The Pennymores & the Curse of the Invisible Quill by Eric Koester was a delightful fantasy-adventure story featuring a fun cast of main characters whose unique personalities drive the storyline forward. This type of story is a bit out of the norm for what I read but it held my interest the entire time (and it was fairly lengthy!).

The worldbuilding in this book was incredibly creative. There were many characters to meet, many locales to visit (each different from the next) and they melded into one amazing world. The main characters, the Pennymore children, were delightful. Each one had their own personality that contributed to the story, and they struggled with what they thought they knew versus what actually was happening in their world. I love how the author built in the power of education into the story - the Pennymores grow up in a community where writing is demeaned dangerous, and people actively work to prevent it from being taught (and the magic that comes with it). Yet in other nearby communities, writing is revered, and magic is part of everyday life. The clear tie to the importance of education and the power of writing is woven throughout the story but doesn't come across as preachy.

There were a few things that I found a little tricky about this book - there was SO much happening that sometimes I felt a little overwhelmed by what was happening. There were lots of different characters to keep track off and I had to go back a few times to refresh myself on who was who. There were also parts of the book that it felt the set-up was rather lengthy but then the actual action went very quickly. However, this didn't detract from a delightful storyline!

I look forward to seeing where the author goes next with this series - and I love that it was a family affair to create and write it!

I really liked this book. I struggled a little bit with the writing and the plot for a while but I recognize that I am not the intended audience and age group and I am sure that someone who is would really love this.

Such a fun, cute read for my 2nd grader. She loved trying to figure out the mystery and the magic of it all was very reminiscent of Harry Potter. The illustrations scattered throughout the book was a nice touch too. A great chapter book for middle school readers.

Thank you to @lovebooktours for my copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this one, it reminded me of the A Pinch Of Magic series by Michelle Harrison, so if you’re a fan of those books you’ll like this one too.

Following Parker and her sisters on a quest to save their kingdom and find their brother, we meet lots of interesting characters along the way, and some not-so-nice ones too. Each sister has their own fab personality - little sister Aven is mischievous, Quinn the older sister is an inventor and Parker is our hero.

The story is well written, flows easily and keeps you guessing and intrigued all the way through, I’m hoping there will be more to this series as I’m sure the sisters’ adventures are only just beginning.

The Pennymores and the Curse of the Invisible Quill were so magical! A magical adventure that follows three sisters who need to set out on an adventure to find their missing brother. They find secrets and experience true adventure, and this book definitely filled the magical story void I was missing in my life for the time being.

I loved the idea this story is about the magic of writing and more so that it was written with the help of the author's young children who feature as main characters in the book. It's a beautiful concept and one that I'm sure the author's daughters are overjoyed with!

I did enjoy the fantastical nature of the story - it was strangely compelling - however there were parts which I struggled to follow, parts which I felt jumped or didn't quite flow properly and at times the plot itself was too over complicated and I lost the sense of it. I think as a child reading it as a MG they would really struggle. I think it needed more editing to be honest but if there is a sequel (which it certainly suggests there will be!) then hopefully this will be improved.

I particularly loved the idea of magic writers, the quills, the idea of Orders, and the libraries! I would love to be able to visit one myself! The sister's relationship was well developed too.

Overall a good debut with a magical, compelling storyline!

**Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and author for the opportunity to read an advanced e-copy of this book. All opinions are my own **

I find this review a bit tricky to write. There were a lot of elements to this book that generally I would love, and when they stand on their own- I do love them. However, this book has so much going on that it starts to feel muddled. The plot gets somewhat lost, and there are so many named characters that don't seem to be very different from one another. This causes you to mix up who is who, and forget why they're on their journey in the first place.

The inclusion of explaining the Hero's Journey and some of the writing elements that were included was kind of cool. I can see how kids in the intended age group would find them informational and easily be able to recall them later on. Unfortunately, the other good elements in this book get overshadowed by just how much there is to process and put together. I felt somewhat frustrated by constantly trying to remember who is who, where are they, and what are they doing there?

I feel it could have used some editing to have somewhat less, or perhaps condensed down, content in order to adequately balance out the story.

AS CAWPILE:
Characters: 4 | Atmosphere: 7 | Writing: 6 | Plot: 6 | Intrigue: 7 | Logic: 5 | Enjoyment: 5
Total: 5.57 / 3 Stars

I am struggling with this one. While I am interested in the story, there is an immense amount of world building and setting up the plot, but then when we finally got the basis of the quest, it was rushed. It is very odd pacing.
I think the story itself is interesting. There is a lot of ideas that are pulled from other middle grade stories, but enough to stand on its own and be entertaining.
I did enjoy the characters, but along with the pacing issues, the character development did not make sense at times. I do believe that it is a debut novel, and with that in mind, I think that it is a great start for novels to come.

The Pennymores & the Curse of the Invisible Quill is a great addition to a classroom, school, or home library! I am currently reading this out loud to my first graders, chapter by chapter, every day and they cannot get enough of the Pennymore sisters' story! They've even asked me to write down the name of the book on sticky notes so they can go purchase a copy of their own to read with their own families. I can't wait to add the next book to my classroom library to share with my young readers.

The Pennymores starts off slowly in order to really immerse the reader in this magical world. While I found it to be a bit too slow for my tastes, my young readers enjoyed visualizing all the details and it really set them up for the rest of the story. There is lots of adventure once the Pennymore sisters set off to save their brother while also navigating using writing magic in world where it's banned. I really enjoyed the sisterhood aspect of the story and how the trio of sisters have to learn to work together and be there for one another through it all.

If you're a fan of Harry Potter, Inkspell, and Narnia, this book is for you! The Pennymores is a great read for students of all ages. Thank you NetGalley and New Degree Press for the advanced copy. All opinions are my own.

A brilliant story for middle school and young adults. The plenty to keep you entertained. I read some of the story with my 5 year old daughter and she was eager to find out what happens next. Thank you for the advanced copy, we can't wait to see where the story goes next.

I loved everything about this book, I finished it in a couple of hours. I loved the writing and I found the characters really believeable and relatable and I think that children will as well. I really enjoyed the magic element of it too. A great read.

I loved reading this.
it had everything i loved in a book, magic, adventure, fantasy and a mystery.
i will have to read this book again!

This was a book about family, friends, the power of writing, and lots of magic. The premise of the book was great, and I loved the little doodle-like images scattered throughout the text.

The whole story really was a grand adventure. There were lots of different scenes and lots of action. But at times, I thought there was too much going on. A more thorough development of fewer ideas would have probably been more engaging for me.

Overall, the book also felt long and, regrettably, slow. I had a really hard time keeping focus and engaging with it.

2.5

The Pennymore sisters make great resilient female characters but I found this hard to fall into the story.

It has an interesting magic system, which at times can get too complicated, but does have strong world-building. The sisters are bright, daring, and funny, the strong suit of the story.

I feel like this flips from middle grade to young adult content and back again which makes it inconsistent. The actual plot takes a long time to set up and is long-winded. The other characters paled in comparison to the sisters, not adding much to the story.

At its heart is a wonderful message, all about the magic and wonders of the written word. There will be many who will find this story delightful and a delightful trip down memory lane with literary childhood tropes that we've all know and love. This is a pass from me though.

Thank you to NetGalley and New Degree Press for this eARC in exchange for an honest review

Thank you Netgalley for letting me read this ARC.

This was such a fun book. The world building was fantastic and the characters are lovable and relatable. It was a wonderful adventure and you could feel the authors love for the story and characters with each word I read. I wish this book had been around when I was a kid because I would have been obsessed with it. I can't wait to purchase the finished book and share with my little cousins because I know they will love it.

Really fun. Great adventure and loved getting to know all the girls, each having their own unique personality and quirk. Enjoyed the world building.

3.5 stars

A fun fantasy middle grade book that has very evident and heavy inspiration from Harry Potter. I love the origin story of how this story was imagined up with the author collaborating with his children at bedtime. As a mother of a 5 year old, this seems like such a fun idea and project to take on.

I do feel like the story was a little rushed where the children only had 4 days to accomplish their task. It seemed like the area they needed to cover, and the amount of action that had to happen couldn't possibly have fit into the time frame. I did enjoy the overall story though and the artwork added in was fun.

I loved the concept and storyline of this book, but I had a hard time getting into it at first. After the first few chapters it got better and I found myself enjoying the book. Definitely a great magical read for middle graders and young adults.

This is a great book for younger readers who enjoy fantasy with a little bit of adventure and mystery thrown in. The Pennymore sisters are all great characters in their own way and serve as good reminders that we all have our own strengths and abilities. Aven provides just the right amount of comic relief throughout the book and keeps it from getting too dark. I'm not sure all readers will understand some of the themes in the book, but I'm not sure if that will interfere with them being able to understand the events of the story.

DNF at 23%. I am leaving a review nonetheless, as I am unsure if this is a me thing or a book thing, and it is most likely the former.

I love the idea of this story, and I really enjoyed what I did read of it. The characters were well developed, the locations gorgeous, the magic fascinating. I just find this really really hard to get into, and for my own sake i have to put it down and try something else.

I am torn however, regarding the age for this book. To me, it reads comfortably in the Young Adult section, but the cover seems to skew a little more junior. I would be interested to hear from those who have finished it, as to what they think about recommended reading age.