Kelcie Murphy and the Academy for the Unbreakable Arts (Hardcover)
by Erika Lewis
a new series for young adult readers that maybe the next big thing. The story is based on the idea of a magic school, nothing new, but the aspects of a child lost from her past because of choices of her parents is new. The idea that one parent chose to do the wrong thing for the right reasons is more the idea than the child finding her abilities. This book shows team work, standing up for others, and saying the truth as ideals. Its a great book for beginning chapter book readers, and a start in the RPG world for young adventure seekers.

A girl goes on an adventure to discover not only her powers but her own family secrets. Kelcie has always thought that her parents had died or left her and when her social workers take her and reveal that they’re actually fairies and that Kelcie is the “heir” she soon finds herself teleported into The Academy for the Unbreakable Arts. This is where Kelcie begins her training to become a warrior in this new world and discovers that the school she is at trains legendary Celtic heroes. Soon Kelcie is training with swords and learning to control her hidden powers. She soon starts to discover who her parents are and why they left her in the human world eight years ago. Kelcie also discovers that she is a Saiga, one of the most ancient beings in the Otherworld... filled with elemental powers and known as the kin to the Otherworld’s most infamous traitor, soon she will be shunned and people will be after her looking for her powers. Kelcie will soon have to fight with everything she has to not only protect her new friends and world but to find her parents. This was an exciting and fun read and Kelcie is a great protagonist. The Celtic mythology aspect of the story was wonderful and the magic was just so exciting. I would definitely recommend this book!

*Thanks Netgalley and Macmillan-Tor/Forge, Starscape for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

This review is based on an ARC received from the publisher and NetGalley. Kelcie Murphy and the Academy for the Unbreakable Arts is a middle grade fantasy book. It follows that template that countless books have followed since Harry Potter was published; there's a magic school, students are sorted into houses, there are bullies, the main character is an orphan and a type of "chosen one," and she makes friends who become a sort of found family. The story takes this setup and puts a Celtic spin on it. Despite the fact that the format is hardly original, it is one that I enjoy, and the book was fun to read. The main characters are dynamic and well-developed, and most of the side characters are also interesting. One the other hand, the antagonist characters are mainly defined by being "bad" and don't receive much characterization beyond that, although this is pretty standard for the genre.

Aside from the villains being a bit one-dimensional, the second weak point is that the writing style is a bit strange when the author is using metaphors or similes; some of the descriptions are a bit wordy and forced and take you out of the story ("Realization broke through like stepping on a sharp rock with bare feet"). The budding romance part of the story was also a little annoying, but I generally find romantic subplots a little annoying and that part of the story wasn't handled poorly.

There is a physically disabled character named Niall, who is a one-handed student. He does face bullying for his disability (and other students are bullied based on their race). He's well developed as a character, although he does have a few unexplained points in the story where he does things unusually well with only one hand (such as spontaneously weaving a water-tight basket). I would say that he is a positive portrayal of someone physically disabled, but not necessarily a realistic one.

The ending left the door open for a sequel; I enjoyed this book enough that I would probably read it.

This was an enjoyable quick read. I enjoyed the comfort of the boarding school for "special" teens and yet the difference with Irish mythology. Kelcey is a likable character who does the best she can against human odds for an orphan child with amnesia tricked by horrible fairies.

One moment, Kelcie Murphy is an emotionally isolated orphan on a terrible field trip with kids who she's sure will eventually ostracize her, and the next, she is caught up in a bizarre faerie-magic ritual that unleashes a power she doesn't understand. In the midst of chasing answers, she ends up transported via a mystical tree network to The Academy for the Unbreakable Arts, where five dens of students compete for their right to stay as they develop their fighting skills and magical abilities.

It's all new to Kelcie, who once again feels like an outsider, but as she learns the secrets of unlocking and using her elemental powers, she also finds a way to be vulnerable and bring out the trust in her classmates, even when it turns out she's the daughter of the most reviled prisoner in the realm. The question is whether she can unlock her own past before she unlocks a slumbering weapon that could destroy the entire school... and so much more.

Kelcie Murphy and the Academy for the Unbreakable Arts doesn't do anything halfway. The action is intense and the magic is enthralling, where the emotional highs and lows are astounding. This debut has the arcane potency of Harry Potter, the action and bloodlines of Percy Jackson, and originality of a homebrew D&D campaign. Readers are going to love Kelcie and her friends for pages and sequels to come.

Kelcie Murphy and the Academy for the Unbreakable Arts is the first book I have read by Erika Lewis. I thought it this first book from her The Academy for the Unbreakable Arts series was pretty good. I found the story and writing style to be unique. I am not a huge fan of this genre but I really enjoyed this one. It is easy to read and held my attention from start to finish.
Kelcie Murphy and the Academy for the Unbreakable Arts is getting four stars from me. I recommend it for readers who enjoy reading fantasy fiction and between the ages of eight and twelve. I look forward to reading more by Erika Lewis in the future and will be eagerly awaiting the next installment from The Academy for the Unbreakable Arts series.

I received a digital copy of Kelcie Murphy and the Academy for the Unbreakable Arts from the publisher, but was not required to write a positive review. This review is one hundred percent my own honest opinion.

Four things guaranteed to make me feel better when I am sick:

1. Copious mugs of tea
2. Steaming hot baths
3. Mid-day naps
4. Fantastical middle grade stories exactly like this one.

This incorporated everything I desire from a fantasy story and the fact that it was aimed towards a younger age range only meant events managed to be both perilous and dangerous whilst also containing an adorable cast of characters and a whimsical edge to all proceedings.

The magical, academic setting was fun to explore and the trials that took place, over the course of the book, opened up the magical world, the magic system inside of it, and more of Kelcie Murphy's abilities. I'm eager to see where book two will take her.

For fans of Percy Jackson, this novel is an adventure following Kelcie, an orphan with no recollection of her parents, into a magical world where the Lands of Summer and Winter are at war.