Starred Review ALA Booklist (Thu Apr 28 00:00:00 CDT 2022)

Starred Review Nearly abandoned in a forest by his stepfather, young orphan Jinx lands, instead, in the home of a wizard, Simon. There Jinx, who has always had an ability to see others' feelings in colors and symbols, develops the ability to communicate with the forest's trees. But after Simon performs a spell, Jinx loses his capacity as an emotional seer. Setting out into the forest to look for a counterspell, Jinx joins company with a girl and a boy, both of whom are suffering under their own curses. In this expertly paced, beautifully written book, Blackwood elevates familiar fantasy elements with exquisitely credible characters who inhabit a world filled with well-drawn magic and whimsy tches travel by butter churn, for example. Rounding out the exciting story are terrifying dangers, delightful bouts of wordplay, and vivid settings that will appeal to readers' imaginations, senses of humor, and desire for fair play. A literary cut above Eoin Colfer's Artemis Fowl books but with no less tension or bravado, this exciting, thought-provoking debut will leave readers eager for follow-up adventures.

Starred Review for Kirkus Reviews

Making unusually entertaining use of well-worn elements, this series opener plops a dense but promising young wizard-in-training between a pair of obnoxious rival mages. Left by his stepparents to die in the dangerous Urwald, Jinx is rescued by Simon Magus, a "possibly evil" forest-dwelling wizard whose obsession with magical research is matched only by a truly profound lack of people skills. Several years later, having learned a little magic but also injured by one of Simon's spells, Jinx stomps off in a rage to seek help. But hardly has he fallen in with a couple of ensorcelled fellow travelers, than all three fall into the clutches of the genial but rightly feared Bonemaster. Along with setting this adventuresome outing in a sentient forest populated by trolls, werewolves and giddy witches who bound about in butter churns, the pseudonymous Blackwood spins out lively dialogue threaded with comical rudeness and teasing. Trotting out a supporting cast whose inner characters are often at thought-provoking odds with their outer seeming, she also puts her central three through a string of suspenseful, scary situations before delivering a properly balanced closing set of resolutions, revelations and road signs to future episodes. Unsurprisingly, Jinx displays hints of developing powers beyond the ordinary. Astonishingly, he and his world still seem fresh, for all that they echo familiar tropes. (Fantasy. 10-12)

Horn Book

Jinx has the ability to see people's emotions in colorful clouds around their heads. After a wizard performs a spell on Jinx, that sixth sense disappears, so he sets out to seek his fortune and regain his power. Flowing dialogue, a mixed Diana Wynne Jones/Lloyd Alexander vibe, and a setting both familiar and original make the novel compelling.

Kirkus Reviews (Fri Oct 04 00:00:00 CDT 2024)

Making unusually entertaining use of well-worn elements, this series opener plops a dense but promising young wizard-in-training between a pair of obnoxious rival mages. Left by his stepparents to die in the dangerous Urwald, Jinx is rescued by Simon Magus, a "possibly evil" forest-dwelling wizard whose obsession with magical research is matched only by a truly profound lack of people skills. Several years later, having learned a little magic but also injured by one of Simon's spells, Jinx stomps off in a rage to seek help. But hardly has he fallen in with a couple of ensorcelled fellow travelers, than all three fall into the clutches of the genial but rightly feared Bonemaster. Along with setting this adventuresome outing in a sentient forest populated by trolls, werewolves and giddy witches who bound about in butter churns, the pseudonymous Blackwood spins out lively dialogue threaded with comical rudeness and teasing. Trotting out a supporting cast whose inner characters are often at thought-provoking odds with their outer seeming, she also puts her central three through a string of suspenseful, scary situations before delivering a properly balanced closing set of resolutions, revelations and road signs to future episodes. Unsurprisingly, Jinx displays hints of developing powers beyond the ordinary. Astonishingly, he and his world still seem fresh, for all that they echo familiar tropes. (Fantasy. 10-12)

School Library Journal (Tue Feb 28 00:00:00 CST 2023)

Gr 4-8 The middle book of a trilogy must be the hardest to write: the thrill of the first book's creation of setting and characters is over and the satisfaction of tying every loose end together is yet to come. In this sequel to Jinx (HarperCollins, 2013), Blackwood succeeds in keeping readers' interests piqued without completely frustrating them. Jinx travels beyond the borders of his beloved Urwald and learns that it must be saved from the greedy depredations of invading foreigners from Keyland. He insinuates himself into the school at the Temple in Samara so he can explore the history of magic. As Blackwood extends Jinx's experiences to other lands, she adds layers of complexity that hint at future developments. Jinx's magical powers are strengthening, but he doesn't fully understand their source or their extent. He's still finding out how to use his gifts. The result of these uncertainties is that readers are left feeling as unsettled and unbalanced as he is. The next installment can't come along soon enough. Miriam Lang Budin, Chappaqua Library, NY