Sophia, Mia and Alexis are clinging on to a spark of hope that maybe – just maybe – they’re special. But could they really be witches with the power to cast life-changing spells? When the three friends gather to cheer up heartbroken Sophia, they’re ready to put their theory to the test. But when long-held secrets are revealed and hard truths start to hit home, their night of bewitching quickly takes an unexpected turn …
What Magic Is This? at it’s heart, is a tale of friendship. It is the binding agent to this spell, one of the most important ‘ingredients’.
Sophia, Mia and Alexis are all well-rounded, distinct characters, each going on their own personal journey in the course of this novella. This was very well done, as this is such a short book, but it manages to create and follow through on a story arc for all three of the characters. The characters deal with a discourse on self-love and self-worth, mental health, and explore relationship dynamics both romantic and platonic. These are similar topics/issue that we all have dealt and deal with – therefore, making this book instantly relatable. And hopefully, as it did for me, end with a heart warming feeling that these are things you can grow, evolve and learn from.
However, I do think I would have enjoyed this more if I haven’t read so much of Holly’s other work, or read this in such a close time frame to The Places I’ve Cried in Public, as they all begin to feel very similar. The relationship between Sophia and Aiden in this felt like a very watered down relationship to the one within The Places I’ve Cried in Public. This doesn’t mean that Holly can’t write about the same themes and topics more than once, but I find that her catalogue is beginning to feel like the same idea, over and over again.
3/5 stars.
A Gathering of Books & Magic 