Like A Charm

Title: Like A Charm

Author: Elle McNicoll

Genre: Fantasy, Disability

Pages: 313 Pages

Synopsis:

Edinburgh is a city filled with magical creatures. No one can see them… until Ramya Knox.

As she is pulled into her family’s world of secrets and spells, Ramya sets out to discover the truth behind the Hidden Folk with only three words of warning from her grandfather: Beware the Sirens.

Plunged into an adventure that will change everything, Ramya is about to learn that there is more to her powers than she ever imagined.

(from Goodreads)

My Thoughts:

Wait, Spencer? Are you reviewing a brand new release? Why yes, yes I am. This book came out on February 3 and I managed to get a copy of it!

Like A Charm is ultimately about Ramya, who has Dyspraxia. Ramya learns that she has Magic and the ability to see through Glamour, a magic ability that shields the mystical creatures from being recognized as mystical creatures. Through Glamour we cannot see the mystical creatures for what they are. She learns that there is trouble going on in the mystical community and she is the one that can save the community.

Elle McNicoll continues to give Neurodivergent Characters strong representation. This time by having the main character Ramya has Dyspraxia. Dyspraxia also known as developmental co-ordination disorder (DCD) affects your movement and coordination. I honestly cannot think of any book or media that has the main protagonist has Dyspraxia. That alone sets this book apart and make it unique. Ramya is a very good protagonist who really represents Dyspraxia very well.

The book definitely had some good Fantasy Elements in it. It had a good diversity of Fantasy Creatures such as Vampires, Kelpies, Fae, Trolls, etc. I feel okay with the Magic System in this. It was clear that Elle McNicoll wanted a “Soft Magic System”, which is fine to me because I feel Magic Systems work better when it still is a mysterious force. The worldbuilding I felt wasn’t too important in this novel as the novel took place in Edinburgh, Scotland. No spoilers but I also like the way they reject the Chosen One Trope in this book!

My main criticism of this novel is the lack of lore in this Novel. I like Lore, I want to know all of the histories. And I wanted to learn more about the mystical creatures and their history in Edinburgh. I feel like there should have been a bit more lore to the mystical creatures and maybe even some lore for the Magic. I was a little disappointed there.

Like A Charm is a fun fantasy adventure, that once again has great Neurodivergent representation. Elle McNicoll continues to get better and better as there were times when she surprised me in this novel and some of the concepts in this novel were great. Regardless of the lack of lore, this is another good read if you are interested in learning more about Neurodiversity. There is going to be a sequel to this novel coming out in 2023, and I look forward to reading it!

Rating: