I've read quite a few other books by Lisa McMann, so I opened this one knowing that whatever the story it was, it would be amazing. And it really is. 
 As a kid some of my favourite books were written by Enid Blyton, C.S. Lewis and of course, J.K. Rowling. This one is like a combination of all of them but unique in its own right, and a Dystopian too. Although aimed at Middle Grade readers, I didn't notice this at all and I doubt other readers my age and older would either. I sincerely wish I had this when I was a kid because I would have read it so much that the pages would have fallen apart! You can definitely see the similarities between this and Harry Potter but as I mentioned, it's completely unique. A magical castle, statues that move and talk (I loved Simber, the talking stone Cheetah who guards the castle), talking blackboards (my favourite was Earl) and many interesting magical spells. 
 Read the rest of the review at ComaCalm's Corner!