middle-grade fantasy
At 11-years-old, Ella begins at the Arcanum Training Institute. Ella is the first Conjuror there which comes with some difficulties. Not all Marvellers are welcoming to her. Even so, she is able to make some friends. Ella soon finds herself the target of terrible rumors. A teacher has gone missing and a criminal escaped from prison. Can Ella clear her name?
THE MARVELLERS was a magical middle-grade fantasy. It took me a little while to get a handle on the fantasy world as there were a lot of pieces but once that smoothed out for me, I was engrossed in the story. I loved the diversity of the characters, each being compelling and truly adding to the narrative, not being one-dimensionally diverse for the sake of checking off a box. There are many great thought-provoking and teachable moments for young readers, though adults can also glean quite a bit.
THE MARVELLERS is the first book of Dhonielle Clayton's The Conjureverse series. I really enjoyed it and would recommend it to fans of middle-grade fantasy. I look forward to reading the next book, THE MEMORY THIEVES.
