Magonia by Maria Dahvana Headley: A YA Book Review

Magonia by Maria Dahvana Headley is a YA fantasy with loose roots in sky mythology. Magonia is a sky city with sightings being recorded as early as the 1600s. The Magonians create storms as camouflage for their crop stealing ways, a lifestyle adapted because of the human destruction of Earth. This concept makes up the secondary plotline of Magonia. The primary plotline revolves around Aza and her best friend potential romantic interest Jason. Aza has an unknown disease that makes air her enemy. Her mother is a scientist who works secretly to try to her cure her, her father tries to make her laugh, and her sister Eli acts like she hates having the sick girl for a sister. The family dynamics are spot on and there's also a bit of diversity with Jason having two moms. Aza has already outlived the doctors’ ‘predictions of her demise, but right before her 16th birthday she dies. Only she doesn't. Aza finds herself in Magonia where she has no trouble breathing the air and finds herself on a ship surrounded by bird people. Only just as on Earth, Magonia has its own problems the least of which is the Breath and maybe more so Aza's pirate mom Zal who she's been newly reunited. Aza tries to reconcile her Earth existence and her love for Jason with her new life as a powerful Magonian partnered with shipmate Dai since her birth. Magonia is a fantastical other-wordly pirates of the sky adventure, but its true shining star is the human relationships.