Ella is the first Conjuror to attend the Arcanum Training Institute, an elite school that usually only accepts marvellers to practice their cultural arts. Being the first is difficult, but Ella manages to make some friends. When circumstances beyond Ella's control puts suspicion on her family, will she be able to keep her place in the school?
The author clearly uses the Harry Potter world as a jumping off point for this novel. There are too many similarities and does not help The Marvellers stand out as an original or unique middle grade novel. Readers in the target audience may not care that this is a parallel type world to the Potter Universe, but adult readers may find it annoying. I would find myself spending time looking for those references instead of being immersed in the the world created by Dhonielle Clayton. Overall, it is a good story with a world that is too closely related to the aforementioned to make it truly stand out as unique.
The author clearly uses the Harry Potter world as a jumping off point for this novel. There are too many similarities and does not help The Marvellers stand out as an original or unique middle grade novel. Readers in the target audience may not care that this is a parallel type world to the Potter Universe, but adult readers may find it annoying. I would find myself spending time looking for those references instead of being immersed in the the world created by Dhonielle Clayton. Overall, it is a good story with a world that is too closely related to the aforementioned to make it truly stand out as unique.