The Castle of Tangled Magic

The Castle of Tangled Magic is an enchanting and beautifully-told fairytale, packed with peril and magic and legend and characters you can't help but fall in love with. It's deeply atmospheric and events unfold before the reader's eyes as if in a movie. It really is just what I needed to take me away. And one of the many things I love about Sophie's writing is that it is classic storytelling. I'm transported to another world, sitting at the storyteller's feet, waiting for more.Saara Söderlund's artwork is so charming too and a perfect match for this story. 5 stars from me.

Can I start by saying how much I love the cover of this book? I love the orange colour and all the intricate designs you notice in the drawing once you've read the book.I absolutely adored The Girl Who Speaks Bear and The House With Chicken Legs so it wasn't even a question of whether I was going to buy this book but just how quickly I was going to buy it.... I pre-ordered it and read it practically the next day it arrived.I really really enjoyed this book; the character Olia is adorable and lovely and just wants to save her family's home. I love the cast of character's she meets along the way and realising how they play into the story. I will say that this one definitely felt younger than the previous two books; i'm not sure exactly what it was but it definitely felt like the audience had shifted down an age and so the plot didn't appear to have quite as much depth as the previous books have maybe? It was definitely still enjoyable for sure but it did mean I didn't invest quite as much with the plot as perhaps I had with the previous books.I love again that the message of this book is about family and looking out for one another. Olia also learns that you need to learn from the mistakes of the past, and even though they weren't your mistakes, those actions of your family impacted those around them and the locked magical world and so she needed to make things better for everyone. I definitely enjoyed this story and would highly recommend it!

Absolutely loved it. Devoured it myself in a day devoted to reading , so I could recommend it to the children I teach. I love how Sophie weaves the traditional tales into her stories, brings the characters to life and just leaves you wanting to continue reading.

Having been a HUGE fan of The House With Chicken Legs and The Girl Who Speaks Bear, I have been looking forward to this for a long time! I loved the sense of “we’re all in this together” and that no one gets left behind, and the link with other stories was a lovely moment that I had expected but was still surprised by.

I have enjoyed the previous two books by Sophie so was excited to read this one. The story is full of magic and mystery with imaginative lands and adventure. I simply love it and willed the characters to compete their quest. There are many plot twists along the way and the story ends with one final reveal which had me smiling and tearing up! Simply wonderful - I highly recommend it and shall be encouraging my Year 6 class to get reading too.