Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
5 stars

The Magician’s daughter is a beautiful book. A coming of age story following Biddy as is pulled from her quiet happy life on the Island of Hi Brasil off the coast of Ireland into the rest of the world where things are neither safe nor happy. Magic has almost gone from the world and what is left is heavily controlled.

This book made me cry, not even because there were sad moments that broke my heart, but because in places it felt like a warm hug for the inner child who still wants to believe that magic is real.

I loved the relationship between Biddy and Rowan, her adopted father, and Hutchincroft (Rowan’s familiar and also a second father to Biddy). There were some truly real and tangible moments between the three of them.

This book was breathtaking, magical and tear jerking.

The Magician’s daughter is a historical fantasy set in the early 1900s. Biddy the main character of the book lives an isolated existence with her guardian on a magical island. This is a beautiful coming of age story.

The world building and magic system for this book is introduced slowly to us along with the characters backs stories and we learn along with biddy as her world expands.

The writing is extremely descriptive and immersive. The plot is slow paced but engaging. H G Parry’s literary references throughout the feel like a love letter to classic fiction much like her previous novel.

Whilst the there were a few predictable plot points this didn’t detract from the reading experience.

In some respects this this feels like a cosy fantasy however the stakes and consequences which were handled well would preclude this from this sub genre.

Highly enjoyable and I have already purchased a copy for my bookcases. One I will come back to.

Thank you NetGalley for providing a copy of this book for review. All opinions are my own

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an arc in exchange for this honest review.

This book was quite sweet. I don’t really know what else to say. Whilst I enjoyed it, I didn’t find it overly special nor memorable. Whilst it was nice reading it, I find that not a lot of it has stayed with me after.

“We need to bring magic back into the world.”

If ever there was a book that could make you believe in magic, this is it.

Me? Well, I already believed. But now I believe even more.

Biddy has grown up on the island of Hy-Brasil with Rowan, who is sometimes a raven, and Hutch, who is sometimes not a rabbit. Unlike Rowan and Hutch, Biddy doesn’t have magic.

At almost seventeen, Biddy has never left the island.

“She was a liminal person, trapped between a world she’d grown out of and another that wouldn’t let her in.”

Throughout her life, Rowan has flown to the mainland. He always returns before dawn … until the day that he doesn’t.

This world invited me in and made me feel at home. I accompanied Biddy as she transformed from a sheltered, bookish girl to a young woman who‘s beginning to discover what she’s capable of.

“In every fairy tale ever told, it’s a bad idea to tangle with a magician’s daughter.”

As I walked alongside her, I not only saw through her eyes but felt what she was experiencing.

My favourite vicarious experience was Biddy’s relationship with Rowan and Hutch. I’m always a sucker for stories that introduce me to found families. This one, though, made me care so deeply about the individuals and their bond that even thinking about the connection between Rowan and Hutch being severed was enough to bring tears to my eyes.

This was a stressful read, in the best way possible. When the characters were in danger I not only feared for their safety but the effect it would have on the others if anything bad happened to them.

Although this is a story of magic and adventure, it is also bookish in so many wonderful ways. Most of what Biddy knows of the outside world, she learned from books and she prepares for new experiences by reading. Their castle (yes, they live in a castle!) has a library with thousands of books. There’s also a library inside a tree!

I’m not sure how this magic works but this read gave me the comfort I feel rereading a childhood favourite while delivering the anticipation of a new book that you can’t put down.

This is going to be one of my favourite reads of the year. I need to read everything this author ever writes.

“It’s all complicated and messy and wild and glorious.”

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Orbit, an imprint of Little, Brown Book Group, for the opportunity to read this book.

There have been quite a few books lately that follow similar patterns for me as The Magician's Daughter did - I'm sucked in by interesting story concepts but then ultimately find that the actual execution just doesn't quite hit the spot.

The premise of The Magician's Daughter is that it's the story of Biddy, a 16 year old who's been brought up on an isolated island by a magician (Rowan) and his familiar. Biddy herself has no great affinity for magic and is told that she was washed up on the shore there by her mentor, who disappears for days on end and who is also quite evasive about what he does when he's away from the island.

We eventually learn that there's an ongoing issue in the world outside, where magic is disappearing and the magicians who wield it have all bent the knee to a council who decide how the limited supply can be used. Rowan had been part of that council at one point and is spending his time stealing magic so it can be used rather than stockpiled. The possible key to returning magic to the world is inside Biddy and she agrees to go along with Rowan's plan and use herself as bait - this involves setting off into the wider world and, naturally, the plan doesn't quite work out.

To be perfectly honest it's been a while since teenage protagonists, especially perhaps outside what is definitely YA, haven't been a hard sell for me - I found it hard to care about what happened to Biddy as the focus of the plot and the pacing of the story itself was very up and down. There were lots of interesting elements to the world building that eventually didn't particularly get used at all (the Púca, anyone?) and that was beyond frustrating, as was the rather two-dimensional writing of the antagonists.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher, via Netgalley. This is my honest review of the book in question.

The Magician's Daughter has its own take on magic and its community. But that is not what why I ended up loving this book. It were the feels they gave me.

And lets start there. Biddy came to live with Rowan as a young child and while Rowan is described as quite dashing there is never a moment where there is anything romantical going on between them. And so very often that is the case with these kind of plots, in a way that it becomes creepy. But that was not the case here and I trully appreciated their slightly dysfunctional family on the island. Biddy, Rowan, Hutch and all the island bunnies.

There was so much heart in this book. Between Biddy and Rowan, Rowan and Hutch, Hutch and Biddy. And between them all and the island that I ended up being completely swept up in their feelings. There is no perfect, like I said, a bit dysfunctional. Rowan (and Hutch) keep many secrets from Biddy. From a good heart but that doesn't always matter. But the love is there. From a father to his daugher. Because that is who she is to him.

As far as the plot and settings go,I was also very much entertained and engrossed. The idea of the magic system, of the dissapearance and where it comes from. The potentail magical history that was being hinted at, really grabbed me.

And while that ending to the plot was perhaps a bit obious, I didn't really care. Because I wanted that happy ending.

This was a cosy fantasy read that read in 3 or 4 sittings. It really did give cosy vibes. It was written, easy to read although it did also have some gritty subject matter in a magical world. I liked how all of the characters were developed and written. I loved Biddy!

Definitely a cosy nostalgic folklore meets contemplative historical fantasy, I did have a little trouble focusing on some parts but I really enjoyed this story.

The Magician's Daughter is a wonderful read, at the same time a carefully constructed and convincing depiction of magic at work in the modern (early 20th century) world, a perfectly drawn account of a young woman growing as she learns truths about herself and her guardian, and a joyfully exuberant celebration of life.

Bridget ("Biddy") is sixteen years old and has been brought up on an isolated island, Hy-Brasil, which is wreathed in magic and hidden from the mundane world. Her guardian, Rowan, who rescued her from the sea as a baby, is a mercurial, frustrating person, who keeps his secrets close. It's a narrow life, but one that Biddy enjoys and (despite growing curiosity about the mainland) wishes never to end.

Of course it does, and she's forced, very quickly, to take the initiative when Rowan disappears on one of his nighttime trips. That rapidly leads her into danger and squalor as she travels to London and learns more about the outside world, and about her own history.

I felt that Parry judged things very nicely here. There are hints that Biddy is growing up, becoming curious about herself and also frustrated with life on the island - but she hasn't, yet, come to any conclusions about all that. When change comes, it's forced on her, so her growing - what - concern? Scepticism? - about her life continues to evolve even as she takes on new perils, visits new places and lives a different life. I loved that sense of balance, just as I loved the balanced degree of peril in the book.

Yes, it turns our that Rowan has been struggling against powerful and arrogant men who have their own ideas about how the magical world should be ordered, and there are some frankly depicted scenes of violence and cruelty, but at the same time, this isn't a book where the fate of the world is at stake and as much suffering is being inflicted by the Dickensian conditions in an orphanage, for example, as by the antagonist magicians. Contrast that, perhaps, with certain magical sagas where poverty and vast inequality are just taken as the way things are.

There is also a distinct sense of moral ambiguity here. The book shows how good intentions can go awry, and how hoarded power may be seen as a reasonable policy which all the same, is itself an abuse. That puts Biddy in a dilemma when, for the first time, she understands that Rowan has kept the truth form her and, worse, has even lied. The moral lines are far from clear, and not having mingled with people in the wider world, it's not clear who she can trust - but it is clear that the consequences of a misjudgement could be terrible for her and for Rowan.

This is a story that draws the reader in, increasingly as the climax nears, Parry telling with great verve her account of conflict, deception and - possibly - redemption. It's both great fun and has a strong moral core and it kept me reading till midnight so I could finish it.

Strongly recommended.

Everything about the synopsis made me want to read this book. But unfortunately I don't think it lived up to its own hype. The book should have been a lot shorter. It was repetitive and kept dragging the plot out. I just didn't want to pick it back up again after finishing a chapter. The initial story in the opening chapters seemed quaint and then it just kept going over and over the same bits. And the amount of time Biddy was hanging around and waiting for other people to come back from some business or other n this book was phenomenal. I feel like it was just a book about Biddy waiting. Well I was waiting too - waiting for something to actually happen. Which I feel happened around the 70% mark. Maybe someone else will thoroughly enjoy this, but I just didn't. It seemed to have so much potential and I can see glimpses of the story it promised to be in here it just never quite hit with me.

This is a beautiful, whimsical coming of age story with a smattering of found family.

It 1912 and magic has been leaving the world for over 70 years. 16 year old Biddy has been living on a magical island with the magician Rowan and his familiar Hutchinson. Biddy dreams of leaving and going to all the places she reads about in her books, yet when the island and Rowan are threatened, Biddy needs to step and face her fears to save everything she loves.

There's so much to love about this novel; the setting, the characters, the themes of growing. Although, Biddy is 16, she isn't an annoying or irritating as she faces the challenges of growing up. I loved the character of Rowan and now I want my own little bunny familiar!

This is a perfect, cosy little novel. Thank you so much to Netgalley and the publishers for providing me with an arc.

A wonderful fantasy novel that is perfect for everyone who feels like the world has lost its magic. It has all the ingredients that we love in historical fantasy: books, magic, rabbits.. I did find the tone of the book more YA than I had expected, though.

4 Stars!

Synopsis: Biddy grew up on the magical island of Hy-Brasil, and has never left. But her guardian leaves often. One night when he fails to return by dawn, Biddy finds out that there are more dangers beyond Hy-Brasil than she could ever have known.

CW/TW: Death/Blood/Torture/Poverty/others may be present.

The Magician’s Daughter, by HG Parry is an easy and charming read with a dark streak born from greed and corruption.

The story is pretty straightforward, magic is disappearing from the world and Rowan wants to fix it. Biddy is not a magician but magic is all she has ever known and so she wants to help too. However, Biddy has never left Hy-Brasil, knows nothing of the wider world and in her heart all she wants is for Rowan, Hutchinscroft (Rowan’s familiar), and Hy-Brasil to stay safe.

But when Biddy has to leave the island with Rowan she soon learns why magic is disappearing, and the consequences of its absence. Through the plot we get this wider idea of magic being a part of the world that is not necessarily a ‘fix all’ but is something kind and good that can make the world a little better – which I thought was a nice idea. It isn’t often you see people in books fighting for the chance of a little better, and I thought the idea of it was very raw and human.

We also get a look at The Council, and how magic is regulated in the world. The world building is light, but we do get quite a rich look into the council and how it does, and did, operate in this world where magic once was everywhere, and now is fading. Aside from this we do get some other bits of world building such as Hy-Brasil, the Puca, mentions of the fair folk, and types of mages which I loved. But there was never much room to go into depth of this magic system as the story is centred around Biddy.

As for the writing, it is beautiful and compelling as expected of Parry! It is descriptive and rich, particularly when it comes to the characters. Biddy’s perspective works well with the plot, her specifically her lack of magical knowledge and sheltered life. It keep the plot, the twists and the turns interesting, especially when her view of characters she knows is challenged.

Biddy is a young and determined character but I appreciated her strength as well as her flaws. I also particularly liked that Biddy was reluctant to play hero at times, unsure of herself and others and doubted herself. It made her decisions and her story more compelling, it made her more compelling.

I also liked the characters of Rowan and Hutch. The two are a mystery, especially Rowan who keeps thing close to his chest and has a tendency not tor reveal things. But I liked how passionate he was and how dedicate he and Hutch are to each other and to Biddy.

We do get to meet some other characters but I’ll leave that for when you read! It plays out much better not knowing in advance!

Overall, The Magician’s Daughter by HG Parry is a charming and beautiful read that mixes in the harsh realities of life, greed and corruption, all through a magical lens.

*I received an eARC via Netgalley from Orbit books in exchange for an honest review – thank you!*

aaaaa this book was magical and cozy at the same time i loved it<333 also this book has one of my favorite aspects to read in fantasy: the main character, her “father” figure and his little pet (or in this case a familiar). it is such a niche but i love when that concept appears in fantasy🥹

seeing biddy (who has never really been out into the world and only knows it by the books she read) discover the beauty and also harshness of the world was also something i love!! the concept of magic being hoarded and kept when it could’ve been used to help the people in need was super interesting and alsoo very realistic (i love when authors incorporate real topics like this into their books that could create discussions, especially when it’s fantasy). i love how biddy is aware that despite her not being allowed to go outside of the island, her life was still better and more privileged than some people in the real world who have to face poverty, and that she wants to make it better for them as well.

thank you to orbit UK and netgalley for providing me an e-arc of this!🫶🫶

I really enjoyed The Magician’s Daughter, it’s so charming and whimsical. I loved that it was about growing up, finding independence, and drawing courage to do the task that needs to be done, even when hopelessness threatens to overwhelm.

I absolutely loved Biddy, her bookishness really won me over. I felt like Parry wrote her story in the manner of a wonderful timeless fairy tale, one that will appeal to all ages! I feel like many readers will see part of themselves in Biddy, making it impossible not to absolutely adore this book.

It was a little slow for my usual taste, but definitely something to savour rather than devour. I really enjoyed the cosy-feeling fantasy, even when the stakes were high!

I did enjoy the story as a whole but there is just something that I can't put my finger on that stops it from being a 5 star read for me. I'd say this is a decent read for those into YA magic based stories.

The progression of the story felt a little slow at times and some decisions the characters made seemed like they didn't fit and were only to move the story along. However, I liked the world-building/descriptions of Hy-Brasil and the magic system, it was an interesting take on where magic comes from and how it impacts the world in general. The use of familiars felt a bit off sometimes but I did enjoy the relationships between Biddy, Rowan and Hutchincroft.

Thank you to Little, Brown Book Group UK, Orbit, and NetGalley for the ARC

This was my first ever ARC (!!!) exchanged for an honest review. Thank you for this opportunity to review, and I wish it had been more my style.

I think my main issue was that what I expected was not what I got. I hadn’t seen any labelling of this as YA or adjacent and possibly I would have not picked it up if I knew this; I also struggle with ‘wholesome’ House-in-the-Cerulean-Sea-ish books.

I liked that we never really find out about Biddy’s parents and that she gets the same coming-of-age story, and break into adulthood, that children without an adopted/found family usually do. Parry, as in ‘Uriah Heep’, is excellent at building tension and morally interesting characters, but I really disliked the execution of these in the conclusion.

I enjoyed the first half of the novel where we follow Biddy’s doubts about whether her father-figure Rowan is absolutely morally right and has been telling the truth; this was somewhere where I felt her naivety was very well reflected. The ending felt like everything was tied up neatly and happily with very little of the moral ambiguity that came before: suddenly Biddy’s relationship to everything was perfect again. There was a shift: she now knew everything about magic’s disappearance (when she’d been clueless a couple of weeks ago) and she was able to come up with a very simple solution which (of course) worked. I get that adolescence has a little bit of thinking you know everything, but it’s usually an unstable state– not the complete-unknowing to complete-knowing I felt Biddy undertook.

It was a very slow read, but not (for me) in a way where you can really savour things: I don’t feel it was complex enough for that. It just took me a really long time to read and I just found myself frustrated and not wanting to continue. A lot of the problem with this one is with my tastes. Time to read something very dark and miserable now, I think.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing an eARC of this title.
I really enjoyed "The Magician's Daughter." It's set in 1912 but we get some flashbacks of the past. The story focuses on Biddy, the mage Rowan and his familiar Hutch (he's a rabbit). They are living on Hy-Brasil, a hidden magical island. But magic is disappearing. And it is a problem for the whole magical world. But not only is magic disappearing but so is Rowan sometimes because he's stealing magic from the council and sharing it with ordinary people. Oh, and Biddy has a mysterious shard of magic in her heart and nobody knows how it got there. I really enjoyed reading this book. The story grips you tight and doesn't let you go. I loved the character dynamics and their relationships. It was a pure delight.

In a Nutshell: A lovely coming-of-age historical fantasy with magical elements and creatures. Slow but enjoyable. Though YA in style, recommendable to all readers.

Story Synopsis:
1912. For as long as she can remember, sixteen year old Biddy has lived on the magical island of Hy-Brasil with her beloved but mercurial guardian Rowan and his magical familiar, Hutch the rabbit. As Biddy is not a magician but still confined to the island, she begins to feel stifled by her loneliness.
One night when Rowan fails to come home from his nocturnal outing, Biddy connects to him using his dream. Thus she discovers a little about where he goes every night, what’s worrying everyone in the world of magic, and what enemies lie awaiting Biddy, Rowan, and Hy-Brasil. At the same time, she learns that Rowan has not been honest about his past as well as hers. Can she continue to trust him? Is she safe at Hy-Brasil?
The story comes to us in the limited third person perspective of Biddy.

Where the book worked for me:
😍 Luckily for me, my friend and fellow reviewer Srivalli forewarned me to read this as a YA novel. The character development and writing style worked well with this approach. I admit, even as a YA, it is nicely written, and I didn’t roll my eyes even once, which is a usual occurrence otherwise. There are a few dark scenes but they are mostly off the page. The story does justice to the coming-of-age angle.
😍 For once, the main protagonist acted her age. Biddy was a sheltered sixteen-year-old, and this is exactly how she behaves through the book. As she is more exposed to the outside world, her awareness, her doubts, and her self-confidence grow. She uses her head and her heart while taking decisions. Moreover, her writing doesn’t come with tons of inner monologues and her thoughts feel very realistic. Both a huge plus for a YA story.
😍 The historical and fantastical settings were nicely written and in sync with each other. The author creates the atmosphere and imagery well through her descriptions, whether of the orphanage, or the island, or the dark dungeons. It was very easy to visualise the places.
😍 Hutch was one heck of a friend and guide. His personality was the most appealing among all the main characters. The bond Rowan and Hutch shared with each other was amazing. Give me more such bunnies in magical stories any day!
😍 Rowan makes for quite an atypical guardian. Bossy at times, indulgent at others, his protectiveness for Biddy adds a loving undertone to their relationship. His complicated character is perfect for the plot as he doesn’t come across as a clichéd guardian.
😍 Morgaine’s character adds a greater touch of feminism and womanpower to the story. Her determination to make it in the male-dominated world of magic while accepting the sacrifices and compromises that come with such single-minded focus feels genuinely relatable.
😍 Biddy loves books, and it shows every time in her approach to the people and situations around her. I appreciate how her bookworm nature wasn’t restricted only to a couple of pages but used as a strong feature of her personality throughout.
😍 I enjoyed the magical elements and creatures in the story. Even magic itself is almost personified in a way I have rarely read. I had never heard of the mythical island of Hy-Brasil, so learning about it was a plus. I wish there had been more magical familiars in the story. It would have been even more fun to read, especially if two familiars had to clash with each other over their mages.
😍 The story is a bit slow in the first half as it takes its own time to introduce us to Biddy, Rowan, and their lifestyle. But the proceedings were interesting enough for me not to lose attention. The second half is much faster.

Where the book could have worked better for me:
😒 The main antagonist was somewhat flat and underutilised. The story would have been much creepier and impactful had his arc been written in greater detail.
😒 The final chapter tries unnecessarily to create a foundation for a sequel. It feels too forced. The second half of this chapter could have easily been put as the introductory chapter of the sequel, if there is one being planned. This superfluous content reduced the impact of this book to a certain extent.
😒 A few aspects of the plot reminded me of other books such as Jane Eyre, LOTR, Harry Potter, Howl's Moving Castle,… Whether these were meant as an homage to the originals or just a coincidence, I'll not know. But they were somewhat distracting.

All in all, despite the few misgivings, I did enjoy this magical story. It would work well when you are looking for a heartwarming fairytale-style entertainer with a generous dollop of magic. Will work especially well for YA Fantasy fans. I’ll definitely like to read more of this author’s works.

4 stars.

My thanks to Little, Brown Book Group UK, Orbit, and NetGalley for the DRC of “The Magician's Daughter”. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.

The Magician's Daughter is a cozy historical fantasy about Biddy who grew up on a magical island and was raised by her guardian Rowan and his familiar. Biddy wants to leave the island but Rowan forbids her to leave. But one day Rowan didn't come to the island and Biddy has to leave the island to rescue him. First of all, I adore H.G Parry's writing style and she creates an amazing atmosphere for her stories. I really enjoyed reading it. The story is a little bit slower paced but we can really connect with the characters and get to know them. I loved the main character Biddy. I highly recommend it. If you want to read beautifully written cozy fantasy you should definitely pick this up.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the arc.