An interesting first novel in a series about twelve-year-old Chloe Vega discovery that a) magic is real, b) she is herself capable of magic, and c) the reason her parents live in the US without documentation is that they too were once powerful wizards in Mexico who had to flee the country following banishment from the magical community there. Now Chloe's parents have been kidnapped and she's been sent to magic school for her own protection, except she keeps trying to break out to save her parents. The characters are interesting and the idea is good, although the plot is painfully obvious and the world building either needs work or extra explanation (for example, how do students who don't speak Spanish function at the school? Is there a language spell? Do they get language classes? We know the magic in this world is not exclusive to people of Hispanic descent, so there must be some kids who can't speak it, much less write final exams in it as Chloe herself struggles to do). I liked the connection between the danger of being undocumented and the secret world of magic, although at times the connection was repeated so explicitly and relentlessly it felt forced. Still, I am excited to read the next book in the series! It's rare that these sort of fantasy books are set in places I know and grew up near!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC to review.

Chloe Vega follows in the fantasy tradition of a young student exploring a new magical world and finding new friends, trials, and enemies. Her world is threatened by a great evil, one who has a close history with her family, not that Chloe is aware of any of this.

This is a promising beginning of a magical school series that will easily draw readers in. Fans of Harry Potter (JK Rowling), Kelcie Murphy (Erika Lewis), and Accidental Demons (Clare Edge) will also likely enjoy this book. The book has a strong focus on hispanic culture and is topical to the current situation in the United States and North America. I'd recommend it both for hispanic readers and for those in multicultural communities.

While the end of the book wraps up nicely, it's clear there are more adventures to be had, and I'm looking forward to seeing what is next for Chloe and her family and friends.

This is a perfect option to hand to a young reader instead of the first Harry Potter book. It is just as captivating but has even more heart. I loved the magical world that Chloe is pulled in to and my heart broke for her as she had to navigate the role that her family could and couldn't play in her life. The threat of deportation (and the way that fit into the magical system) was well handled, and the cast of characters painted a diverse picture of the Latine experience across the Americas. I was completely sucked in to the story and was holding my breath as Chloe solved the many mysteries in front of her. There is an end of the book heel turn by one of the characters that was a little predictable but still devastating.

What worked:
Chloe’s parents are undocumented immigrants from Mexico, which isn’t a common topic among middle-grade novels. The narrative includes some Spanish words and phrases, but readers should be able to use the context to understand their meanings. The early chapters describe the family’s fear of ICE, and Chloe’s sister is afraid federal agents will grab her parents at any moment. Chloe learns that a new classmate named Tiny is also from an undocumented family, and the author later reveals that a second character’s parents were arrested by ICE agents.
Since there’s a school, there must be bullies, and two characters fill that expectation. Chloe meets Danielle before reaching the academy, and her conflict with Danielle is more personal. Danielle’s father and Chloe’s parents have a contentious history, so Danielle directs that animosity toward Chloe. Jason’s character is pompous and cocky which rubs everyone wrong. He’s overly competitive and isn’t used to losing. An expected aspect of the story concerns how Chloe’s interactions with these two bullies develop over time.
Osthall is the main antagonist, and he wants magic revealed to humans. His anger toward humans comes from their history of persecuting sorcerers, as in the Salem Witch Trials. However, Ora, the head of the Agents of Magic, casts a spell separating the two worlds. Osthall wants to destroy the protective shield, which will let him control humans and make them his slaves. He captures Chloe’s parents to find the location of a powerful gem, and the residual effects of touching Chloe’s arm let him connect with her when she sleeps. These dreams tease her with feelings of hopelessness and have Chloe questioning any trust she might have with the Agents of Magic. The agents also think someone at the academy is passing intel to Osthall, so everyone becomes a suspect.
What didn’t work as well:
The Agents of Magic are sticklers for following human laws in case humans become aware of magic sometime in the future. If the veil is broken sometime in the future, it will be unimportant if the sorcerers followed human laws in the past. It’s only described in the book’s early parts, so it’s not a big deal. Also, astute readers may figure out the identity of the academy spy before it’s revealed.
The final verdict:
It’s hard to write a fresh story about a character discovering her powers, but the Mexican culture and undocumented immigrants help. There’s a spy at the academy, a family feud, an evil sorcerer, and Chloe puts a lot of pressure on herself to keep her parents safe. Overall, this is an exciting new series, and I recommend you give it a shot.

Engaging, fast-paced middle grade fantasy with a likable protagonist. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC.

Chloe’s biggest fear is that her undocumented parents are deported back to Mexico. But on a regular day a most unusual thing happened. First Chloe was doing other things and forgot to stir and take the frijoles off of the burner and they burnt, a whole pot, a pot the family could not afford to replace. She was about to throw them out when a strange neighbor she was told to stay away from pops out and tells her they can fix that. They go to her kitchen and the odd lady pulls out an even stranger spoon but Chloe is not going to complain it did fix the frijoles, so the neighbor gifted Chloe the wonderful spoon. Later while shopping at a mall a lady starts some stuff with Chloe and her mom and the strange spoon thing just appears in Chloe’s hand and made the ladies lip swell to an enormous size her mom grabs the spoon thing kind of does this time thing and rushes all of them out of the mall. Next thing Chloe knows it is time for her sister to go to her special school thing in Sacramento and there is no denying her parent the drive to the airport to say goodbye. But once her sister walks away all heck breaks loose and Chloe finds herself at the academy for agents of magic only she has no clue what that is, but soon learns so she can save her parents.
Wow I don’t think I have written a synopsis that long and still not scratched the surface. So much action and suspense, along with Chloe’s since of what is right and who her friends really are. Along with Chloe’s ingenuity just made this book a stand up and cheer for her book, even when things don’t look good. This is a great adventuresome book for anyone.