I absolutely James' Pages and Co. series. It was delightful and fun and as soon as I started reading I was hooked. Imagine my delight then when I saw that the author had a new series beginning - one that looked and sounded every bit as magical and enchanting (literally and figuratively). Unfortunately, I'm in the vast minority (I may literally be an n of 1!) and did not enjoy this one at all... I could not get into it. I could not connect to the characters. Granted, I am not the target demographic - but after thoroughly inhaling the other series, I didn't expect that to matter. But somehow it did. The writing style felt formal and never drew me in, nor did the characterizations or world building. I have no idea why, but this one just did not work for me at all...

Such a fun book! Full of magical adventures, secret society and sibling bonding. Anna James' engaging writing and fast paced plotting with energetic characters kept me hooked till the end. Something of a similar energy would be the manga series Hooky. I think if you liked that series, you would also love Chronicles of Whetherwhy. Looking forward to the next one in the series! Thank you NetGalley and Penguin Group for the eARC. All opinions are my own.

What worked:
The characters of Whetherwhy fall into different magical focuses related to the “five” seasons. Children of age go through a ceremony to identify the season guiding their futures. Spring is the season of creation, summer is for revelation, autumn is the power of transformation, and winter is to soothe and calm. An exception is the citizens who can use powers from all the seasons and become enchanters. Juniper is the main character when she’s identified as an enchanter and is sent to Thistledown Academy for her schooling. Readers will join her as she learns to control her powers. A unique aspect of these abilities is the enchanters weave strands of magic from different seasons to create spells. Think of it like sewing together the ingredients of a recipe.
The plot is fairly uneventful until Juniper’s trip to Thistledown offers readers a taste of what’s to come. She doesn’t understand how a horse-drawn carriage can complete a two-day trip before school starts tomorrow morning. The driver, Nimbus, picks up two more beginning students including Zinnia, a pompous rich girl, who readers will notice flaunts her superior attitude throughout the story. At an inn, the children encounter several threatening men and something unexplainable happens to Juniper. Juniper’s twin brother Rafferty reenters the book about a third of the way in when he takes an apprenticeship to be nearer his sister. He meets Jessy, another apprentice, and readers will immediately sense the mystery she brings to the book when she tells Rafferty, “Keep your wits about you.” This subplot creates the plot’s conflict and merges with Juniper’s story in the end.
The author creates intrigue through cryptic descriptions. Juniper’s strange experience at the inn has never been seen before and it delays her learning at Thistledown. She’s unable to summon her magic like the other students but she’s assured her powers will come back shortly. Juniper wonders if that’s true. The queen has been hiring more enchanters than expected but there’s little evidence of what they’re doing for her. A secret society is meeting at the bindery where Rafferty works and he learns there’s a connection to the death of Jessy’s parents. This group presents a mystery that Rafferty and Jessy will need to solve.
What didn’t work as well:
The story shifts between Juniper and Rafferty with each shift going on for several chapters. The downside is it breaks the flow of each plot and requires remembering what happened before rejoining each one. However, these separate subplots are necessary as there are two distinct stories and settings to be covered.
The final verdict:
This is a fun, suspenseful adventure of young characters learning to use seasonal magic. Many books have characters with new powers become superior to others but Juniper merely displays a special aptitude for her ability. It makes her more humble and relatable. Overall, I recommend you give this book a shot.

I simply love anything by Anna James. She is an automatic read for me and I love her stories so much. They are whimsical, magical and a pure delight to read!

Chronicles of Whetherwhy: The Age of Enchantment By @acaseforbooks

Guys!!! I cannot tell you enough how much I LOVE a good middle grade fantasy! If you’re looking for a fantasy that feels a bit cozy and not so high stakes or maybe violent, you should absolutely check out middle grade stories. This books feels like the most perfect bedtime story and I have enjoyed it SO MUCH. I loved the magic system, the characters, the growing and growing up that happens. I loved everyone’s names, as they’re all named after different plants and trees, which makes sense to the story. I cannot wait for book 2! 😍🪴🪻🌳

Thank you to @netgalley and @penguinrandomhouse for the arc!
Pub date: 5/6/2025

The Age of Enchantment
Chronicles of Whetherwhy #1
Anna James
David Wyatt Illustrator
Grandpa gathered his grandchildren together and began to read a story. He whisked them away to Whetherwhy Island.
Whetherwhy Island is a place where magic is normal. Everyone has at least a little bit of magic. The type or how much magic each person has depends on which season they were born. However, some people are special, although it is rare, they can draw on all four seasons for their power; they are enchanters. Thistledown Academy of Enchantment is a school where enchanters study magic.
Juniper Quinn lives in a small town on the island with her family who own a bookbindery. Juniper is an enchanter. When she goes to the academy her twin brother, Rafferty, follows her to Stormgrove. He can’t imagine living without her; he takes an apprenticeship at a bookbindery.
Juniper takes to her studies; she makes friends, learns spells and is enjoying the academy. However, Rafferty, finds trouble. He finds secret societies and monsters. Trouble lies ahead for this young man.
I like grandpa sitting down reading to his grandchildren. Occasionally the story would pause so a child could ask a question. Children love for someone to read to them. In this tale grandpa introduces the children to a magic world.
WOW! What a great beginning to a new series. The world building is superb. As I read this book I could see the eerie alleys, charmed classrooms, and night markets. This book highlights relationships, courage, and the sibling connection. I suspect this series may be the next Harry Potter.
Thank you NetGalley for the ARC

After falling in love with James’ Pages & Co. series last year, I was thrilled to see more of her work coming out – and Whetherwhy doesn’t disappoint! I love James’ writing style – just enough silliness for a MG book while also having some truly beautiful bits of prose. I particularly enjoyed the magic system in Whetherwhy. Yes, it’s based on the seasons which is a motif seen before, but the way its done using threads and weaving the natural world together was so beautifully written. As an aside, I also love that of the twins, the brother is the one more adept at embroidery. The Age of Enchantment features lovely food descriptions and the setting in Honeyvale has an especially Shire-like vibe I could have certainly read more of. While I didn’t find the Princess Bride-esque grandfather reading the story insertions to add much, I would have loved more descriptions of Thistledown itself – the classes, student relationships, etc. Zinnia was a bit one-dimensional and not given the opportunity to really redeem herself, but I hope we see her arc more as the series continues. I was slightly frustrated with the majority of the adults in the story (the twins’ parents aside) as they seemed unusually inept and obtuse…or plain evil. Overall, this book is delightfully whimsical without being saccharine, a great adventure, and also a lovely reflection on “the beauty of small wonders.” I’ll eagerly look forward to book two!

The Chronicles of Whetherwhy is SO FUN. I’m always on the hunt for books to read aloud with my children and this book absolutely will be a hit with them! It feels very much like a Princess Bride meets Harry Potter with just a touch of The Hobbit.

Honeyvale is a small town/county/district of Whetherwhy, a hidden magical island of unknown origins. Whetherwhy’s magic seems to be bound up into the four seasons and each person living in Whetherwhy has a particular affinity for one season. Only rarely is a person born with an affinity for all seasons, and when they are, at 13, they are sent to Thistledown Academy where they will spend three years learning how to be an enchanter.

Juniper and Raffety are twin siblings and the story opens as they are turning 13, and each of them are attending a ceremony to determine their season affiliation. At the ceremony, Juniper’s determined to be Honeyvale’s first enchanter in many generations, and she is quickly whisked away to Thistledown to begin her studies. Raffety, not one to be left behind and very attached to his twin, seeks out apprenticeship opportunities in the city where Thistledown Academy is located. Once everyone is settled into their new life away from home, it becomes more and more apparent that all is not what it seems, and a threat to the foundations of Whetherwhy is brewing and its up to the twins to stop it.

As an adult reader, it does require some strong suspension of disbelief skills, but as a middle grade child, this book is be perfectly suited. I can’t wait to see what my children think of Whetherwhy, and I am anxiously excitedly waiting for the next installment!

I would like to thank Penguin Group and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This was such a great read. I was very involved in the story and loved the twins. Absolutely adored the magic system. I was absolutely drawn in and was so sad to have finished it! This series is going to be great and I can’t wait for another adventure in Whetherwhy.
Thank you to the author and publisher for this book on NetGalley in return for my honest thoughts and review.

This Middle Grade book is a Princess Bride meets Harry Potter and A Tale of Magic story that I highly recommend! 5⭐️

In this story, the Quinn twins find themselves on separate yet overlapping magical journies, and find themselves needing to decide which side of history they want to be on, all while learning a little more about who they are at heart.

I very much recommend this book for your middle grader (and you!) — Whetherwhy is such a fun world to get lost in!