a similar style.

Not only for youngers

The Magic Castle is a novel for young readers, but it will undoubtedly also appeal to adults. Before reading, you just have to open up to a slightly different way of thinking and accept the presence of unusual elements of Slavic mythology in the novel – there is the Domnik (in the book it is the fox Felix, a caring house sprite), Kikimora (a creature often accused of causing nightmares), Leszy Dub (tree spirit, trees), Kaskadia nymph, elk, aquarius or heat-birds. Importantly, Anderson uses different characters to represent certain values. It makes it clear that the most important things in life are family and friends, and fighting your weaknesses leads to the expected success. So I recommend both small and large. With all my heart.