Early Review – The Magician’s Daughter by H.G. Parry (5/5 stars)
Reading Level: Adult
Genre: Historical Fantasy
Length: 443 pages
Publisher: Redhook
Release Date: February 28, 2023
ASIN: B0B38SS6P1
Stand Alone or Series: Stand Alone
Source: eGalley from Netgalley
Rating: 5/5 stars
“Off the coast of Ireland sits a legendary island hidden by magic. A place of ruins and ancient trees, sea salt air, and fairy lore, Hy-Brasil is the only home Biddy has ever known. Washed up on its shore as a baby, Biddy lives a quiet life with her guardian, the mercurial magician Rowan. A life she finds increasingly stifling.
One night, Rowan fails to return from his mysterious travels. To find him, Biddy must venture into the outside world for the first time. But Rowan has powerful enemies—forces who have hoarded the world’s magic and have set their sights on the magician’s many secrets.
Biddy may be the key to stopping them. Yet the closer she gets to answers, the more she questions everything she’s ever believed about Rowan, her past, and the nature of magic itself.”
Series Info/Source: This is a stand alone book. I got a copy of this as an ebook through Netgalley to review.
Thoughts: This was an amazing book, I have been absolutely spoiled rotten this week with amazing books. I loved these characters, this unique world and the problem the characters are trying to solve. This was beautifully written and completely engaging. I enjoyed every second of this book.
This book follows the story of Biddy, she washed up on the magical island of Hy-Brasil when she was a baby and has since been raised by the magician Rowan. When Rowan fails to return to the island at his normal time, Biddy is incredibly worried. Then when he does finally return, he is forced to let Biddy in on some dark secrets about their enemies outside the island. In order to set the essence of magic right, Biddy will have to do the very thing she has yearned for and the very thing she fears, leave her precious home of Hy-Brasil.
This was an amazing magical read full of beautiful descriptions and sincere, touching characters. I absolutely loved Biddy and Rowan and Rowan’s familiar; they are kind and sincere to each other. All of the characters in this book, even the enemies, have a lot of depth to them and are intriguing to read about. They are all so well done.
I also loved the world here; it’s a world where magic has dwindled and a world where people are starting to suffer from magic’s absence. Biddy’s mysterious past seems to be the only thing that might be a key to bringing magic back. There is a hint of adventure to the story as Biddy is forced to face the outside world. This story is amazing, hopeful, and a bit sad all at once. As magical as Hy-Brasil is, after everything that happens here nothing ends up the same. Everyone and everything changes and that is both good and sad.
My Summary (5/5): Overall, this was such a beautiful story full of magic, adventure, change, and love that I was sad for it to end. I am greatly looking forward to future books by Parry; I hope they are all as beautiful, amazing, and magical as this one. I also plan on going back to check out Parry’s Shadow Histories series. I would strongly recommend this book. It was a magical read that was completely engrossing.
