Mia the Magnificent by Srivarshini Thenappan, illustrations by Sunanda G

Mia the Magnificent by Srivarshini Thenappan illustrations by Sunanda G 

Publisher: Independently published Published:  January 13th, 2025
Format Read:  E-book
Number of pages:   33 pages
Source: Author in exchange for an honest review
Opening Line from Prologue: "Mia was turning fifteen." 

On Mia's fifteenth birthday, she is given a golden necklace and discovers that she is descended from a long line of rulers from the Kingdom of the Magic Globe.  When she rubs the necklace, she is transported to the magical realm of Magic Globe.  There, she enters a magical school, begins her training to be a ruler, and works through a series of challenging tasks that require solving clues and riddles.  

Mia is joined on her quests by her distant cousin, Rachael. After each completed task, Mia gains new powers and abilities, such as the power to control ice and snow. Throughout her training, she demonstrates dedication, courage, and perseverance, qualities she will need when she finally confronts the Queen of Dark Realms and Katherine the Terrible.   

At only fourteen, Srivarshini Thenappan has already built an impressive creative path, especially considering she first wrote Mia the Magnificent at just nine years old.  Her early start brings an extra magical spark to the adventure and lets the reader also enjoy the vibrant imagination of the young author behind it.  

Mia the Magnificent has eleven short chapters, each about two pages long, introducing a new setting and a quest.  For instance, you might journey to the Snow Cliff Mountains or the Lair of Crystal to find treasures like a gem or a pair of wings.  The full-page color illustrations by Sunanda G are beautifully done and have a graphic novel quality that I enjoyed.    

This is a very endearing story that really showcases the authors creativity.  I loved all of the magical elements, the challenges Mia faced, her wish to be a kind ruler and how she saved her cousin from danger more than once.  The build up to Mia and Rachael's eventual encounter with the Queen of Dark Realms felt a little rushed, and I wanted to know more about Katherine the Terrible, the pranks that inspired her nickname and of course the Queen's backstory. Overall, I felt the story has great bones but could use some more fleshing out of the characters and smoother transitions between chapters, as some felt abrupt.  Truthful I really wished for more details about Mia's training, more moments of her using her powers, and more time spent with her magical companions.  Still, I'm very impressed with the story and feel younger readers will enjoy the magical adventure. 

** A huge thank you to Srivarshini Thenappan for the e-book in exchange for an honest review.**