Published By: Mountain Leopard
Pages: 302
Released On: 05/08/2025
Is true love the greatest form of magic?
Long ago, in a kingdom far away, the magician of tiger castle is on thin ice. Once the greatest in the land, Anatole’s spells have dried up. He can’t even turn sand into gold anymore. The only one who still believes in him is kind Princess Tullia, and he hopes – for the sake of their friendship – that he can soon redeem himself and stay within the king’s court.
When the opportunity arises, Anatole is faced with an impossible decision. Princess Tullia is betrothed to the prince of a rich neighbouring kingdom, an alliance which will save bankrupt Esquaveta and all its citizens. But, Tullia has secretly fallen in love with a lowly apprentice scribe and refuses to wed the prince.
The King tasks Anatole with the most difficult magic of all: an anti-love potion. Anatole can save everything and everyone if he can shatter the young lovers’ romance. But, with the fate of the kingdom hanging in the balance, can he achieve it? Can he even bring himself to try? After all, is true love not the purest form of magic?
*****
Thanks to NetGalley and Mountain Leopard for the advanced copy of this title in return for an honest review.
I mean, is there any British child who hasn’t grown up reading (and watching) Holes by Louis Sachar? It’s like a right of passage. And now he’s ventured into the world of adult fiction.
I don’t want to say anything negative about this because I am a fan of Louis and his books were a common thread in my childhood reading…
But…
I am unsure that his talents lie in adult writing. It still felt quite juvenile. If you hadn’t told me that it was an adult novel, I wouldn’t have guessed. It reads as a children’s story (not that there’s anything wrong with that per se), which meant I was expecting something I didn’t really get.
I also felt it was a bit too…on the surface. I felt no real depth, no real charisma or chemistry between the characters, they all felt very 2D “Princess” and “saviour” types.
It is in the first person which is something I generally dislike. I think it works in thrillers when you need a personal stake in the plot, but it didn’t work here I don’t think, and I think that’s because the characters aren’t all that memorable, and so the first person narrative didn’t grab me. I think I would have had better luck if we had that distance that a third person narrative gives, and I was able to form the characters for myself.
It did have a very beautiful cover and short chapters, which are instant gold stars in my books. It’s an unusual idea, it’s quirky, it’s entertaining and passed a few hours; it’s fresh but still gives us elements of the childhood fantasy novels we used to read. But it didn’t grab me, and I don’t think it will be a book that will linger with me.
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