I am so excited to be hosting a spot on the Kelcie Murphy and the Academy for the Unbreakable Arts tour hosted by Turn the Page Tours. The premise of this book interested me from the get-go. It sounds similar to the books I used to love when I was a bit younger and I was hoping to recapture that feeling. Check out my review and see some of my favorite quotes from the book! Also, make sure to check out the rest of the tour schedule here to see the other reviews.
About The Book:
Author: Erika Lewis
Pub. Date: March 1, 2022
Publisher: Starscape Books
Genres: Middle Grade, Fantasy, Adventure
Pages: 325
Goodreads Link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/57693426-kelcie-murphy-and-the-academy-for-the-unbreakable-arts
Book Purchase Link: https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250208255/kelciemurphyandtheacademyfortheunbreakablearts
Book Description:
Brimming with Celtic mythology, action, and danger, Erika Lewis's Kelcie Murphy and The Academy for the Unbreakable Arts introduces readers to a new kind of magical school and a warrior who must choose with which side of an epic battle her destiny will lie.
Rating: 4/5
About the Author:
The Otherworld is at war. The Academy for the Unbreakable Arts trains warriors. And Kelcie Murphy—
a foster child raised in the human world—is dying to attend.
A place at AUA means meeting Scáthach, the legendary trainer of Celtic heroes. It means learning to fight with a sword. It means harnessing her hidden powers and—most importantly—finding out who her parents are, and why they abandoned her in Boston Harbor eight years ago.
When Kelcie tests into the school, she learns that she’s a Saiga, one of the most ancient beings in the Otherworld. Secretive, shunned, and possessed of imposing elemental powers, the Saiga are also kin to the Otherworld's most infamous traitor. But Kelcie is a survivor, and she’ll do whatever it takes to find her parents and her place in their world. Even if that means making a few enemies.
"Did you rub roasted meat on your face, Kelcie Murphy?"
"Between these two girls, I'm gonna drop dead of a heart attack before the day is over."
"That was fun."
"Fun isn't the word I would use..."
"Well done, fianna three. But why is it you're always breaking things?"
"That when you four work together, there is nothing that can stop you from accomplishing your goals."
Review:
I was really excited to get an arc of this book and be allowed to read it. I used to love books like this when I was younger and I was hoping I would get to re-experience that in this book. I had a couple of issues with the book, but overall it was what I was hoping it would be.
The characters are probably the strongest part of this book. Kelcie makes for a good main character. She’s someone who you can root for while also being sure of what she wants to gain by joining the academy. She was likeable and her actions made sense with her past. Especially since she seemed to grow desperate to follow the rules and stay at the academy.
The side characters were just as good. The rest of Kelcie’s fianna were strong. Each had their own motivations for joining the academy and wanting to succeed. They weren’t given the deep-dive treatment that Kelcie was, but it was also clear that they weren’t side characters or characters written to be thrown away. The group meshed well together and built off each other to form a believable group with solid dynamics.
I have a couple of issues that I mention later but one of them is that I thought the beginning dragged a bit. However, I’ll give my kudos to Lewis. When the book picked up the pace and started to dive more into the training and action side of the story, it was good. The author introduced characters and talents that led to really interesting fight scenes. It might have been nice for their group to have a Cat in their fianna. I doubt it would have extremely changed the story, it just might have been cool to see how a Cat was interwoven into the fights.
The plot was interesting. I’ll admit that I’m still not positive what to think about this story. The plot was an interesting one that kept the book moving at a good pace with decent growth. My problem is…I guess it just didn’t feel well-explained. Everything felt like it was explained in a rush and I honestly still don’t know why she was able to remove the lids, why removing them was bad, why the other person had control. This might be a series that delves deeper into this, but the plot (as interesting a premise as it was) left me kind of scratching my head.
I have a couple personal issues with this book that stopped it from being a 5-star read for me. One is that I felt the beginning dragged a bit and then suddenly introduced a lot of people and terms to know. I was overwhelmed and often scrabbled to remember who was being talked about at the moment. It was a bit of a struggle. Another personal problem I had (and this one is definitely personal and nothing to do with writing or pacing) is that I really wish book series like this would stop adding romance. I get why they do, it’s just not something that works for me in books like this anymore. I’ll give this book that it was only hinted at/starting, I just wish it hadn’t been there at all.
This book was an interesting experience for me. I really enjoyed these characters, even side characters that barely got mentioned. My personal favorite minor character is Roswen. I don’t even know why, just something about her. The characters were well-written and had an interesting dynamic. The action scenes and fights were a lot of fun to read. Whether it was them fighting creatures or trying to solve a challenge, it was fun and unique. The world felt well-built. My problems are that I struggled a bit at the beginning to get into the story and then it felt like everything and everyone was thrown on top at once. Also, the plot around the eye just really confused me. I must have missed the part where everything was clearly explained, but who knows. This was an interesting book and premise though. If there’s a sequel, I’d probably read it.
Erika Lewis grew up in Alexandria, Virginia, spent summers with her grandparents in
Worcester, Massachusetts, and currently lives in Los Angeles, California. With a
passion for storytelling set in magical places, she spends as much time as she can
traveling. When she’s not writing, she can generally be found scribbling notes in a blank
book while wandering through abandoned buildings, all kinds of museums, and
graveyards.
A graduate of Vanderbilt University, her list of credits straddles the comics and novel
space, including Game of Shadows from Macmillan’s Tor Books, Firebrand and
Acursian from Legendary Comics, #Guardian from Awesome Media & Entertainment,
and The 49th Key from Heavy Metal Publishing. The Color of Dragons is her debut YA,
coming from HarperTeen October 19th, 2021, and Kelcie Murphy and The Academy for
the Unbreakable Arts is her middle grade debut coming from Starscape/Macmillan
March 1st, 2022.
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