City of Stolen Magic

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Even though we’re supposed to root against the antagonist from the start simply because he’s British, it takes quite a long time before he actually starts to feel like a proper antagonist. When the story shifts to Tipu’s point of view, the transition feels a bit awkward. And it also feels like the story incorporated one or two ideas too many. Less is more in this case. With more focus on fewer ideas, those core ideas would have stood out more. On the day Chompa disregards the warning against using her finger magic, her Ammi (mother) tries to quell it and is discovered and taken away. What i liked about the story is the magic system where we get to learn about djinnspeakers and djinnborn children. How they can work with different elements and djinns. I also really loved the Author's note as it shows what inspired the author to write the scenes in the book which were related to the British rule and the racism, theft and the slavery faced by the Indians and also other minorities. Chompa lives with her mother in a small village in India. Her mother is teaching her to write charms and learn her Farsi, whilst sternly encouring Chompa to never use her 'finger magic'.

City of Stolen Magic by Nazneen Ahmed Pathak - Google Play City of Stolen Magic by Nazneen Ahmed Pathak - Google Play

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City of Stolen Magic is a fantastic middle-grade fantasy adventure. With a well-imagined magical system, enchanting worldbuilding and compelling characters, I was swept up in Chompa's story. Her journey, from a small village in India to the seat of the Victorian empire in London allows for an interesting exploration of British colonialism for a young audience, with a fantasy twist. Loved this book! Chompa was such a likeable protagonist for me, and I was so engaged in this world and its ancient history of magic.

City of Stolen Magic | BookTrust City of Stolen Magic | BookTrust

I also have a soft spot for Tipu, who proved he could stand up for himself and was an amazing and kind-hearted friend. Note: Since this is a children’s book, I think it is important to let readers know that the story includes a death scene. This is a charming and delightful children's book , I loved howit was full of family and friendship, with such a beautiful mother daughter relationship. I also appreciated the emphasis on colonialism and the British Empire affect and injustices they imposed. So refreshing to read the truth and hopefully many more to follow Chompa is a flawed but relatable character, particularly for children, she is impulsive (as children tend to be) and this impulsivity does lead to negative consequences that she then works tirelssly to fix, even when the adults around her seem to think it impossible. Chompa her determination and resourcefulness to her advantage and making sacrifices to help others.However I did find that I was more invested in side characters stories than the main characters. By the 60% mark I was missing Tupu and his story which I found more interesting than Chompa’s story. I think it may have been because I didn’t really gel with Chompa as a character as much as I did with Tipu or Laurie. Which I must mention, Laurie’s sarcasm made the book that much more enjoyable for me. But I think my disconnection with Chompa despite her emotional journey in the book is because the book seems to treat Chompa as older than she is. In the first like 10 chapters I thought she was a teenager maybe 17. Turns out she’s still a child, which I should have expected since the book is middle grade. But the writing of the book left her age ambiguous when it wasn’t explicitly mentioned. Maybe this is because Chompa saw herself as older than she was but considering it’s third person and not first person that message got a little lost in execution. Hair was what princesses worried about, but in real life, it got in your eyes and mouth… Chompa threw the scarf aside. She was never going to be a princess. And she didn’t want to be one, either. She was something far more powerful. She was a witch.”

City of Stolen Magic by Nazneen Ahmed Pathak, review: a critique of City of Stolen Magic by Nazneen Ahmed Pathak, review: a critique

A gripping and spellbinding fantasy woven together with threads of magic, secrets and colonial history . . . An incredible cast of characters and a truly multicultural Victorian London that we don't see often enough' - Rashmi Sirdeshpande, author, Dadaji's Paintbrush The book has a captivating premise, with a well-crafted magic system and a rich setting. Among the many characters, my personal favorites were Tipu and Laurie. Their duo was the best thing in the book. The concepts of djinn-borns and djinn speakers, finger magic, and written charms were fascinating. The author beautifully portrayed the friendships between the characters and the mother-daughter relationship. It effectively reflects the cruelty and exploitation of colonialism through the lens of magic.

Vivid and fast-paced with a courageous young heroine, City of Stolen Magic is a spellbinding debut and I couldn't put it down. When Chompa discovers that people born with magic are being transported to England by the sinister, all-powerful ‘Company’, she knows she must follow. Within a few cliffhanger chapters, she has found herself on a perilous quest through Victorian London, during which she starts to untangle the truth surrounding her father, and discover where the true limits of her magic lie.