My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Many thanks to Net Galley, HarperCollins UK, HarperFiction, and the author for a chance to read and review this book. All opinions are expressed voluntarily.
Fans of HARRY POTTER, here’s another series that is gonna blow your effing mind, make you squeal with joy, and go into raptures with the reading experience.
Enthralling, Enchanting, Delightful, and Spell-Binding!
‘People think stories are harmless but they are the most dangerous weapon mankind has.’
Threadneedle, the first in the series of The Language of Magic is a young adult fantasy story that is an utterly compelling and riveting read. The author Cari Thomas has been exceptional in creating a place with witches amidst the bustling city of London. Now just don’t begin this with the expectation of Harry Potter coz this is definitely a much deeper and in a sense, a back to the root magical world that has been fashioned by the author. There’s no easy spell learning and magical wands for the wizards or witches to learn their skills, Threadneedle has its base on the elements of earth for its witchcraft. In fact, the depth of traditional witchcraft being mentioned in the story is simply amazing.
The protagonists in the story are 16 yr olds and the school they belong to is like any other high school, with its own share of bullying and body-shaming and mean-girls that feel acutely authentic. Anna’s life as an orphan cared for by her aunt is nothing sort of a miracle. The abuse she has to endure in the name of magical binding is terrifying and the story unfolds in such a way that the reader is given no clue if at all the paranoid aunt has some basis for her beliefs. As new friends Effie and Attis show Anna what she is missing in her life, Anna becomes emboldened to change from NOBODY to SOMEBODY. But nothing prepares her for the magical discovery and the journey she has to bear for the truth of her parent’s death and the curse that is hanging over her head.
That magical library! Who wouldn’t want to be a permanent member there? And, of course, there’s Rowan and her mother in a similar vein to Ron and Weasley’s. I sincerely do wish that Rowan could get over the complex about her weight and grow confident in her abilities, half the book is about her being body-shamed, and as a matter of fact, the use of magic to stop the bullying is what causes trouble for Anna and Effie as things spiral out of their control.
There’s no cliffhanger ending as the crux of this part of the story does get cleared up but I just can’t wait for the unfolding of the drama that forms Anna’s curse and emotional upheaval of that love that is assuredly going to create a hell lot of problems.
J K Rowling did introduce a world of magic that is categorically unparalleled but it is not an adult world. Cari Thomas has her protagonists as young adults but it is a world of magic that can be enjoyed by anyone with a love for fantasy.
Threadneedle is a fantastic series opener and this is surely going into my shelf for keeps and is it too soon to demand book #2?
Highly recommended!!!
Within the boroughs of London, nestled among its streets, hides another city, filled with magic.
Magic is the first sin. It must be bound.
Ever since Anna can remember, her aunt has warned her of the dangers of magic. She has taught her to fear how it twists and knots and turns into something dark and deadly.
It was, after all, magic that killed her parents and left her in her aunt’s care. It’s why she has been protected from the magical world and, in one year’s time, what little magic she has will be bound. She will join her aunt alongside the other Binders who believe magic is a sin not to be used, but denied. Only one more year and she will be free of the curse of magic, her aunt’s teachings and the disappointment of the little she is capable of.
Nothing – and no one – could change her mind before then. Could it?
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Lovely review, thanks.
Thank u Elizabeth. You are so kind🤗