The Magician’s Daughter - H.G. Parry - ★★★★

AUTHOR: H.G. Parry

GENRE: YA Fantasy

RATING: 4 Stars.

In a Nutshell: A lovely coming-of-age historical fantasy with magical elements and creatures. Slow but enjoyable. Though YA in style, recommendable to all readers.

Story Synopsis:

1912. For as long as she can remember, sixteen year old Biddy has lived on the magical island of Hy-Brasil with her beloved but mercurial guardian Rowan and his magical familiar, Hutch the rabbit. As Biddy is not a magician but still confined to the island, she begins to feel stifled by her loneliness.

One night when Rowan fails to come home from his nocturnal outing, Biddy connects to him using his dream. Thus she discovers a little about where he goes every night, what’s worrying everyone in the world of magic, and what enemies lie awaiting Biddy, Rowan, and Hy-Brasil. At the same time, she learns that Rowan has not been honest about his past as well as hers. Can she continue to trust him? Is she safe at Hy-Brasil?

The story comes to us in the limited third person perspective of Biddy.

Where the book worked for me:

😍 Luckily for me, my friend and fellow reviewer Srivalli forewarned me to read this as a YA novel. The character development and writing style worked well with this approach. I admit, even as a YA, it is nicely written, and I didn’t roll my eyes even once, which is a usual occurrence otherwise. There are a few dark scenes but they are mostly off the page. The story does justice to the coming-of-age angle.

😍 For once, the main protagonist acted her age. Biddy was a sheltered sixteen-year-old, and this is exactly how she behaves through the book. As she is more exposed to the outside world, her awareness, her doubts, and her self-confidence grow. She uses her head and her heart while taking decisions. Moreover, her writing doesn’t come with tons of inner monologues and her thoughts feel very realistic. Both a huge plus for a YA story.

😍 The historical and fantastical settings were nicely written and in sync with each other. The author creates the atmosphere and imagery well through her descriptions, whether of the orphanage, or the island, or the dark dungeons. It was very easy to visualise the places.

😍 Hutch was one heck of a friend and guide. His personality was the most appealing among all the main characters. The bond Rowan and Hutch shared with each other was amazing. Give me more such bunnies in magical stories any day!

😍 Rowan makes for quite an atypical guardian. Bossy at times, indulgent at others, his protectiveness for Biddy adds a loving undertone to their relationship. His complicated character is perfect for the plot as he doesn’t come across as a clichéd guardian.

😍 Morgaine’s character adds a greater touch of feminism and womanpower to the story. Her determination to make it in the male-dominated world of magic while accepting the sacrifices and compromises that come with such single-minded focus feels genuinely relatable.

😍 Biddy loves books, and it shows every time in her approach to the people and situations around her. I appreciate how her bookworm nature wasn’t restricted only to a couple of pages but used as a strong feature of her personality throughout.

😍 I enjoyed the magical elements and creatures in the story. Even magic itself is almost personified in a way I have rarely read. I had never heard of the mythical island of Hy-Brasil, so learning about it was a plus. I wish there had been more magical familiars in the story. It would have been even more fun to read, especially if two familiars had to clash with each other over their mages.

😍 The story is a bit slow in the first half as it takes its own time to introduce us to Biddy, Rowan, and their lifestyle. But the proceedings were interesting enough for me not to lose attention. The second half is much faster.

Where the book could have worked better for me:

😒 The main antagonist was somewhat flat and underutilised. The story would have been much creepier and impactful had his arc been written in greater detail.

😒 The final chapter tries unnecessarily to create a foundation for a sequel. It feels too forced. The second half of this chapter could have easily been put as the introductory chapter of the sequel, if there is one being planned. This superfluous content reduced the impact of this book to a certain extent.

😒 A few aspects of the plot reminded me of other books such as Jane Eyre, LOTR, Harry Potter, Howl's Moving Castle,… Whether these were meant as an homage to the originals or just a coincidence, I'll not know. But they were somewhat distracting.

All in all, despite the few misgivings, I did enjoy this magical story. It would work well when you are looking for a heartwarming fairytale-style entertainer with a generous dollop of magic. Will work especially well for YA Fantasy fans. I’ll definitely like to read more of this author’s works.

My thanks to Little, Brown Book Group UK, Orbit, and NetGalley for the DRC of “The Magician's Daughter”. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.