Like a Curse by Elle McNicoll

Title: Like a Curse

Author: Elle McNicoll

Genre: Fantasy

Publisher: Knights Of

Published: 1^st August 2024

Format: Paperback

Pages: 320

Price: $17.99

Synopsis: Edinburgh is a city filled with magical creatures that no-one can see… except Ramya Knox.

Magic, friendship and sticky situations aplenty, as the adventures of Ramya Knox continue in this delightful sequel to Like a Charm.

Stuck in Loch Ness while Edinburgh falls under the control of a terrifyingly powerful Siren, Ramya Knox is frustrated. She’s supposed to be learning magic from her Aunt Opal, but that isn’t going as smoothly as she’d hoped. As she pushes to rescue her Hidden Folk friends in the city, long-buried secrets come to light and legends come to life. Ramya knows she’s different; she knows she’s a witch. But now she must learn the true meaning of her powers… before all she loves is lost.

~*~

Ramya and her cousin, Marley, are back – this time they’re ensconced in Loch Ness with Aunt Opal, Mum, Aunt Leanna and their grandmother learning magic whilst Siren Portia has taken control of Edinburgh. Not only that, Ramya’s friends, the Hidden Folk are going missing. And in a city that is filled with secrets and legends that are slowly coming to light, Ramya is determined to help those who need her. Can Ramya harness her magic to help her friends and family to find out what her powers really mean, or will her impatience make her lose everything?

Ramya Knox is Dyspraxic and neurodivergent, and sees and understands the world differently to her family. She’s unaffected by the Siren, and she sees and hears things they don’t always notice. It’s been a year since Ramya’s family reunited when her grandfather died, and now, threats are getting bigger. With her family split up, Ramya only has cousin Marley on her side as they sneak out to meet Alona and fill a book with the stories of the Hidden Folk in the world. In this adventure, she’s trying to find out what Portia is up to, learn more about magic and help her family, all whilst being unashamedly herself. Ramya is brilliantly neurodivergent, using the things that people tell her are bad to her advantage, and working with what she has. She may not be great at things like writing or running, but she can fly and talk to the Hidden Folk.

Ramya’s adventures with magic are exciting, and her encounters with her Hidden Folk explore how folk, fairytales, and myths from Scotland inform its history and what makes it unique. Bringing these elements, magic and witches together with neurodivergent characters Ramya and Opal in starring roles. It is wonderful to see these characters as key characters, who whilst they do have things they struggle with, it is also the world around them that disables them – that makes it hard for them to be who they are and show people that whilst there might be things they can’t do, they have other strengths to offer the world. And it is these strengths that make the novel so powerful. It’s a celebration of neurodiversity within a magical fantasy story that also shows that family love and understanding is important and gives us strength when we doubt ourselves or feel like we are unable to do anything to help.

Everything in this novel is perfectly timed and used, each aspect giving deeper insight into the characters, whilst also throwing in the surprises needed to make the novel evocative and filled with action that drives the adventure to conclude Ramya’s story that began in Like a Charm. It brings magic to life, and shows what true friendship and family should be – the support and acceptance that people should have free from judgement, which the way people treat Ramya, Freddie and Opal is a good example of throughout the book. This book is a celebration of neurodiversity and magic in a joyful way that shows all kids that they should celebrate and accept who they are – be yourself and never let anyone tell you not to be.

This is another gorgeous book celebrating neurodiversity in a wonderful magical world within Scotland.