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Unfamiliar Magic Unfamiliar Magic (2010)

by R.C. Alexander(Favorite Author)

3.89 of 5 Votes: 3

ISBN

0375893083 (ISBN13: 9780375893087)

languge

English

genre

Paranormal Fantasy

publisher

Random House Books for Young Readers

review 1: Unfamiliar Magic Random House, 2010, 353 pp., $17.99R.C. Alexander ISBN978-0-375-85854-3Have you ever wished that magic were real? Well for Desdemona (Desi) it is real. Not just like the kind of magic tricks you see on T.V.. She’d be a very powerful witch if only her mother would teach her. Over the course of Desi’s life, her mother Callida, Desi and her familiar Devalandnefariel (nicknamed Devil, who’s form is a cat), have moved all over the world. Desi doesn’t even know why. Whenever Desi asks about her father, why her mother and father broke up or anything about magic, her mother quickly changes the subject. Desi sort of feels like her entire life is a secret; she can’t tell anyone... more she’s a witch and barely knows anything about her father. On top of that her life gets even more twisted when she and her mom get in a fight. Desi goes off after the fight, and comes back to find her mom missing. She finds a strange girl, who she finds out soon enough was once her little kitty. Her mom changed the cat into a girl to keep Desi out of trouble, or was it to protect her from some unwanted guests? Along the way of her fabulous adventure, she meets a few new friends and so does Devil (Jerrett, Bob). Now as she tries to find her mother she meets a magician. So while mother’s away she decides to learn a few tricks to prove to her mother that she can handle magic. I loved Unfamiliar Magic by R.C. Alexander. The narrative voice was interesting because it would switch off between Desi and Cat (when Devil was human she’s called Cat). I also liked the narrative voice because it was like a narrator telling Desi’s and Cat’s thoughts. By saying what Cat was thinking it helped me think about how disastrous it was in the beginning. You’re hearing their thoughts but it’s told as if you were watching a movie or play. Sometimes during the book I felt like I wanted it to go faster to know what happens. Although it’s a page turner, but the beginning was a little weak. It kept me guessing throughout the book which is what I think makes a good story. I thought the dialogue was realistic and the character development convincing. Unfamiliar Magic it was one of the best books that I have ever read.I would recommend Unfamiliar Magic to both guys and girls who like magical mayhem and a tad bit of love. Anyone who liked Septimus Heap, Percy Jackson, or Harry Potter would probably enjoy this book. It is a fantasy science fiction. It was frabulous and I think that most any age would be able to read it, but you might want to wait until sixth grade or older. “What is life with out a little risk?”
review 2: There is a lot to like in the book the characters are appealing and unusual. Valerian and Callida have a daughter Desdemona who will be very powerful. Callida flees with Desi at birth, she fears that Valerian will use Desi's power to his own ends.Twelve years later we have this story. Desi is confused and angry with her mother who abruptly leaves her with her familiar, a cat with the lovely name, Devalandnefariel. The cat is changed into a human (now called Cat) so she can be a more effective protector for Desi in Mom's absence. This makes for insightful and humorous exchanges. There are lovely boys living next door; one Cat's age, Bob - intensely shy, and Jarrett, Desi's age who is perceptive, enthusiastic open-minded and friendly. These boys are great friends to the girls. Desi uses her mom's absence to experiment with magic. With a normal witch this would not be a big deal, but Desi is very talented and unleashes more that she bargains for. Because of her wit and talent she can also cope with the situations she creates .I liked the friendships, the perceptive observations and the family love that suffuses the novel. By the end of the book the adults characters had fleshed out a bit and the reader is left with some hope that Val and Callida will be able to manage to work together for Desi's sake.Kids will probably like the action and not worry about the missing motivation that I could deduce - but I wanted more info up front. Perhaps kids would not have patience for that... less

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