Disclosure: I received this book to review; opinions shared are mine.
Sometimes I feel sorry for my kids because they’re stuck with teachers as parents. Christmas always includes educational toys, and vacations are usually sprinkled with some kind of historical learning experience. There’s no getting out of homework when you’re a teacher’s kid. Likewise, the daughter of magically enhanced people probably feels a similar burden. In the novel Family Magic, poor little Sydlynn struggles along with the turmoil of being a teenage daughter of a witch and demon. Yeah…that’s the same thing as having teachers for parents. Seriously, though, the entertaining book pokes light fun at the idea that teenagers often want what they cannot have, no matter the parental circumstances! Don’t we all, though?
Most of the books I review are Christian fiction novels, so there was some hesitation about reading Family Magic. Many of my friends are still against reading Harry Potter, so I knew it might be a conflict of beliefs if I tried to pass along this book. I’m so glad I gave it a chance, though! The tone of the book is quite lighthearted and relaxed. It’s truly a picture of an everyday family trying to get through life together, complete with the younger sister and cat. There aren’t a lot of dark, sadistic goings-on in most of Family Magic, although the essential good-versus-evil plot line will throw you for a loop. Mentions of various spells, powers, and whatnot are completely in context; at no point did I feel that I was being taken in by the dark side. Mild profanity was used throughout the story (nothing worse than would be found in a typical young adult novel). What strikes me as funny is the fact that the book is how vividly I saw things through Sydlynn’s 16-year-old point of view, while I expected to relate more with her mother. Patti Larsen does an excellent job of making Syd feel like a real person. Also, she lives in PEI so I had to like her, or Anne might declare me an unkindred spirit. One minor whine about Family Magic…..I’d love to see actual chapter titles instead of the generic “Chapter One” and so on. Chapters always draw me in; they bring some excitement into the reading game. I kept thinking, “Ooooh, that should be the chapter title!” as I read.
Family Magic by Patti Larsen is a young adult paranormal novel that won 1st place in World’s Best Story contest and is published by Premiere. The tour runs August 3-31 with mostly reviews as well as author interviews and guest posts. Check out the tour page for more information.
Book Description:
Her mom’s a witch, her dad’s a demon and she just wants to be ordinary. But, when an insidious evil comes after her family, Sydlynn Hayle has to choose to be the normal girl she craves or step up, embrace her magic and save her coven from disaster.
FastPencil | Amazon
About the Author:
Patti is an award-winning author with a passion for the paranormal. Now with multiple series in happy publication, she lives in Canada with her patient husband and six demanding cats.
Amazon is great; thanks. I like the idea that this is a fun book taking on truthful subjects.
I’m glad you enjoyed this and I’m happy to see some different viewpoints on the book. It’s not really a dark read and it really can be related to anyone, teenagers and family especially. Thank you so much for hosting a tour stop and sharing your thoughts!