Did not finish

I read about the first 100 pages before sadly deciding this book wasn't for me.
It was just a bombardment of information constantly. Obviously the author was trying to introduce you to their carefully conceived world, but it was just too much at once. I found that I was just getting too much explanation of things in a short time. A huge numbers of characters introduced, along with basically all the information about the world, it's magic, the school etc and it was just too much to take in and I found myself just glazing over because I couldn't take any more in.
It made me realise why so many books (especially children's books) where there is an unfamiliar world have a main character who is new to the world, because it gives the reader a chance to slowly learn about the world alongside the main character. The problem with this book was that the MC was part of it, so the author wanted to share everything about the world, like that were trying to get you up to date for the rest of the story. But for me, this just wasn't working. As I keep saying, it was just too much.
I give it 2 stars because although I didn't finish it, I can tell the author had put a lot of thought into their world, they were proud of it and wanted to share it.

We really want to live in Ella's world, from the youngest (5) to the oldest (over 60) . We read the book as a family read snd were all equally entranced by the colour, detail and diversity in this book. The range of magical talents and practices were so interesting and detailed. We loved it, more please.

THE MARVELLERS is the start of a fantasy school series that takes traditions from all around the world and celebrates them in a tale of friendship and finding your people.

This is a fantasy magic school book with a new "house system" based on the sense and with an incredibly diverse cast. It's a fun way of showing what these sorts of tales can be, and also why they are so common. It takes something most children are used to - a school - and injects magic and danger in place of the humdrum of lessons and cafeterias.

THE MARVELLERS explores prejudice, both on an individual level and on an institutional level, through Ella's experience of being the first magic user of her type to join the school. The adherence to the rules by the governing body, but only in situations where she'd be negatively affected, the way her type of magic user is blamed for troubles.

It's a multi-media tale, with newspaper clippings and letters in between chapters. There are school reports and handbook excerpts. I really like books that mix and match prose with other elements as it's a nice of way of using different forms of written media to convey a story. It also mixes it up visually, and I'm sure it will look very impressive in the final form with placeholders removed.

There are also interludes from the villain's perspective, Gia. That was probably the thing that has captured my attention the most post-reading. Her plans are vague and she seems to be gathering people to her, and it made for an interesting dynamic as you knew she wanted something but not what exactly.

This did take me a while to get into - there are a lot of people, names, and new concepts crammed into the opening that took some time to straighten out and remember who was who and what was what. There were a few people who I couldn't remember throughout the book because they'd come in that deluge of names. However, I'd more or less got a handle on it by about 20% in.

I will be reading the further instalments to see what Gia is up to!

Ella Durand is the first conjurer to attend the Arcanum Training Institute for Marvelous and Uncanny Endeavors and lets just say that not everyone is pleased she is there and, of course, there's a mystery to solve!

Along with her 2 best friends, Brigit and Jason, Ella has to navigate finding her place in their world, coupled with all the prejudices thrown at her and trying to investigate a few mysteries!

This was a really fun book! I absolutely loved Ella, she was so driven, optimistic and never gave up. I also adored Feste and those naughty pixies!

I've got so many questions, my most pressing is what Ella's animal companion will be!

The ending was sort of open ended so I really hope there is more to come! After reading this book I've decided I'd love to be a Marveller or a Conjurer!

'What’s done in the dark doesn’t stay there for very long.'

Overly-ambitious whimsy. THE MARVELLERS will scratch that magical school itch if you can forgive its flaws.

I enjoyed this book overall – its quirky world and fun characters will certainly appeal to MG adventure fans – but the overall execution is more middling than I would’ve liked.

THE MARVELLERS opens with eleven-year-old Ella Durand, the first of her family to attend the prestigious Arcanum Training Institute – the first, because she is a Conjuror, who until recently were ostracised from the Marveller community. What, exactly, the difference is between Conjuring and Marvelling is unclear and muddies a lot of the messages of the book. Both Marvellers and Conjurors are capable of having marvels and conjuring. There seems to be a key difference in the way both communities use magic – that is alluded to but never explained.

Ella’s new friends Jason and Brigit are sweet and have their own stories, as does Ella herself, learning to take pride in her background as well as embracing the new. There’s also Masterji Thakur, Ella’s mentor, and other students and teachers, from all over the world, with different cultures and heritages. What’s great here is that THE MARVELLERS embraces differences and diversity and incorporates it seamlessly into its world. There are classes on Indian spices and African incantations, so the possibility of exploration feels limitless.

Ella attends classes with Jason and Brigit whilst trying to solve the mystery of where Masterji Thakur disappears to after the first half of the book. Until this point, the writing and world-building are whimsical but incoherent. The world is so rich with Proper Noun terms that sound fun but ultimately have no meaning because the book never bothers to explain what any of it actually is. What does a news-box look like? Or an automat? Or the contraptions used in their spice classes? It's touch-and-go with descriptions, feeling shallow as a result.

After halfway, the book picks up pace. The overarching villain doesn’t present an actual obstacle for Ella until the end, and then the book drags outs its denouement simply for the sake of giving Ella some form of conflict. By the time the main villain was vanquished I wanted the book to end.

There's a lot to enjoy in THE MARVELLERS as there is equally a lot to find annoying. I think this book suffers the most from having so many ideas and not enough words to develop them. Which is a shame, because this had the potential to have the same waves as AMARI, but just falls short of sticking the landing.

WILL I READ ON? Won't go out of my way to read it.

Younger readers and YA will enjoy the world that Dhonielle Clayton has produced. The Marvellers world is an exciting mix of colour, magic, exotic animals, pixies and spirits. The story is one of wanting to fit in, but prejudice can be hard to overcome. Especially as two sets of magic culture are forced together within a magic institution. Much to the disgust of many of the Marvellers in power. History sometimes depends on who is controlling what gets released, the truth can be something completely different and can’t be hidden for ever. Thank you to Bonnier Books UK and NetGalley for the ARC. The views are all mine, freely given.

I took a long time to read this book (at least the first half of it), but in this context I'm not sure it's a bad thing - I read the first 50% over 9 days. The reason? I was reading in bed and kept getting through one chapter and falling asleep. Now, that might not necessarily seem like a good thing, but as someone with insomnia issues whose brain just will not Shut Up, I cannot tell you how much I appreciated it. Apparently Ella's magic school journey made me feel safe and content and with the state of the world right now, maybe we could all use a book like that.

The pacing wasn't always perfect - some parts felt very slow, others very busy - but Ella and her friends are delightful, and the world intriguing enough to keep me interested even though I am very much not the target audience.

Even though this book is intended for children, this 20 year old still really enjoyed it. The premise was very interesting and I loved that it was fantastical. A very good read.

This is the first instalment in the Marvellerverse series.

Ella Durand is just eleven years old when she makes history as the first Conjuror to attend the Arcanum Training Institute. The academy is located in the clouds where Marvellers, and now one Conjuror, from around the world train in the magical arts. Progress is being made with Ella joining their ranks but not everyone is happy about it and she must battle seclusion, gossip, and hateful acts if she is to continue in her education.

This read like a new, more inclusive, Harry Potter and I was not mad about it! Any magical school can't help but be likened to Hogwarts but this retained enough of its own magical inclusions and unique designs to feel different and none of the characters or crazy adventures they went on had any spirit of the former in them, either.

Ella was an incredible protagonist in which to experience this magical world with. She was spirited and feisty, despite all the prejudice she had to face, and I admired her pluck as much as I liked her personality. I could have spent an endless number of pages with her - learning about her abilities, how they differed from others, and witnessing her magical training - but this was not to be the case as events soon turned sinister as evil arrived at her door.

From this point, the focus was split between Ella's studies and the mysteries she was attempting to solve. Both remained equally interesting and I flew through these pages as I attempted to absorb every ounce of magic from it. I already can't wait for more adventures in this world and to see Ella thrive within it.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this eARC of 'The Marvellers' by Dhonielle Clayton.

'The Marvellers' is such an interesting book and I was so excited to get into this. This book is intended for a demographic which is much younger than me (Children) but I did enjoy it either way. Dhonielle Clayton's books always shine marvellously and this book was no exception.

You know how we say #RepresentationMatters but it isn’t until you’re reading a book and you feel so freaking seen, and the world feels so chock full of characters and experiences that you already KNOW, and at the end of it tears are running down your face, that it clicks that representation freaking matters.

There were some aspects that I felt were not done well, like the timeline was seemingly drawn out just so the plot could cover a year, and conjurors seemed so amazing, that Ella wanting to go off into the sky and become a mysterious Marveller seemed unlikely, even more so that a parent whose sibling got kidnapped in a marvel-town would be willing to place her child at risk, and a few other things that caught my eye as underdeveloped. But although they were a bit annoying, it didn’t take me out of the story too much!

So I’m so happy that kids have this beautiful book filled with marvels, cities in the sky and a deep and hidden mystery that I’m excited to see unravel over the course of what I hope are many, many, many books!

Thank you for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review!

A truly marvellous read!

The Marvellers pulled me in right from the start with a New Orleans setting perfectly suited to a supernatural, magical feel as young Ella Durand prepares herself for magic school, the Arcanum Training Institute. But magic schools, and particularly outsiders heading off to a magic school they know little about, is such a staple of children's fiction, I headed into the book wondering and hoping that The Marvellers would bring something new to the genre.

And I'm pleased to report that it does! The most immediate and obvious element is the diversity it brings and how well it delivers it. There's plenty of racial diversity within the Arcanum Training Institute, with pupils and teachers from all over the world bringing their distinctive cultural elements into the mix, from marvel styles and approaches to cuisine, and it feels like a very rich and diverse culture. But it quickly becomes obvious that there are other divisions in this otherwise idyllic society that mirror some of the divisions in our own. Ella isn't from a Marveller family, she's a Conjuror, something that might look the same to a casual observer but is treated as wholly different and untrustworthy, if not outright dangerous!

The way this is presented throughout the book really is fantastic. Ella's father had to fight legal battles to overturn the rules keeping Conjurors out of the institute, though his daughter is the only one who actually goes to attend. Once there she faces prejudice in the form of whispers and unpleasant notes, petty vandalism, but also discrimination from many of the teachers and staff, being punished for small acts that other students do unnoticed. You can really see how snide and secretive many of the forms of discrimination are, little acts of spite and pettiness that are hard to point a finger at but contribute to a general feeling of being unwelcome. You also see the pressures on Ella to be the best, because expectations and standards are greater for her than for her peers. It's clever, it's subtle and it gets a powerful message across to readers.

I love the richness of the world too, and I can't wait to explore more of it in future books. There's enough in there about Marvellous cities and about the history of the place to keep me gripped and eager to learn more.

I really loved Brigit, with her sarky and pretty unpleasant attitude to the place, which to be fair did nothing to deserve much more from her. Seeing her character grow and develop, and how this was largely due to Ella's support and friendship, was really lovely. I felt like every smile or kind word from Brigit was a major breakthrough and I was living for them!

I absolutely loved the idea of a magical (or marvellous) Commedia Dell'Arte! I think that would just be the most superb thing, and I'd love to see it explored more too. With that and the New Orleans flavoured land of the dead, there are some amazing thematic elements of this book.

A rich, diverse and fascinating book!