The Mage Pocket by Millie Florence is officially released!
As well, I had the priveledge to read an Advanced Reader Copy, and so I also have a review of it for you today!
Sorrel is the unruly daughter of the heads the Mage Council, protectors of the secret realm of the Mage Pocket, where libraries float through the sky, cats turn invisible, and sunlight is magic.
Theo is the reluctant apprentice of the Dark Mage, the terror of the Mage Pocket, waiting in the shadows for her chance to act.
When her parents die in a house fire, Sorrel refuses to believe it’s an accident. Theo knows it’s not, because he saw his mentor do it. He helped his mentor do it. He’s still haunted by the smell of smoke.
Sorrel is bent on finding answers, but that will require learning some complex magic. Theo is bent on breaking his magical apprenticeship contract, but that will require a lot of research.
Together, they form an unlikely alliance—Theo will teach Sorrel to Cast, Sorrel will help him research. But both are keeping secrets, and neither one knows the other’s true identity. As their friendship grows, so do the consequences of discovering the truth.
This story made me think of Septimus Heap with the way magic spells were in a different font, and with some of the set-up, as well as the depth but at the same time spunk and humor of the prose and charries. I would class this as upper MG. It has a fun and logical magic system, whimsy, an invisible cat, a mischevious and lovable MC, a goofy brother-like cousin, cute wordplay, and a highly creative world (I mean when was the last time you saw a story set in a gigantic swamp, with floating libraries and magical Bookmobiles?)
The prose is also very distinct, fun, and descriptive. Here’s a few of my favorite sections:
“The Cloud Library, as the place was aptly named, was enchanted to hang in the sky like a blue marble, crisscrossed with copper frames reinforcing the glass. It was several stories tall, entirely round, and, thanks to all the books inside, highly flammable.”
“One ill-timed wobble would send her crashing to the floor, which, for obvious reasons, she would prefer to avoid. It was high stakes. Literally.”
“Maeve took the Dark part of her Dark Mage title very seriously.”
As for content warnings, there is a scene kind of like the coffins in the Wingfeather Saga where kids are punished by being put in a tight chamber. As well, there’s mentions of blood, punching, and fighting with magic. Parents get killed but it isn’t seen, grief. A character’s finger is broken by a villain and other injuries are sustained as well. A character is knocked unconscious and has some of his life drained out of him. A more detailed content warning is available on Millie’s website here.
For me, when I started this book, it was a breath of fresh air. I hadn’t read much MG (and certainly not anything very good) in a while, and it was great to have a book that was simultaneously lightheated and high-stakes, with likeable characters and a properly-oriented moral compass.
All in all, I’d say Millie did an awesome job with this book. It was just fun to read. It’s also part of a series, so that’s fantastic for all the bookworms in your life who go through books at the speed of light. I’d definitely recommend this for the middle graders in your life.
Alright folks, that’s all for now.
Until next time,
Toodles!
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