Illuminations by T. Kingfisher
Rosa Mandolini knows in her heart that her family are the greatest painters of magical illuminations in the city. But the eccentric Studio Mandolini has fallen on hard times and the future is no longer certain.
While trying to help her family, Rosa discovers a strange magical box protected by a painted crow. But when she finds a way to open the box, she accidentally releases the Scarling, a vicious monster determined to destroy the Mandolini family at any cost.
With the aid of her former best friend and a painted crow named Payne, it’s up to Rosa to stop the Scarling before it unmakes the magical paintings that keep the city running, and hopefully save her family in the process!
For the Reading Challenge(s):
N/A
The Reason
It’s T. Kingfisher!
The Quotes
“That’s one of the hardest parts of being an artist, you know—learning to be patient with yourself when you’re not as good as you want to be.”
“Being interesting seemed like a much better deal than being handsome.”
“Rosa thought she might be getting a headache. Maybe it was because she was rolling her eyes so hard.”
“In life, we are always seeking after something. Love…fame…glory…stuffed armadillos. It is the human condition.”
The Narrator(s)
Raquel Beattie. Loved it!
My Thoughts
This is marketed for middle grade so I didn’t expect to like it as much as I like the author’s adult novels, but I think I love it more than some of her adult novels! Rosa is such a character and I love Payne as well. Kingfisher has such a knack for writing the best characters and the non-human ones are some of the best ones.
One thing that infuriated me the most in this story is how her family blamed her for things that weren’t her fault, I thought it was horribly unfair and borderline abusive to immediately blame her and not even let her defend herself. However, the rest of the story is great and her family somewhat redeem themselves a little bit.
I do love the idea of the illuminations and the magical system in this book, and I love how creative and imaginative everything in this story is. Reading this book make me experience the joy and magic I used to experience as a child reading stories like these. I think we should never get too old for magical experiences and I love that this book gives me a taste of it once again.
My Rating
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5 stars.
Have you read this book? Would you read this book? Did you like the book or do you think you would like it?
