At a glance
Pages1,488
First published2019
SettingThe Southern Kingdom, a fairy-tale realm
Reading time~25h
AudienceMiddle grade (8-12)
ISBN0316500577
A Tale of Magic
by Chris Colfer
LuvemBooks Verdict
Best for: A middle-grade fantasy reader aged roughly 9–11 — or their gift-giver — who wants the complete Brystal Evergreen trilogy in one purchase, whether coming to Chris Colfer fresh or moving on from The Land of Stories.
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The A Tale of Magic… Paperback Boxed Set collects Chris Colfer's complete prequel trilogy to The Land of Stories — A Tale of Magic…, A Tale of Witchcraft…, and A Tale of Sorcery… — following Brystal Evergreen, a girl punished for reading in a kingdom where magic is outlawed and who discovers she is a fairy. LuvemBooks' verdict: a sensible, self-contained gift for 9-to-11 fantasy readers, backed by a documented #1 New York Times bestselling reception and a fully resolved three-book arc. The key caveat is that the box contains exactly the three previously published paperbacks — nothing new for readers who already own the individual volumes.
- Is it worth reading?
- For the intended reader — a 9-to-11 fantasy fan new to the trilogy — LuvemBooks considers it an easy yes: the opener was a #1 New York Times bestseller and a Barnes & Noble Best Kids' Book of the Year, and the box delivers the entire Brystal Evergreen journey in one purchase. Publishers Weekly, quoted by Hachette, called it 'a thoroughly satisfying adventure' whose ending ties up multiple plot strands while leaving room for more. The honest caveats: owners of the individual paperbacks gain nothing new, the format is paperback rather than collectible hardcover, and at nearly 1,500 pages the full box may daunt a reluctant reader.
- Similar books
- Readers drawn to Brystal Evergreen's magic-academy story have several natural next stops. Chris Colfer's own The Land of Stories: The Wishing Spell is the series that made him a #1 New York Times bestselling author and shares this universe. Soman Chainani's The School for Good and Evil offers another school-based fairy-tale fantasy for the same band, while Diana Wynne Jones's Howl's Moving Castle is the classic template for witty, warm magical adventure. For readers who want a quest-driven middle-grade series, Tui T. Sutherland's The Dragonet Prophecy launches the Wings of Fire saga, and Rick Riordan's Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief remains the band's benchmark.
- Who should read this?
- The publisher-stated band is ages 9 to 11, grades 3 to 7, and the packaging makes it a natural gift for that group. It suits a child who has finished The Land of Stories and wants more of the universe, as well as one coming to Colfer fresh — Booklist's notice, relayed through retail listings, says it will please series fans while offering an entry for new readers. The trilogy structure is the practical selling point: a child who connects with Brystal in chapter one has hundreds of pages of runway ahead.
- What age is it for?
- Best for ages 9 and up. The publisher's stated reading level is ages 9 to 11, grades 3 to 7, and the length — nearly 1,500 pages across the three volumes — plus the multi-strand plotting Publishers Weekly flagged suit confident middle-grade readers. Story elements worth knowing in advance: Brystal is convicted and sent to the Bootstrap Correctional Facility in a kingdom that criminalizes reading for women and magic generally, which gives the books real thematic weight alongside the fairy adventure.
- About Chris Colfer
- Christopher Paul Colfer is an American actor, singer, and author. This boxed set collects his three A Tale of Magic… novels, the prequel trilogy to The Land of Stories.
- Where should I start with Chris Colfer?
- Two clean entry points exist. The Land of Stories: The Wishing Spell opens the series that made him a #1 New York Times bestselling author, while this boxed set opens the prequel trilogy — and per the publisher's pitch and Booklist's notice, it works perfectly well for readers who have never touched the earlier books. For a 9-to-11 reader who wants a complete, resolved story in one purchase, the A Tale of Magic… box is the more self-contained starting point.
- Does the set include anything new?
- No — and the review is direct about this being the set's most honest limitation. It contains exactly the three previously published paperbacks, with no announced bonus material or exclusive content, so anyone who already owns A Tale of Magic…, A Tale of Witchcraft…, and A Tale of Sorcery… individually has no textual reason to double up. Gift-givers should also note it is the Little, Brown paperback release from October 2022, not a collectible hardcover shelf edition.
- Buy the box or the first book?
- It depends on the reader's appetite. The argument for the box is runway: the trilogy is a complete, resolved journey — through the Snow Queen conflict and the fight for worldwide acceptance of magic — so a child who loves chapter one of A Tale of Magic… has the whole story in hand. The argument for starting with the first book alone is the review's caution that nearly 1,500 pages across three volumes may daunt a reluctant reader. For confident 9-to-11 fantasy readers or as a gift, the box is the sensible buy; for a hesitant reader, volume one is the safer test.
Summarize this book
Is it worth reading?
Who should read this?
What age is it for?
About Chris Colfer
Where should I start with Chris Colfer?
Does the set include anything new?
Buy the box or the first book?
Summarize this book
The boxed set gathers all three novels in Chris Colfer's prequel trilogy to The Land of Stories — A Tale of Magic…, A Tale of Witchcraft…, and A Tale of Sorcery… — totaling 1,488 pages. Brystal Evergreen finds a secret book in the library and learns she is a fairy capable of magic, but in the Southern Kingdom women are forbidden to read and magic is outlawed, so she is convicted and sent to the Bootstrap Correctional Facility. The trilogy follows her training at a magic academy, a sinister plot threatening the fate of magic, and later battles against the evil Snow Queen — ending in a complete, resolved arc rather than a cliffhanger.
Follow up
What's physically in the box?
Do you need to read The Land of Stories first?
Why is Brystal punished in the story?
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Age & Reading Level
Recommended age
Ages 8–12
Reading level
Middle grade
2 content notes · who it suits
Content to know about
child protagonist convicted and sent to a correctional facility
oppressive regime that criminalizes literacy and magic
Best for: Ages 9+ — the publisher-stated band is ages 9 to 11 (grades 3 to 7), and the trilogy's length and interlocking plot strands suit confident middle-grade readers.
Skip if you already own the three paperbacks individually, since the box contains no new or exclusive material.
Editorial Review
Chris Colfer's boxed set gathers all three A Tale of Magic… novels — the #1 New York Times bestselling prequel trilogy to The Land of Stories — following Brystal Evergreen, a girl who discovers she is a fairy in a kingdom where women are forbidden to read and magic is outlawed. A complete, age-9-to-11 arc in one package.
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