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 3.5 stars - NO trivial rating can justify my feelings for this book! 
 Magonia is the most peculiar book I've read all year; I probably should've expected this considering it contains birdpeople, flying sharks, feathers galore and sky ships. Weird doesn't even cover this novel which is like somewhere between a Neil Gaiman novel and a Tim Burton movie, making the song I Am The Walrus seem normal. Maria Dahvana Headley is truly incredibly and is one of the most imaginative authors to ever grace the publishing world. 
 Aza has always been sick from the day she's been born with a rare disease that is exclusively hers. Aza has trouble breathing which makes it hard for her to act like a regular teenager and hang out with her friend Jason. Jason has always had a crush on Aza ever since they were little, but before he can confess it Aza is whisked away into the magical land of Magonia. There she is brought on the journey of a lifetime and she can be someone else. 
 This book is wonderfully written and Neil Gaiman wasn't exaggerating when he said "[Headley] writes like a dream." I'm envious of how perfectly clear and surreal Headley's descriptions are, making the world of Magonia easily visualized in my mind. Everything in this novel is simply lovely, but I especially enjoyed all of the avian and feather imagery as well as the figurative language Headley used. Mark my words, Headley is capable of great things and Magonia is just the tip of the iceberg. 
 This is one of those novels that is so wonderful and outlandish, heck it makes Lewis Carroll's Wonderland look normal at times. It was interesting to see Aza become something more than just the victim she's always been. I wasn't exactly happy how almost immediately after Aza came to Magonia, she suddenly became gorgeous because it was extremely ridiculous and shallow. It felt unnecessary for Aza to undergo such a dramatic physical transformation and it seemed to discount her emotional journey. 
 Magonia for the most part is from the point of Aza, but there a few chapters from Jason's perspective. I absolutely loved Aza's point of view, but I really found Jason's chapters lacking and distracting because they averted my attention from the wonders of Magonia. I did find Jason's relationship and love for Aza incredibly sweet, but I don't think he deserved his own chapters. 
 I'm not quite sure if Magonia is part of a series or if it's a stand-alone, but I know for sure I'd like to read more fantasy from Headley. This book was unlike anything I've ever read and was something so odd, yet it was what I needed to read at the moment. I'm so glad I delved into the world of Magonia and I truly hope there's more coming. I applaud Maria Dahvana Headley and I truly would love to pick her mind because you have to be an incredibly interesting person to write a book like Magonia.