Magic
Magic
By Mike Russell
Engaging, strange, mind-boggling adventure of belief.
Published by Strangebooks (2019)
Book Review, no spoilers I swear!!!
I'd first like to thank Jay Snelling and Strangebooks for sending me a free copy of magic in exchange for an honest review. Magic is a magic realism / fantasy novel which if you know me isn't a genre I delve into but I wanted to give this book a try and I can safely say that this book was one of the strangest books I have read. Now that isn't a bad thing, quite the opposite as if there is one thing this book will make you do is think. But before I tell you my thoughts on this book perhaps I should give you the blurb, give you an idea of what it is about.
The Blurb:
Does magic exist?
Charlie Watson thinks it does and he wants to tell you all about it. Before he was famous, Charlie Watson decided to write a book to share with the world everything he knew about magic. This is that book.
You will discover why Charlie always wears a top hat, why his house is full of rabbits, how magic wands are made, how the universe began, and much, much more.
Plus, events that led him from England to the Arctic to perform the extraordinary feat that made him famous, and he finally reveals whether that extraordinary feat was magic or whether it was just a trick.
Thoughts:
Like I said before, this is a magical fantasy, a genre I don't usually delve into but there was something about the blurb and the character of Charlie that demanded my attention. I wasn't entirely sure what to expect from this book only that magic was going to be the main theme that fed this story line.
The start of the novel captured my attention immediately and I found myself engaged and consumed by the world of Charlie. The writing style is Charlie Watson talking to you. Therefore, we see Charlie's thoughts and feelings and the world through his eyes where you enter a world of wonder and belief.
Charlie is a 23 y/o and has been made to believe that magic is real and has a blind loyalty to it. Charlie is childlike and the way he talks is something you would expect to hear from a teenager, however, the innocence of Charlie is what makes this book special as its what makes him stand out. The world of adults is that of reality where they have forgot the joy of magic and impossibility.
Charlie's search for magic leads him onto a road of blind belief, to doubt, to finding magic once again. Its a journey that would make anyone believe in the impossible and that there is goodness in this world of harsh reality. Where adults and reality have all but repressed the belief of magic.
It took me a while to get along with Charlie's thoughts as it felt repetitive but this is a man of routine and order. However, as I read this book and followed Charlie I began to understand magic and how in fact it is the beginning of everything. As well as Magic being a main theme, there is also an underlining of depression and suicide although not heavily shown in a graphic way, Russell highlights this in a way that shows without magic, happiness, love, and kindness, it is easy to feel the pull and sadness.
The story line is anything but simple. It's mind boggling and strange to say the least and most of the time I struggled to keep up and things happened in the book that didn't make sense until further along and that left me scratching my head. It was also odd in areas but still I found it engaging as I wanted to see where the story would lead and how it would end. This book although strange and thought-provoking, it was also a great book that is filled with possibilities and magic. Perfect for young adults and fans of magical fantasy.
Not my usual read but I enjoyed the story overall, with plenty of twists and turns, magic and strangeness. Even though my head hurt afterwards and took me a couple of days to process what I had read and THAT ending!
Rating: 3.5* out of 5 I enjoyed it, but I think people who are interested in the genre of magical fantasy would enjoy it much more and you should definitely give it a try.
After all tomorrow is another day spent reading,
Till next time,
Phoebe x
Magic is available to buy on amazon in paperback and ebook.