Book Review: The Language of Spells

                                                                                   BOOK INFORMATION:                                                                  

Grisha is a dragon in a world that's forgotten how to see him. Maggie is a unusual child who thinks she's perfectly ordinary. 

They're an unlikely duo—but magic, like friendship, is funny. Sometimes it chooses those who might not look so likely. And magic has chosen Grisha and Maggie to solve the darkest mystery in Vienna. Decades ago, when World War II broke out, someone decided that there were too many dragons for all of them to be free. 

As they investigate, Grisha and Maggie ask the question everyone's forgotten: Where have the missing dragons gone? And is there a way to save them? At once richly magical and tragically historical, The Language of Spells is a novel full of adventure about remembering old stories, forging new ones, and the transformative power of friendship.

                                                                        MY THOUGHTS ON THE BOOK                                                              

This was just an okay book in my opinion. While I thought this was a great book perfect for young readers it just wasn’t the best middle-grade dragon book I have read. It had enough magic for the young readers to enjoy, I just am not the intended audience and it kinda shows.

This is a sweet dragon take set in a world that has just experienced World Wars. With a mainly European setting. Which was different and kind of exciting for me. It was full of whimsy, mystery, and above all magic.

The main character is a girl named Maggie who is eleven years old. She lives with her father in a hotel called Sacher in  Vienna, Austria. She was quirky but your average child. Loving, brilliant, and awkward was she.

Grisha is a very special dragon. He is a peaceful dragon loving his home, loving his childhood until an evil sorcerer turns him into a teapot. He stays that way for many, many years. Passed down from one generation unto the next and being resold many times. He has lost contact with other dragons. He has no idea what has happened to his family, his land or his friends. What will happen when they meet? I won’t spoil it for you so you have to read and find out. The idea of it is just darling though.

Overall, I thought it was a cute read but that was about it. I gave this book about 3.5 stars out of 5. The writing was just not my taste and there were issues with the believability of the timeline.


Disclaimer: I received a digital copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.