Thank you to NetGalley & TorForge books for the opportunity to read this incredible ARC. Erika Lewis offers a fresh and fulfilling take on a popular-if-full genre! Her worldbuilding is exquisite, her characters relatable, and the story itself absolutely riveting. I gave myself a full week for Kelcie Murphy and ended up finishing it over the weekend instead. The interweaving of Celtic mythology is skillfully done without the familiar sense of it being forced into the story. I definitely recommend!

Kelcie Murphy and the Academy for the Unbreakable Arts by Erika Lewis is a Rick Riordan-esque middle grade adventure about a girl who finds herself transported into a world of Irish mythology. Centred around Kelcie who grew up in Boston, knowing nothing about herself apart from her name, the story soon evolves into a fast-paced adventure when she finds her way to the Academy for the Unbreakable Arts and starts finding out more about her true powers and heritage. As is the norm with these sorts of books, she soon becomes part of an ancient struggle for the destiny of the world together with her friends. It is fun and a quick read – a very entertaining book that I think lots of readers will enjoy. However, I have to say it is not one that stands out, not in terms of plot, writing or characters. It is perfectly fine, but not one that I think I’ll be thinking about again or recommending to people much. If you think the premise sounds great, go for it, it may work better for you than it did for me though!

The Otherworld is at war. The Academy for the Unbreakable Arts trains warriors. And Kelcie Murphy--a foster child raised in the human world--is dying to attend.
A place at AUA means meeting Scáthach, the legendary trainer of Celtic heroes. It means learning to fight with a sword. It means harnessing her hidden powers and--most importantly--finding out who her parents are, and why they abandoned her in Boston Harbor eight years ago.
When Kelcie tests into the school, she learns that she's a Saiga, one of the most ancient beings in the Otherworld. Secretive, shunned, and possessed of imposing elemental powers, the Saiga are also kin to the Otherworld's most infamous traitor.
But Kelcie is a survivor, and she'll do whatever it takes to find her parents and her place in their world. Even if that means making a few enemies.

I absolutely loved this novel which narrates the story of Kelcie Murphy, renegade foster kid and closet magical Saiga.

Lewis has created The Otherworld, a place brimming with magic and adventure but also danger and mystery where Murphy is navigating her way through trying to develop and control her powers, solve the mystery of her parents’ abandonment and not get kicked out of AUA.

Adventure and mayhem, friendship and humour all topped off with an epic battle between good vs evil; this story had me unable to flick the pages quick enough to see what happened next and if Kelcie and her band of mismatched, magical mates won the war and graduated from their first year at the academy successfully with all limbs intact (if you know you know).

Three chapters in and I knew I wasn't going to put it down! With connections to myth and legend, and the always appealing "tough but loveable" main character, the fast paced writing sucks a test in and makes her hang on for the ride.

This book has all the elements that I love in a fantasy: a girl who is drawn into a magical world, meets new friends, attends an academy for magic, discovers new power, and finds herself in the center of an epic struggle against evil beings. Kelcie Murphy and the Academy for Unbreakable Arts weaves fascinating Celtic lore into this fast-paced, action-packed, imaginative adventure, as well as deeper themes of family and friendship ties. A winner all around!

I am always in for middle grade fantasy with fun covers like Kelcie Murphy has. It was a lot of fun though a bit unpolished in places.

Kelcie Murphy is a fun fantasy story that I hope we will get more of in the future. Despite some of the obvious tropey things (that I will get to later_ there is a lot of depth and characterization to be found in this story. The academy is to create warriors to defend Summer from Winter. For instance the kids have to go into a group that they will succeed or fail with. It is about team work. It is about doing things for another. It is not just about developing your own skills.

One thing that it obviously shows in is how they treat their disabled team mate. He was born without a hand and everyone in his family told him he wouldn't make it through the schools testing to get in, let alone the schools actual curriculum. It is not just magic they get but also physical training like sword fighting and climbing ropes etc. However when there was a trial where there was such a 'problem' they ran the trial again and again in a way to figure out a way for him to also get over the wall without treating him like a baby or a nuisance. I loved every bit of that (and also their solution).

So there is a lot of diversity and depth to find in this story. But I also saw some obvious tropey things that left the book feeling unpolished. Like the start. How of course Kelcie is an orphan. How of course her counciller on Earth is a bad guy. How of course no one questioned her arriving at the testing and nobody cared she didn't have anyone to let know she was staying at the academy. So absolutely convenient. Or who her parents turn out to be. Because of course. Or that she is one of the saiga, an ancient being that is looked down on.

Some of those were dealth with fine like the saiga bit, because there were a few other kids who also were at the school as saiga. She wasn't the first back at the school. But some of the other things really stood out from some of the well thought out things the rest of the story had.

But that doesn't take away from the fact that this is an excellent middle grade fantasy that i would love to read more off.

On Kelcie's first day at a new school, she gets abducted by two frost fairies and is forced to enact a short ritual. Kelcie had no idea fairies were real, let alone magic and rituals. When the fairies escape with a magical object, Kelcie tries chasing after them, only to land up in a strange world and in a magical school. Kelcie isn't interested in starting yet another school, but there's a good chance she'll be able to find out more about her parents and why they abandoned her, so magic school it is.

This was a fun middle grade/YA magic school book. It was supposed to have a Celtic mythical basis, but I didn't feel that came through strongly enough to really earn that appellation. Yes, there were some Celtic myth related ideas, like fiannas, cu sith, a couple of people from legends, but they didn't lend the story a particularly Celtic atmosphere. Like, I can call a group of my own friends a fianna, but that won't make us look or sound Celtic. So I wouldn't recommend this as a Celtic research reference, but it definitely is still a really great book, and whatever Celtic bits came through added a nice new flavor to an old favorite trope.

Kelcie always fended for herself. It was necessary, given how often she was moved from one bad foster home to the next. She doesn't expect that to change at a yet another new school, even if it is a magical one. But in order to pass and avoid expulsion, Kelcie will need to work with and trust the fianna she was assigned to: a one-handed boy, a boastful snobby girl, and their leader who lacks self confidence.

Like a certain other famous magic school book, the students are divided into different magical houses. Here, it was based on which powers they had: the ability to shift into a raven, turn into a cat (leopards included), telepathy & telekinesis, super strength, and elemental powers. Like that same certain book, Kelcie is an orphan who knew nothing about her parents or the magical world. And then discovers said magical world, makes good friends, learns about her family, and saves the world. This book stands on its own though. I'm only comparing them because if you've enjoyed Harry Potter, there are lots of similar elements that you'll likely enjoy this too.

I think this book would be good for a middle grade to YA audience. The characters are mostly twelve years old, although I don't personally know any 12 year olds mature enough to save the world, but who knows really, right? There are hints of romance, but nothing happens besides for a chaste kiss at the end. The next book will likely focus more on that, but I think it will remain clean. Mostly, this focused on friendships and family and secrets.

This school year is different from any other Kelcie has ever experienced. Her magic keeps blowing up with her emotions, her father may be evil, and the enemy fairies are using her for their own dastardly plot. Kelcie just wants to learn where she came from, but maybe agree would be better off not knowing.

Kelcie Murphy might as well be invisible; having grown up in the foster care system and tossed from home to home, she has never found a place where she truly belongs. No matter what trouble she finds herself in, though, her case worker is always there to help her find a new place to land. But when a field trip leads to an unexpected encounter with entities Kelcie otherwise believes to be fictional, she finds herself transported to a world filled with magic where she joins others her age to become trained soldiers. Complex alliances and riveting adventures surround Kelcie as she seeks to discover the truth of her past and who she truly is, and she must dig deep to collaborate with her fianna in order to protect the Lands of Summer from the evil that threatens them.

Following in the footsteps of the Harry Potter series, this book features a magical school where characters are sorted into Dens that connect to their unique abilities. Unlike Harry Potter, though, Kelcie is not sorted into the most popular Den; instead, she is even more ostracized than she was on Earth, and she must prove herself to everyone else in order to secure friendship over animosity. As a child of the foster care system, Kelcie has learned to fend for and rely upon herself, but despite feeling more at home in this new setting, she is still wounded by the ways others treat her. Focused around combat, the Academy for the Unbreakable Arts is a place where Kelcie discovers her inner strength alongside the means of working with others even when doing so is challenging.

Engagingly written, this novel does an excellent job of world building and placing readers inside Kelcie’s experience in the Otherworld. Readers discover Kelcie’s truth in tandem with her, causing the narrative to unfold in a compelling and often surprising way. Though a bit more exposition could benefit the overall plot, especially with Kelcie’s debilitating headaches and her life on Earth, the majority of the narrative flows smoothly and keeps readers’ attention throughout. Characters from Celtic mythology appear beside contemporary adolescents to create a dichotomy that is particularly intriguing and may inspire readers to investigate further once the story ends.

At the end of the book, readers will find a glossary of the new terms used within the narrative, complete with pronunciation guides and definitions of both the terms borrowed from Celtic mythology and those created by the author herself. Within the text, multiple fonts are used to reflect written and telepathic correspondence, enhancing the visual appeal of the book. The text is small and very little white space appears in the printed novel, but the chapters tend to be brief and the action moves quickly enough to maintain readers’ attention. Middle grade readers with a passion for magic and strong female leads will fall for Kelcie Murphy and eagerly await her next adventure.

Kelcie Murphy and the Academy for the Unbreakable Arts by Erika Lewis

As an avid reader of Middle Grade fantasy and someone with a love for Celtic mythology, I took on Kelcie Murphy. A new story to be released in March 2022.

My review is an overall good rating. The story follows the current trend of starting with big action before we know anything of the world. It’s very formulaic in the beginning. An apparent orphan, the heir or chosen one, ties to a magical world, and you guessed it, a magical school where students are divided into groups according to abilities.

If you stick with the story, Erika Lewis’ characters are worth the wait. Kelcie’s warrior group or fianna is comprised of diverse students who grow and learn together at the Academy of Unbreakable Arts. A school run by Scáthach, a name which will be known to any of you who enjoy Celtic mythology.

On the plus side, a secretive world, elemental powers, quests, plenty of surprises along the way. An enjoyable read for lovers of the genre.

Kelcie Murphy and the Academy for the Unbreakable Arts is a great start to what will be an exciting series. It had lots of twist and turns that were unexpected. The folklore that was integrated into the story was interesting and the other characters were well developed and interesting. I am looking forward to seeing what happens next to Kelcie.

I generally don’t think it’s fair to a book when it’s pitched for fans of a specific series because it immediately sets expectations for a work that should stand on its own. However, there’s really no better way to describe Kelcie Murphy and the Academy for the Unbreakable Arts other than a mashup of Keeper of the Lost Cities and a Celtic version of Percy Jackson. The opening scene on a school museum field trip where Kelcie watches a suspicious adult transform into a mythological creature and try and spirit away gave me such vivid flashbacks to my 12-year old self reading Percy Jackson. Unfortunately, it didn’t leave me with the same sense of wonder from experiencing this story for the first time.

Kelcie herself is a plucky protagonist who has lived her entire life believing herself to be human until this fateful day. She is then magically teleported to a new world where she hopes to find the truth about her parents that abandoned her as a child. If that sounds familiar, she’s Sophie Foster to a tee - and has a matching set of multiple powers that haven’t been seen at the Academy in centuries. I’d hesitate more to make this comparison if it wasn’t so glaringly obvious.

I was intrigued by the premise of Celtic mythology being used in a middle grade fantasy setting, and I do think this lore is what sets Kelcie Murphy apart from every other series in the same genre. But I don’t think this mythology was really fleshed out enough for me to believe in this world. This was largely the result of spending almost the entirety of the novel at the campus of the School for Unbreakable Arts. It makes the world seem very small, especially when I never felt like I had a very clear grasp of setting or even the hard lines of the magic system itself. Instead, more page time was spent in training and battle sequences happening inside (used loosely) the classroom. I did appreciate Kelcie’s small found family group that she forms during her time at the Academy, especially her friendship with Brona. I am always a sucker for friendship that starts on rocky grounds that resolves into a true bond, especially in middle grade fiction where female friendships never seem to take center stage in order to let the protagonist herself shine.

Ultimately, the target demographic of this work may have a better time with Kelcie Murphy if they are looking for a largely plot-driven, action-filled fantasy romp. I personally wish this book had a little more to distinguish it from other middle grade works that have taken these tropes and done them better, but still had a good enough time with it. I don’t think the story will connect with adults looking to capture some of the magic of their own nostalgia around similar stories, but perhaps a new group of younger readers may fare better.

What worked:
The familiarity of the format makes it easy to follow, as Kelcie is whisked away to a secret school and discovers she has rare elemental powers. The students are divided into five houses that don’t always get along. Most classmates fear and mock Kelcie, so she’s an instant outcast. It’s fun to see how authors take this basic premise and modify it to create their own stories. Kelcie’s fianna of four first-years won’t move on to the second year if any one of them fails, so they have an incentive to cooperate. Kelcie’s powers frequently go out of control and put people and property in danger of being destroyed. She needs to muffle her powers instead of practicing to let them grow. Creatures impossibly appear on school grounds, and no one can figure out how they’re doing it. The Lands of Winter and Lands of Summer are in the midst of a never-ending war, and it seems clear the war is finding its way into the academy.
The book presents mysteries to make readers wonder about what’s going on behind the scenes. The plot opens with Kelcie becoming an heir, but the heir of what? She has no idea what happened to her real parents until she receives a broken message from her father. He warns her to leave the academy immediately, return to the human world, and keep running. She decides to stay at the academy. Kelcie hears a voice that sounds vaguely familiar, but she’s not sure what it’s trying to tell her. She keeps secrets from the school and her friends about what’s happening until she’s forced to reveal the truth.
Kelcie’s friends are interesting characters that enhance the plot. Brona is the best at everything and other girls want to become her closest friends. She’s the daughter of a goddess and seems to have everything going for her. However, things are not always as they seem, and Kelcie gets a sense of déjà vu when she’s around Brona. Then there’s Niall. He becomes Kelcie’s friend from the beginning, and everyone else, including his family, doesn’t want him at the academy because having one arm guarantees he’ll fail. The fianna learns to work as a team to help all of them succeed.
What didn’t work as well:
There are a lot of characters from different houses, fiannas, and school staff, and it’s sometimes difficult to remember them all accurately. However, the important thing is to focus on the four members of Kelcie’s fianna and everything else will eventually make sense. The characters aren’t a huge issue so readers should still fully appreciate the exciting adventure.
The final verdict:
The clash between Summer and Winter. The plot follows the successful format of similar novels. Kelcie is a likable underdog, and the teamwork within her fianna creates a positive story of cooperation and trust. The creative twists to the plot will entertain most middle-grade readers, so I recommend you give it a shot.

In this book we join Kelcie - a child raised in the human world, who after a rough meeting with a couple of magical individuals, gets transported to The Otherworld.
Here, Kelcie arrives at The Academy for the Unbreakable Arts where they train up youngsters with magical powers - and Kelcie realises that this is where she wants to be. With strong magical powers, Kelcie and her friends go through magical trials which test relationships and abilities.

I really enjoyed this book. To me, I would rate this at the older end of middle grade.

This was an action-packed middle grade. I liked the characters and the magical world created. The mythological references were great. Would very much recommend.

Thank you to the Publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review.

If you're looking for a magical school story to replace Harry Potter on your bookshelf, this would be a good start... but while I think that's great as an option, I don't necessarily think it's a hugely rewarding reading experience for someone who's already read Potter. I'm probably being overly negative, because this is a perfectly serviceable book, but the whole time I was reading this I couldn't help but draw comparisons between the two because the beats felt exactly the same - lonely orphan discovers a magical school and a weird world they knew nothing about; turns out, they're the most important person with powers no-one else has; friendship problems mix with magic classes, weird teachers, and attacks from a legendary villain. I'm pleased there are some new books coming out with these themes, but for me, I just couldn't get into it because it felt like I'd read it all before. Also, the pacing is truly bizarre - the opening of the book does about five seconds of set-up before we're launched into the magic, which makes it very hard to get a feel for Kelcie as a main character. As I say, if you go into this one with the correct expectations you'll probably have a great time, but personally I was disappointed.

I absolutely loved this book! It was fun, imaginative, and full of excitement and magic. It’s a fresh take on Celtic mythology, with rich worldbuilding and engaging characters. Kelcie is one of my new favorite heroines, one that I know will surprise and delight many middle grade readers (and grown-up readers, too!).
Kelcie’s never had it easy, having been bounced from foster home to foster home, but her struggles shift and change as she learns the truth about her social worker and finds herself transported to The Academy for the Unbreakable Arts. She manages to get herself enrolled at this awesome and magical school, where five dens of students work to perfect their magic and fighting skills. As her adventure continues, Kelcie finds friendship, elemental magic, the truth about her family and past, and her own agency.
As I read this book, I couldn’t help but think of all the students I would recommend this to. It’s fun, exciting, sweet, and easy to immerse yourself in. I’m definitely looking forward to more Kelcie books!

Thank you to Macmillan-Tor/Forge and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Kelcie Murphy and the Academy for the Unbreakable Arts by Erika Lewis is an all-ages fantasy that will appeal to fans of Harry Potter and Percy Jackson. The story revolves around Kelcie, an ordinary girl who has bounced from foster home to foster home in the human world. Unbeknownst to her, she's actually "the heir." She has magical powers, and she has to go to a magical academy to train. Will she be able to

Here is an excerpt from Chapter 1 that introduces us to the setting::

"There were no seismic quakes, horrendous storms, nothing suspicious at all to warn Kelcie Murphy that she was about to unleash the greatest evil the world has ever known. Only a field trip to the Boston Museum of Fine Arts.
She’d been suddenly moved back to Boston last week, to a group home as miserable as the last nine, and it was her first day at yet another new school.
The bus ride was filled with the usual awkward smiles. Kelcie did her best to remain invisible, choosing a seat in the very back, and slinking down, pretending like she was asleep."

Overall, Kelcie Murphy and the Academy for the Unbreakable Arts is a Chosen One story that will appeal to fantasy fans of all ages. Besides for the well-known books that everyone will compare it to, I was also reminded of Studio Ponoc's Mary and the Witch's Flower, which I enjoyed a lot! One highlight of this book is the Celtic mythology that is woven into the plotline. The author included a helpful glossary at the end of the book. If you're intrigued by the excerpt above, or if you're a fan of fantasy in general, I highly recommend that you check out this book when it comes out in March!

Celtic Mythology FTW!
Kelcie is one of my favorite characters of 2022 Kid Lit. I know, I know, another magical book? But, I mean, the way things are going, I must insist that we envelop kids in magical worlds so that they get some respite from reality. I’m so happy to report that this is the start of a series, and it is sure to be one of your kid’s favorite adventures this year.

I received an advance copy of this book via NetGalley.

<i>Kelcie Murphy and the Academy for the Unbreakable Arts</i> follows the same magical school tradition as Harry Potter, but manages to deliver some new twists and worldbuilding in a world that draws on Celtic mythology. Kelcie has been passed around in foster care around Boston for years. Her current case agent isn't the best, but she's a bit surprised when he turns out to be a fairy and forces her to touch an artifact in a museum--and from there, things get even weirder, as her necklace ends up being a key to a teleportation-tree. She's dropped at a magical school on the first day of a new term, and by the obliviousness of adults and her own wits, gets herself enrolled. There, not only are her magical powers revealed, but the truth about her family and her past.

At the start, the plot felt too contrived. Kelcie had a great, fierce attitude, but not much agency. Gradually, though, her take-charge spirit began to actually take charge. This is very much a cozy read. I don't mind terribly that some of the major twists were a bit obvious. They were still fun! I enjoyed Kelcie as a character, and the friendships she develops with other kids are wonderful. At heart, this is a fun, immersive frolic, and a great set-up for more books.

Going from foster home to foster home, Kelcie knows nothing about her parents. Until weird things start happening and she ends up at a magical school. Still has to make friends, face mean kids and tough teachers.

An action-packed magic school book full of lovable characters! This is the kind of story with the kind of world-building I would've wanted to return to over and over again as a kid, imagining myself as a student at the Academy alongside Kelcie and her friends. The twists and suspense as Kelcie tried to unravel the mystery of her past had me completely hooked. I also loved the use of Celtic mythology, plus the team-as-family trope (one of my favorites). Anxiously awaiting the sequel!