Alyssa McCarthy went to live with her aunt, uncle and cousin after her parents died in a car accident. After her aunt's death, her uncle became increasingly strict and no nonsense. Magic is real, however, and Master Beau is determined to take over Europe. His power is tied to Alyssa, and he kidnaps her in an effort to break that tie and get even stronger.

This is a book targeted toward middle grade readers, as the heroine is a teenager suddenly thrust into a world of magic and told that her parents' deaths weren't an accident. Magic is suddenly revealed to her, tormenting her in the midst of her normalcy, until she's kidnapped. There is a blend of magic and the mundane, which is good to see. Alyssa goes through a lot once she's brought to Fiji, including Master Beau realizing that just having her there isn't enough to absorb her power, but that he has to sever all of her ties to friends and family.

I'm not fond of the child in danger trope, and I didn't enjoy a lot of the characterizations of the adults. My ten year old daughter, on the other hand, loved this book. She adored Alyssa and was rooting for her all throughout her struggles. Various magical creatures were vividly described, as well as some familiar modern amenities given a magical twist. The last third to a quarter of the book really had her on the edge of her seat, and she was overjoyed to hear that this is the first book in a series of them. She's really looking forward to finding out what Alyssa's other magical missions are, and can't wait to see what happens next.

I was unable to complete this book so I will not be posting reviews on other sites.
It is a relatively short book targetting children, and the narrative seems to reflect that. I am usually okay with reading books written for all ages but this had some repetitive qualities that I was not able to get past.
It is the story of a girl and her links to 'magic'
I would recommend this for younger kids.