Magonia has been on my TBR for quite some time and I finally decided to read it. I am so sad to say that this book was not for me. I will admit that the only reason I bought this book was the cover. I mean look at that gorgeous sleeve! It captivated me; seduced me. Sadly, the story didn't. 
 Magonia is about a girl named Aza who suffered from a lung disease unknown to mankind. Thus, she felt like she was drowning of air. Since childhood, her life already had a quota. Doctors were surprised she lasted in her teens. Knowing that she might die at any time, she does not like talking about death nor people taking pity to her. 
 Jason, her best friend since forever, knows a lot of stuff and is basically a genius. He knows a lot of people in the black market, and has invented things that made him rich at a very young age. He is the only one who understands Aza especially because he does not talk about death either. Bonus, he has two moms which I really loved. 
 The book started off with Aza rambling about how her history is hospitals. She is eloquent in sarcasm, which annoyed me. Some sarcasm is fine, one too many is just unbearable. I was so lost with her rambling on the first 30 pages or so that I thought, "Is it too early to DNF a book?" I gave it a chance and continued on because I have been wanting to read this book for the longest time. 
 Then... Weird stuff started to happen. Feather in her lung? Birds getting swallowed? Half-bird-half-human looking person on board a floating ship? Singing with a caged bird in their lung which allowed them to scrub the deck without elbow grease, create a tsunami, or melt century old ice? Jason, the genius kid that he is, knew exactly where to find Aza and had the means to travel to that location at his young age? Oh and don't forget the dying part and her new life. (view spoiler)[Aza died. Then, the next thing she was on board Amina Pennarum with her real mother, Captain Zal Quel, and her crew. (hide spoiler)] 
 The only part I got excited was when my hunch was right. (view spoiler)[ Her parents on Undersky (literally the place under the sky aka land) are not her real parents. You see, she was stolen when she was a baby and was taken to the Undersky and swapped her with another baby girl. That's why she felt like she was drowning of air her whole life because Magonians literally feel like they are drowning when they breathe air from the Undersky. (hide spoiler)] Aha! 
 The author did an amazing job by incorporating facts with fiction; history with imagination. I just did not feel it. I felt detached from the book. I felt like I was reading words and did not get fully immersed with the story. I am not saying that I don't recommend the book. It was just not for me. 
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