From the very first lines of The Magician of Tiger Castle you know that you're in the hands of a master storyteller. As a reader you know that you can just relax and enjoy every twist and turn of the marvelous and witty story. Narrated by the intelligent, stoical Antole the story runs along at a fast pace, in many ways at the pace of a book for younger readers. In terms of content it was only the implied threat of sexual violence that would make it not suitable for younger readers and given the content of a lot of modern YA I think it would easily appeal to teens as well as adults so the publishing under an adult imprint is curious.

What an enjoyable journey. I really liked this story, it was heartfelt, informative and very fun. I do wish I knew more about what happened to Tullia and Pito but also appreciate that it's part of the mistique of story telling to allow you to paint your own picture, as Anatole also had to. I hope to see more adult writing by Sachar, I'd certainly pick it up.

What a magnificent read this was! This was such a brilliant fantasy book. I read an eARC of this book on NetGalley so thank you to the author and the publisher.

This was fascinating. We follow a magician at a particular point in his life where he worked in a castle. He has a comfortable life, conducting experiments, looking after the health of the residents, creating potions. However when the princess falls in love with a scribe instead of her betrothed. The magician faces a steep countdown to find a solution that keeps both the princess and her royal parents happy, as well as her unkind fiancé.

This is quite a slow burn as we send a big chunk of the book following our magician as he conducts various experiments, tries variations on ingredients, brews potions to try and solve his problem. We see his conflict as the race against time forces him to abandon meticulous experimentation in order to try and create a working potion. We feel his stress acutely. I enjoyed the view into the magician’s analytical mind and the explanations he gives for his different ingredient choices. This novel benefitted for the level of detail it went into even if it did mean a slower pace.

There are really problems to solve, often unusual approaches and frequent surprises. This was so enjoyable and I was completely riveted. There were often such unexpected turns in the story and the characters are unique and approach things in ways that feel so authentic to their characters.

A wonderful fantasy read!

I adored this book! I've never read a book by this author and requested it on a whim, but it was an utter delight. The characters were fantastic, unique and fleshed out, and it was funny without being silly. It flew by!

The Magician of Tiger Castle by Louis Sachar is such a good story. I loved every single second of it. I totally recommend everyone to read this book as fast as they can because it's really good and the characters are fantastic.

I have been so looking forward to this release - and I'm so thrilled it lived up to my very high expectations. I loved every moment of this and I couldn't recommend it enough.

It was a really light read and as a person who reads multiple books at once I enjoyed having it in my rotation.
It took me about a day to read and I couldn't put it down. Louis Sacher's first adult novel, in my opinion, is such a captivating book and though it isn't exactly cozy ( maybe my definition of cozy is different) , it is really refreshing. I am honoured to have had the opportunity to read it and I will definitely be buying a physical copy in August. I have much more knowledge on historians after reading and I loved those details as well.
A 4.5 star read for me

Louis Sachar's first adult novel is a glorious fairy-tale style adventure, set mainly in a fictitious European kingdom in the 15th century. I call it a fairy tale because of the style - there aren't any fairies, and arguably there isn't anything supernatural despite the main character and narrator being a 'magician'. Whilst he achieves some incredible things with his potions, even the magician himself never claims any of it to be magic, rather science. But the medieval setting, the extraordinary things the potions achieve, and the storyline - about wicked princes, brave princesses, monks and apothecaries - evokes the same pleasant unreality as a fairy tale.

The narrator, Anatole, is a likeable character and Sachar's style is very easy to read and entertaining, perfectly suited to the genre. The story concerns Anatole attempting to create an anti-love potion, after the princess of Tiger Castle inconveniently falls in love with a scribe rather than her betrothed. As things progress, the stakes grow higher, into a matter of life and death - but Anatole describes himself as a coward and doesn't believe he can take the decisive action needed to save the princess, the scribe, and maybe even the kingdom. We know that Anatole does survive - because he's still alive to narrate in the 21st century (this is explained as part of the plot). I liked this element as it enabled him to narrate with a 21st century understanding and a first hand 15th century one.

If you like adventure stories - fantasy adventure, or even non-fantasy adventure, this is a must read. It should also appeal to anyone who likes well written, quirky and original stories. It's something a bit different, and yet also completely recognisable from the stories we all read as children. So you get the benefit of a fresh take, accompanied with the comfort of a genre you know well. I hope Sachar writes some more adult books and in the meantime, add this one to your reading list.

Awww I loved this one so much. It was kind of ya Romantasy .
I love this author a lot . Holes was my favourite movie and book as a teenager and then as an adult small steps .

I loved the whole castle vibes and the main character was so cute and wholesome but a bit grumpy at times.

"The Magician of Tiger Castle" is a compelling read with a narrative style that draws you in from the very first page. Anatole, the main character momentarily steps out of the narrative to offer explanations and personal insights into the story, whilst I’ve seen that in movies I’ve never read a book that has this writting style but it works so well in this book and doesn’t interrupt the plot flow.

The book is filled with unexpected twists and clever hints that kept me eagerly turning the pages, literally at 3am! Anatoles intelligence and quick thinking, reminiscent of Tyrion from Game of Thrones, added a layer of nostalgia to the plot.

The historical fantasy elements of the story are well-researched and add an intriguing dimension to the narrative, exploring past diseases and apothecary techniques.
Tullia is everything by a princess should be, cute, cunning and sharp-witted. She stands out as a character that’s always one step ahead of the power hungry men that surround her.

The story fell flat around 75% but I was brought back into it at 82% by the shear exquisite writting style! I’ve never read a book that has been written in this way and I don’t believe it would work for every story but for this one it was chefs kiss, perfection!

The love interest in the story took me by surprise, it did not play out as I first thought it would but definitely enhanced the plot. .

One of the highlights of the book is the protective relationship between the Anatole and Tullia which I found touching. Anatole treated the princess like a daughter, watching over her and being the father figure she should have.
The ending of the book was bitter-sweet annd most definitely not an fairytale ending but felt very in keeping with the feel of the setting.
Overall, "The Magician of Tiger Castle" is a must-read for fans of historical fantasy with a fresh twist.