City of Stolen Magic

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Something I did really like was the idea of a boat being controlled by a magic tree cause its roots are weaves with the timber of the boat that’s pretty cool. For this to make sense the world building was masterfully done. Chompa is a flawed but relatable character, particularly for children, she is impulsive (as children tend to be) and this impulsivity does lead to negative consequences that she then works tirelssly to fix, even when the adults around her seem to think it impossible. Chompa her determination and resourcefulness to her advantage and making sacrifices to help others.

City of Stolen Magic by Nazneen Ahmed Pathak - Google Play City of Stolen Magic by Nazneen Ahmed Pathak - Google Play

An unexpected gem of a story . . . A stellar setting, a gut-punch of a twist, and an unforgettable heroine. This has all the hallmarks of classic children's storytelling' - Nizrana Farook author, The Girl Who Stole an Elephant City of Stolen Magic is a middle-grade fantasy novel that weaves together magic, colonial history, and secrets. Disclaimer: I did read the book with the eye of an adult, rather than that of a teenager, which I suspect is the targeted audience. This is too bad, because I enjoy the genre and was unaware of this age limitation. Yet, I stand by my assessment as I do believe it is possible to both achieve depth in character and play with the rhythm and pace of a book, without losing the calm simplicity that flows throughout.India, 1855. The British rule, and all across the country, Indian magic is being stamped out. More terrifying still, people born with magic are being snatched from their homes. Rumor is that they are being taken across the sea - to England - by the all-powerful, sinister Company.

City of Stolen Magic by Nazneen Ahmed Pathak, review: a critique of City of Stolen Magic by Nazneen Ahmed Pathak, review: a critique

With the help of an old friend, Chompa goes off after her, traveling on a fast ship powered by a tree djinn. For Chompa and others like her are djinnborn or djinnspeakers, able to think or write words to do magic and manipulate the elements. I thought all of the characters were well developed to be honest. Chompa is the one we get to know the best being the protagonist, but the others were still detailed enough for them to have their own personalities and be strong characters in their own rights. What I did not like though were the Plot twists. I could see all of them coming and i just wanted the book to be less predictable. I also did not understand why in a middle grade book meant for children where the protagonist is 12 yrs old, had to see what happened to her mother. What happened with Mohsin also felt very out of character for him. I can’t quite put my finger on what was wrong with this book, but I was just bored by it. It took me two full weeks to finish, which is incredibly unusual for me for a middle grade novel of this length, and I considered DNFing it multiple times, despite knowing I was reading it for review. The story just dragged, and I found Chompa herself really irritating.

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Plot wise I thought the story was fantastic. There is enough danger here for it to feel like a real adventure, but without being too graphic or scary for younger readers. The magic systems are really well described, and I particularly enjoyed that we get to see several different types of magic and how they worked. There is a lot of detail in the world building, and it really helped to bring the story to life. When Chompa discovers that people born with magic are being transported to England by the sinister, all-powerful ‘Company’, she knows she must follow. Within a few cliffhanger chapters, she has found herself on a perilous quest through Victorian London, during which she starts to untangle the truth surrounding her father, and discover where the true limits of her magic lie. Hair was what princesses worried about, but in real life, it got in your eyes and mouth… Chompa threw the scarf aside. She was never going to be a princess. And she didn’t want to be one, either. She was something far more powerful. She was a witch.” This story was a lovely and impactful read, the plot itself being very fast paced with twists and turns along the way.. An unexpected gem of a story . . . A stellar setting, a gut-punch of a twist, and an unforgettable heroine. This has all the hallmarks of classic children's storytelling' - Nizrana Farook

City of Stolen Magic by Nazneen Ahmed Pathak | Goodreads City of Stolen Magic by Nazneen Ahmed Pathak | Goodreads

The author does an incredible job of weaving Indian Culture with magic. Is such a good story to introduce white children to Indian culture. Or even just show Indian children that they are represented and seen. I’m a white reader, and I learnt too much about my friends culture just from reading this book. I sent one of the paragraphs where Chompa talks about how unseasoned the British food was to one of those friends and we had a good laugh because that’s a little joke between us about how bland white food is. The story takes place in the past and it starts in the then Bengal province of India, which was under British rule. Now the story, the characters and the magic are fictional. But this story is most definitely inspired by true historic events and is well researched, like the Bengal famines and people forcefully being taken to another country. This is a story for children, so the true horrors of the past are of course not mentioned. But enough is said to make this painful part of history come to life. What i liked about the story is the magic system where we get to learn about djinnspeakers and djinnborn children. How they can work with different elements and djinns. I also really loved the Author's note as it shows what inspired the author to write the scenes in the book which were related to the British rule and the racism, theft and the slavery faced by the Indians and also other minorities. More terrifying still, people born with magic are being snatched from their homes. Rumour is that they are being taken across the sea - to England - by the all-powerful, sinister Company.This book is pitched for 9-14, and I agree: it has the complexity for upper middle grade and a further layer of stolen magic as a voice for India’s colonized past. Chompa lives with her mother in a small village in India. Her mother is teaching her to write charms and learn her Farsi, whilst sternly encouring Chompa to never use her 'finger magic'. Even though we’re supposed to root against the antagonist from the start simply because he’s British, it takes quite a long time before he actually starts to feel like a proper antagonist. When the story shifts to Tipu’s point of view, the transition feels a bit awkward. And it also feels like the story incorporated one or two ideas too many. Less is more in this case. With more focus on fewer ideas, those core ideas would have stood out more.

City of Stolen Magic (Paperback) - Waterstones City of Stolen Magic (Paperback) - Waterstones

I loved how there was more than one kind of magic in the story, and each character had different skills and strengths and every one of them was important in how the action played out. This imaginative debut novel is bursting with dynamic characters, atmospheric locations and a fast-paced plot. There are also parallels with real historical events, when Britain colonised India and exploited its people and riches, resulting in widespread poverty, famine and enslavement.

I won the physical copy in the giveaway and so it's really special for me. First things first the book cover is beautiful ❤️. However I did find that I was more invested in side characters stories than the main characters. By the 60% mark I was missing Tupu and his story which I found more interesting than Chompa’s story. I think it may have been because I didn’t really gel with Chompa as a character as much as I did with Tipu or Laurie. Which I must mention, Laurie’s sarcasm made the book that much more enjoyable for me. But I think my disconnection with Chompa despite her emotional journey in the book is because the book seems to treat Chompa as older than she is. In the first like 10 chapters I thought she was a teenager maybe 17. Turns out she’s still a child, which I should have expected since the book is middle grade. But the writing of the book left her age ambiguous when it wasn’t explicitly mentioned. Maybe this is because Chompa saw herself as older than she was but considering it’s third person and not first person that message got a little lost in execution. I LOVE a good middle grade but because the story is told by Chompa's POV as a VERY young girl, it feels almost a bit... Too young... For me 🌸