What a fun read! Definitely a must read for kids who love the HP series. It has many of the same elements with more diversity in both characters, the type of magics practiced and the cultures represented.

Dhonielle Clayton gives a fresh look at a world where magic exists. In this society, folks who use conjure magic - mostly Black people - are not respected by those who have marvels, the dominant type of magical abilities. Though the Marvellers themselves are diverse, they are united by their disdain for Conjurors. When Ella Durand, daughter of a prominent Conjuror family, is chosen to be the first Conjuror to attend the Arcanum Training Institute for Marvelous and Uncanny Endeavors, she meets a lot of resistance but does find allies. Ella is unexpectedly pulled into a mystery involving a missing teacher, a dangerous prison escapee and secrets about the Marvellers' origins. Does she have what it takes to find her way out?

Clayton's world building is spot on. The Marvellers and Conjurors, their various abilities, the imaginative creatures and the almost sentient Arcanum Training Institute building all bring this world to life. She goes beyond the magical boarding school tropes to explore power systems and what it takes to go against those fighting to keep them in place. The diverse characters upend easy assumptions about who is good and who is bad. All of this is delivered in an engaging, enchanting story with no shortage of drama and adventure. The ending is satisfying but hints at more to come. Easter egg shout outs to other YA authors are a bonus.

What a marvelous book! You aren’t going to want to leave this world! Full of fun creatures, great friendships, and a creepy villain! I can’t wait to take another trip there!

I absolutely love the slew of new magical stories for kids featuring super-strong diverse characters, and The Marvellers continues that trend with flash and fire. The setting is familiar - a school for exceptional children where they learn about and come to control their superpowers - but the characters are singular and pop off the pages.

I’ve been looking for a book to gift a great-niece and this will be it. Recommended for middle graders.

I absolutely LOVED THIS BOOK! This felt like the magical bordering school that WE ALL DESERVED with an awesome Black Heroine at it's center! I loved the cast of characters and the crew Ella found in Jason & Brigit! I also loved that there was a second perspective that wouldn't have been expected. I love how inclusive this book was and how it was a celebration of various cultures & worlds rather than just one. There were also some great lessons about acceptance, tolerance and trusting yourself. I'm so excited for the second book because this one was simply phenomenal!

Ella Durand is going to be the first Conjurer at a school for Marvellers. Ella's parents have done everything they can to make sure it's safe and welcoming, but when Ella arrives at the school, she faces bullies of both the child and adult persuasion. So, not only is she navigating a completely new-t-her way of life and school, but she's also navigating some pretty complex racial politics at age 12. But never fear, there's plenty of quirky school facts and subplots that make the Harry Potter series so lovable.

I really enjoyed this and will be widely recommending it. It's the perfect Harry Potter readalike. I can see if being super popular (although not HP popular because, like, what is) and it improves on HP in a lot of ways. It's definitely got the quirky magical school thing happening, the main character and surrounding cast of characters is likable, and of course, there's the allegorical aspects around desegregation of schools. The villain has potential as well, if not like the clearest motive of all time.

TLDR: Recommend to Harry Potter fans - it's the PERFECT readalike. 4 stars - I really liked it

Thanks to Netgalley and MacMillain for the eARC which I received in exchange for an honest review. The Marvellers is out on 03 May, but you can put your copy on hold now!

Slow to start, but solid pacing through out. Characters that feel real. Complex and fun magic magic system and world building.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Marvellers follows Ella, an eleven-year-old girl who is invited to attend the Arcanum Training Institute as its first ever Conjuror student. Though she is excited to show the Marvellers what it's like to be a Conjuror, and to learn to be a Merveller herself, Ella and her Conjuror family face rumors, suspicion, and distrust around every corner.

My favorite thing about this book was the world. The Marvellers live in cloud cities and attend school in the sky. They eat magical foods like squirmy japchae and jumping jollof. Each magic wielder has a different affinity, and though they're sorted into groups based on affinity for training and community purposes, they're all generally open and accepting of any affinity (there is, of course, the exception for magic wielders like the Conjurors, who are perceived to use their magic in a vastly different way than the Marvellers, and that bias is explored by the narrative).

The plot is also a fun time, though the external conflict with the Ace of Anarchy, etc., does end up being kind of a backseat conflict. The story itself is much more focused on Ella, on her friendships and her experience with discrimination in school. While I don't particularly find that to be a drawback, it's something to note for readers who are looking for more of an adventure. Masterji Thakur isn't even discovered to be missing by our characters until 65% of the way through the book.

I do think this book is an absolute marvel, and a worthy addition to the middle grade genre. It is rich and vibrant and digs into not only a new magical world, but also real world prejudices that both adults and children see, struggle with, and participate in today. A book like this that explores those themes is beyond valuable.

I really wanted to love this book because the premise sounded fantastic and the cover is amazing. However, I ended up DNF'ing it around 30%. A lot was very confusing, which I'm ready for in books with magical elements, but by 30%, I still didn't understand most of the magic and rules of this world. The book also had issues with time jumps that seemed to skip over some important moments (classic show vs. tell). I'm hoping the published version will fix some of the errors that I tried to look past and that this book will resonate with people, but it turned out that it just wasn't for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I was very excited to get my hands on this book. I really enjoyed the new cast of characters and world building. The idea of combining magic, elements of steampunk, and carnival works in this book very well. The book is rich with diversity and cultural tie-ins from around the world. The story has a bit more edge than other middle grade fantasy novels. Parts of Bri almost reminded me of Harley Quinn from Batman and I loved it.
One thing I was disappointed by was not enough figurative language in the descriptions. The author builds her world and characters by telling us what we should see, not by showing us. I wanted more of everything; the sights, sounds, and smells. More of an immersive experience for the reader. With all of that being said, I am very excited to see how these characters grow in upcoming books.

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley and am voluntarily posting a review. All opinions are my own.
We’ve been long overdue for more diverse takes on the fantasy magic school setup, and 2022 is bringing readers a few great options! The Marvellers is a fun middle grade debut from YA author Dhonielle Clayton, which contains a perfect mix of the whimsy and creeping sense of danger that you want from a book of this type.
I love the world building and how it reflects how culturally rich the story is. The school curriculum pulls from multiple different traditions, from the more standard, expected Irish faerie lore to less represented, yet equally intriguing traditions from India, the Caribbean, and Africa, to name a few.
And on a related note, Clayton also shows immense respect for the writing community, mostly YA and Middle Grade writers like herself. She embeds numerous little nods and references to these people, some of which are a bit on-the-nose to anyone in the know (pay close attention during the library scene!), but only add to the charm of this delightful read.
The main characters are wonderful. Ella is the protagonist, and there’s a lot of suspicion attached to her, especially as the story goes on. But I love how she proves herself, both in terms of her capabilities and where she stands in terms of her values. And in the midst of this, she forms beautiful friendships with Jason and Brigit, who are equally lovely characters.
While their story is going on, there’s also an escaped convict Ace of Anarchy, Gia Trevelino, which provides a lot of the intrigue, as she mobilizes, and that plays into some of the suspicion against Ella. She’s a very compelling character with intriguing motives, and when it came time for the anticipated final showdown, there were some secrets revealed that changed everything for the trio of heroes.
As such, while this story has a satisfying ending and I haven’t seen anything yet about whether it’s going to be a series, I can easily see this going either way. I’d love more adventures in a similar vein with these characters! And if you’re looking for a diverse, imaginative take on magic schools, you should pick this one up!

Thanks to Macmillan Children's and NetGalley for an advanced copy of The Marvellers to review! This middle grade, magical school fantasy should definitely be on your radar of May releases. It is absolutely a delight to read! From beginning to end.

Clayton's skills in world building are on full display here! If you're a fan of magical schools in the slightest, you'll absolutely love this. Arcanum is a magical school in the sky. What isn't to love about that? The way that we're presented with the world and the school quickly pulls you into the story. I promise you'll be hooked from the get go!

And the characters! Not only do we get to see them through interactions, but the bits and pieces between chapters. Throughout, Clayton includes news clippings, messages, etc. to help with building characters and the world. And it works so well! Not only does it help with world building, but we get to see different character personalities as well. Honestly, it just makes you fall in love with this little group of misfits even more.

All in all, if you're looking for a new middle grade fantasy to dive into, definitely pick this one up when it comes out in May!

4.5/5 stars

I know books are meant to have plots and stakes and conflicts, but I just wanted to dive into a Marvellers encyclopedia! What magnificent worldbuilding.

I liked this. The world/school was really interesting even if the food sounded really distracting. There wasn't a single food mentioned at the school that I would want to eat. A lot of it moved and seemed still alive. That was a weird thing for me to fixate on, but here we are.
I liked the main character and her friends. I also think there are a lot of points that could be discussed about marginalizing certain groups based on their heritage and being afraid of things/customs/people that are different from us.

A wonderful world full of magic! I adored this Middle Grade fantasy book. I enjoyed reading about all the different cultures and how their traditions tied in with magic. I hope that the author will decide to expand this universe.

Wonderful addition to any middle grade fantasy lover's bookshelf. It's so great to have another option to point kids towards other that the "author who shall not be named" Having this book written by Dhonielle Clayton and featuring a black girl as the MC will also inspire little girls who don't often see themselves in stories, especially fantasy stories.

The Arcanum Training Institute for Marvelous and Uncanny Endeavors claims to be open to everyone, except, until now, Conjurers. And while the administrators of this fine magical academy say all are welcome, Ella’s family and friends warned her that there would be those who cling to the stereotype that Conjurer magic is evil. There is also the threat of evil returning, as any good fantasy would have.

This story is about acceptance, good vs. evil, and overcoming stereotypes. Ella faces many challenges, including classmates who don’t like her just because she’s a Conjurer and not a Marveller. These students aren’t outright mean to Ella, but their dislike of her does get Ella moved from the room she shares with three Marvellers to a room with a new roommate raised by a Fewel (mortal) family. Ella makes friends, though. Jason, Brigit, and Masterji Thakur are great allies.

The Marvellers is a delightful magical book with a fun magical academy and a diverse cast. The world-building is wonderful and imaginative. Fans of fantastical worlds are sure to enjoy this one.

Thank you, NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for a review copy.

This book was kindly sent to me (unsolicited) by the publishers. All thoughts in my reviewer are my own.

THE MARVELLERS is a masterpiece of our time!! I wish I had this Middle-Grade Fantasy when I was growing up, but I am beyond ecstatic that today’s young readers will have this in their libraries! Dhonielle Clayton is a master at her craft. This world is one you are enthralled and excited about from the very beginning. THE MARVELLERS yanks you into their eccentric world and you will not want to leave!

As with all good stories set in magical schools, not everything is as it seems. Ella deals with a LOT in this book. Watching her try to navigate this new world whilst being true to her own heritage, dealing with microaggressions left and right, on top of all the other horrible things she is put through for being the first Conjurer to a Marvellian school was hard to read about at times. I can clearly see the pull of inspiration our real-world had on Clayton’s writing and I am deeply grateful for her commentary. Recommending this book solely as a “fun magical fantasy school” would be dishonest! Clayton writes about a lot of serious topics in this middle grade. Although the story has loads of fun, lighthearted moments, it is also about Ella dealing with being profiled and verbally attacked on a daily basis.

I will leave this by saying, I truly believe this is a novel every single person should pick up!! There were a few twists that I did not expect, characters I fell fast in love with, and a world I do not want to see an end to. THE MARVELLERS is brilliant! I am still reeling from the ending and desperately hoping that we get more books in this series! THE MARVELLERS is *the* story to heal your inner child!!

CWs/TWs: kidnapping (minor), blood (moderate), death (minor), medical content (minor), microaggressions (major), racism (major), etc.

Dhonielle Clayton is a true artist in her craft and this middle grade adventure is no exception! Su CB a fun read and finally a magic school with a Black main character front and center whose culture isn’t overlooked! The details embedded in the story only enhance it!

This novel is a fantasy adventure set in a global magic school in the sky.

Eleven-year-old Ella Durand is the first Conjuror to attend the Arcanum Training Institute, a magic school in the clouds where Marvellers from around the world practice their cultural arts, like brewing Indian spice elixirs and bartering with irritating Irish pixies.

Being the first isn’t easy for Ella, as some Marvellers mistrust her magic, which they deem “bad and unnatural.” But eventually, she finds friends in elixir's teacher, Masterji Thakur, and fellow misfits Brigit, a girl who hates magic, and Jason, a boy with a fondness for magical creatures.

Ella becomes a target of suspicion after a dangerous criminal known as the Ace of Anarchy escapes prison, supposedly with a Conjuror’s aid. To make matters worse, Masterji Thakur mysteriously disappears while away on a research trip. With the help of her friends and her own growing powers, Ella must find a way to clear her family’s name and track down her mentor before it’s too late.

This middle grade novel is sure to be a hit. The writing is delightful, charming, exceptionally clever, and filled with suspense and humor. A number one pick for fantasy fans.