Kelcie Murphy and the Academy for the Unbreakable Arts (The Academy for the Unbreakable Arts #1)

KELCIE MURPHY AND THE ACADEMY FOR THE UNBREAKABLE ARTS is an enchanting and magical adventure about a young girl's search to learn more about herself and find a place to belong. Kelcie has been in foster care for about 8 years around Boston, not really able to remember anything about her life before. On her 12th birthday, she is on a class trip to the museum when a police officer arrives to arrest her for a crime she did not commit.

However, things begin to get weirder when she learns the officer and social worker are actually fairies and want her to say some phrases while holding a strange object. Even stranger is that Kelcie knows what they mean even though she has never heard the language before. As she tries to understand who they are and what they know about her, she makes a leap into the Otherworld, a land of magic that is at war. She arrives at the Academy for the Unbreakable Arts, which trains soldiers for the Lands of Summer.

Kelcie knows that this is somewhere that she could belong, and she enters with the other first years to take the test and enter the training. As she does, she learns that more than war is brewing, with prejudices against a group of magic bearers and difficult politics all around.

What I loved: This is a really enchanting and consuming middle grade fantasy read that brings in Celtic mythology in an intriguing Otherworld. Kelcie is a relatable character who wants to understand herself, where she came from/who she is, and find a place to belong. Readers around the same age are probably trying to do the same thing, defining themselves as they grow. The added elements of magic and war make this a really fast-paced and intriguing read, with different magics, groups, and politics all playing a role in the microcosm of the school, but also in the Otherworld at large.

There are particularly some interesting themes around the treatment of Fomorians, a group of people with heterochromatic eyes (eyes of 2 different colors). They tend to be Saiga, able to wield elemental magics, with an affinity for one particular element. After a Fomorian went rogue years ago, they have all been treated as enemies. Some young Fomorians have entered the school to try to change this perception, but they are met with prejudice and bullying. Outside of the school, they have had their homes taken away, moved to an undesirable location, placed on a registry, and had their blood taken for tracking. These steps will mirror those from past wars and are important to fully consider. In this magical world, the threat of such actions are clear although there is a lot of hope around changing it.

The plot is fast-paced and infinitely interesting as the reader follows not only the tough, rigorous, and dangerous activities at school as Kelcie competes with her new friends, but also as she searches for answers and deals with frequent threats that may have bigger implications as to what is going on in the Otherworld at large. Beyond Kelcie, her friends are also really compelling characters, particularly Niall, who has dealt with prejudice over his missing hand (which he was born with) all his life. This theme of being different and the reception of such was also well done, and he's a really great character whose friendship makes a big difference for Kelcie. Other characters are also really fun and likable, and I am excited to see where this will go in the future.

Final verdict: Imaginative and fast-paced, KELCIE MURPHY AND THE ACADEMY FOR THE UNBREAKABLE ARTS combines Celtic mythology with important themes in a consuming middle grade fantasy read. Highly recommend for fans of PERCY JACKSON AND THE OLYMPIANS, THE TRIALS OF MORRIGAN CROW, and AMARI AND THE NIGHT BROTHERS.

What worked:
The familiarity of the format makes it easy to follow, as Kelcie is whisked away to a secret school and discovers she has rare elemental powers. The students are divided into five houses that don’t always get along. Most classmates fear and mock Kelcie, so she’s an instant outcast. It’s fun to see how authors take this basic premise and modify it to create their own stories. Kelcie’s fianna of four first-years won’t move on to the second year if any one of them fails, so they have an incentive to cooperate. Kelcie’s powers frequently go out of control and put people and property in danger of being destroyed. She needs to muffle her powers instead of practicing to let them grow. Creatures impossibly appear on school grounds, and no one can figure out how they’re doing it. The Lands of Winter and Lands of Summer are in the midst of a never-ending war, and it seems clear the war is finding its way into the academy.
The book presents mysteries to make readers wonder about what’s going on behind the scenes. The plot opens with Kelcie becoming an heir, but the heir of what? She has no idea what happened to her real parents until she receives a broken message from her father. He warns her to leave the academy immediately, return to the human world, and keep running. She decides to stay at the academy. Kelcie hears a voice that sounds vaguely familiar, but she’s not sure what it’s trying to tell her. She keeps secrets from the school and her friends about what’s happening until she’s forced to reveal the truth.
Kelcie’s friends are interesting characters that enhance the plot. Brona is the best at everything and other girls want to become her closest friends. She’s the daughter of a goddess and seems to have everything going for her. However, things are not always as they seem, and Kelcie gets a sense of déjà vu when she’s around Brona. Then there’s Niall. He becomes Kelcie’s friend from the beginning, and everyone else, including his family, doesn’t want him at the academy because having one arm guarantees he’ll fail. The fianna learns to work as a team to help all of them succeed.
What didn’t work as well:
There are a lot of characters from different houses, fiannas, and school staff, and it’s sometimes difficult to remember them all accurately. However, the important thing is to focus on the four members of Kelcie’s fianna and everything else will eventually make sense. The characters aren’t a huge issue so readers should still fully appreciate the exciting adventure.
The final verdict:
The clash between Summer and Winter. The plot follows the successful format of similar novels. Kelcie is a likable underdog, and the teamwork within her fianna creates a positive story of cooperation and trust. The creative twists to the plot will entertain most middle-grade readers, so I recommend you give it a shot.