The Magician’s Daughter by H.G. Parry Book Review

The Magician’s Daughter by H.G. Parry Book Review

If you’ve been craving a good coming of age story, H.G. Parry’s The Magician’s Daughter is exactly what you’ve been looking for. In The Magician’s Daughter, Biddy is the adoptive daughter of a reclusive magician. She’s grown up on an enchanted island and longs for the adventures that the mainland seems to represent. Her wish is granted when her adoptive father’s enemies catch up to Biddy and her adoptive family. Now she finds herself on a mission to save not only her adoptive father, but also her home and even magic itself. I found the Magician’s Daughter to be an enjoyable story that will be appreciated by both adult and younger audiences. Biddy’s story was a pretty typical coming of age story with the young heroine being forced to leave home on a quest of self discovery. At the beginning of the story, Biddy has led a very sheltered life and I was highly entertained by her wonder at everyday things like trains and stores. Moments like that really made me appreciate how it is easy to take ordinary things for granted. And although Biddy grows as the story progresses, I was warmed by the fact that the author chose to allow Biddy to retain some of her initial wonder all the way to the end of the story. In my opinion, The Magician’s Daughter was a moderately paced story. It was not one that hooked me beginning to end, but also did not bored me as I read it. I was particularly interested by the author’s exploration of magic as a living entity rather than the more common trope of magic as a tool. The trope of found family was also very strong in The Magician’s Daughter and led to some rather touching moments. Unsurprisingly Biddy was the star of this story, but a second favorite of mine was the magician’s rabbit familiar, Hutchincroft.

I’m a sucker for animal companions and Hutch’s relationship with Biddy had me going “Aw!” quite a bit, especially when he was able to comfort her at a time when he wasn’t able to speak. Last, but not least, I enjoyed how the author incorporated Irish mythology into the story, which added to its at times fairytale quality. Fans of Irish myth will absolutely recognize some of the figures in the Magician’s Daughter and will likely enjoy the role they play in the story. Overall, I thought that The Magician’s Daughter was a solid 4 star read.