Hello. I have just finished The Magicians daughter by HG Parry and here is my honest review. I found it incredibly slow going. There was no emotional connection betwixt myself and the e characters. The premise sounded amazing but the execution was off. The characters fell flat and evoked no emotion from me to care enough on whether they made it out of their predicaments. The world building was convoluted and confusing. We went from the island to the mainland from mages to suddenly an abbot. It was a struggle to get through this book. However I do feel that because it was not for me that perhaps others may enjoy it. There is great potential here but it was just not for me. Thank you again for this opportunity.

Thank you to NetGalley for a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Biddy, a 16-year-old girl raised as a Magician's daughter on a remote, fairtyale-esque island that only appears once every 7 years, has no magic. She has never been to the mainland, and has spent her days reading, playing among castle ruins and fae creatures, and growing up with only the Magician's rabbit familiar named Hutch as a friend. Her life is peaceful but lonely, and one day everything changes when the Magician, Rowan, fails to return from the mainland. Her journey takes her into "the real world", away from everything safe and familiar, and she is whisked up into a world losing magic, full of bitterness and loss. Biddy comes into her own as she tried to help Rowan evade the corrupted Mage Council and searches to find a way to allow wild magic back into a land that desperately needs miracles.

This story excels at its atmosphere and setting. The island of Hy-Brasil has a life of its own, with lush descriptions which generate such a sense of wonder that you can't help but feel disappointed along with Biddy when it turns out reality does not live up to the same standard! Biddy is going from a sheltered paradise to dull London and is consequently faced with the uncomfortable scenes of poverty, especially with children less fortunate than her. The second area this book shines in is Biddy's coming-of-age journey, making decisions without Rowan and having agency in the new world around her. I loved the message that although Biddy is not technically "anyone special", lacking magical abilities or any fancy prophecies about her, she still matters! She learns that she can still make a difference and that her choices make a difference. I think this message will resonate with a lot of young adult readers.

I am confused as to why this is classified as "Adult Fantasy" because I would say it definitely reads as Young Adult. There is nothing too graphic (brief mentions of off-screen torture but nothing described), or too complex stopping it from being marketed as YA. Biddy herself is only 16, and she reads even younger as she has grown up so completely cut off from the societal norms of the mainland. Although the stakes are high, I was never really WORRIED for the cast of characters, despite them being put in threatening situations. It feels like a fairytale story, cozy at the beginning and a magical adventure throughout. Scenes of characters chatting is occasionally interspersed with action, but again, I did not feel the sense of urgency with the plot like I think I should have.
I was also disappointed it did not delve further into the politics of the secret Mage Council! You have a group of greedy men who want to hoard magic for themselves instead of spreading it out for the world as needed like Rowan does - I wanted to know more!

The characters were very endearing, but held me at a distance (again, like those of a fairytale). Rowan is an eclectic cheeky magician gone rogue in his efforts to protect the last of the world's magic. Hutch is his rabbit familiar, who scolds his and Biddy's recklessness and keeps them in line. Morgaine is Rowan's ex-fiance, the only woman on the Council, and the only one who wants progressive change, but Biddy doesn't know if she can be trusted. All of them were very well-rounded, but not as fleshed out as I would like. The great villain Vaughn was practically nonexistent and 2-Dimensional, but his sidekick Storm was very interesting in his morally grey backstory.

I would not hesitate to recommend this book to YA readers who are interested in a wondrous tale of magic, found family love, and who, like Biddy, are looking to find their place in the world.

What a beautiful, heartwarming read. I loved this book so much and really enjoyed every aspect of it. The atmosphere, the characters, the writing was beautiful and the story was Devine.

A story of magic, hope, trying to fight what’s wrong, being brave while frightened, and change. A wonderful kaleidoscope of a book that finds a young girl living on an enchanted island with a Mage and his familiar, a rabbit. They’re family through love, not blood, and this love is what sees them through their fight to return magic to the rest of the world, when the Council has been hoarding it. Biddy, Rowan and Hutch grow, and find their way through loss and the threat of death to return the possibility of hope and miracles to even the nonmagic people of the world, and save their magical island home as well. Highly recommended, and thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy, I’ll definitely be looking for more books by this author. The world building was so well done and the characters, for all of their magic, were human in their emotions and actions.

This book put simply was amazing. I loved every moment of it. It has everything you could want; magic, adventure and a found family.

At its core is a story of a young woman yearning to be let in to the world of magic. All her life she has known magic but as an outsider. Through circumstances, she is the one who could bring magic back to the world. She must be brave, as the magician's daughter, and face a fight she never expected. It's a delightful historical fiction and fantasy book I recommend to lovers of both genres.

Thank you to @netgalley and @redhookbooks for this opportunity to review this wonderful book.

"In the early 1900s, a young woman is caught between two worlds in H. G. Parry's spellbinding tale of miracles, magic, and the adventure of a lifetime.

Off the coast of Ireland sits a legendary island hidden by magic. A place of ruins and ancient trees, sea salt air, and fairy lore, Hy-Brasil is the only home Biddy has ever known. Washed up on its shore as a baby, Biddy lives a quiet life with her guardian, the mercurial magician Rowan. A life she finds increasingly stifling.

One night, Rowan fails to return from his mysterious travels. To find him, Biddy must venture into the outside world for the first time. But Rowan has powerful enemies - forces who have hoarded the world’s magic and have set their sights on the magician’s many secrets.

Biddy may be the key to stopping them. Yet the closer she gets to answers, the more she questions everything she’s ever believed about Rowan, her past, and the nature of magic itself."

Keep an eye on my blog for more H.G. Parry!

I love Hutchincroft with my whole heart.

I immediately felt invested in these characters and if I said I didn't shed some tears over them I'd be lying. This book was one of the best fantasy novels I have read in a while. There was constant action and I never felt like I was waiting around for something to happen. That was incredibly refreshing.

I love Hutch. So much.

H.G. Parry has gained a new fan.

Orphaned as an infant, raised on a hidden magical island by a Mage and his familiar (a rabbit), young Biddy knows nothing of the "real" world. But that suddenly changes when she turns 17 and presses her guardian, Rowan, for answers. Quickly the world she dreamed about and the only world she ever knew is thrown upside down and Biddy must become a heroine like the ones in the stories she has spent her life reading.

This sweet story of growing up, family ties, and things that bind more than blood is an endearing read. I loved the writing style, and honestly I was struck by the unique idea of this story. We all like unlikely heroes, but when the unlikely hero is also a reluctant hero struggling to come to terms with the "real" world versus her ideas of the world the story gets all the more interesting.

The characters in this story will draw you in and cause you to hope that all things work out for good.

Well done H.G. Parry, well done! This one earned a special place on my "to-be-read-again" shelf (Both in a digital copy and print copy as soon as it is released!)

I received a free digital ARC for review, I can't wait to be able to have the released version so I can add the many quote-worthy passages this book contains!!

3.8
This wasn't a huge standout for me: The magic was nice but not particularly captivating, the characters were pleasant but not altogether enthralling. I could have done with considerably less world building in the first third.

I wasn’t sure what this book really was going to feel like when I originally requested it from Netgalley. I really enjoyed HG Parry’s first novel, The Unlikely Escape of Uriah Heep, but wasn’t really a fan of her next book, A Declaration of the Rights of Magicians. It was a toss up if I’d enjoy The Magician’s Daughter, and some early reviews from other bloggers had me a little worried. But, all the worry was for naught, as I really did enjoy this one.

So to start, I don’t really think this book has any business being labeled an adult novel. The main character is sixteen, just about to turn seventeen, and for most of the novel, she acts much younger. However, this makes sense within the confines of the story — Biddy was raised on a remote island in the middle of nowhere with only an eccentric magician and his familiar as her adult role models. How would she know how to act in society if she’s literally never been around more than one person at a time? In my opinion, The Magician’s Daughter reads much more like a YA novel. In fact, reminds me of one of my favorites, Howl’s Moving Castle. Basically, The Magician’s Daughter is if Howl Pendragon adopted a young girl and had to raise her by himself with a little help from Calcifer. The comparison isn’t perfect — Hutchincroft is much more anxious than Calcifer, but overall, the books are similar in really lovely ways.

The setting of the book bounces around a lot, so you see a great deal of London in the 1910’s. At one point, Biddy is placed into a poorhouse as a teacher for orphaned girls. Parry does an excellent job of showing how bleak these places were, and you’re left feeling like you need to do something. (Biddy felt this way too, of course!) I know these places were true to life, and my heart just shattered when she was taking care of the tiny babies. When it comes to the actual villains of the story, they are appropriately horrifying and terrifying in equal measures. I won’t give away any details, but there’s a moment in the book where you are scared that everyone has failed and that the bad guys win. Of course, this isn’t the case, but oh for that few chapters you are so, so worried.

I really enjoyed The Magician’s Daughter, but had just a few tiny things that bothered me. Overall, I’d grant this one four and a half stars! Please do pick it up, and enjoy the story of Biddy and her family trying to bring magic back into the world!

I am really surprised this isn't being marketed as young adult. I only read the first 10% (unfortunately the prose didn't pull me in), but it does feel very young adult. And really, Biddy is only sixteen.

I'm not seeing it move well in our libraries due to the age range it seems it would appeal to.

Thank you to NetGalley and Redhook Books for the ARC.

I've seen a lot of reviews that said this book reads like a fairy tale, and I absolutely agree. I really enjoyed the world that Parry created. Despite being a shorter book without very much room for world-building, I liked the explanations of the world the book is set in, and I loved all of the characters. This wraps up very well as a standalone, but I think a companion novel of some kind would be great!

Thanks to the author H.G.Perry, the publisher Redhook Books, and NetGalley for allowing me the chance to review this book.
I absolutely loved this book. The storytelling was so calming, and told beautifully. It's been probably a little over a week since I finished this and I am sad that there isn't more to read. The world being built, characters, and the magic system... I hope H.G. Perry continues on with this story.

I was blown away by this book. Biddy is strong, brave and clever while she is forced to grow up when everything in her life turns out to be so much different than she was led to believe.

There were so many parallels with Harry Potter which made me love this magical world even more. Instead of a loyal Owl like Hedwig there was a fierce and determined rabbit. Mad Eye Moody and his all seeing eye was replaced with The Servant. An orphaned child turning out to be the one to save the world of magic and wonder. Just to name a few.

Beyond those parallels, this was a magical journey to take and not just because of the magic - The setting of Hy-Brasil and 1800s England were so immersive and captivating.

There was not a moment while reading this that I thought I had any of it figured out which drove me to read page after page until I couldn't see straight.

My only complaint - The book ended and I have no idea what Biddy, Rowan and Hutch are doing now!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Redhood Books for the arc of The Magician’s Daughter by H.G. Parry. Had fun with this one.

The novel follows Biddy, a sixteen-year-old who washed ashore an isolated and secret magical island as a baby and was raised by the mage who inhabits it. Though she loves her home, she’s grown restless with solitude. When she finally gets the chance to visit the real world, it’s under less-than-ideal circumstances. Her guardian is in danger, magic is in a crisis, and through adventure, she is forced to confront the truth of what she’s been told her entire life.

Right now, “cozy fantasy” is beginning to pick up steam. I’d describe it as fantasy that is more comforting than isn’t, sort of domestic and something that’ll leave you warm. The Magician’s Daughter isn’t precisely a cozy fantasy, but it is very comforting. It’s infused with love and whimsy. As the kids say, the vibes are on point. They make the reader feel as if they’re reading a fun middle-grade fantasy, but for adults. Most witty adult fantasies are adventure/quest novels such as Stardust or The Princess Bride, but The Magician’s Daughter is more limited in scope.

The book plays close to its 19th-century United Kingdom setting, commenting on both its mythologies and historical shifts. The reflections on womanhood and sexism were interesting. Having a heroine who isn’t interested in romance was a good angle for this story, one that allows it to delve more deeply into other commentaries. It touches dark elements and isn’t afraid to confront ugliness, but does so with care and in a way that isn’t offputting. The reader feels safe.

The characters are lovely to be around and the world is easy to slip into. If anything, maybe a lot of the characters are a bit too similar and interpersonal conflict is too easily resolved. If their arguments were more abrasive, the storyline would be more interesting, but then a huge chunk of the appeal would be lost. These characters love each other and this is a story that highlights the good rather than explores the bad.

The prose is lovely and sharp without being too much. Biddy’s monologue has a distinctive voice and the rest of her world is infused with personality. The tone is perfect for the story. In fact, the tone sets the foundation from which all other expectations are built. And so, the tone, the character voice, and the descriptions, all layer beautifully and cohesively in a way that compliments rather than clashes. This work is delicate, but Parry succeeds.

The plot isn’t anything special, but it doesn’t need to be. The magic system, worldbuilding, politics, mythology, and characters are the clear story elements that shine. The plot attempts to string the reader along by offering mysteries to be solved and lies to be revealed, but truly the reason to get to the end is that the reader wants to see all of the characters end up okay and out of danger. In that way, I can appreciate its simplicity. The few attempts to subvert or complicate the plot and story didn’t really pay off.

I really like The Magician’s Daughter, almost to an embarrassing degree. I’d forgotten how much I am enchanted by whimsy-adjacent fantasy. But this was a great reintroduction to that genre, the strange combination of a high-stakes fantasy novel with a low-stakes tone and lovable characters. It was a great palette cleanser after reading Assassin’s Quest by Robin Hobb, I can tell you that much. If you enjoy witty fantasy, particularly those set in this setting, I’d recommend The Magician’s Daughter.

This one was beautiful. The characters were all so likable (except Vaughn and Storm) but flawed in their own way. It felt like a magical ‘House in the Cerulean Sea’ and I loved it. I also love that it doesn’t feel like it needs (or will have) a sequel. The plot kept me interested, but it was definitely a slow building one. Not a book I devoted in one day, but one I savored over a week.

Thank you Netgalley for the advance reader copy of The Magician's Daughter by H. G. Parry in exchange for an honest review. This book had a wonderful basis, I would have loved to grow up on an island and been raised by a magician, but it was a bit hard for me to relate to the characters. I really wanted to enjoy it.

I pushed myself to the halfway point of the book, but I just couldn’t find the spoons to keep on with it after that.

First, the good: Parry subverts expectations all over the place with this one, so that every time I thought I knew what was about to happen – because This Particular Thing (whatever the Thing in question was) always happens This Particular Way – I was pleasantly surprised to be proven wrong! Points for that: I love it when I can’t predict what’s around the next plot-twist!

But to be honest, Magician’s Daughter feels like it doesn’t know what it’s trying to be, whether it wants to be whimsical or grim (not in a grimdark way, more in a ‘London in this time-period was not a great place to be’ kinda way). We have the delightful black bunnies of a magical hidden isle on one hand, and a bitter, sadistic human/raven hybrid on the other – and the two moods/aesthetics don’t mesh very well. The dissonance comes out in the narrative, which works very hard to make magic seem magical and the monsters seem monstrous, and doesn’t really do a great job at either.

What even is Magician’s Daughter? An adventure? A coming-of-age story? A quest to save the world? It tries to do it all, and thereby weakens each aspect of the story, rather than picking one and doing it well.

I’m not a fan of reveals that come out of nowhere – I much prefer it when an author drops clues along the way, so that when we get to a capital-r Reveal, I can see, in hindsight, how the groundwork was laid for it. The halfway point of this book is full of answers to important questions – but none of the answers were things we could have worked out from the information we had. There were no clues, so it almost comes across as info-dumping (especially since quite a lot of it takes place in a single conversation). I appreciated that The Truth was not what I expected it to be; that Parry takes our expectations of how this is all going to go (because we’re so used to This Kind of Thing always going This Way, like I said before) and deliberately does Something Else instead. But I didn’t like the way we found out about it all, and the Something Else itself wasn’t very interesting to me; it was a relatively minor change to the status quo, not a game-changing one.

I just didn’t find anything appealing about Magician’s Daughter. Biddy isn’t an especially interesting character; Rowan ought to be, but rapidly becomes unlikeable; the prose didn’t do justice to either the awfulness or the wonder. I never felt anything for this story; none of it made me anxious, or curious, or delighted; I was never on the edge of my seat; I never felt enchanted. And even after we started getting answers and revelations and secrets were all being uncovered, I just didn’t care. There’s absolutely nothing that makes me want to find out how it all ends.

So I’m not going to.

What if, there really was magic in the world, and it was responsible for the small miracles every day people experience when they are in need of help the most? I really enjoyed how Parry combined the realistic fiction of the early 1900s in Ireland and England with mages and magic. I would love to visit Hy-Brasil and see the black rabbits!

I enjoyed watching Biddy grow into her self-confidence as she's thrust into life outside of the hidden island and has to do everything she can to save Rowan... and magic itself. She's not perfect, and she makes some mistakes, but does her best. I appreciate that this wasn't a snap of the fingers and now all of a sudden our protagonist is all knowing and all powerful. Biddy is a teenager who has grown up talking to only two other beings (Rowan and Hutchincroft), she's never seen any other humans, and what she knows about the "real" world, she's learned from books. Her reactions once she's in London were character appropriate and realistic. Parry's prose was easy to fall in to and while I read an ebook of this, I can imagine with the right narrator, that this would make for an amazing audiobook listening experience.

Hutchincroft was my favorite, he was truly a delight!

Side note - can we talk about how gorgeous this cover is?!

Advanced Reader’s Copy provided by NetGalley and Redhook Books in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with this book in exchange for my honest opinion. The Magician’s Daughter will be available on February 28, 2023.

The Magician’s Daughter invited me into a world of magic and mysteries, holding me captive until I finished the last word. It was gorgeously written, each word meticulously placed to build an engrossing narrative. The story of Biddy’s desperate venture was a breathtaking one.

Biddy grew up on Hy-Brasil with her magic-wielding caretaker, Rowan, and his familiar. Hy-Brasil is a place of magic, only visible every ten years. Even then, it’s only visible to a select few. Biddy has love, attention, and freedom across the island, but has been asked never to leave. Rowan leaves some nights, flying as a raven on secret errands. He is always back before dawn- until one day, he isn’t. Suddenly, Biddy is included in the reasons for his flights, told why she can’t leave, and is warned of the danger hunting them. From resenting being left out, Biddy is thrust into something darker and wilder than she could have ever imagined. Soon, she must choose between what is safe and what is right.

I loved the way the plot moved! Time was given to establishing the rules of the world so that when those rules were shattered, it meant something. The motivations of the characters made perfect sense (even when they made less-than-savory choices), and there were twists and turns that I didn’t see coming which left me desperate to see what happened next.

The Magician’s Daughter has a smaller cast of characters, but each one is given the attention it deserves. Every one of them was fascinating and well-written, adding new layers to the story. Hutchinson, Rowan’s rabbit familiar, burrowed his way into my heart with his combination of protectiveness and a rather cranky attitude. Morgaine was a compelling conundrum and it took until the end of the book for me to decide whose side she was really on. Even the (very evil) villain was complex enough to be more than an “I’m evil just because” sort of character. And wow, he gave me the shivers!

The narrative flows like a river. First, it is calm with slight ripples under the surface, but by the end of the book, a roaring narrative has taken over, rushing the reader along at a breathtaking pace. I raced through The Magician’s Daughter and, even though the ending was perfect, I was sad to see my time with the characters and world come to an end. If that isn’t the sign of an amazing book, I don’t know what is.

There was magic in the plot, but it also dripped from every word. The writing was absolutely phenomenal. The Magician’s Daughter is a book to get lost in, one that you’ll find yourself thinking of long after you’ve finished the last page.