#MGTakesonThursday

The weekly meme hosted by BookCraic celebrating amazing middle grade fiction books.

How to Join In…

• Post a picture of the front cover of a middle grade book which you have read and would recommend to others with details of author, illustrator and publisher.
• Open the book to page 11 and share your favourite sentence
• write three words to describe the book
• Either share why you would recommend the book or link to your review

The castle of tangled magic by sophie anderson

Favourite Sentence from Page 11: Using a kindle has its disadvantages here…I had to count but this may not be the correct page in the finished book, “It smells faintly of the castle’s hidden spaces- of warm pine, dust and old books- but also of something far more ancient, like sun baked stones and dry, cracked earth”

Three Words to describe the book: Magical, Traditional, Adventurous

A mini review:

Sophie’s latest tale is one so expertly designed and intricately woven to keep the reader engaged, hopeful and immersed in Slavic and Russian folklore.
Olia loves in Castle Mira and dreams of exploring each of the 33 domes with new baby sister Rosa. Many of the domes have secret entrances and hidden stairwells making it an adventurous home to live in.

This year, the castle is celebrating its 500th year and there are plenty of celebrations to be had together with family and the local community. When a storm damages one of the largest domes the night before the celebrations, Olia takes the opportunity to climb up to explore. Falling through the ceiling, she feels cushioned by the castle and no harm comes to her.

Here begins the true adventure, Olia, being descended from the royal ancestors is being given an opportunity to make amends for past mistakes. Guided by her Babusya (Grandmother), and the castle Domovei, Olia takes a leap of faith into a new world.

Belief is stronger than magic is the overriding theme throughout the journey in this utterly compelling tale, which proves that Sophie Anderson gets better with every book. Olia must believe! In herself, he friends and in the magic holding the castle together.
Familiar magical characters appear in this story, as you would come to expect from Sophie’s other books and they are all there to help guide Olia to save all she knows and loves!
A spoiler free review is essential but difficult as there is so so much wonder and beauty in the pages of this book.
Anyone who is a fan of folklore, traditional tales and brave adventurers will find a home within the Castle of Tangled Magic!