User Reviews
Rating: really liked it
Kyana lives in the Park Row neighborhood with her mother and grandmother. After turning 12 she discovers that she descends from a long line of Magicks and is actually a witch. And there are more witches and wizards all around her neighborhood! Her mother enrolls her into a magic school that hosts sessions in a room behind their regular hair salon.
One thing I can say about all the Black girl magic school middle grade books releasing this year is that they're all very different and I appreciate the variety. While the spells are cool and cause some chaos I wanted more clarity about the inner workings of the magic system. There's so much room to tie in the beauty salon aspect more. And with Kyana being a potions witch I'm interested in seeing what she comes up with when she starts experimenting more in future books.
Where I think where this story truly shines is with the relationships Kyana has with her family, friends, and neighbors. Kyana lives in the hood where parts of the neighborhood are going through gentrification but at the same time lack of funding still affects her school including her new magic school which has less money compared to the other magic schools in the area. Themes of supporting your community are emphasized throughout the story. We're introduced to multiple characters of different economic standing and we see how that effects their day to day lives as well as attitudes.
The relationship Kyana has with her grandmother is not one I often see in books. Her grandmother or Memaw as she affectionately calls her, helps raise her and passes down family recipes and heirlooms. Memaw is in the early stages of Alzheimer's disease and J Elle takes care in her portrayal of how the family is dealing with it.
While the ending seemingly wraps up with a neat bow there's still much that can be explored. Overall the is was a pretty solid start and the fast pacing is sure to keep readers engaged.
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Rating: really liked it
This book was so sweet and fun and engaging and I didn't want to put it down! It feels so fresh and fun and I LOVE magic schools, and this was the magic school I've been WAITING for.
Rating: really liked it
This was such a fantastic story centering Black girl magic!
Rating: really liked it
A magic school in a real world setting and some baking too!
I liked that this book is set in a regular town and focuses on some middle school kids instead of creating a fantasy land for witches. The characters are relatable and their struggles can be translated to real world issues.
This story isn't overly complex and a bit predictable, but a good amount of content for the intended age group.
I hope Kyana has some follow-up adventures now that she has figured out her magic more.
Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for providing a copy of this ARC for my honest review.
Rating: really liked it
June 10, 2020: Magical? Black MC? Ownvoices? OKAY, WOW.
Rating: really liked it
This MG gem is such an incredible read, filled with hope, humor, food, magic, and love! Every kid struggling to accept themselves, flaws and hidden talents alike, needs to read this story!
Rating: really liked it
A Taste of Magic by J. Elle is one of those books that feels like a slice of childhood and personal nostalgia that's perfect for all ages. While I was more familiar with her darker Wings of Ebony series, the impact of the life lessons hits just as well here. With lots of baking, Black Girl Magic, friendship and family, this Middle Grade contemporary fantasy is a fun and sweet story I won't forget anytime soon.
Kyana Turner discovers on her twelfth birthday that she's a witch, thinking about how she's going to help her family. However, it's not so easy as she has to juggle magic life with friendship and math. Kyana is a great protagonist and relatable to many, outgoing with the urge to help her family, yet wanting to dive into this new magical world, and I love her growth and determination throughout. The supporting cast was fleshed out too, with several layers of depth, and some characters surprising me by the end.
The story's well paced, juggling between Kyana's school life, family life and witch life, with most of the first half focusing on the new world of magic she's enveloped in by her discovery, before the second half focuses on baking and saving the new life she's grown to love. I laughed quite a bit throughout, and I appreciated the nods to Black culture (I love that J Elle isn't shy to add all the things in her books), including the hair texture activated wands and that the magic school is in a hair salon! I'm sure my younger self would have loved that! Regarding the magic side of things, there's a whole culture under mainstream society that comes with rules, potions, spirits, magical ferrets, wands based on hair texture, but my favorite was the ability to transport people into Nintendo games (something that's been a dream of kids since the 1980's). The baking portions are just as prominent, reminding me of my childhood days in the kitchen, and with the focus on magical potions, it was a perfect match for this story. I like how everything ties into the themes of community and determination in something that's easy to grasp for kids, but still resonates with adult readers, making this a great read for both to read together. While parts of this book made me nostalgic of my own childhood, it fits right at home with the kids of 2022.
There's also three recipes in the back of the book, which I can't wait to try out.
This is highly recommended for those that like contemporary fantasy with a whimsical and more "Disney-esque" feel, no matter how old you are. I await to see what type of adventures Kyana will go on next and await more books from J. Elle!
*I received an ARC from the publisher, Bloomsbury. All opinions are my own.*
Rating: really liked it
This magical middle grade fantasy by author J. Elle was so good!
I really enjoyed the story of Kyana finding her magic, and the school she has to fight to keep open! This book addressed issues of racism and classism in an assessable way, giving the reader a fun magical adventure while tacking these important issues.
Kyana was such a strong character, and I really enjoyed her journey. I also liked most of the supporting characters, though Russ was hard to take, and his backstory didn't make sense to me fully.
But I still really enjoyed this book!
Rating: really liked it
Such a fun read
Rating: really liked it
Elle, J. A Taste Of Magic (Park Row Magic Academy #1)
Published August 30th 2022 by Bloomsbury
ARC provided by the publisher
Kyana lives in the Park Row neighborhood of Rockford, and goes to Thomspson Middle School with her best friend, Nae. It's an area that struggles a bit, but is progressive; Key is able to take a class on African American History and Diaspora studies. Her mother works long hours on her feet, but has the support of her mother, Meemaw. When Kyana sees sparks flying from her fingers and starts to notice similar light around various businesses in the neighborhood, she wonders what is going on, but her mother tells her that it is her magical powers coming to the surface a little early. There are a lot of rules surrounding dealing with magic, and one is that Kyana must attend a magical school for six months to learn how to use her powers. If she doesn't, she will have to be "sanitized" and have all of her magic removed. Even though it means missing Nae's birthday party, Kyana reports to Ms. Moesha's Park Row Magic Academy in the back of Ms. Moesha's beauty salon. There are about 30 other students, including the popular Russ, who goes to Kyana's school. She makes friends with Ashley, and hopes to get chosen for the Charms specialty, since that is a path that leads to good job prospects. There are only two people chosen for that, and only one chosen for Potions. Most students end up in the general magic path. Kyana struggles with math in her regular school, and struggles with many different aspects of her magical training as well. It is intersting to learn about the magical community, which has come to the US from Winzhobble, and is having some difficulties that aren't apparent to the outside world. She also has to deal with lying to Nae, which puts a strain on her relationship. Her grandmother is starting to slip further and further into dementia, which increases the burden on Kyana's mother. When funding runs out for the Park Row Academy, the students are all in danger of having their magic stripped from them. They are given the opportunity to go to other magical schools, but the cost, as well as the matter of transportation, is not something that Kyana and her family can bear. Hoping to save her school, Kyana uses her skills as a baker to enter a competition, but things don't go all that smoothly. Will Kyana be able to reverse her spells that have gone wrong, learn to control her magic, and save her neighborhood school?
Strengths: Kyana is a character with whom many readers will identify: she wants to do well, but gets distracted when she really needs to be putting in the work. Nae was a good foil for her, reminding her to spend ten minutes reviewing her math every day! It was fun to see a local, neighborhood magical school instead of the far flung magical boarding academies we usually see, and contrasting it with a posh local school points out the inequities of the US educational system. There are many, many details about magic, magical outfits, magical creatures, and magical food that will absolutely delight readers of series like Black and Clare's Magisterium. I appreciated the fact that there really wasn't a central, horrible magical villain that Kyana had to fight. That alone makes this fresher than many similar books!
Weaknesses: I often wonder why so many books about magic focus on the problems with it. Not only is the school in danger of closing, by Kyana has a lot of trouble mastering the spells, and there are a lot of rules and regulations. Younger readers may enjoy the wealth of details more than I did; subplots like the one involving Russ and the breeding and selling of Groits gave this book a lot of different facets to keep straight.
What I really think: This is another great choice for readers who liked Mbalia's Amari and the Night Brothers, Okogwu's Onyeka and the Academy of the Sun, Dumas' Wildseed Witch and Clayton's The Marvellers.
Rating: really liked it
My official blurb: Funny and sweet and absolutely charming. Middle grade readers will be going wild for this gem of a novel that is literal Black Girl Magic.
Obviously, I LOVED this book, and it was so fun reading it in book form this time!
Rating: really liked it
A Taste of Magic is a really unique take on a magic school and magic system! Park Row Magick Academy is not the super fancy magic school you’re use to. It’s located in the back of a Black woman owned beauty salon. The school is extremely underfunded and lacking the resources it needs for it’s students to thrive. It has only lasted this long because of its dedicated teacher Ms. Mo. PRMA mirrors many of the schools in poor, underfunded areas all over this country.
Middle grade stories have some of the most genuine and pure relationships. Kyana has a multigenerational living arrangement with her mama and Memaw. They are such a tight knit family even though Kyana’s mom works a lot. Aside from Kyana, Memaw was my favorite character! She was constantly dropping this little nuggets of wisdom and nurturing Kyana’s passions which reminded me of my own grandma ðĨ° I also adored Kyana’s friendship with Nae and the new bonds she formed with the Magic kids at Park Row Magick Academy like Ash and Russ.
A key takeaway from A Taste of Magic is that a Black child can make a mistake and not be vilified for it. Too often in our society black and brown kids are not given the grace to make mistakes and learn from them. It was refreshing to see Kyana be allowed to make a mistake, realize it and come up with a solution with the support of not only her family but the witch community as well.
The common household substitutions for magical ingredients Kyana found and used from the old spell book Memaw gave her were really ingenious! For example creaming together Kool Aid powder and cocoa butter as a substitute for slug skin paste when making the antidote potion.
The food descriptions throughout the book had my mouth watering. I never wanted a bowl of gumbo or a slice of cake so bad in my life! Being a GA girl, I agree with Memaw that the best food you’ll ever find is down south ð
So much of this story resonated with me and I know BIPOC kids especially Black kids are going to love it. I can’t wait to see where this new series goes!
Thank you NetGalley and Bloomsbury USA Children’s Books for an eARC of A Taste of Magic in exchange for an honest review.
Rating: really liked it
Kyana has just found out that she is a witch. She has to balance her new weekend witch training, middle school classes, and her friends. What happens when all of a sudden her witch training school is going to be shut down, she makes a mistake while trying to save it, and she her best friend is mad at her? Well that’s a lot for one 12 year old girl.
This book isn’t just about magic and cooking. There are so many great things discussed like owning your mistakes, apologizing when your wrong, and so many others. I think this would make such a great middle school book club book. (I might even do it for my middle school library.) I will definitely get a copy and recommend it.
Rating: really liked it
A charming story about a magic school, baking, friendship, and determination. When Kyana discovers she's a witch she finds herself lying to her BFF, trying to learn spells that will help her overworked mom around the house, and entering a baking competition to save the magic school in her neighborhood. I loved the determination Kyana had to fix her mistakes, prove adults around her wrong, and show that even though she and her friends are young, they can solve big problems. Middle school students will truly enjoy it!
Thanks, NetGalley!
Rating: really liked it
This was magicky and Blackity, Black, Black and I LOVED IT. Real review to come.
