The Magician’s Hat Trick
By M.L. Roble
M.L. Roble, $9.99, 315 pages
In a land where people with power are forced to hide in order to avoid a fate worse than death, Natalie finds the The Magician’s Doll. Natalie is discovering that her own powers are coming into their own, and that she is one of the next to be targeted. She needs to quickly find out how to control her powers or she could lose the family that she has just found out was all around her. She faces a fate worse than the others as the malevolent force seeking her out wants more than just her power.
My issue with the book is that there are way too many Mary Sue elements. The girl is not just the most powerful person in the story, but apparently one of the most powerful of her race, and she is an obvious outcast yet, she must bring everyone together in order to defeat the Big Bad. Thankfully, there is more to the book than just Natalie’s problems, and once the story gets rolling it’s actually pretty fun. The mystery of Louisa is solved in its own time, and the exploration of how Phillip’s power works is nicely done.
There is a lot to explore, and the possibility of a sequel is welcomed, as the mystery of Phillip’s father looks to be an interesting one, and one can only hope that one character reappears. Although the escape of the villain is probably the weakest part of what is otherwise a pretty strong book; it just feels a chintzy way of doing it. Regardless, Natalie’s growth throughout the story, Phillip’s rather nifty power, and Louisa’s characterization make for a powerful magic by themselves, and definitely whet the appetite for a sequel.
Reviewed by Jamais Jochim
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