The fourth story in the A Tale of Magic series continues the magical journey of Brystal Evergreen as she navigates a world where magic is both feared and suppressed. In this installment, Brystal finds herself facing new challenges and uncovering dark secrets as she delves deeper into the magical realm. She meets new allies and discovers the power of friendship and unity in the face of adversity. As the story unfolds, Brystal and her friends must confront powerful enemies and find a way to protect the magic that is vital to their world. The fourth story in the A Tale of Magic series explores themes of courage, resilience, and the importance of standing up for what you believe in. It showcases the transformative power of magic and the impact it can have on individuals and society as a whole.
As Brystal is targeted for her proficiency in magic, she gets pulled into the middle of a horrible plot to bring down the royals. She is forced to choose the right path and stay one step ahead of those who would see her fall. It is sure to be a harrowing feat, but what fairy tale works well without a few twists and turns throughout? Colfer has pure magic in his veins as he creates this formidable series that is sure to impress many.
Chris Colfer is spot-on with his depictions throughout this piece, pulling the intrigued reader in with the opening pages and never letting the thread of the discussion go from there. When a deadly conflict brewing in the north forces Madame Weatherberry to leave, it s up to Brystal and her newfound school friends to harness their powers and save the day.
It showcases the transformative power of magic and the impact it can have on individuals and society as a whole. Brystal's journey serves as a reminder that even in the face of overwhelming odds, one person can make a difference and inspire others to join their cause. The fourth story in the A Tale of Magic series is a captivating and magical adventure that will keep readers hooked until the very end.
Book Review: How to Confront Hate and Discrimination with A Tale of Magic
I have never read any of Chris Colfer’s Land of Stories series though it has been recommended to me, so I didn’t really know what to expect when I opened this one to try to prepare for an event at the store. A Tale of Magic… is I think a prequel series to The Land of Stories. I began an ARC of the story in October and didn’t finish it until the very end of December, but I kept reading it past the event, and I finished it, which I can’t say of every book that I begin for an event. There seemed near the middle to be enough parallels between the story that I thought Colfer might be telling and the story that I am struggling to tell that I decided that I had to finish this one, even if the event was long over. (I managed just about 150 pages before the event.)
The book didn’t end up going quite the direction that I thought that it might.
In the Southern Kingdom we are introduced to Brystal Evergreen. Brystal is living beneath laws that are deeply misogynistic. Women are allowed only to pursue motherhood. They are banned from reading or even entering the library. But Brystal has brothers. She has studied law alongside them and reads novels that her younger brother sneaks to her. She manages briefly to hide a part-time job as the library’s nighttime maid, reading through the library’s offerings after close.
One book reveals to her the corruption of the government, the manipulation of laws for the purpose of consolidating the power of the government, and another reveals the existence of good magic, fairy magic instead of witchcraft.
I would actually have liked to have spent more time with Brystal’s family, the dynamics of which I found very interesting, while she slowly picks apart the prejudices that have built her world, but that wasn’t the story that Colfer wanted to tell.
Reading a passage from that second book reveals Brystal to be a fairy, and her magic lands her in a Correctional Center that is really a workhouse, from which she is rescued by a mysterious and obviously magical Madame Weatherberry, author of the book that landed her in such trouble.
The magical community is even more oppressed than women are in the Southern Kingdom. Magical peoples have been pushed to the dangerous In-Between, which is outside of the control of any of the four kingdoms and where resources are scarce for such a large population.
Madame Weatherberry begins a school for magic with the intention of training fairies to do good works for the non-magical inhabitants of the kingdoms and by so doing erase the prejudice and suppression that causes non-magical people now to hunt the magical.
That was the original thought of my own WIP’s protagonist, though recent years have made me more cynical. I wanted to see if Colfer was able to convince me that there was some good to be achieved through such a plan.
Then I thought that Colfer’s characters might begin to see as I have that “Stonewall was a riot!” and that only through revolution is revolutionary change achieved.
Neither was really the direction that the book went.
Instead Brystal * learns to leverage society’s fear of magic by leaving alive a greater threat that only she and her classmates are powerful enough to fight. She and her classmates attack no one but neither do they perform good works across the kingdom. *
The writing was at times not subtle enough for me, perhaps a little didactic. I was not wholly on board with how easily Brystal accepts the leadership role into which she is thrust nor how adult she acts or how quickly the protagonists pass through their challenges. The magic system was vague, but it worked, because I never felt that the magic was anything other than a stand-in for other inborn traits that lead to discrimination in our world.
Knowing some of Colfer’s biography, I felt it likely that magic was here a stand-in for an LGBTQIA+ identity, though there was no instance in this book of any romance—which itself is a welcome change. This book touches too on the dangers of a culture of toxic masculinity with the character of Xanthous, the only masculine-presenting fairy that we meet.
I marked several poignant ideas from the novel, thoughts mostly on how to change the world and why the world is hateful and how to react to the hate in the world.
My ARC is 61 pages shorter than Goodreads advertises that the book is in the final print; I don’t know what was added or what other changes may have been made between the ARC that I read and the final print copy, though I know that mine lacked much of the artwork, most places where illustrations will appear merely held with the phrase “ATK.”
Colfer, Chris. A Tale of Magic… Illus. Brandon Dorman. New York: Little, Brown-Hachette, 2019.
This review is not endorsed by Chris Colfer, Brandon Dorman, Little, Brown and Company, or Hachette Book Group. It is an independent, honest review by a reader.
Knowing some of Colfer’s biography, I felt it likely that magic was here a stand-in for an LGBTQIA+ identity, though there was no instance in this book of any romance—which itself is a welcome change. This book touches too on the dangers of a culture of toxic masculinity with the character of Xanthous, the only masculine-presenting fairy that we meet.
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Reviews for "Uncovering the origins of a powerful sorcerer in the fourth installment of A Tale of Magic series."
1. Sarah - 2 stars - I was really disappointed with the fourth story in the "A Tale of Magic" series. It felt like a rehashed version of the previous stories and lacked originality. The characters were underdeveloped, and the plot was predictable. I had high expectations after enjoying the previous books, but this one fell flat for me. I hope the next installment will bring back the magic and excitement that was missing in this one.
2. John - 3 stars - I found the fourth story in the "A Tale of Magic" series to be a letdown compared to the earlier books. The pacing was slow, and the plot dragged on without much action or suspense. The writing also felt repetitive, with unnecessary descriptions and excessive dialogue. While there were a few moments of intrigue, they were overshadowed by the overall lackluster nature of the story. I hope the next installment will regain the charm and sense of adventure that made me fall in love with this series in the first place.
3. Emily - 2 stars - As a fan of the "A Tale of Magic" series, I was highly disappointed with the fourth story. The plot felt disjointed and unfocused, making it difficult to stay engaged. The characters, who were previously well-developed and relatable, seemed one-dimensional in this installment. The storytelling felt rushed and lacked the intricate world-building that drew me into the previous books. Overall, it was a disappointing addition to the series, and I hope the next one will be better executed.
4. Michael - 1 star - I couldn't bring myself to finish the fourth story in the "A Tale of Magic" series. The writing was dull, the plot was uninteresting, and the characters were forgettable. It seemed like the author was simply going through the motions without putting much effort into creating a captivating story. I was extremely disappointed as I had enjoyed the previous books in the series. I would not recommend wasting your time on this installment.