The Mystwick School of Musicraft - Jessica Khoury

Title: The Mystwick School of Musicraft
Author: Jessica Khoury
Genre: Childrens fantasy,
Rating: 4/5
# pages: Audiobook ~8.5hrs
Date read: September 2019

Amelia Jones always dreamed of attending the Mystwick School of Musicraft, where the world’s most promising musicians learn to create magic. So when Amelia botches her audition, she thinks her dream has met an abrupt and humiliating end—until the school agrees to give her a trial period. Amelia is determined to prove herself, vowing to do whatever it takes to become the perfect musician. Even if it means pretending to be someone she isn’t.

Meanwhile, a mysterious storm is brewing that no one, not even the maestros at Mystwick, is prepared to contain. Can Amelia find the courage to be true to herself in time to save her beloved school from certain destruction?


This is definitely a book that gains hugely from being "read" as an audiobook. The inclusion of music in every chapter is awesome and made for a totally different (and more immersive) reading experience... even if listening to the music did sometimes cause me to forget all about listening to the actual words! No matter - worth it :-D

It started out being very Harry Potter'ish, but fortunately quickly changed tracks completely with Mystwick being very different from Hogwarts. I do wish we could have heard more about the Musicraft classes themselves though, as I always find that fascinating.

I mostly loved the story... it was charming and fun and though obviously written for children/YA still definitely appealing for adults as well. My one complaint about it - and the main reason I subtracted a star - is the same issue I have with so many books in this genre: Kids who have really serious concerns about something BUT NEVER TALK TO AN ADULT ABOUT IT!!!! I guess it could be argued that Amelia didn't really have any cause to trust the teachers... but still.

Ah well, the rest was absolutely delightful, and for once I actually really HOPE it will end up being a series, rather than just a stand-alone novel.