I fell in love with this story and I think you will too!
I am currently ripping through Museum of Magic by Beth Revis, but I wanted to make sure that I took the time to write a review this weekend as the book is available for free! The Amazon links will be at the bottom of the page.
I don’t think it is a secret that I am a huge history nerd. Even the hobbies that are not directly involved with history (for example, LARP) end up dragging it in any way! But this book feels like it was aimed right at me. My eras of particular interest include the reign of Mary Queen of Scots, her son James VI and I, and the Jacobean Witch Hunting years, and folks, this is a book all about that!
The story follows Emmi Castor, the descendent of both a witch, and (more recently) the owner of the Museum of Magic, who has gone missing. In an attempt to find her missing grandfather Emmi teams up with a fae being going by the name of Puck. And yes this far from the only Shakespeare reference, another one of my special interests which finds its way into the book! Emmi and Puck need to find all the ingredients to a protective spell to help the fae against the Witch Hunters. Only they are being chased throughout the adventure by magically powerful and scary witch hunters.
Every step of the way, the reader is shown how, again and again, the witch-hunting of the 1600s was a tool of the powerful against the vulnerable. And in ways I honestly did not imagine, but sadly can completely believe. This is a story, but in the best way, because it gives a narrative and life to people in the past who had theirs stolen from them.
It is well researched, not just in the obvious historical ways, but also when the characters visit places you feel like you get taken along too. Fantastically written, and beautifully described, I would recommend this book to anyone who is similarly interested in these eras of history, likes magical realism, or who has spent too much time around tourists and needs a healthy way to vent about them. I am all of these things, this book was made for me in ways that honestly feel kind of spooky, so check it out!
The book is a Young Adult Romance, so things are pretty sweet and cute. There is some mild threat on the page, and definitely a lot more implied off screen (the Witch Hunts of the 1600s were not a nice time!), but I think it should be pretty safe for anyone who wants to avoid the scary stuff.
As I said the book is currently for free because the second book in the series is newly out, so go and pick up both stories for £2.99 or just the first one for free, if you need to try before you buy! But be quick, the deal won’t last forever!
Stay safe out there!
K
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