2021 fantasy for children. The Studio Mandolini is one of several that
paints Illuminations: magical paintings that ward off mice from the
cheese or prevent fires. But their fortunes have been waning, and
young Rosa wants to help her family. So when a box found in the
basement makes her forget all about it and walk away, it must contain
something valuable…
I feel a certain amount of atmosphere from Diana Wynne Jones'
Caprona here, in this not-Venice that keeps working by magic. But this
is very much Rosa's story told from her perspective (ten going on
eleven, and her magical talent hasn't yet come in, and maybe it never
will), and she doesn't get involved in the governance of the city;
just in the attempt to catch and control the supernatural beast she's
accidentally let loose.
Some of the early part of this felt like very hard going: when
scribbles start appearing on illuminations about the studio, and
everyone's reaction is to blame Rosa, and she doesn't dare tell them
what's actually going on… and then this happens again for multiple
cycles. It's realistic but unpleasant. And perhaps it's unworthy of
me, but I couldn't help feeling a certain amount of Message being
pushed in about trusting your family rather than trying to solve
problems yourself. (But the other Kingfisher books with a young
protagonist that I've read, Minor Mage and A Wizard's Guide to
Defensive Baking, don't give me the same feeling, perhaps because
their protagonists are largely on their own rather than having the
option of turning to family.)
"Don't underestimate the Scarling. It's made of cunning. And
wickedness. And…um…wood. Mostly wood. But also wickedness."
All right, perhaps I felt slightly let down because I was expecting
the more redemptive ending that seemed briefly to be on the cards, but
I still had fun, and there's another sidekick bird in that style that
Kingfisher does so well. (Shiny!)