First up, I am total trash for magical school tropes, so I jumped at the chance to read this one and in terms of loveable and relatable characters, unique magic systems and quirky plot, it ticked a lot of boxes. 

 

This book is touted as middle grade and it certainly read as such, but it may have benefitted in this case by decreasing the age of Ivy Lovely. She is meant to be ~16 years old but much of the dialogue and internal monologue reads more like a 12-13 year old. Additionally, the plot - while quick and easy to read – could have helped having some more intricate world-building; I felt like a thrown into the deep end a little. The plot also did feel a little cluttered and disjointed towards the end. 

 

My thanks to Stories Untold Press for sending me a free e-copy of the book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.