Review by Hanej01 -- The Secret of Magic by Natassa Louppou
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Hanej01
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- Latest Review: The Secret of Magic by Natassa Louppou
Review by Hanej01 -- The Secret of Magic by Natassa Louppou
[Following is a volunteer review of "The Secret of Magic" by Natassa Louppou.]
As its name suggests, The Secret of Magic by Natassa Louppou takes the audience on a mysterious, magical adventure centered around an enigmatic box. The protagonist in this story is a twelve-year-old girl named Tania, who demonstrates significant intelligence and compassion in this novel. Throughout her exciting journey, she can meet many people and learn important lessons.
One thing I liked most about this story was that the author creates many diverse, dynamic settings for the protagonist. This is my favorite aspect because it prevents readers from getting bored during reading. I was able to read this story in one sitting because of the settings alone. However, one thing I disliked the most was the unrealistic intelligent character design of the protagonist. Tania is unrealistically smart for a twelve-year-old girl. It would be tolerable if she was designed to be a child genius, but this is not the case. This novel was sometimes frustrating to read because her far-fetched character design would interrupt the overall flow of the book.
In terms of grammar and spelling, there are no noticeable errors that would leave the readers dissatisfied. However, this novel does not use the oxford comma rule, which can throw readers off a bit. Also, the author chooses to use the passive tone a lot throughout her novel, which sometimes resulted in clunky passages.
I believe this book is intended for a younger audience, most likely elementary school children who are around the ages of ten through twelve. This is because the story’s protagonist is a twelve-year-old girl, and the adventures would resonate with them. However, for older readers who are in upper-middle school and above, this story could seem a bit childish and unrealistic to them. Overall, I would rate this novel 2 out of 4 stars. The reason why I did not rate this story a 1 out of 4 is that it is not so horrible that it cannot be read. I think that grade school students would read this book without any trouble. However, the reason why I did not rate this story above a 2 is that it lacks imagery. Throughout the story, the many dynamic settings can be utilized to capture the readers’ senses. However, the author seems hesitant when giving the readers the experience of the novel. It is as if I am reading a textbook with dry explanations, learning about what is happening in the story instead of experiencing it. I believe that showing rather than telling makes the story much more engaging, and the author should implement more imagery into her novel.
Another reason why I did not rate this book a 3 is (ironically) because of a lack of explanation of the fantastical aspects. I believe that the effectiveness of a fantasy setting is directly correlated to the amount of explanation that the author chooses to give. During the novel, the author seems secretive and intentionally mysterious about what is happening. Although the element of mystery is appreciated, the lack of explanation feels as if the reader is blindfolded during the adventure. There is too much room for imagination. The rules in this fantasy are not explained clearly, which resulted in confusion and frustration during reading. If the author integrates more imagery into the story and explains the mysterious elements, I believe that this book can be a much better read.
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The Secret of Magic
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
As its name suggests, The Secret of Magic by Natassa Louppou takes the audience on a mysterious, magical adventure centered around an enigmatic box. The protagonist in this story is a twelve-year-old girl named Tania, who demonstrates significant intelligence and compassion in this novel. Throughout her exciting journey, she can meet many people and learn important lessons.
One thing I liked most about this story was that the author creates many diverse, dynamic settings for the protagonist. This is my favorite aspect because it prevents readers from getting bored during reading. I was able to read this story in one sitting because of the settings alone. However, one thing I disliked the most was the unrealistic intelligent character design of the protagonist. Tania is unrealistically smart for a twelve-year-old girl. It would be tolerable if she was designed to be a child genius, but this is not the case. This novel was sometimes frustrating to read because her far-fetched character design would interrupt the overall flow of the book.
In terms of grammar and spelling, there are no noticeable errors that would leave the readers dissatisfied. However, this novel does not use the oxford comma rule, which can throw readers off a bit. Also, the author chooses to use the passive tone a lot throughout her novel, which sometimes resulted in clunky passages.
I believe this book is intended for a younger audience, most likely elementary school children who are around the ages of ten through twelve. This is because the story’s protagonist is a twelve-year-old girl, and the adventures would resonate with them. However, for older readers who are in upper-middle school and above, this story could seem a bit childish and unrealistic to them. Overall, I would rate this novel 2 out of 4 stars. The reason why I did not rate this story a 1 out of 4 is that it is not so horrible that it cannot be read. I think that grade school students would read this book without any trouble. However, the reason why I did not rate this story above a 2 is that it lacks imagery. Throughout the story, the many dynamic settings can be utilized to capture the readers’ senses. However, the author seems hesitant when giving the readers the experience of the novel. It is as if I am reading a textbook with dry explanations, learning about what is happening in the story instead of experiencing it. I believe that showing rather than telling makes the story much more engaging, and the author should implement more imagery into her novel.
Another reason why I did not rate this book a 3 is (ironically) because of a lack of explanation of the fantastical aspects. I believe that the effectiveness of a fantasy setting is directly correlated to the amount of explanation that the author chooses to give. During the novel, the author seems secretive and intentionally mysterious about what is happening. Although the element of mystery is appreciated, the lack of explanation feels as if the reader is blindfolded during the adventure. There is too much room for imagination. The rules in this fantasy are not explained clearly, which resulted in confusion and frustration during reading. If the author integrates more imagery into the story and explains the mysterious elements, I believe that this book can be a much better read.
******
The Secret of Magic
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Latest Review: The Secret of Magic by Natassa Louppou
