I am attempting to go back and read some of these older books to bring up my ratio, but unfortunately I can't find a copy of this in my library system! I will not be reviewing it apologies :(

A big thank you to Netgalley, the publishers and the author for sending me a copy of this book to read and review.

This took me longer to read than it should have because of the format of the ARC. For this reason I was only able to read it on my kindle and not on my phone. However I did enjoy the story and most of all I loved the friendship between Owen, Perry and Trish. I’m glad I requested this one as it has just made me want to binge middle grade.

Sorcery for Beginners is a guide to the rules of magic. Very interesting format, which I usually appreciate, but in this case, I think perhaps a straightforward narrative style may have served the story better. I found much of this book to be very dry, and it was hard to motivate myself to keep reading. I didn't have a connection to any one character, either. Owen was okay, but breathtakingly naive. Perhaps this book didn't work for me because I, as an adult, am not the target audience. After all, adults can't perform magic, so maybe we can't really understand it either.
2.25 stars

*I received a review copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.
Thank you to Inkshares and Netgalley.*

I loved the format of this! For it to be like a guidebook felt very different and unique and made the reading experience very enjoyable. Plotwise it was fun, but I wasn't all too keen on Owen. Felt more middle grade than YA, which I thought is what I requested.

This is a fun book for anyone who likes magic, Harry Potter, etc. It has a different take on magic (doesn't work for adults) and solid teenage characters. My students would enjoy it.

Sorcery for Beginners is modeled as a self-help guide to magic in a world where magic was lost to the rise of technology and a young boy is drawn into a centuries-long war and must uncover the secrets of sorcery in order to survive.

I dnfed this book after 20 percent since it reminded me too much of other fantasy middle grade books. I liked the little quirky sidenotes but I found them too quirky and not benefiting the story for me to like the book much more.

DNF. Unfortunately just didn't end up being the book for. Apologies for not being able to deliver a proper review.

"Five-hundred years ago, sorcery began to fade from the world. As technology prevailed, combustion engines and computers replaced enchanted plows and spell books. Real magicians were hunted almost to extinction. Science became the primary system of belief, and the secrets of spell-casting were forgotten. That is... until now.

Sorcery for Beginners is no fantasy or fairy tale. Written by arcane arts preservationist and elite mage Euphemia Whitmore (along with her ordinary civilian aide Matt Harry), this book is a how-to manual for returning magic to an uninspired world. It's also the story of Owen Macready, a seemingly average 13-year-old who finds himself drawn into a centuries-long war when he uses sorcery to take on a school bully. Owen's spell casting attracts the attention of a ruthless millionaire and a secret society of anti-magic mercenaries, all of whom wish to use Sorcery for Beginners to alter the course of world history forever."

Do you have shivers? Because I have shivers. And hopefully not just because I'm really cold...

Sadly, no matter how I tried opening the file, it was illegible. Maybe I'll pick up the finished product one day, as it had an interesting premise.

I really have no idea what exactly wasn't for me, but I wasn't into this one.

I was kindly accepted to read this ARC but sadly after I downloaded when I was first accepted, it now won't open so I can't read it - I'm so sorry!

2.5 OUT OF 5 STARS

I have quiet a few mixed feelings about this book. On one hand I enjoyed certain aspects of it, on the other some things frustrated me. I had no idea how to rate this book for the longest time. (I’m still conflicted with my rating, but we shall go with it.)

For some reason I couldn’t get into the writing of this book. First of all my ARC had some technical difficulties, where I couldn’t read everything properly – so that was frustrating, though not the actual books fault. (I’m sure that won’t be a problem in the finished copy.) Aside from that the writing didn’t impress me much, it was simply all right. The illustrations in the book were great and I really enjoyed seeing all the hand-movements for different spells.

The magic in this book was very interesting. This book is written like a guide to it (which you can guess by the full title of this book), and that made understanding all the concepts and how the magic works very easy. The story was interesting, but didn’t capture me completely. That was because I didn’t connect with any of the characters and that makes it hard for me to enjoy the story. Most of the time I just didn’t care, but then something really interesting would happen. As I already said, very mixed feelings about this book.

This book also deals with a heavy topic – the mom left the family at the beginning of the book. And the cast of characters is very diverse, racially that is. I can’t say anything about the representation for them as I don’t qualify for that.

A little rant incoming.

It’s not filled with spoilers, as what bothered me happened at the very beginning of the book.

I thought that Owen was too trusting. Who in the world trusts a girl he only met yesterday with a magic book he just discovered? (He only interacted with her for like 5 minutes.) This seriously bothered me! Like isn’t it common sense not to do that? You don’t even know her, or anything about her! (Aside that she likes historical stuff.) And then the girl brings him with her to her friends to research the book, people he has NEVER even seen before. This part seriously frustrated me! Sorry, but being too trusting is a pet peeve of mine when it comes to characters.

Rant over.

I think this book was just aimed at a much younger audience than I am. I do tend to enjoy middle grade books from time to time, but this one just didn’t seem to be for me. Overall it was an interesting book, but not one that blew me away. I would still recommend it, especially if you are looking for a gift for a younger reader. Personally I won’t be continuing with this series.

It’s rare to find a book aimed at children, with a distinct voice to the narrator, that is also enjoyable as an adult. SORCERY FOR BEGINNERS is a surprisingly mature story that deals with bullying, social injustice, betrayal and yes, sorcery.

This was a really good read. The formatting was very unique. The book is actually formatted like a guide book but with a story. The spells sprinkled throughout are beautifully illustrated. Even some of the "facts" in the sidebar boxes include a bit of humor.

Owen is developed quite nicely as a character. At first he seems like an average kid but through team work with his friends and tough situations he learns how special he really is. The author does a good job of making you fall for each of the three main kids; you can't help but root for their success.

I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys books with magic and humor. It definitely has similarities to the first couple years of Harry Potter but without the boarding school setting.

Incredibly stylish and visually appealing, this book certainly intrigued me with its mix of magical textbook and story elements.

I already know I'm going to put this book in as a cheeky little part of a Christmas present to the DM of my D&D game. It is such a cool, interesting, book, and the COVER. IS. IMPECCABLE.

The premise of this story was intriguing and i think this is a great read for middle graders. who doesn't love magic? I would have loved something like this book when i was 10 or 11 years old. my favourite part was all of the drawings throughout the book, i thought it added a nice touch to be able to see the hand movements for spells and even some of the scenes like first meeting Ms. Whitmore in the book story.

I thought the concept of this book was pretty cool in general and enjoyed reading it. I felt this was a fun book for younger readers and would be enjoyed by many older readers as well. I thought the flow was good and the prose of the author was acceptable. The development of the main character was good and some of his companions were interesting. The antagonists of the story were pretty typical, but put together in a complex way.
*** Spoilers ***
Having to face the younger and the older Ferretti, as well as the ever present threat of the Euclideans at different points made the plot more interesting. It also allowed the story to flow along, even making it very easy for a sequel. I did wonder why when the first character we are brought in on is about to lose the book there is an intervention, but when Owen even actually loses it, it is all up to him to figure out. I felt like that was a little fishy, but didn't kill the plot. I thought the ending was a little soft, even the story points out Owen could have been caught by the Euclideans when he made the book invisible. He didn't have to make the hard choice and determine something he could erase from time. Perhaps he couldn't change his own timeline without harsh ramifications, but it felt like we were eluding to a more complex decision at the ending with Owen hopefully making a brilliant realization that solves the problem. Instead he backed his way into something that in all rights should not have worked and was very simple other than not telling the reader he succeeded in using the invisibility spell. Overall I thought this was a good YA book, I'd give it 4 stars. It might be more like 3.5 stars if you're an adult, but it's a fun read either way.

If Hogwarts were real this would be one of the first year required books. A highly entertaining, easy-to-read book, with diagrams, spells, and trivia.

I love the plotline, as a child, I too was bullied and used books as a way to escape. That's where our similarities end. Lol....
The plot itself is action-packed and kept me engaged throughout. I was able to read this book within 2 hours because I was so captivated by the story.

The textbook format was quite unique, giving it an official feel. I also love the cover art. This is a book that I would love to see in a leather bound edition one day to add to my collection.

The illustrations were lackluster, to say the least. The ones in the book fell completely flat for me. Coupled with some questionable dialogue, these were really the only two cons of the story.

Regarding dialogue: I was not convinced with the dialogue of the characters. I'm not sure if the author has ever been around the targeted age group, but too my knowledge they don't speak this way. In some areas, this really took away from the plot.

I would recommend this book for ages 9+.