Review by Natahl -- The Secret of Magic by Natassa Louppou
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Natahl
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- Latest Review: The Secret of Magic by Natassa Louppou
Review by Natahl -- The Secret of Magic by Natassa Louppou
[Following is a volunteer review of "The Secret of Magic" by Natassa Louppou.]
The Secret of Magic by Natassa Louppou is the Young Adult book I wanted to like, but just couldn’t. This fantastical romp through history is a well-intentioned story full of valuable themes poorly executed.
It’s hard to say whether Louppou’s story suffers more from poor translation from her native Greek or the need for growth as an author. There are definite signs of a passionate story-teller. Take, for instance, the endearing magical sidekick whom Louppou surprisingly names “Mike.” This was a laugh out loud moment for me, having expected something esoteric. This kind of dry humour manages to shine through at various moments in the story, despite the awkward phrasing. The other aspect worthy of praise is the way Louppou dispenses with unnecessary speech tags (she said/he said) where possible, allowing a more natural conversation to flow.
Unfortunately, these are probably the only positive things I can say about this novel.
The Secret of Magic unfortunately reveals most of its secrets through exposition rather than allowing the reader to deduce the unfolding story themselves. While I appreciate the fact that the target audience may benefit from a few more overt hints, the novel is littered not only with outright explanations but even footnotes! This is highly distracting and makes the reading experience feel very disjointed.
Juxtaposition that with the startling and repetitive inclusion of vocabulary such as “insouciantly,” and the reader is left to wonder exactly who the author’s target audience actually is. I don’t know many tweens who would enjoy both Louppou’s lengthy, overblown descriptions of irrelevant details, and her charactarisation of food as “toothsome.”
There is a difference between writing about something you are passionate about and simply doing fan-service to one’s own obsessions. Some chapters read like a transcription of the movie Titanic (complete with references to Di Caprio) while another reads like an autobiography of Louppou’s family. Our Young Adult readers probably won’t stumble at the pseudo-self-insertion during the Second World War, but Louppou is misjudging the age of her readership if she things Titanic is a relevant pop-culture reference.
Her lead character, Tania, is given the unfortunate burden of being a multi-faceted underdog. Not content with one trope, the author saddles her with multiple burdens clearly designed to garner sympathy from her readers, or provide a “this is me!” kind of self-identification with the character.
Overall, The Secret of Magic fully earns my 1 out of 4 star review, but this doesn’t mean you should write this author off. There is something buried in amongst this clunking, anti-climactic story that makes me think she might, surprisingly, be one to watch. Don’t give up on Natassa Louppou, but maybe give her a few years to find her feet.
******
The Secret of Magic
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
The Secret of Magic by Natassa Louppou is the Young Adult book I wanted to like, but just couldn’t. This fantastical romp through history is a well-intentioned story full of valuable themes poorly executed.
It’s hard to say whether Louppou’s story suffers more from poor translation from her native Greek or the need for growth as an author. There are definite signs of a passionate story-teller. Take, for instance, the endearing magical sidekick whom Louppou surprisingly names “Mike.” This was a laugh out loud moment for me, having expected something esoteric. This kind of dry humour manages to shine through at various moments in the story, despite the awkward phrasing. The other aspect worthy of praise is the way Louppou dispenses with unnecessary speech tags (she said/he said) where possible, allowing a more natural conversation to flow.
Unfortunately, these are probably the only positive things I can say about this novel.
The Secret of Magic unfortunately reveals most of its secrets through exposition rather than allowing the reader to deduce the unfolding story themselves. While I appreciate the fact that the target audience may benefit from a few more overt hints, the novel is littered not only with outright explanations but even footnotes! This is highly distracting and makes the reading experience feel very disjointed.
Juxtaposition that with the startling and repetitive inclusion of vocabulary such as “insouciantly,” and the reader is left to wonder exactly who the author’s target audience actually is. I don’t know many tweens who would enjoy both Louppou’s lengthy, overblown descriptions of irrelevant details, and her charactarisation of food as “toothsome.”
There is a difference between writing about something you are passionate about and simply doing fan-service to one’s own obsessions. Some chapters read like a transcription of the movie Titanic (complete with references to Di Caprio) while another reads like an autobiography of Louppou’s family. Our Young Adult readers probably won’t stumble at the pseudo-self-insertion during the Second World War, but Louppou is misjudging the age of her readership if she things Titanic is a relevant pop-culture reference.
Her lead character, Tania, is given the unfortunate burden of being a multi-faceted underdog. Not content with one trope, the author saddles her with multiple burdens clearly designed to garner sympathy from her readers, or provide a “this is me!” kind of self-identification with the character.
Overall, The Secret of Magic fully earns my 1 out of 4 star review, but this doesn’t mean you should write this author off. There is something buried in amongst this clunking, anti-climactic story that makes me think she might, surprisingly, be one to watch. Don’t give up on Natassa Louppou, but maybe give her a few years to find her feet.
******
The Secret of Magic
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Latest Review: The Secret of Magic by Natassa Louppou
