Astrid Hawk
Still a great series, with likeable, relatable characters and many more imaginative uses of magic to discover (the trick streets are an especially fun mechanic in this book), but I didn't think this second entry was as strong as the first book.
In Wundersmeden/Wundersmith, we follow Morrigan and her cohort of 8 other young students with magical abilities in Unit 919 through their first year of education where they're trained in the use of their magical skills and taught relationship skills, like collaboration and loyalty. Morrigan, however, is still treated as a bit of a pariah - her magical ability was revealed only to her immediate cohort and her teachers and kept a secret from the rest of the school/community, and most of those who know the secret resent having to keep it and are afraid of what it means. While the previous book ended on a warm note with feelings of strong acceptance, found family, and Morrigan feeling like she could finally stop worrying about not being enough, this book feels a bit like a step backward, where Morrigan is once again fighting to be accepted and to find her place in this new company of magic wielders who are supposed to be loyal for life.
What frustrated me is that Jupiter, who is Morrigan's father figure, is mostly absent from this book, leaving Morrigan to struggle with serious moral dilemmas, bullying, and life-threatening situations on her own. He was often protectively dismissive of her worries in the first book, but in this one he plays the role of the absent father who values work over family. Although Jupiter recognizes that his prioritization was poor at the end of the book, it felt unsatisfying to me - perhaps if I was reading this as the target audience age instead of as an adult, it wouldn't have bothered me.
I did enjoy seeing a lot more of Cadence and Jack in this book, and I hope we get more of them in the next one as well. I have all 4 books in Danish, and although you'd think my reading level would be improving beyond them by this point, I'm reading them so inconsistently that I still don't feel the translation is too remedial for me. So... on to book 3 it is.
Still a great series, with likeable, relatable characters and many more imaginative uses of magic to discover (the trick streets are an especially fun mechanic in this book), but I didn't think this second entry was as strong as the first book.
In Wundersmeden/Wundersmith, we follow Morrigan and her cohort of 8 other young students with magical abilities in Unit 919 through their first year of education where they're trained in the use of their magical skills and taught relationship skills, like collaboration and loyalty. Morrigan, however, is still treated as a bit of a pariah - her magical ability was revealed only to her immediate cohort and her teachers and kept a secret from the rest of the school/community, and most of those who know the secret resent having to keep it and are afraid of what it means. While the previous book ended on a warm note with feelings of strong acceptance, found family, and Morrigan feeling like she could finally stop worrying about not being enough, this book feels a bit like a step backward, where Morrigan is once again fighting to be accepted and to find her place in this new company of magic wielders who are supposed to be loyal for life.
What frustrated me is that Jupiter, who is Morrigan's father figure, is mostly absent from this book, leaving Morrigan to struggle with serious moral dilemmas, bullying, and life-threatening situations on her own. He was often protectively dismissive of her worries in the first book, but in this one he plays the role of the absent father who values work over family. Although Jupiter recognizes that his prioritization was poor at the end of the book, it felt unsatisfying to me - perhaps if I was reading this as the target audience age instead of as an adult, it wouldn't have bothered me.
I did enjoy seeing a lot more of Cadence and Jack in this book, and I hope we get more of them in the next one as well. I have all 4 books in Danish, and although you'd think my reading level would be improving beyond them by this point, I'm reading them so inconsistently that I still don't feel the translation is too remedial for me. So... on to book 3 it is.