When an ogress moves in just outside of town, the townspeople begin to blame her for everything that has gone wrong for years, even before she arrived! Their bad luck had all started years before when the Library had burned down. Thank goodness for their wonderful Mayor who is working to restore the town and get rid of the Ogress. But there are a few children in the orphanage who begin to wonder if the Mayor is really so wonderful and if the Ogress is really so evil. Anthea is good at problem-solving. Bartleby is a philosopher who asks the hard questions, and his sister Cass is quiet but brave. These three children look at their crumbling town and decide to finally do something to help.

I loved this fanciful story!

The soft magic system is delightfully mysterious. There are little glimmers of magic in everything, but nothing is concrete. There is a description of how time and space will bend and warp around books. Books are so weighty with knowledge and wisdom that time will actually flow differently around them. The Ogress has such a warm personality that her garden grows ten times more abundantly from the warmth that radiates from her. The Mayor has such a silky voice and such a dazzling smile that the townspeople are mesmerized by everything he says. Is it magic? Maybe a little. The same way that a kind word is magic and a warm cookie straight out of the oven is magic. All the threads of the world come together in a magical way for those who know to look for them.

The writing style takes a lot of time to point out important details. The plot moves slowly, but the writing is so good at keeping your attention that I didn't mind the slower pace. In the end, each of those little details matters immensely and carries emotional weight in the story. It's nice to have a bit of a slower story sometimes, so that you can take time to really get to know the characters and reflect on their internal journeys as well as the outer adventure. The writing is so elegant that even during the scenes with more action, I found it soothing to read.

I loved the wonderful characters! Anthea is the oldest of the orphans, so she feels responsible to care for everyone. Bartleby is bookish and more of a thinker than a doer. But Cass is the doer. She quietly moves about, saying little and getting a lot done. They are all complex and interesting characters. I loved how those three interact and bicker and protect each other like real siblings.

I enjoyed the exploration of deep themes about family and neighborliness and generosity. The Ogress is not welcomed in the town because they don't think of her a neighbor, so the townspeople have to rediscover what it means to be neighborly. The orphans have a strong sense of family in their little orphanage. They function like a family unit, all caring for each other and protecting their home. The Ogress has a philosophy that the more you give, the more you have. She is wildly generous to every creature she meets, and her abundance overflows into the town. But the townspeople are overwhelmed by fear and greed. It takes something extraordinary to free them from their fears. I loved the positive messages in this book!

This is such a lovely book, and I can't wait to read more from this author!

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a free and honest review. All the opinions stated here are my own true thoughts, and are not influenced by anyone.