From the publisher:
India, 1855. The British rule, and all across the country, Indian magic is being stamped out.
More terrifying still, people born with magic are being snatched from their homes. Rumour is that they are being taken across the sea – to England – by the all-powerful, sinister Company.
When Chompa’s home is attacked and her mother viciously kidnapped, Chompa – born with powerful and dangerous magic that she has always been forbidden from using – must travel to the smoky, bustling streets of East London in search of her. But Chompa will discover far more treachery in London than she had bargained for – and will learn that every act of her rare magic comes with a price . . .
My Review:
This story has a brilliant premise, a fantastic magic system, great characters, nice plot twists, and a wonderful setting. The story opens in India under British rule, where Chompa is fretting under her mother’s admonition not to use her (powerful) finger-magic but to spend the time learning writing magic (which requires intensive study). Chompa, however, is impatient and can’t resist showing off her ability. Unfortunately this sparks a series of events leading to her mother’s capture and Chompa desperately following her to London (the City of Stolen Magic) to rescue her.
It’s a super premise, and I loved the glimpse into India under British rule. I actually wished the story had stayed in India, particularly in light of the Irish experience (Ireland being under British rule from the 12th to the 20th century). However I suspect a sequel may see Chompa back home in India to continue the fight. Having said that, I was happy to see an aspect of 19th century London that we never (or rarely) see in fiction: the huge immigrant population from the far reaches of the British Empire, crowding into London’s poorer quarters to eke out a living.
I loved the magic system, and the distinction between finger magic and written charms, djinn born versus djinn speakers. The latter are people who can communicate with Djinn who are trapped and bound to some natural element. One of the characters, Tipu, talks to a Djinn called Aaliya trapped by a palm tree (and later a date stone) and forced to do his will. Tipu promises to free her but first she has to do magic for him. Tipu is one of our heroes, one of the children exploited for their magical ability, and Aaliya helps the good side, but are his actions (albeit on a much smaller and kinder scale) that different from the villain’s? I forsee a lot of discussion about this in classrooms (as well as the more obvious colonialism conversations).
I really liked all the characters, from Chompa (determined, feisty, undaunted) to Tipu and Laurie (Djinn speakers she meets on the way to England) to Leeza, Mohsin’s servant, to Millie, the English maid whose weakness is her sweet tooth. All the characters, even minor ones (with one or two exceptions) were well drawn, adding to the well-fleshed out world. Although I guessed the plot twist, it is still a good one.
However my enjoyment of the book was marred by a scene towards the end of the book with Chompa’s mother. MAJOR SPOILER – I have hidden it by changing the font colour, so highlight the next paragraph if you want to find out what it is.
The villain is holding Chompa’s mother, Amina, to force Chompa to do what he wants. Amina therefore uses her magic to self-immolate in front of her daughter so that she can’t be used as leverage against Chompa. I was really disappointed by this plot point. Suicide is an act of despair with huge ramifications for everyone it touches. Does this topic have a place in literature? Absolutely. Should it feature in middle grade children’s books? I would say no. From a story perspective, it was also totally unnecessary – Chompa already had plenty of motivation to confront the enemy. I cannot understand why Amina would engulf herself in flame rather than the villain, who stood a few feet away, nor why she thought killing herself would save Chompa from someone who so easily restrained her. I was disappointed Amina didn’t use her magic to do something good, and I think it was unfair to burden Chompa in this way. It was also stupid, as Amina set the whole building on fire. Chompa would have died only for Tipu and Laurie who happened to witness the fire and rescue her (and the antagonist). I don’t like the end justifying the means in any case, but a parent committing suicide should not be thrown into a story so lightly. Perhaps it was considered necessary to give Chompa sufficient rage to lead the immigrant community to take on the company. It didn’t work for me, and I struggled to finish the book. However I would be very interested in hearing your thoughts on this – spoilers allowed in the comments! 🙂
Overall 85% of the book was really strong, but Amina’s story line ruined it for me.
City of Stolen Magic was published on the 29th June by Penguin Random House Children’s UK, Puffin. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of the ARC.
Valinora Troy 
19 responses to “Book Review: City of Stolen Magic”
That scene of horror doesn’t fit in a MG book. There are other ways to sacrifice (going into exile, sacrificing one’s magic, whatever… write it into the story) that wouldn’t be as likely to give children nightmares.
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Yes, all far more imaginative too! The scene is lightly done, but it’s such a serious topic that it should it shouldn’t be just dropped in (and unsuitable for the age group too in my opinion). Thanks for reading!
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Beautiful cover. I think that scene might ruin it for me too. Thanks for being so honest in your review.
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Thanks Natalie! It was a shame, because there’s lots of great stuff in the book too. 🙂
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I’m going to include spoilers in my comment, because I appreciate your nuanced take about that particular scene! I have seen a few MG books that handle attempted or completed suicide quite well (like Fighting Words by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley, or A Corner of the Universe by Ann M. Martin), but those books were trying to explore that topic rather than just throwing it into an otherwise-normal fantasy story. I definitely think kids would be caught off-guard by the scene you’re describing, and the fact that it’s also a plot hole (and she could have just killed the villain) doesn’t help!
It’s a shame since the rest of the book sounds so compelling, like with the examination of India under British rule. I appreciate your look at the good and bad of this book—thanks so much for the thoughtful review, Valinora!
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Thanks Max! And yes, you’re right – there were other big topics to think about, so this scene really took away from overall theme in the book.
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I’m not sure that scene would ruin it for me, but certainly keep me from recommending this book to an MG audience. I enjoy a good fantasy/magic plot and the characters really do sound endearing. Thanks for featuring your review on this week’s edition of MMGM.
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It was a shame such an unnecessary was included. Obviously it’s not graphic, but it is portrayed as a good move, to set Chompra free, which I wouldn’t be happy to recommend 😦 Thanks for reading and having me on MMGM! Happy 4th July!
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Thanks for including what you liked and what you didn’t like. I definitely wouldn’t recommend a book that shows a suicide to a MG reader–I’m not sure I even would recommend it to an older teen. Too graphic. And as you pointed out, there were other ways that the same effect could have been shown. I love the points you made about the historical context of the story though. I don’t know much about magic–but you do!
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A friend told me that there is a trend in some stories to show suicide as a power move…. !!!!??? Not for me though! Thanks Carol – I love magic systems!! 🙂
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By the way, how did you black out the spoiler?
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Just changed the font colour to same colour as my background – really simple and effective!! 🙂
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Suicide is NOT powerful. Thanks for the tip on color changing. I may try it one of these days. Very effective.
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Thanks for an excellent review. I agree that what you have described in that late scene would mean that I wouldn’t recommend this title for the MG audience.
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It’s a shame, because there was a lot of great elements in the story, plenty of heavy stuff to deal with as it was! Thanks for reading! 🙂
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What a helpful review, Valinora! It’s interesting… I watched a movie that had a similar plot point, and it really bugged me. It seems to take away from what true sacrifice means: really giving your life for another. I’m always frustrated when an author doesn’t tweak a plot to allow for sacrifice that is in no way suicide. It’s possible. If you’re clever enough to write an otherwise brilliant story, can’t you figure out how?
Anyway, I may read this one for the cultural elements you mentioned—India under colonial rule and immigrant population in London. Sounds like the author did a great job there!
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Yes, I agree. While the death is meant to be the catalyst for action, I think it was an unimaginative one. And to be honest, I don’t believe being filled with rage is a good thing or necessary in order to stand up to evil (I prefer characters to act on principle). Just to warn you there is the usual anti-Christian bigotry, which I didn’t mention for a reason which I won’t tell you because it’s a bit of a spoiler, but happy to email you if you want to know! 🙂 Thanks for reading!
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So glad you put the spoiler paragraph in. And it was neat how you did it, really giving readers a choice about reading it or not. The book sounds awfully good except for the ending. I would not have liked that either. Thanks for a great review.
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Thanks so much for reading, Rosi – it was a long spoiler paragraph but I think it’s important people are aware of it before giving the book to young readers 🙂
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