The Firelight Apprentice
Bree Paulsen
Quill Tree Books
Published October 29, 2024

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About The Firelight Apprentice

The bestselling author-illustrator of Garlic and the Vampire, Bree Paulsen, brings her fantastical storytelling and warm, sparkling artwork to this story that celebrates the bond between sisters.

In a city powered by magic and still recovering from a bloody war, Ada is concerned about her younger sister Safi’s developing powers. She understands that Safi could learn how to control her magic under the apprenticeship of a king’s magician. But with the memories of war still fresh, Ada is conflicted by this prospect—despite her knowing that she can’t keep Safi safely at home with the threat of deadly, power-thieving liches prowling the kingdom.

When a traveling group of magicians comes to the city to perform, they immediately recognize Safi’s talents and offer to take her on as an apprentice. Safi is thrilled about her new adventure—even if that means leaving behind Ada and their sickly father. And Ada is right to worry about her sister, for there may be monsters hiding behind friendly faces…

My Review

I love sister stories, so I had to put this one on my reading list. One of the less common elements of this story, though, is the age gap between the sisters. Ada is nearly an adult, but Safi is much younger, maybe eleven? One of the things that binds the two together is their shared family loss.

Ada is the steady, practical sister, and she quickly realizes Safi needs more than their struggling family can provide. She helps Safi secure an apprenticeship, despite her torn feelings. She wants Safi to be safe and have the opportunity to learn, but she also misses her sister and worries for her.

Paulsen also wrote the Garlic books, which center on big emotions and finding community. Those elements are at play here, as well. The color palette leans heavily on greens and other colors you might expect to see in a forest, which reminded me a little bit of her other books, too.

The relationship between sisters was so sweet. The plot of the story is pretty gentle (there’s a hard loss near the middle) until the end of the story, when a Lich monster is unmasked and attacks. That got pretty intense pretty quickly. Otherwise, the story is more about relationships between characters.

I’m glad I read this one, and I think fans of Paulsen’s other graphic novels will enjoy it. Fantasy readers will also find this quick book engaging.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 10 to 14.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
None.

Spiritual Content
Some characters are magicians and can do magic. Liches are frightening creatures drawn to magicians for their magic. A Lich can drain a magician of his magic permanently.

Violent Content
Situations of peril. Death of a parent. Some panels show a Lich attacking a magician.

Drug Content
None.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use but help support this blog. I borrowed a copy of this book from my local library. All opinions are my own.