Toby and the Wizards of Wildhaven is the second book in the Toby Bean series by Sally Doherty, a middle grade fantasy series.
Title: Toby and the Wizards of Wildhaven
Author: Sally Doherty
Series: Toby Bean #2
First Published: March 31, 2023
Publisher: Soaring Skies Publishing
Genres: Fantasy, Middle Grade
Acquired: from the author
*** Thank you to the author, Sally Doherty, for providing me with an e-copy of this book for review purposes. ***
When the witches invite Toby on holiday, he’s looking forward to a break from his dilapidated house and leaking roof.
But they arrive on the island of Wildhaven to find a trail of destruction. Discarded boots and ripped cloaks litter the cave floor. Even the seaweed has turned snakelike. What has happened to the wizards? And can a mouse in disguise provide some clues?
The hunt is on and Toby must work with grumpy witch, Flame-Red, to unravel the mystery. In a hidden hill, an old foe is lurking. And this time, magic is under its command.
Toby is on a new adventure
After immensely enjoying the first book in this planned trilogy (you can read my review on Toby and the Silver Blood Witches here), I jumped at the chance to read the sequel and, if possible, this book is even more fun than the first one!
While you can read Toby and the Wizards of Wildhaven as a standalone, it’s definitely much more fun to read the books in order – there’s so much more depth and understanding and it’s wonderful to see Toby growing and is quickly becoming a great character. Lots of supporting characters from the first book return for this adventure, but there are plenty of new faces as well, which added to the freshness of this new story.
There are a lot of the same elements and themes that were found in the first book – friendship, love, magic, witches (and now wizards) – but everything continues to feel fun and exciting.
A good balance between fantasy and reality
One thing that I really appreciate about the Toby Bean series is the balance between fantasy and reality. Yes, there are lots of elements of magic and fantasy, but there are definitely plenty of ‘real-world’ reminders too – including bullying, a serious illness, and a lost parent. I found the depiction of disabilities the most important in this story because it’s a good reminder of what people may be going through in their day-to-day life and how it impacts the people around them.
Balancing all this reality is the magic, the witches and wizards, the potions and the adventure. Everything just zips along. The pace is really quick and the action definitely keeps the reader turning pages. I think this is especially good in a book aimed at the Middle Grades because this book does a great job holding the reader’s interest. I know I couldn’t stop reading once I started and I can’t wait to share this with my nephew and niece once they’re a bit older.
Quote from Toby and the Wizards of Wildhaven
