How one family member can destroy plans for several generations – review of the book “A pinch of magic” by Michelle Harrison

Imagine learning that magic exists and you have access to it. Great right? How many plans could be realized! Do you already have this image in your head? Then add to it the information that you are under a family curse and in fact it attracts you to your place of residence, so you will not use this magic. Welcome to the reality of the Supportive Sisters!

If you have dreamed of getting away from your place of residence at least once, you will perfectly understand one of the main characters of the novel by Michelle Harrison. Betty is an enterprising and intelligent teenager who has always wanted to travel. Her older and beautiful sister, Fliss, seemed to share Betty’s desires and fascinations for a long time, but things had changed since her sixteenth birthday. The girl dimmed and also began to have secrets. Fortunately, the youngest of the three siblings, Charlie, still behaves in his own way, bringing home little living creatures home and eating for two.

The life of the girls is rather monotonous and limited by many do’s and don’ts since their father was imprisoned and their grandmother took over their upbringing. No wonder that Betty decided to look for variety by planning a trip to the festival, organized outside of their hometown. To say that the expedition ended in a fiasco would be a strong understatement, because as a result of the whole situation, Betty and Charlie found out that their family was under a cruel curse, which no one can lift. And how can you not lose your will to live in such a situation?

When the cover harmonizes nicely with the content

A Pinch of Magic is one of the Instagram-winning novels (and even series) due to its amazing cover art. The beautiful, even magical colors delight the next bookstagram girls, so I was tempted by her too. Not wanting to expect anything, I read absolutely no announcements, so reading Michelle Harrison’s novel was a real adventure for me.

More heroes like that please!

The Disabled Sisters are three incredibly interesting characters. They differ not only in appearance and age, but also in motivations, behaviors, preferences and ways of thinking. Betty is the adventurous one who faces all challenges with courage. Fliss is conservative and girlish, but also loyal and always ready to support her loved ones as a teenager. Charlie, in turn, is a tough and brave girl who will stand behind every creature. The whole trio is perfectly described and it is impossible not to like them and get involved in their fate. The girls, despite being drawn into a difficult situation, look for solutions and do not break down over their fate. These are really interesting characters.

The other characters created by the author also have depth. It doesn’t matter if we read about the tough and stubborn grandma who inspires respect in the town, or about the dubious morality of Palczasty, or about Colton, imprisoned for unknown reasons, everyone got their five minutes in this story and a thoughtful character. Here, every story turns out to be important and no one can be crossed off at the start, or judged superficially.

Okay, then we have a curse and what next?

The author’s idea for a story is also excellent. On the one hand, we have a curse and the whole mystery of where it came from, and on the other, a mysterious magic passed down from generation to generation. Additionally, the action takes place in a rather harsh atmosphere of a prison towering over everything, in a place where mainly suspicious types and units sent for various reasons live. Harrison has constructed an interesting space and a few timelines, which she beautifully and sensibly combined with the thread she learns as we read the following pages. In addition, despite the fact that the whole thing is set in a rather overwhelming location, she managed to create a beautiful fairy tale about the fight for justice, her own fate and the strength of the family.

It’s good that I have another volume on the shelf

When I reached for this novel, I definitely did not expect such a wonderfully written story for children and teenagers. It is an adventure worth embarking on and recommending also to others.