The Inquisitor's Apprentice: A Fantasy Mystery About Witches, Crime, and Gangs in New York for Kids (Ages 10-12)

Ok, so we found this series on a library run this summer, but I PURCHASED them, I loved them so much! The story is a wonderful mix of genuine historical setting (New York's famous Bowery District, at the turn the century) and magic! The MC, Sacha, is a Jewish immigrant who tries to hide his Jewishness from his co-apprentice, a wealthy young girl his same age, Lilly. They are apprentices of the (in)famous Inspector Wolf. The first case, preventing the murder of Harry Houdini, soon revolves around Sacha's grandfather and Kabbalist "magic" -- which is really the non-practice of magic, but not for the evil commercial reasons put forward by the villain. We entered this series on the second book, which features the electrocution of the "Klezmer King" (a klezmer is a clarinet). I'm always on the lookout for new, different music-related stories. I won't spoil either mystery, but Ms. Moriarty is a superb plotress and I'm reading to deconstruct her wizardry in these two. Visit my blog for more book reviews, free teaching materials and fiction writing tips: https://amb.mystrikingly.com/

Ms Moriarty has taken the magic and wonder of J.K. Rowling' s Hogwarts gang and made it Kosher. I especially appreciated the alternative history aspect, mingling such historical figures as Edison and Houdini into the story. I do not wish to put the weight of the H.P. Series on the book, but rather recommend reading this story if you enjoyed the former series. I Will anticipate the next offering eagerly. As Mr Roosevelt would say..."BULLY!"

I am a big fan of well written and well conceived alternative histories. I'm not normally a fan of books about magic, at least not the sword and sorcery type. I am happy to report, this book has made me change my mind about the magic part. I was happy to believe in the magic of the world in this book. The descriptions were delightful and the characters, no matter how fantastic, were also believable. I look forward to reading more about these characters. I also look forward to sharing the books with my12 year old grandson.

This was a breathtaking book. In the beginning, it was a bit slow but once you get into it, you can't stop. The mysteries and plot twists are the most unpredictable I've seen for a long time. In short, it was an amazing book.

I wanted to like this one – it was enthusiastically recommended to me, but somehow it just didn’t work as well as I hoped. I actually read it in two sittings. I only got about a third of the way through the first time and set it aside for a while to see if I’d be more in the mood for it later. I did finish reading it finally, but didn’t feel satisfied with it by the end. I will say that the world building was A+! I loved all the details of the alternate history New York with the rich cultures and very clearly delineated class differences. The Jewish myths and magic theory wer something I’ve rarely seen in fiction/fantasy, and I was totally intrigued by all of it and would love to read more under normal circumstances. Sadly, I think it was the main characters that fell flat to me. From Sasha to Lily to Wolf, not one of them really connected with me – if anything, by the end of it, I was almost turned off by the characters. I think this is one of those rare times where an author tried so hard to make a character not be perfect that they became almost too unlikable to connect to. Both Lily and Sasha were so caught up in appearances and outright ashamed of their homes and families, and it was honestly ended painful for me as I kept reading. That, and I’m not sure the book actually had an ending? The climax of the story didn’t seem to actually solve any of the big issues. I understand leaving things open for a sequel if a book is intended to start a series, but it still should feel complete, and this one didn’t. All in all, I was disappointed, sadly. I may try one of the author’s other books as so much of this was enjoyable, but I doubt I’ll continue to read this series.

Wonderful book. I read this for a book club at a head trauma unit and they loved it. Bad part was that we couldn't contact the writer.

This book was a good read. Adults and kids can get into the book but it was kind of boring at times to me. I like a book with a little more flavor I guess.

A great premise of a world where magic is everywhere but not legal. So how do you root it out? With Inquisitors! And how do you get to be one? Why apprentice, if you are chosen. A little of the "old" world and a little of the new..