Will Do Magic for Small Change

by Andrea Hairston

"Cinnamon Jones dreams of stepping on stage and acting her heart out like her famous grandparents, Redwood and Wildfire. But at 5'10" and 180 pounds, she's theatrically challenged. Her family life is a tangle of mystery and deadly secrets, and nobody is telling Cinnamon the whole truth. Before her older brother died, he gave Cinnamon The Chronicles of the Great Wanderer, a tale of a Dahomean warrior woman and an alien from another dimension who perform in Paris and at the 1893 Chicago World's Fair. The Chronicles may be magic or alien science, but the story is definitely connected to Cinnamon's family secrets. When an act of violence wounds her family, Cinnamon and her theatre squad determine to solve the mysteries and bring her worlds together. "--Publisher website.

• ISBN10: 1619761017
• ISBN13: 9781619761018
• Publish Date: 1 May 2016
• Publish Status: Transferred
• Imprint: Aqueduct Press
• Format: Paperback (US Trade)
• Pages: 472
• Language: English

Reviews

[Quirky Cat]

So, first things first – I'm late to the whole Will Do Magic for Small Change game. I saw this on NetGalley for the first time and had no idea that the book was due for a re-release. On the bright side, that's great news for Andrea Hairston!

Cinnamon Jones comes from a family born on the stage. Almost literally, as the case may be. Her grandparents are the famous Redwood and Wildfire. Cinnamon would love nothing more than to follow in their footsteps, but that doesn't seem to be in the cards.

So instead, Cinnamon will find herself embroiled in the center of a family mystery, which may or may not help unite every aspect of Cinnamon's life. Only time will tell.

So, I want to preface my review by saying that I really (REALLY) wanted to like this book. There's something about Will Do Magic for Small Change that begged me to read it, so I was looking forward to it. Sort of my treat for surviving another week, you know?

Unfortunately, I struggled to get into this one. It has potential – a lot of it! And it combines some of my favorite tropes and genres. So by all rights, I should have been instantly invested. Yet there was something about the descriptions that kept breaking my immersion.

Don't get me wrong - Will Do Magic for Small Change is still a decent read. It's not the amazing read I had been expecting or hoping for. The plot's core was still fascinating, and I'm thrilled about the combination of elements that came into play here.

I did hide one crucial detail from the description up above – there's a secondary perspective for readers to dive into. I'm not sure if I should mention what that perspective is, as I didn't know about it going into it (and that was a fun surprise!). But I will say this: I ended up liking that perspective more. It was so different!

Thanks to Aqueduct and #NetGalley for making this book available for review. All opinions expressed are my own.

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