Full marks for originality. I started off thinking this was written for the younger end of YA, or more advanced children. However, as it progressed, I did think it suitable for a slightly older reader.
Some quite adult themes were dealt with, but it was quite well done. Characters were interesting and seemed to make sense. Unlike many YA books, all adults were not stupid so thanks for that!

a wonderfully different book, a little bit slow to begin with, but it did pick up. I did love how the two story lines merged and I really liked how the book ended.

Tree Magic is a complex coming of age story interwoven with elements of fantasy and magical realism.

The climax of the story, where parallel stories and characters converge did not disappoint either. I will be interested to read more work by Sprinbett based on this novel.

This book started off great. There was Rainbow who was left to her own devices, her discovering her powers, a tree house, lots of tree discussions and a cat. But after the “incident”, that I won’t go into much because I don’t want to spoil it, Rainbow was split into two, literally.

She was now divided into Mary and Rainbow. While Rainbow continued on with using her powers, Mary had abandoned the gift. And as the story progressed it was apparent that Rainbow was more childish and spiritual, while the incident had made Mary more mature, realistic and also stubborn, I suppose.

I loved the fantasy that was woven in the book at the beginning and the end, but in the middle, the book read very much like a contemporary with subtle fantasy. The love I had felt for the book as I started it was lost in the middle, and back again at the end.

But I genuinely enjoyed parts of Tree Magic and for a debut novel, it was a job well done. All the characters were written well and as a polyglot (someone who loves languages), I felt the struggles Mary went through trying to learn a new language and realizing that that is not enough to speak it. A language is nothing without the culture, after all.

And that’s it! I don’t have a lot to say about this book but if Harriet Springbett does write another novel I would be interested in reading it too because this was really original.

Have you guys read this book? If yes, tell me what you thought of it and if not, then let me know of any other books similar to this that I should try out down in the comments!

Lots of love,

Raven

Actual rating 3.5 stars.

When Rainbow discovers she can bend trees to her will the course of her life seems forever changed. But when one of her experiments to shape a tree branch results in disaster she is literally rifted in two. Her original self, Rainbow, carries on with her life in denial of the pain of her past and determined to control her gift. Her other self, Mary, denies herself an exploration of her gift and lives divorced from everything that previously made her, her. But the two parts of Rainbow still share a love for France that will see both destined to ultimately share the same path and, perhaps, one day to meet.

What an utterly bizarre and brilliant notion! I adored learning more of the unique gift that Rainbow was blessed with. There was a fairy-tale-esque quality to the early portions that focused on this, that lent this a quaint and whimsical quality.

Whilst I loved how the novel's trajectory continued from this point, I did find myself eager to return to the feelings initially invoked. Whilst this has a heavy fantastical focus, some parts had a distinctly contemporary vibe. I far preferred growing gifts with Rainbow to battling school dramas with Mary, as that was something I had not expected to discover in this book. I had never read anything quite like the former where many a book shares a story similar to the latter. The ending, however, returned my adoration of this book and left me impressed with its individuality and happy to have discovered it.

Tree Magic by Harriet Springbett

Growing up can be hard for anyone, but it is especially hard for 13 year old Rainbow. Ever since she was young, she has had an interest and love for trees. Rainbow's mum would regularly venture out into the forest to hug the trees that resided there. It would give her a sense of calm.

As Rainbow soon discovers, her love for trees turns into something truly magical. She finds out that she has the ability to make trees grow and can shape them. The feeling she receives from the trees she touches is incredible.

But discovering her special gift with trees comes with a price. As Rainbow grows into adulthood, she has to traverse the ever changing world that is filled with constant lingering fears, secrets and strange parallel worlds. In order for her to find out what her life means, she must first discover who she is.

A Tale about Growing Up

At its core, Tree Magic is a book following Rainbow into adulthood. Spirngbett did a wonderful job of depicting events throughout Rainbow's challenging and eventful life. This book has been described as a slow burn, to which I would agree. I thoroughly enjoyed the first counters I had with Rainbow and her connection to trees.

Once I got further into the book,I felt that Springbett did a flawless job of tying the story together and it flower really well. At first I was pretty nervous with the way the book was written, and wondered if I would get lost. Thankfully that was not the case.

Rainbow's character has so much going on and felt so intricate throughout the story. I felt that on some level I could connect with her. At times as well,I felt so sorry for how her life was going and that to me is the pinnacle of character creation! If any author can bring out feelings in readers for the characters, then that to me is an A+!

A magic that is always there

Another aspect of Tree Magic that was super refreshing was the magic element. Right from the beginning, we find out about Rainbow's magic for trees. As the story progressed, this magic power was always there, but was not the main focal point. The tree magic was used more for exploring Rainbow's character growth. With this magic, we grow up with her through complicated situations.

Tree Magic may not appeal to readers who want a constantly high-paced read. But I know if people through the beginning section, they will see that there is way more to this book. In fact, Tree Magic is that beautifully written, it would be such a shame if people do not give it a chance!

An intricate story about growing up, relationships and coming to terms with who you truly are. Tree Magic is a hidden gem and I loved reading it!

Tree Magic is a really hard book to review objectively, as it strikes me as the kind of the story that people will either love or hate. The blurb for it is a little deceptive, and so please don't approach this novel expecting a fantasy story. It's magical realism at its most vague, with Rainbow's "power" being real yet ill-defined. It's probably better to consider Tree Magic as more a contemporary coming of age tale with occasional fantasy elements.

However, Tree Magic was a fascinating experiment. Without giving too much away, it's a story about how our lives can be shaped by a single moment, diverging off in wildly different paths due to the way that we react. The book hinges on Rainbow's childhood interpretation of a Bishnoi story - a tale that her mother tells her has two different endings. This conceit is seen throughout the tale, as we follow the similar-yet-different lives of two girls, following their wildly different experiences until their tales converge.

It's interesting in the philosophical sense, but if you try to apply any sense of realism to the tale the story starts to crumble. Really, you've got to take the story for what it is and not analyse it too hard. The book is massively unpredictable and worth sticking with. While I found the story to be a little confusing to begin with, as I gradually figured out what was happening it grew a lot easier to follow. I say no more, because I don't want to spoil it for you.

In terms of characterisation, the story is actually incredibly strong. Rainbow and Mary were both very different characters yet still felt like realistic teenagers. Both of them were very easy to relate too and I did find them easy to empathise with. Mary, in particular, was very relateable, and I found that I grew really attached to her as the novel followed her through her rebellious faze, her sheer confusion as to what she wanted to do with her life and her eventual discovery of her passion in life.

Anyhow, in all, Tree Magic was an interesting experiment but probably isn't the sort of thing I'd read again. I'd probably recommend it to fans of character studies, though if you're looking for a fantasy story I'd probably suggest trying elsewhere.

As a lover of trees and magic, this book sang to me! This was a beautiful book about a young girl with a strong connection to trees, and it was just as magical and special as I hoped and expected. Excellent!

If I had to describe this book in one word, it would be 'emotive'. The magical elements - her ability to manipulate trees - is more of a vehicle, establishing the conflicts and underlying 'problems'. Being something so unusual, it is easy to commiserate with the problems and situations that develop and quickly captures our sympathies as we ride the super-slow roller coaster of growing pains.
It is a coming-of-age novel that young pre/new teens will be able to relate to, liberally peppered with poetical metaphors in keeping with the mystical, magical qualities of our heroine.

It took me a little while to get into this book but I'm glad I stayed with it.
Rainbow has a magical power to shape and heal trees. While she first embraces this gift, an accident causes her rethink everything.
There was such a real difference between the two sides of Rainbow's character that at times I found it difficult to reconcile her as the same person. I never would have expected the shocking revelation at the end of the book, and although I was happy with how Rainbow's situation ended, I was left wondering what would happen to her mum and Patti.

This is a strange book. Interesting but strange. As an adult reading this book, parts of it played against my knowledge of what is and isn't. It challenged the things that I know. We learn a story about a girl named Amrita Devi from India. We talk about life and death and perhaps not really dying. We meet a girl named Rainbow, and we learn about who she is and things she believes. We see about a man named Fraser and when he interacted with Rainbow, it made me shudder and feel like something slimy had just crawled over my skin and mind. Learning about Rainbow's mom made my heart hurt for her. I liked Michael when I first read about him. What happens that puts her in the hospital? What happened with the accident that pulled Rainbow's life apart? Watching as Rainbow transforms into Mary was when I could not stop reading. It truly shows that the things that happen to us change us. This is a very interesting and unique book in many ways. Still not quite sure what to make of it other than it challenged my own thinking about many things. Enjoy the read! Definitely a read for teens or YA.

RECEIVED THIS BOOK AS A GIFT FOR A FAIR/HONEST REVIEW and REVIEWER FOR Bloggin' With M. Brennan.

Excellently done. It is written for a certain age group but appeals to anyone who picks it up! A charming, intriguing book that I think may have become a favorite in this house. :)

Rainbow can shape trees using her hands, but her stepfather is very much against anything spiritual or psychic. When a tragic accident occurs, the choices that she makes determine the course of her life. Can she live the way she has chosen to? With tree magic, parallel universes and romance, this story is a fascinating tale.

Tree Magic by Harriett Springbett is a wonderfully different book. The main character is Rainbow, a 13 year old girl who has a special connection with trees. I found book a little bit slow to begin with, but it did pick up, and when it did the pace was steady and enjoyable throughout. That said, the start did pull me in. It was truly the title, and the image it automatically conjures up, that had me requesting the book straight away. Tree Magic is the perfect title for the book, given what it's about.

The book shows us Rainbow's coming to terms with her gift and her challenges in learning to accept who she is despite all that life throws at her. She has a complex relationship with her inner self and her family which is vividly explored in the book.

Her powers, despite being what gives the book its incredibly unique title and therefore an interesting slant on the story, are not the entire focus of the book, an aspect I found refreshingly intriguing and welcome given that many other books with a paranormal plot do tend to be exclusively or mainly focused on the magic power a person has and how this affects them and others in their daily life However, in Tree Magic, it is the relationships Rainbow has with herself and others that make the story such a success in my mind.

The gift Rainbow has gives her character a uniqueness which I haven't found in many other books and the way the author tells the story of each and every character is through incredibly vivid and powerful writing. I felt as though I were there with Rainbow and the other characters living and experiencing what they did. The character portrayal was unique to each character. I found myself sympathising with, and feeling for, Rainbow and could see parts of myself at age 13 in her. I felt a dislkike for her stepdad Bob and felt Rainbow's mum was an interesting character. I liked how she supported Rainbow in life.

Life's ups and downs are shown from a different perspective for each character, yet the characters are all intertwined in some way and very thoughtfiully and artfully developed for the age group and genre the book is written for.
There are many twists and turns within the book and moments of happiness tragedy and excitement, just like in real life.

Thank you to Harriett Springbett and the publisher for sending me an advance review copy via NetGalley. After reading Tree Magic, I can honestly say that I'm glad to have found a new favourite YA author. Tree Magic is unforgettable. I'd recommend it to younger, as well as older, adults.

An interesting subject which could have been explored in a lot more ways. The idea of parallel lives splitting at a traumatic event, one where a person embraces their gift and one where they reject it, is a fascinating concept. However, the Mary character is very difficult to like (which is probably the point) and so by the time the parallels converge you have a clear idea of who you want to survive. The convergence and the lead up to it felt incredibly rushed and could have been explored a lot more deeply. What happens to all the other versions of the central characters (like Mary's mother) in the other parallel? How does Rainbow adjust to having these two parallels within her? The identity of Rainbow's/Mary's father also felt very predictable. Not a bad book, but I just felt there was so much more that could be done with the subject matter.

This novel captured my attention much more deeply than I had anticipated due to a picturesque writing and intelligent plot. The settings were vividly detailed and at times you can almost feel the trees under your fingertips as if Rainbow is guiding your hand.

I thought the author created some beautiful characters that were complex and magical in this wonderfully imaginative story. There was something graceful and poetic about Rainbow’s connection to the trees; in some ways it reminded me a bit of the Lorax. The plot surprises and penetrating details swirl together for a mesmerizing novel.

The story moves very slowly in some ways as if mimicking the growth of the trees while trying to tell the story of Rainbow’s foundational years. Eventually it’ll pick up but there are no action, rollercoaster like moments that will glue you to the pages. Instead what keeps you reading are the character portrayals mixed into the journey of self-discovery which let your mind relax so you can feel some true moments of peace and beauty.

It’s a good book for middle school kids and teens to read as they’re dealing with similar challenges of growing up on their way to adulthood. Along with some of the prototypical stuff you’d find in a coming of age story the magical element that whisks you towards the conclusion will take you on one last emotional push as Harriet Springbett does her best to bring everything together in this unique exploration of life as we forget to live it.

An interesting plot idea with a decent magic system and an engaging main character.