The New Apprentice

Authors: Danielle Morrone & Vincent Morrone

The Kane Chronicles #1

My rating: 3.2 stars

Harry Potter for girls

Z isn’t a name most parents would give their kid, but Z was lucky enough to have her name chosen by some city official’s naming system. Orphaned of her parents right after she was born, Z lived a tough life in the foster system until she ran into a bookshop owned by a sorcerer.

This was a nice Harry Potter type book with a girl main character. Z, an orphaned girl, finds herself in a bookstore owned by a sorcerer, who takes her on as his apprentice. As she learns magic from him, Z also helps the sorcerer, who is watching for signs that point to the return of an evil magician who was also responsible for the death of Z’s parents.

There were lots of Harry Potter similarities. Z was an orphan, didn’t know about the existence of magic, and knew nothing about her parents. The villain was an evil, power hungry guy, with lots of dark demonic minions. The magic government was corrupt & dangerously lazy. Z and her friends headed off to save the world… They’re good tropes, but it is basically a gender swapped Harry Potter. That doesn’t mean it wasn’t a good book. It was fun, if cliched, but in an enjoyable way.

I had a like/dislike relationship with the main character at different times. Z seemed to think that she should always be informed about everything the sorcerer did, and would complain anytime info was withheld from her. Sometimes, I understood her complaints, but I also felt that she tried to butt into other’s businesses too much. She was also way too overpowered, more powerful than most of the adults even, and able to work advanced magic after only a few months of practice. At other times though, Z was just a lonely orphan delighting in her opportunity to study magic and make new friends.

For a middle grade book, the simplified plot and not too complex characters in this book were perfectly fine, considering the reading level. The book was enjoyable to read. I imagine younger readers will appreciate it more than I did The magic was fun. It’s nice to have a Harry Potter type book that girls can relate to.

I received a copy in exchange for an honest review.