Review: Unseen Magic

Title: Unseen Magic
Author: Emily Lloyd-Jones
Genre: Middle Grade, Fantasy
Page Count: 352
Publisher: Greenwillow Books
Date Published: February 22, 2022
You can find it here: Bookshop.org

I’ve said it before, Middle Grade novels that tackle mental health and anxiety are so incredibly important. Grabbing kids at this age and showing them characters grappling with the complicated and frightening feelings they are experiencing is crucial. 

Emily brings forth a new, compelling angle to the topic of anxiety – how critically important it is to process and properly deal with our past hurts, fears, and frightening experiences in order to, not only heal, but be able to understand those phobias and anxieties. As Finlay tries to do, you can’t bury your negative experiences and simply forget them. While it’s challenging work to face those hurts, it’s crucial for processing and healing, and Emily handles this heavy topic in a very expert way. 

An atmospheric, witchy story complete with the comforts of a magical tea shop, small town charm, and crow familiars help to make the central theme of mental health, abuse, and childhood anxiety more palatable to a younger audience. Another great middle grade story that explores the field of preteen mental health. 

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