Be Brilliant, Be Brave, Be Curious, Be Kind, Be A Misfit

SPOILER ALERT
This review is for those who have read or are familiar with the previous books of The Magic Misfits or don't mind knowing spoilers for them.
SPOILER ALERT

~The Minor Third~
The Magic Misfits
Book 3
Written by Neil Patrick Harris
Illustrated by Lissy Marlin & Kyle Hinton
Amazon ~ Powell's

Theo Stein-Meyer loves being part of the Magic Misfits. Armed with his trusty violin bow, he completes the team with his levitation skills, unflappable calm, and proper manners. But when a girl named Emily begins to spend time with the group, Theo is surprisingly drawn to her. She seems to understand the pull he feels between music and magic, between family and friends.

Then a famous ventriloquist arrives in town, and the Misfits are sure he (and his creepy dummy) are up to no good. With their mentor, Mr. Vernon, suddenly called away and tension simmering among the friends, can they come together to stop another member of the villainous Emerald Ring? It's time for Theo to make a choice about where--and with whom--he belongs.

Join the Magic Misfits as they discover adventure, friendship, and more than a few hidden secrets in this unique and surprising series. Whether you're a long-time expert at illusion or simply a new fan of stage magic, hold on to your top hat!

Definitely not what I was expecting. I mean, you'd think lighthearted kids books about performing magic wouldn't be so grim and foreboding, but this one takes that minor key thing seriously.

Things are getting serious now, and everything about the book reflects that: Theo's plagued by nightmares right out of the gate, tensions are high among the Misfits, and even the narrator forgets his own rules concerning certain unluckly chapters! We finally get a bit more backstory concerning the Emerald Ring and their breakup, which doesn't paint our favorite mentor in a particularly kind light...

I talked before about the surprisingly mature tone of the books, with the kids being smart but also having competent adults around that give them their independence. This time the kids really are on their own, what with their mentor out of town, and the weight of everything really does take its toll on them. They eventually reach a point where they are truly terrified, and the help they request (from the other Mr. Vernon) is less helpful than what they'd hoped. Not that the other Mr. Vernon failed outright, but he does enter the picture late and isn't as informed as their mentor is when it comes to the Emerald Ring. So it's easier to understand why Theo would accept advice from other sources, even if it goes against his loyalties.

Speaking of Theo, I didn't get as much connection with him as I expected. Sure, he's very reserved and proper with the others, but I had assumed getting more of his POV would peel away some of his barriers. About all we got from him was that he feels a lot of pressure from his friends and family to be perfect, and he has a crush on Emily, but nothing came from it. Carter's story came to a head when the truth of his runaway status came out, and Leila had all the drama with her birth parents, but Theo's own conflict was never actually dealt with. I feel like his issues were just forgotten during the climax and time skip at the end of the book, what with more plot-heavy things to contend with. Disappointing, but I guess it does mirror the unfinished feeling we get from the story as a whole.

That's right, this one ends on a cliffhanger. Penultimate episodes are often the hardest to stomach, what with the heightening sense of doom that precedes the final showdown, and the Misfits certainly have a bit of doom weighing on them by the end. Young readers may want to hold off on starting this one until the final book is available (Sept 2020), because I know it's gonna be a hard wait. I'm excited to finally have Ridley's take on things, since she's always seemed the most complex of the group, plus that ending is sure to be a spectacular show. I apologize for any extra vagueness in this review, but there are many twists and turns that I don't wish to spoil for the interested reader. So, in short, know that I think anyone who's read his far will once again be caught up in the magic of the series, and until the next review, I bid you adieu!