Cover Image: The Book of Unwyse Magic

The Book of Unwyse Magic

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Member Reviews

Monday Book Nerd: Like Voyage to the Magical North, The Book of Unwyse Magic has a lot — possibly too much — going on. The world is split in half, magical and unmagical, and the two halves intersect in the town of Wyse, where Ava was born and where she and her brother are returning after their parents’ deaths. Mirrors make a doorway between Wyse and the fairy town of Unwyse, where fairies labor to make tchotchkes and charms for magic-seeking tourists, but the mirrors seem to be losing their magic and only a few remain. When Ava spies a green-haired boy in one of the non-working mirrors, she finds herself teaming up with the magical rebellion to take down the unfair system of magical enslavement and take guardianship of a sentient book that sees all of time at once.
You know I love any alternate Victorian world with magic, so while this book has a lot of tangled threads that don’t end up leading anywhere, I still enjoyed it. There’s a spirit of joyful magical possibility that connects Ava and Howell’s (the magical boy) stories, and the Book is a delightful companion. Not for everybody, I suspect, but it’s a fun read if this sounds like your kind of thing.

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Claire Fayers latest fantasy adventure is set in the misty and magical world of Victorian England, where the Fair Folk have gone into the UnWorld—specifically a placed called UnWyse. Humans have been left with only a few magic mirrors as portals between the two worlds. In the real world, eleven-year-old Ava Harcourt—whose parents have recently died—and her older brother Matthew find themselves alone and in dire straits. Their father had been a conjurer at one time, but for some unknown reason sold his mirror and quit magicing. Ava and her brother were warned by their father to avoid Lord Skinner, the mysterious yet all-controlling leader of Wyse, the last human town where magic works. But with nowhere else to go, Ava and Matthew return to Wyse, forced to trust Lord Skinner for the jobs and lodging he offers them.
In the UnWorld, apprentice Howell Fletcher works at the House of Forgotten Mirrors. Howell is a Fair Folk without any magic, but he soon finds himself approached by the intimidating and all-powerful Mr. Bones. The mission thrust upon Howell only leads to more confusion. It introduces him to a strange new magical friend who may easily lead him astray.
And so begins their journey into danger, intrigue, and surprising disclosures as the protagonists of THE BOOK OF UNWYSE MAGIC are thrust into the clash between the two worlds. Ava and Howell must rely on her own initiatives and bravery, as well as the help of a few new friends, to discover the truths that will set things right in the World and the UnWorld.
A brief selection from The Book—the covenant between the worlds—begins each chapter. These cheeky lines were some of my favorites parts of the story because The Book can predict the future. For example: “By the way, you might want to close your eyes in a page or two. Things are about to get unpleasant.” The Book plays a vital role in the story’s outcome as well—but I won’t spoil the fun by revealing any more. UNWYSE MAGIC is a totally entertaining tale for middle grade readers who enjoy fantasies, quirky characters, mysteries, and satisfying endings. The story is told through the eyes of both Ava and Howell for an effective contrast—highlighting the importance of each individual’s uniqueness as something to be valued.
So beware! The next time you look into a mirror, take caution that it’s not a magical one. Or better yet, read THE BOOK OF UNWYSE MAGIC and share in all the enchanted fun!

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I am acquiring a taste for sassy, brave girls who face dangerous magic with messy hair and an attitude. Ava Harcourt has all that and more. Ava and her brother find themselves thrust back into the world of Wyse, which her parents fled years before. Knowing little of the life her parents led and even less about the mirrored worlds of Wyse and Unwyse, Ava and Matthew face every obstacle thrown in their way, including a truly scary old man, to free the human and fairy kingdoms from an old evil. I throughly enjoyed this, as much as Comet Rising and Begone the Raggedy Witches. Recommended.

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Perfect for younger fans of Harry Potter or The Magic Thief, this book finds orphan siblings Matthew and Ava headed back to the town where they were born, Wyse, home of magic mirrors and fairy enchantments. The magic has all but disappeared from the town of Wyse where we find Matthew and Ava working hard to fit and and learn the ways of Wyse. In not-quite-alternating chapters we learn of a magical town, that mirrors Wyse called Unwyse, where young Howell is completely unmagical and yearns to be more like his counterparts in the unworld. The children find themselves in an adventure between the two worlds as they try to restore magic to both worlds.

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