Long ago and far away (and somewhere south of France) lies the kingdom of Esquaveta. Esquaveta desperately needs to forge an alliance to stave off its staggering debt and crumbling infrastructure. The king has arranged a marriage between the crown princess Tullia and an odious prince. However, one month before the “wedding of the century,” Tullia falls in love with a lowly apprentice scribe. The king turns to Anatole, his much-maligned magician (alchemist). The king orders Anatole to brew a love potion that will ensure Tullia’s compliance and forget about the scribe. This leaves Anatole with an impossible choice: will he betray his morals, ethics, and friendships to save the marriage, the kingdom, and his reputation? Or can he find a clever workaround that solves every problem all at once?
The Magician of Tiger Castle is simply charming. The narrative of the book is set up into these clever little bite-sized chapters that all follow a similar pattern. Anatole deals with a court that hates and doesn’t believe in him; he makes a brilliant breakthrough with his potion that gets him closer to his objectives, and a new barrier that must be surmounted pops up in response. The entire novel has the vibe of running in place at full speed, and instead of feeling stale, it gives the entire thing a sense of very fast pacing and consistent tension. Every chapter ends in a tiny micro cliffhanger and gets you further and further invested in the charming characters.
Anatole is delightful. He is a highly competent introvert with all the skills for political maneuvering of a tugboat without a rudder. His earnest disposition and mild cowardice make the direction of the plot hard to predict and make the entire novel feel constantly surprising and fun. Tullia and the scribe also continue to grow and evolve as supporting characters as the book progresses, drawing you increasingly into the outcome of the marriage conundrum. The villains feel ordinary in a way that makes them extremely grounded, but have personalities that make them fun to hate. The cast is small, but memorable.
The only place the book goes wrong for me is in the third act. After a very successful part 1 and part 2, the third and final phase of the book switches everything up for a new narrative structure, new setting, and new final conflict. There is nothing specifically wrong with the third act, but it lacks the charm of the first two and feels much slower-paced compared to the initial majority of the book. The result is an ending that feels a little disorganized and out of balance with the rest of the book.
Overall, I still had a delightful time with The Magician of Tiger Castle. It’s a nice short read that remained entertaining the entire way through, and it feels like it takes the beloved style of Sachar from Holes and evolves it to be more fit with an adult audience. Sachar definitely still has the chops to make great books, and I hope he keeps making more for myself and other readers to enjoy.
Rating: The Magician of Tiger Castle – 8.0/10
-Andrew
An ARC of this book was provided to me by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. The thoughts on this book are my own.