Greetings, all ye bookworms and writers, and a very happy Monday to you all! ^^ Today, I have arrived with yet another middle-grade fantasy book review. Y’all are going to be getting a lot of these for the next two months!! For little ol’ me has discovered this most fascinating thing called NetGalley and has also discovered they have a most splendid middle-grade section!!! And my to-be-read is indeed overflowing with ARCs…
At any rate, today, I have returned to review a brilliant, upcoming middle-grade fantasy!! One so terribly heartbreaking and magical that it had to take priority over all my other ARCs.
Ladies and gentlemen and Fluffy Comrades, I present to you: The Missing Magic of Sparrow Xia by Leia Ham!
The blurb reads: With atmospheric illustrations full of warmth, adventure, and friendship on every page, The Missing Magic of Sparrow Xia is an unforgettable magical school story.
To Sparrow Xia, power feels like fire; red-hot sparks dancing along her fingertips, or the blazing flames her brother wields. In a world where kids have magic and adults don’t, being a super-rare fire mage should give her the edge she needs to make the most of her magical years. But Sparrow feels like a fraud—for all its rarity, her fire-magic is so weak she can barely conjure more than a match flame. Starting school at Zenith Academy for Magical Development is her one chance to finally strengthen her magic—to turn her pitiful match flame into something powerful. Something special.
While Sparrow battles to master her talents, a strange illness begins to seep into the school, draining students of their magic. When Sparrow and her new friends are drawn into the search for a cure, they’ll soon find that when magic means everything, some people will go to terrifying lengths to try to keep it…
With exciting, atmospheric illustrations on every page, The Missing Magic of Sparrow Xia is the beginning of an unforgettable adventure overflowing with friendship, mystery, and the truth that magic is everywhere.
And oh my gosh, y’all.
This book.
*collapses into sobs*
It broke me… Maybe even more than The Q did. (And that, my dear, is saying something. One does not simply write a book more heartbreaking than one of Beth Brower’s.) Just…. oh my goodness. The twists, the turns, the PLOT TWISTS, and the ending…
I originally picked this book up due to the absolutely gorgeous cover illustration and also because I wanted to read a book with a Chinese protagonist where the world isn’t really based on Chinese mythology or culture. (We need more of them!!) Not to mention the incredibly sweet Author’s Note written in the beginning! <3
And wow, this book did not disappoint at all.
The world and the plot and the characters… The characters in this novel are wonderful, and there really are just far too many good ones for me to possibly pick a favorite!! Camellia, Orla, Sparrow, Lyndon…They really are just so well-written!!
Though if I were to pick a favorite character, I would have to go with Sparrow. Not only does she have a terribly fascinating name, I related to her so much throughout the story, about wanting to be better and about not ever really feeling good enough. I do think it is something that a lot of people will be able to relate to, and I just loved seeing Sparrow grow throughout this book! ^^ Definitely one of my most beloved characters.
My second favorite would likely have to be either Camellia and Orla — Orla is just such a sweet character, and her friendship with Sparrow is absolutely wonderful!! And I loved seeing Camellia’s character develop throughout the story, especially how she becomes more than just the foil character meant to bully the protagonist.
And Sahir!!
He is a raven, which I found positively delightful, as I adore ravens. He’s a wonderful animal companion and I loved what he calls Sparrow — “Bird-child”. Because of her name, Sparrow. For some reason, I found it terribly endearing. But most certainly a better one than “birdbrain” as her brother calls her.
And speaking of her brother…
…
*sighs*
I…. ehhhhhh…. ergh……
I hate him.
For the first part of the book, he is incredibly arrogant, selfish, terribly mean to his sister, so much to the point that he is just… deeply unsympathetic and something terribly terrible could happen to him and I would not particularly care.
Not to mention how, towards the end of the book, I was thinking that perhaps Ainsley and Sparrow would finally be able to set aside their differences and understand each other only to get to the climax…………..
…
*sobs*
I will not spoil anything, but oh. my. stars. and. skies.
The climax.
It was absolutely heartbreaking……
WHY AINSLEY WHY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
There are no words that can explain my fury and despair.
There were just so many twists (twists that I kept trying to guess all throughout the novel but not once did ever successfully guess them correctly!!! Which hardly happens.) and so many times, I had to stop reading and — had I had a physical ARC — throw it across the room in despair.
So yes. Tis indeed terribly heartbreaking. But it is also wonderful to see how strong Sparrow has grown over the course of the story and to see her be able to stand up like that!!! I was ever so proud of her. But also still terribly heartbroken….
The worldbuilding of this book was fantastic though. I love magical academies, and Zenith Academy for Magical Development does not disappoint at all! Truly. With all of its teachers and the food and all the student relationships, it really does feel like a real school with an incredibly well-developed magic system!
Not to mention the illustrations!!!!
Now, seeing as this is an ARC, it means that quite a lot of the illustrations are rough/unfinished. But there are a few finished ones (well, I’m assuming they’re finished, but I could be wrong. And I don’t know either if they’re meant to be in color or to be printed in black-and-white as they are in the ARC. They would all be so darn gorgeous in color though!!) and they’re amazing!!! They really do help you picture the characters so well and really bring the story to life!
And the author illustrated this book herself. Which is severely cool, in my opinion.
I can’t share any actual illustrations from the book due to it being an unreleased ARC, but this is a link to one of her illustrations on her website.
The only qualms I have over this book is really only the fact that, on NetGalley reader, there is a page towards the end of the story. The background page color is black (a design choice which I really would love, except for the fact that the words themselves are dark blue. Rendering a full two pages of this book basically unreadable. Which was a bit irritating, but there wasn’t too much of the story lost. Twas only two pages, after all.)
But overall, this is a wonderful middle-grade novel, full of humor and heart and wonder and bravery that I think any middle-grade reader will fall in love with! It has so many relatable characters with such immersive worldbuilding that I just loved! Five out of five stars from me.
And of course, we cannot skip the CFC (Cute Fluffy Comrades) of this blog….
Thoughts from Izzy, Charlotte, and Fuzzy Bee:
Izzy: Oh my. This book is…. *shakes her head* How can I possibly describe it? It is full of magic and wonder and emotional devastation. I love it. Sparrow’s character was so very relatable, and I quite enjoyed seeing a Chinese protagonist in a world that isn’t based on Chinese culture. No pandas in this book though. Five out of five stars from me!!!
Charlotte: …
Me: *prods Charlotte* Charlotte? That’s your cue…
Charlotte: Leave me alone.
Me: But the blog review–
Charlotte: I don’t care. I’m mad at the author. (huddles under the blankets, weeping.) How could she. I’ll never forgive her. Not ever!
Me: Oh my. Er, Fuzzy–
Fuzzy Bee: …
Me: Please don’t tell me-
Izzy: Miss Fuzzy Bee has fainted.
Charlotte: (still weeping) From emotional devastation no doubt. (blows her nose) That climax is not for the faint of heart. (weeps into her pillows) There better be a book two!!!!!!!!!!!
Er, alright then. It appears Izzy loves this book and the two youngsters of the CFC have been rendered incapable of words for this book. I shall assume they mean that this book is just so splendid no words can possibly describe it.
Do let me know down in the comments what you thought and if I have convinced y’all to read this book!! Or if you are perhaps a fellow ARC reader and has also read this book. ^^ I love hearing from you!! The Missing Magic of Sparrow Xia comes out May 5, 2026 in hardcover and ebook.
Till next time!!
-Isabelle
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