Kelcie Murphy and the Academy for the Unbreakable Arts Published by Tom Doherty Associates on March 1, 2022 Source: Review copy
Genres: Juvenile Fiction / Action & Adventure / General, Juvenile Fiction / Fantasy & Magic
Pages: 336
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Format: ARC
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Brimming with Celtic mythology, action, and danger, Erika Lewis's Kelcie Murphy and The Academy for the Unbreakable Arts introduces readers to a new kind of magical school and a warrior who must choose with which side of an epic battle her destiny will lie.
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.
Review
Kelcie Murphy and the Academy for the Unbreakable Arts is Erika Lewis’s debut middle-grade novel. This is being marketed to those who love the School for Good & Evil, and they knew what they were talking about. Our main character has been jumped from crappy foster home to crappy foster home and trusts only her caseworker to do her best. Kelcie has no family memories, just her name; unfortunately, that caseworker turns out to be an evil winter fairy, and Kelcie is part of a magical world she knows nothing about. There is a lot to love for fans of fantasy- summer, winter courts, the fairies, the school, the different dens, magical powers, the trees, necklaces that allow you to travel, sprigging, and various magic creatures. I was hooked from the first page as we are along for Kelcie’s first year at the Academy for Unbreakable arts. I am sure you want to check out the next year and what else it is for Erika Lewis to deliver in this beautiful, magical tale.
About Erika Lewis
A graduate of Vanderbilt University, ERIKA LEWIS’ list of credits straddles the comics and novel space, including Game of Shadows from Tor Books, Firebrand and Acursian from Legendary Comics, #Guardian from Awesome Media & Entertainment, and The 49th Key from HM Publishing. The Color of Dragons is her debut YA, coming from Harper Teen in the fall of 2021, and The Academy for the Unbreakable Arts is her middle grade debut coming from Starscape in the spring of 2022.
