The Price Of Magic by Gavin Neale Young Fiction Age 9+ (Sent for review)

The latest children's book I've been sent to review by Matador is The Price Of Magic by Gavin Neale. A good old-fashioned fantasy with battles and fairies and elves, swordsmanship and guardians. It also stars a feisty young lady called Abby, who is no stranger to this bizarre and magical world as she had to rescue her mother from it a couple of years ago.

Backstory is provided, so although The Price Of Magic is a sequel, it is also a standalone story. Abby and her neighbour Thomas are being looked after by two elderly ladies, Daphne and Nora, while their parents work. It all seems very ordinary until the surprise arrival of Erykah, the Queen of the Land of the Fairy, and Bryonny, her Pixie Chief ally.

Daphne and Nora are in fact witches and Guardians Of The Peace Accord between dimensions, they just pose as ordinary elderly ladies. War is threatened, the gap between the Fairy Realm and our Earth has been breached. Thomas is kidnapped and it is up to Abby to rescue him, but her guardians are very reluctant to let her become involved in the impending war.

Abby might be 12, but she's an excellent swordswoman and can hold her own in any company. She isn't scared, she wants to save Thomas, preferably before his mother returns for him you'd imagine.

The Price Of Magic reminds me very much of later books in C.S.Lewis' Narnia series and especially with the inclusion of all the varied mythical creatures, you can't help but think of The Lord Of The Rings. The fact the hero is a girl is excellent, and many of the main characters are female, but no distinction is drawn between genders - there is true equality in this book.

There is lots of genuine peril and potential for loss of life, sword-fighting, magic and mind-control. Throughout the book there is always a lot going on, with side-stories and sub-plots, so this quite an intelligent read. The insight into the sword-making especially really gives a clear image and you can imagine the scenes very well.

Best suited to children aged 9+, this is a good read for a confident fantasy fan.  There's lots of detail and storyline at any one time, and plenty to keep the attention.

The Price Of Magic is written by Gavin Neale and published by Matador,  pages, £8.99 rrp. Cover art by Matt Hitchings. Available now from all good bookshops in-store and online including Amazon*.

We were sent our copy of The Price Of Magic for review. *Amazon links are affiliate, which means I earn a few pence if you order through my link, but you don't pay any more. It all keeps the website running.