The Girl Without Magic (The Chronicles of Maggie Trent #1)

Maggie Trent is a 17 year old that fell from battle into the sirens realm. Those that are without magic are hunted by the Siren because they are deemed unworthy. Those with magic are hunted by the stricken. So it's a lose-lose situation either way.

Bertrand can slip through the world's stitches to gain more magic and going on epic adventures. He's determined to help Maggie get out of the sirens realm.

At first the Sirens realm seems like a paradise. Where no one starves or suffers. You can earn magic by working which you can basically use as currency. Maggie lives in a tent by the rocks and fishes every morning from the endless sea and trades the fish for magic so she doesn't have to touch her own magic for anything. She keeps her magic a secret.

But paradise never lasts forever. The ones who have used up their magic are on the hunt for more. Maggie has to get out of the Sirens realm quickly. This book was absolutely intriguing, definitely a five-star read.

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.. The scenes that were described in this book were wonderful. The amount of detail the author gives helps one to paint a picture as the story progresses. The main character, Maggie, is swept away from everything she knows and loves. At first, she believes she is dead but is informed that this is not the case. She is just very far away from home. Like another dimension far. As Maggie navigates her new world, she makes a few friends and a self-professed enemy along the way. It is this self-professed enemy that teaches Maggie the most valuable lesson to her survival. She experiences adventure, love, anger, pain, and heartbreak while trying to figure out what to do next. I really enjoyed this book. It is a YA book but that doesn't take away any of the fun. I did not like Maggie's character at the start of the book. I felt she was a little too whiny and especially after reading her backstory, I felt she was way too whiny. By the middle of the book, she had matured and by the end she was just heroic. If you are finding the main character annoying, keep reading, she does grow up a little as it goes.

I honestly wish I could buy a physical copy not only for the book, but for the cover. I could stare at this cover for days and still be in love. And the story is even better. I sat for a very long time after I read this book because I was so in love. I really hope this series continues and I get to read more.

The Girl With No Magic was a quick read. I have no problem with short books, or long books for that matter. A story should be however long it needs to be, as long as it’s told well. That being said, I think TGWNM was too short. It really affected the pace of the book.

We meet Maggie, and we don’t know where she is. She doesn’t either. It’s a very intriguing beginning. You can’t wait to find out more about it. Once she discovers where she is, and finds out a little about it, she’s kind of pumped to be there. Then there’s talk of a storm, and she’s suddenly terrified. Kind of strange, right?

Maybe she has an irrational fear of storms? I don’t think so. I do think there was a genuine reason for her to be afraid, but as the reader I wasn’t let in on that info. Before you can fully figure out this fear and the storm, there are people attacking her and her friends.

It’d be a bit like Harry Potter getting his letter from Hogwarts and when you turn the page he’s climbing on the train. There’s a lot of good stuff in-between, we just need to author to show it to us.

The title also threw me off a bit. It’s about a girl who has magic. The entire time. There’s never a time when she doesn’t have magic.

What I did like about TGWNM was Bertrand Wayland. He’s a fascinating character. He’s been everywhere, through many different worlds/universes/realities/etc. It actually reminded me of a Doctor Who story. For me, that’s not a bad thing at all. I LOVE Doctor Who. Even the book’s title is reminiscent of ‘The Girl Who Waited’ and ‘The Girl Who Died/Lived.’

Also under ‘likes’, it was just a fun read.

Even though I had a few issues with this book overall, I enjoyed reading it and I’m really looking forward to seeing what comes next. I think with a few improvements in pacing, this could end up being a very solid series.

I got this arc from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Thanks!

I was surprised how much I liked this book. It was as a quick read. The characters and story were interesting and not boring at all.
I hoped to see the main characters in romantic situation, what didn’t happen unfortunately , but maybe in next books....

I loved this book! A fantasy adventure with well written characters and story. I can’t wait to follow Bertrand and Maggie on more adventures! Maggie is the fierce and dedicated companion to the wise and a little crazy Bertrand who pulls her into adventures in other worlds. I was enraptured in the book from start to finish. It sounds like this book series is going to be Maggie and Bertrand finding new worlds and falling into adventures. I loved Maggie's personality. I can't wait to go on another adventure with them!

This was a book I thoroughly enjoyed. The adventures begins immediately and never seems to stop, I almost feel bad for Maggie. She is a wonderfully written strong character that handles every new circumstance thrown at her and there are several. This book wraps up well but you'll be eager to read the next book.

I recommend this to anyone who loves MAGIC! I love magic and so this was a great book. I’m also really into fantasy so the concepts and characters really added something extra to the story.

I am obsessed with Magic so the title and description grabbed my attention. This book was interesting. I loved the magical aspect of it. The concept was also brilliant but in the execution of the concept, something was lacking.

The beginning of the story was great. I also loved many of the characters. The idea that this beautiful realm also has this dark side showed that no matter how perfect, there is no true utopia. I loved Bertrand from the first moment we meet him. I think the thing that was lacking was the ‘brilliant’ factor. The plot and concept were great but slightly predictable. I loved this as an adventure story. I did not like a certain romantic relationship that develops because it added very little to the plot and to the characters it involved (no spoilers don’t worry). I got stuck at the end of the novel. Like I said the beginning was intriguing and captivating but the part of the story that involved Manila was vanilla (sorry for the bad pun). It should have been the climax but I actually enjoyed the first half of the story much more. Like I said the characters were great. I especially love the characters in the Siren’s Realm. This was a great story but I think it was lacking some gusto.

I can’t wait to read the next books in the Chronicles of Maggie Trent because I think Megan O’Russell has a great idea and the next book will be more intense now that there has been the initial introduction to the world and characters.

A super fun magical realism story that I would definitely suggest to anyone who likes magic and bad-ass heroines! The Girl Without Magic was fast-paced, adventure packed, and had me absolutely hooked on the enchanting world building! Definitely interested in continuing the series!

I think this is the start of a great series! It is very reminiscent of Dr. Who, which i can appreciate.