Magonia
YA Fantasy
Series: Book 1
Published by HarperCollins
April 28,2015
Borrowed from Library
Neil Gaiman's Stardust meets John Green's The Fault in Our Stars in a story about a girl caught between two worlds . . . two races . . . and two destinies.
Aza Ray Boyle is drowning in thin air. Since she was a baby, Aza has suffered from a mysterious lung disease that makes it ever harder for her to breathe, to speak—to live. So when Aza catches a glimpse of a ship in the sky, her family chalks it up to a cruel side effect of her medication. But Aza doesn't think this is a hallucination. She can hear someone on the ship calling her name.
Only her best friend, Jason, listens. Jason, who's always been there. Jason, for whom she might have more-than-friendly feelings. But before Aza can consider that thrilling idea, something goes terribly wrong. Aza is lost to our world—and found, by another. Magonia.
Above the clouds, in a land of trading ships, Aza is not the weak and dying thing she was. In Magonia, she can breathe for the first time. Better, she has immense power—but as she navigates her new life, she discovers that war between Magonia and Earth is coming. In Aza's hands lies fate of the whole of humanity—including the boy who loves her. Where do her loyalties lie?
A curious world of sky pirates, bird people and singing magic. This book was definitely 25% feels, 50% adventure and 25% I need some more of that! Aza is an almost 16 year old with weak lungs. They pretty much never worked. Aza struggles to breathe everyday. It's not asthma, it's not lung cancer...it's Azaray Syndrome. She is so unique they named her particular disability her moniker. Aza's mother is a scientist trying to figure out a cure for her daughter. Her best friend Jason has been at her side since they were 5. They will find a way. Aza doesn't know she is different. I mean of course she is different. She is the walking dead girl. Everyone is waiting with bated breath. One day Aza sees something in the sky. A flash, a sail, flash, ropes, flash, a ship! Aza thinks she is going crazy. Somehow Jason her factoid freak of a best friend knows what she is talking about. He talks her through the myth of Magonia an ancient race of people that live in the sky. But of course everyone knows this isn't true. Aza must have come across it while perusing the internet and saw what she wanted to see. An illusion. A mirage. I truly had no clue what this story was about when I first picked it up. I knew it had something to do with a dying girl and an alternate world a sky world, but that was it. I didn't expect the awesomeness of bird people. I didn't know I NEEDED a book with creatures and semi-humans who could speak through song. This fantasy world is so different from anything I've read before and I want more. I loved that the relationship in this story is 10 years in the making. It's not a love at first sight thing. I also am grateful that the "love-triangle" isn't really a love triangle. I loved the fact Jason has two moms. I love Aza's family. The sister scene on page 70 or so made me ugly cry. Now for the things that I was confused about. The book talks about how Jason has two patents out on things that are very useful and so he gets money from those inventions. I wish this was talked about more because later in the book this money is needed and according to Jason he needed A LOT of money. Also how does he know all about the dark side of the internet. Has Jason been hacking for years? Why does Jason have anxiety? Did he always have it? I know he used to bang his head on walls and stuff when he was 5. Is that part of anxiety? Or does he have an underlying mental illness. Is the medication only for anxiety? The reason I gave this book 4 stars is because of the convenient way Jason knew everything. He knew about Magonia. He knew about the ships trajectory. He knew how to hack. He knew important people. He had the monetary means to pull off the ending. Everything worked in Jason's favor. Don't get me wrong, without the convenience of Jason, the story wouldn't have worked...and I loved the way it worked, but at the same time it was VERY CONVENIENT.
