ARC Review: A Modern Fairytale

The Magician of Tiger Castle by Louis

Publication Date: August 5, 2025

Summary from NetGalley:

Long ago and far away (and somewhere south of France) lies the kingdom of Esquaveta. There, Princess Tullia is in nearly as much peril as her struggling kingdom. Esquaveta desperately needs to forge an alliance, and to that end, Tullia’s father has arranged a marriage between her and an odious prince. However, one month before the “wedding of the century,” Tullia falls in love with a lowly apprentice scribe.

The king turns to Anatole, his much-maligned magician. Seventeen years earlier, when Anatole first came to the castle, he was regarded as something of a prodigy. But after a long series of failures—the latest being an attempt to transform sand into gold—he has become the object of contempt and ridicule. The only one who still believes in him is the princess.

When the king orders Anatole to brew a potion that will ensure Tullia agrees to the wedding, Anatole is faced with an impossible choice. With one chance to save the marriage, the kingdom, and, of most importance to him, his reputation, will he betray the princess—or risk ruin?

ARC provided by Berkley Publishing Group via Netgalley for an honest review.

Confession:

I found this adult debut by one of my favorite children’s author to be absolutely delightful. It was a fun cozy fantasy that really felt like an old fairy tale, while also having a bit of a modern feel to it. I loved the characters and the setting and really wished it was going to be a series.

Anatole, the Magician, is the sole narrator of the tale and I just adored him. He was funny when he needed to be, but was also quite smart and really knew his stuff when it came to concocting potions and other medicines. He isn’t a magician in the modern sense of the word, no casting spells and such. He is more of an alchemist, and a very good one it seems. He also has a really big heart, especially when it came to the princess and really wanted to help her.

I also really liked Princess Tullia and her scribe, Pito. They were both very smart and really suited each other. It was fun to watch the two of them together. Tullia is a bit of an unconventional princess and she isn’t afraid to get her hands dirty. Pito is smart but not snobbish about it and has a really big heart.

The setting is well done and you can tell the author did a lot of research into this time period. The story does flip a bit between the modern present day Anatole telling the story, and the medieval parts. Most of these were little asides that related something medical that alchemists believed or didn’t know about compared to the modern world. I loved these little interludes and found them a lot of fun. The story was set at a good pace for the most part, although it could have used a little more action in the middle.

Overall I really did find this a fun little fairy tale that Mr Sachar’s fans will really enjoy, both young and old. Even though it is being sold as an adult novel, there is definitely going to be young adults who will enjoy it too. Even if you’ve never read any of his work this would be a good place to start.