Louis Sachar’s The Magician of Tiger Castle is clever, unexpected, and quietly brilliant. His humor hits exactly the right way—sharp, subtle, and perfectly timed. The narrative is playful and layered, keeping me just a step behind in the best possible way. It’s the kind of storytelling that invites curiosity without ever giving too much away too soon.

Though it may look like a book for younger readers, it’s clear this one’s aimed at an older audience. There’s real emotional and thematic depth woven through the whimsy. It’s thoughtful, surprising, and stays with you long after the last page.

The Magician of Tiger Castle is a delightful book about a magician who created magic potions in the sixteenth century but somehow now lives among us drinking cappuccinos. It’s a humorous tale told in the first person by the magician who is humble, kind and willing to experiment with all sorts of strange concoctions if they will serve his needs. Anyone who enjoys fantasy, a bit of magic and lots of laugh-out-loud moments will love this book. It is a quick read that captures your attention and heart from the very beginning. I highly recommend it.

This was requested because of the author but the vibe of the book just wasn’t for me. It wasn’t a bad book but I needed some higher stakes or something to make it feel compelling.

A book for adults written by the amazing Louis Sachar? Yes, please! (Although honestly what adult wouldn't enjoy Holes?) This book is definitely historical but it is also a romance. And a fantasy with a dash of magical realism.

The Magician of Tiger Castle is quite the spin on fantastical fairy tale. It's obvious from the very beginning that our narrator, Anatole, has an almost unbelievable story to relate. This makes the book hard to put down once you start reading because you want to know how everything will be resolved. Anatole is, in fact, the titular magician (of sorts) in a castle which has just acquired a tiger. He's quirky and amusing and a bit of a coward; definitely messy. And he is very good with potions. Which is both good and bad. There are very bad people in the book and very good people. There is an intelligent, spunky princess who is betrothed to an odious prince in an attempt to save the kingdom of Esquaveta - a fictitious kingdom located in Europe somewhere south of France. Unfortunately, before her wedding day, Princess Tullia has the audacity to fall in love with a lowly scribe who is then immediately sentenced to death. Anatole is ordered to administer opium to Tullia so that she will forget her beloved scribe and compliantly wed the awful prince. Anatole, however, has a different plan.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for a digital ARC!

As a fan of Sachar's childrens books, I was drawn to read this adult fantasy, which in fact could also be considered a young adult novel. The story is told in contemporary times by a magician who has lived since after the Dark Ages and before the Renaissance, in the country of Esquavita. As the king's magician. he is tasked with developing potions that will enable a wedding to happen against all odds. The princess, who is like a daughter to him, must marry a despicable prince from a neighboring country, but she is in love with a lowly scribe. Anatole must accomplish the impossible, always with the threat of being fed to a tiger if he doesn't succeed. This is a fast-moving and enjoyable story.

"The Magician of Tiger Castle" by Louis Sachar is an adult fiction. I had trouble distinguishing between characters. Though it as set during the Renaissance it has several sections where the main character goes into the present day . I have read most of Sachar's books for Young Adults and have found them to be well written where everything is resolved at the end of the book. "The Magician of Tiger Castle " is different in that it has vulgar language on occasion, though I think that if you took this language out, you could a good Young Adult novel.

The Magician of Tiger Castle is Sachar’s first book for adults, but you don’t need a driver's license to enjoy it.

This magical adventure is a present-day fairytale of forbidden love—told in the past—through the eyes of a centuries-old magician, Anatole. Anatole has a problem: Princess Tuillia is in love—not with the rich, nasty neighboring prince she is betrothed to—but with a lowly apprentice scribe. The king’s solution? Have Anatole create an anti-love potion to save the kingdom from bankruptcy and shatter the young lovers’ hopes for happiness. On the eve of her marriage, the plucky princess goes on the lam with Anatole and the scribe, leaving the unmarried prince a changed man.

With the world in disarray, The Magician of Tiger Castle is the escape I needed. Sachar is an irresistible storyteller, weaving his story as he seemlessly travels between present-day Anatole sipping a cappuccino and castle-magician Anatole concocting a potion. I had so much fun with this tale that I’m heading back to Sachar’s earlier books to experience the magic all over again.

A quiet and unassuming little story. This was a fun blend of light fantasy and historical fiction, with a very small dash of romance (though that is very much not the main focus of the story, despite being the plot catalyst). The chapters were short, the narration and prose were conversational, and while the ending was not particularly satisfying, it was overall an enjoyable read. I look forward to its release in August!

I was so excited to learn that Louis Sachar wrote a book for adults (he's usually a YA author) and he did not disappoint this reader. His storytelling and character development are second to none. You will fall in love with the magician and his life story. The chapters in this book are short, but each one is poignant or pithy and carries you along on Sachar's journey. The story line takes just enough twists and turns to keep you engrossed but not so much that you have go back and look to see if you've missed anything. I can't wait to share this book with friends and family.

This was immensely enjoyable. The major plot itself wasn't super unique or anything, but the narration and point of view made it something else entirely. So cozy and delightful, learning about Anatole throughout the book was the really important part, not really the plot. For an immortal magician, he's really quite human.

Thank you, NetGalley, for the Arc!

4.5 rounded up.

I really enjoyed the writing style. The narrator is telling his story from 500 years ago while living in modern day which makes for fun little side comments regarding things that people misunderstood during the Renaissance.

I chose to read this arc because I love Louis Sachar. I actually went into it assuming it was a kids' book, and the style was easy to read, so it actually took me a while to realize it wasn't his usual audience.

Very fun read!

Louis Sachar, long known for his children's books has created an adult fantasy. In a kingdom somewhere south of France hundreds of years ago, a princess was betrothed to the prince of a country with which her father, the King wants an alliance. However, the princess instead falls for a lowly scribe and turns to the court "magician" Anatole to put a stop to the wedding. As he tries out various potions, and spends time in the dungeon when they appear to fail, Anatole never falters from his friendship and pseudo father role to the princess. Will the lowly scribe and the princess manage to get away and live "Happily Ever After?" Only Anatole can offer us his memories of the past and let us draw our own conclusions.

Similar in tone to "The Inquisitor's Tale" by Adam Gidwitz and "The Beatryce Prophecy" by Kate DiCamillo, "The Magician of Tiger Castle" could have easily been a Young Adult novel if a few bits of offensive language and a short scene in an "inn/brothel" had been changed. It was an enjoyable read but librarians should caution youngsters and their parents who are fans of Sachar's other works that this is not a "kid's" book.

This book was extremely different than what I typically read. The prose felt very conversational, as if the lead character was sitting next to me and telling me the story. It took a while for me to get into that style, but once I did, it flowed well. I enjoyed the storyline and the cast of characters. The story was quirky and the author injects moments of wit and humor throughout the novel. I was surprised by the plot line involving the mouse and without giving away any spoilers, I liked that twist a lot. There was a moment in the book where there was a quote that did not sit well with me. It related to unwanted advances and men/women. I found that to be an interesting take, but not something that would be consistent with the current cultural climate. The author chose to add this in the Acknowledgments section of the book as well. While I understand the reference to the time and previous quote, I would have rather seen a statement that focused on the unforgiving nature relating to the man who missed his chance. The connotation of "unwanted advances" for me struck a nerve and did not receive the outcome that I believe was desired by the author. Finally, I enjoyed following along with Tullia's timeline and like how her eye colors were featured (both in her and again at the end).

I picked this up because of the author name, and didn't at all read into it. I have always loved Louis Sachar, and was surprised how different this is to the books of my childhood but how much I loved it. I read late into the night and then all throughout the next day to finish it. I had no way of predicting what would happen next, and at no point did it disappoint.

As this is Louis Sachar’s first book for adults I didn’t know what to expect, but I am happy to say this delivered. A fun fantasy filled with magic, danger, love, adventure, and a little bit of regret. It’s a classic enough story, but with a charming narrator and enough hijinks and funny moments to make it something more (sort of in the vein of The Princess Bride, in that it’s recognizable as a fairy tale-like story but with twists and great characters). My only quibbles are the weirdly short chapters, which chopped the book up a bit too much for me, and the scenes of the future, which I felt like I either wanted more of or less of. They were sort of a weird in-between that maybe didn’t give me quite enough information and felt a little bit frustrating. I hope Sachar continues to give us more grown-up novels that still cater to the child in most of us.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an E-ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The Magician of Tiger Castle by Louis Sachar, a good read. Not too heavy and not too easy, a just right read that ends in a truly closing way.

A seemingly immortal magician in a 16th century kingdom is caught up in politics when an evil prince is set the marry the young princess of the kingdom and her recognizes the sadistic prince as the man who had killed the love of his life. The first 200 pages have everything a fantasy novel should, magic, stalwart companions, a bit of romance, smart characters, and an evil antagonist.

Court magician Anatole wants to go down in history as great, but his fate isn't looking good as he is falling out of favor with the king of Esquaveta. But an opportunity for him to prove himself arrives when Princess Tullia, promised to marry the prince of neighboring kingdom to secure a much needed alliance, instead falls in love with apprentice scribe Pito and refuses to marry the prince. If Anatole can get the princess to the altar, he will secure his spot in history, but in doing so he will betray Tullia, who he thinks of like a daughter.

This book was well-paced, with twists that surprised even as they fit into the story well. The characters were great too. Tullia and Pito's love story was cute, if troubled. The concept of science disguised as magic was really interesting, although a couple truly magical instances stretch the limitations of science. I only wish we could gotten a conclusion of stories of the other two main characters besides Anatole, although his tale was very intriguing!

A court magician must come up with a plan to save the princess from being married off to a cruel king while also gently removing her memory of her beloved lowly scribe.

This story is sweet and its simplicity is effective. It creates a cozy tale that feels like a warm hug.

Sometimes too detailed in information about the time period, this creates a web that connects in unexpected ways. A few less details wouldn’t hurt.

Louis Sachar - now thatis a name that takes me way, way back to my days as a shy little elementary school student who speedily devoured titles "Holes" and the Wayside series as part of his voracious reading. Now, I’ve read some wonderfully, eye-openingly informative books so far this year. I’ve also read some great, gripping reads, and even a few heart-rending titles. However, until now I don’t think I’ve read anything as entertaining and just so plain fun. The combination of historical fiction, its take on magic, and the way it confidently leans into its low-key weirdness made for a romp of an escapist read that honestly kind of made me feel like a kid again. I honestly really enjoyed this first foray that Sachar took into adult writing, and I genuinely hope I can see more works like this in the future - fantasy with a twist that feels both unique and also nostalgically familiar.