Tree Magic

Author: Harriet Springbett

Genre: YA, Fantasy

Publisher: Impress Books

Publication Date: January 9th 2017

Format: Kindle (443 pages)

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Synopsis:

Rainbow’s magic hands can shape trees at her will, but her gift is dangerous and has fatal consequences.

From England to France, through secrets, fears and parallel worlds, Rainbow’s journey to understand her powers takes her beyond everything she’s ever known.

To find the truth, she must also find herself.

My Rating: ★★★★

Tree Magic had been hovering on my TBR for some time before picking it up but I’ve finally read it and thought it was wondrous. Filled with magical realism, this story is a real treasure and I felt like I had been on a real journey with Rainbow by the end of it.

Rainbow has a secret power, she can communicate with trees and exercise control over them, helping them to grow and heal. After a devastating accident where her power spirals out of control, Rainbow’s world changes and so does this book. I don’t want to say much as I knew very little going in and I think that made it better for me. From a plot point of view this isn’t going to be a fast-paced and action-packed book but it is a lovely, complicated coming of age story for Rainbow.

Harriet herself has described this book to me as a ‘slow-burn’ novel and I definitely agree. For a YA book this is long at just short of 450 pages (Kindle edition), especially for a book that has such contemporary vibes. It took me some time to get through this book but it was worth every minute, especially for readers who are fans of magical realism… and trees!

Tree Magic is a complex coming of age story that deals head on with so many feelings young people will be familiar with: love, loss, jealousy, success, failure, anger, sadness. There is something in here that people will undoubtedly relate to. I do have to admit that I felt a little lost at times during the middle of this book and a little clueless as to what was going on but it all came back together in a beautiful ending which made perfect sense to me.

Harriet truly knows her craft and I enjoyed her writing style very much. This is an intricate exploration of Rainbow’s character which spans her early life and teenage years. There are plenty of events which help to shape Rainbow as a person but most importantly for me was the careful portrayal of the relationships in Rainbow’s life. She has so many complex relationships with people and it was interesting to see how these changed and developed over time. As someone who is always in a book for the characters I really appreciated the time that was taken in getting Rainbow to where she needed to be.

In finding herself Rainbow truly discovers her strengths and how she can blossom. A well-crafted and beautifully written story.

Have you read Tree Magic? What did you think?

What are your favourite books with magical realism?

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