The Mage and the Magpie: Magemother, Book 1

My dad said the bell just kept ringing until he answered it and he found me in the basket and the bell stopped. Now the bell was ringing again and I had to go it was calling me. I just had to find it. Thats the start of the story and the story is great itcdigs in and brings you along with mages and magic and wonderful people and villains galore

This had the potential to be a cute kid's fantasy novel. There were a lot of original concepts here, and the main character's journey and story arc are satisfying. But it feels like too many authors are willing to use the excuse of "it's a kid's book, they don't care about decent writing" to do a lackluster job, and sadly "The Mage and the Magpie" is a prime example of this, with the poor writing doing a LOT to drag down an otherwise decent fantasy novel.Brinley is a girl from our world, raised by her father and fond of drawing, sneaking off to be alone, and dreaming of her long-missing mother. But one day she steps into an abandoned church... and through a portal into another world! Said world is under a dark threat, however -- the mages that power the world's elements are vanishing, and the Magemother, the being charged with teaching and guiding the mages, has vanished as well. With the aid of an untried but daring prince, an girl with an affinity for birds, and a host of unlikely and colorful characters, can Brinley overcome her own fears to save a world... and perhaps learn about her mother in the process?There are some creative concepts in this book, and the system of the mages and the Magemother is unique and interesting. There are the seeds of good ideas here, and decent characters to make said ideas work. Brinley herself is a fantastic protagonist, and the parts dealing with her were some of the best in the book, especially as she works to overcome her own lack of confidence and uncovers more details about the mystery of her past.It's a shame that great concepts and decent characters were muddled so hopelessly by writing that's bland at best and outright bad at worst. The story is a jumbled mess that introduces concepts, only to abandon them when they're no longer necessary, and that tries to cram too many POV characters into one story -- and drop these characters without warning when they're no longer vital to the plot. And little effort is made to craft a good writing style or to smooth the jerky pace of the story.I've said it before, and I'll say it again -- just because you're writing for a YA audience doesn't mean you can get away without putting in any effort. Kids deserve good writing too, and writers do their audiences a disservice when they assume that kids don't pay attention to that kind of thing. "The Mage and the Magpie" has good characters and concepts, but they deserved far better writing and story than this one.

I will start out by saying that I got this book for free.I like reading middle-grade books for a break from the longer epics I usually read. Sometimes I even find a gem of a story that I can recommend to friends with kids in that age range.<i>The Mage and the Magpie</i> is one of those. Across all three of my usual categories for determining a rating, this book scored well.The concept: 5 starsI like the idea. And as an author myself who has worked with a 'parallel worlds' scenario, this is one of my favorite fantasy devices. And Mr. Bailey wrote it well (also, points for the Earth setting of Colorado, my home state). The characters were varied and yet likable (Tabitha is my favorite), and the world-building was effective without being overly confusing.The pacing: 5 starsThis book flowed so well. I didn't feel like I was plodding along- the perspective shifts between Hugo and Brinley were very helpful with that and kept the story feeling fresh. I didn't feel rushed, either. There was a mild cliffhanger to lead you into the next book, which was expected. Good job with pacing.The editing: 5 starsThough there were some editing mistakes, they didn't detract from the story at all, so they were easily overlooked.Overall, a good read.

This was a delightful book that jars you into it with the sound of a gong and the jolt of a fall, not to mention a fair amount of drooling! And from there it just whisks you away on a wonderful adventure to a different land full of magic and mystery, where even the laws of physics are not quite the same.The title of the book, “The Mage and the Magpie,” at first seems a little odd; I wondered why it wasn’t simply called “The Magemother.” But as the story progresses, you learn the importance of the two characters from the title.There is quite a large cast of characters involved in the narrative, but each of them is distinctly unique and endearing. The main handful of players are especially well-developed, but everyone adds their special lit bit to the development of the story. Even some of the personae that one might consider minor or even irrelevant, later prove to have a specific part to play.Brinley, of course, is the main character, an adopted young woman of unknown origin, who is quite abruptly transported across space and time, to a world desperately in need of her help, although neither she nor anyone else knows that at the time. The mere fact that she was summoned by a calling bell intended for someone else lends a significant amount of intrigue to the tale.Searching for the Magemother (who alone can repair some of the damage being done to the world), while also looking for her birth parents (especially her mother), Brinley ventures along with a rather odd assortment of traveling companions, all of whom prove to be quite helpful and necessary.This book is classified as a middle grade series, which I would say is just about correct. There are a few dark scenes that are rather uncharacteristically and perhaps unnecessarily gory and gruesome, but the overall tone is hopeful and positive. Even if the general tone is a little bit younger, the tale has something for everyone; and the writer’s style just draws you into the story and carries you along for the ride.

Working through the unread books on my kindle, I am skipping books that are for very young children, but reading books that are aimed at teens. I'm also going through my books and choosing them based on author's last name (so I previously read and A, this is B for Bailey and next I'm reading C).This book is actually aimed at Middle-schoolers (I had to look that up, and seems to be roughly 10-13yo), so slightly younger than any of the books I usually read.I could tell this book was aimed at children - slightly quicker pace with less description and depth than I'm used to, but actually it was still really enjoyable. I'm not going to read the subsequent books in the series, but if my children were looking for a fantasy book I would encourage them to read this and I would buy the following books for them. (And admittedly, once I've bought them, for the kids, I probably would end up reading them.)The book is really well written and the story is easy to follow, even though you are following multiple characters at times. I like books with a sense of good prevailing over evil, and even though there are sad bits, the book is built up as an adventure and you cannot always predict what will happen next.

As a person of, shall we say, more than a few years past my teens I try not to limit my reading too much and enjoy a story that may have originally been aimed at an age group younger than mine. If I had I'd have missed Harry Potter! So I gave this story a go with an open mind all the while being aware that it may not be directly aimed at people my age. Well I was not disappointed. It was beautifully written and takes the reader on a trip to a fantasy land full of interesting and quirky characters. Without giving too much away the story revolves primarily around Brinley, a girl without a mother who is transported via magic to this far off magical place. Mr Bailey creates this world with great imagination and fills it with interesting and likeable characters. The book does form the first part of a series and I did get the feel that there is much more to this tale than this book holds but don't be put off as it works very well as a stand alone novel. For me though I want to know more of what happens to Brinley and her friends so I'll be finding out. If you're a fan of such series as Harry Potter and Percy Jackson then this is going to suit your tastes but it stands alone relying on its own story and characters without following any clichés and maintaining originality. Simply put, I recommend this fun, interesting novel to teenagers, young adults and anyone who enjoys a good fantasy story whatever their age..

This had some interesting ideas and there were sections that read well whilst others felt a little amateurish. I found using a Scottish name for a fantasy land' Aberdeen', when all kinds of completely fictitious options could have been created, a little strange - no offence to the real and very interesting place! Typos were also in evidence.....'ringing her hands' for example. That said, It's a promising enough start and I think would be enjoyed by pre teens.

A beautifully written story that I have thoroughly enjoyed reading.Really excellent, I'm very much looking forward to the next book!

This could be the start of a really good series. This book was about becoming and hopefully the rest of the series will be about the journey and arriving. A book filled with magic and mystery with a large amount of adventure. Liked it a lot