I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of Kelcie Murphy and the Academy for the Unbreakable Arts. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you to Megan Beatie Communications, Olivia Haase, Netgalley, and Starscape Books for this free copy.
- Title: Kelcie Murphy and the Academy for the Unbreakable Arts
- Author: Erika Lewis
- Publisher: Starscape/Macmillan
- Pub. date: 1 March 2022
- Series: standalone
- Page count: 336
- Source: Megan Beatie Communications
- Genres: middle-grade, fantasy
Brimming with Celtic mythology, action, and danger, Erika Lewis’s Kelcie Murphy and The Academy for the Unbreakable Arts introduces readers to a new kind of magical school and a warrior who must choose with which side of an epic battle her destiny will lie.
The Otherworld is at war. The Academy for the Unbreakable Arts trains warriors. And Kelcie Murphy—a foster child raised in the human world—is dying to attend.
A place at AUA means meeting Scáthach, the legendary trainer of Celtic heroes. It means learning to fight with a sword. It means harnessing her hidden powers and—most importantly—finding out who her parents are, and why they abandoned her in Boston Harbor eight years ago.
When Kelcie tests into the school, she learns that she’s a Saiga, one of the most ancient beings in the Otherworld. Secretive, shunned, and possessed of imposing elemental powers, the Saiga are also kin to the Otherworld’s most infamous traitor.
But Kelcie is a survivor, and she’ll do whatever it takes to find her parents and her place in their world. Even if that means making a few enemies.
Content warnings: child abandonment, death of a parent (mentioned), violence
The first thing that crossed my mind when I was approached regarding reviewing Kelcie Murphy and the Academy for Unbreakable Arts was that it’s Celtic mythology! It sounded so much like a Celtic mythology and Percy Jackson fusion! How amazing is that? So, of course I said yes!
Kelcie Murphy is an orphan who has been bouncing around from foster home to foster home for as long as she can remember. But everything changes when she gets kidnapped by her case worker on a school field trip. Yep, you read that right: Kelcie gets kidnapped by her case worker. To make things more wacky, Elliott the case worker turns out to be a fairy – an ice fairy from the Lands of Winter, to be exact. When Elliott and a nasty ice fairy named Grimes get Kelcie to say a few Celtic words that opens up this scary box, they promptly push her into a tree that transports her to a school that trains the best warriors of the Other World.
Soon Kelcie finds herself enrolled at the Academy for Unbreakable Arts and battling her fellow classmates while simultaneously trying to figure out her heritage and mysterious past!
1. I love how the author built an otherworldly school incorporating Celtic myth and legend.
If we thought Hogwarts was hard to get into, the Academy for Unbreakable Arts seems even harder! Starting with the super exclusive transport system based on trees called the Sidral, and the tough curriculum that involves perfecting your combat skills, you have to be pretty hardcore to survive this. I also loved how everyone gets allocated into their own team of warriors, called a fianna, who fail and succeed together.
2. The disability rep that Niall brought to the mix was well-done!
Kelcie ends up making some great friends. There is Brona, the descendant of a warrior goddess, who is all tough and shares a mysterious connection with Kelcie. Then there is Zephyr, an all-brawns but big softie, who leads their fianna. And then there is Niall, the cute telepath-telekinetic that Kelcie can’t stop blushing around. Oh, and he was born with one less hand. Having personally grown up with a classmate with a similar birth defect, I was delighted to see a character like Niall in a middle-grade fantasy! I love the message about accepting everyone despite their differences and that Niall was just as strong as everyone else in his fianna.
3. Kelcie’s journey to forming bonds and her found family.
Kelcie grows up the odd one out, being an orphan who bounced from home to home, and she is also naturally distrusting of people. It was beautiful to see how she slowly grew to trust and form familial bonds with her fianna. Ultimately Kelcie ends up with a loving family that ended up being bigger than she ever anticipated.
4. Loads of monsters and mythical creatures with Celtic origins!
I have always been a huge fan of monsters and mythical beings, so all the new creatures that popped up through Kelcie’s first year at AUA was so cool! There were so many creatures that I have never heard of before and I can’t wait for kids to find out about sylphs, selkies, and cù–sìthe.
5. Action, mystery and the plot twists that are TV show-worthy!
When I said this felt like a Celtic twist on Percy Jackson, I meant that for the action and plotline too! The whole book was one heart-pounding adventure after another, and it is pretty darn impossible to not like Kelcie and her fianna! Armed with gasp-worthy plot twists and some great fight scenes, this book will speak to any read who is a fan of fantasy adventure.
Kelcie Murphy and the Academy for Unbreakable Arts is a stunning series-starter that is sure to entertain every lover of fantasy, adventure, and magical schools. Armed with an array of Celtic mythical beings, some great friendships and loads of adventure, it is impossible for this book to not entertain its readers. There is a character that everyone could relate to, and many that readers would be vouching for. Make sure you pick this up if you love Celtic mythology, Percy Jackson, or fantasy adventures!
More Kelcie Murphy and the Academy for Unbreakable Arts content: Stephanie’s review
Erika Lewis grew up in Alexandria, Virginia, spent summers with her grandparents in Worcester, Massachusetts, and currently lives in Los Angeles, California. With a passion for storytelling set in magical places, she spends as much time as she can traveling. When she’s not writing, she can generally be found scribbling notes in a blank book while wandering through abandoned buildings, all kinds of museums, and graveyards.
A graduate of Vanderbilt University, her list of credits straddles the comics and novel space, including Game of Shadows from Macmillan’s Tor Books, Firebrand and Acursian from Legendary Comics, #Guardian from Awesome Media & Entertainment, and The 49th Key from Heavy Metal Publishing. The Color of Dragons is her debut YA, coming from HarperTeen October 19th, 2021, and Kelcie Murphy and The Academy for the Unbreakable Arts is her middle grade debut coming from Starscape/Macmillan March 1st, 2022.
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