Ever since he can remember, Thomas has had a magical relationship with music. When he plays, magical creatures appear and keep him company. At eighteen, Thomas is suffering the loss of his parents; his music and the magical creatures his only friends. Thomas enjoys playing his guitar in the square of São Paulo, Brazil. One fateful day, his music captivates several people around him, some friends and some foe. Maruli, an Indigenous Guarani, is attending school in the city and can also see Thomas' magical beings around him. Young brothers, André and Miguel can also see the magical creatures and recreate them out of toys to bring to Thomas. Dr. Alonso, a college professor and his daughter, Dora, an influencer, want Thomas for his talents and lure him to their compound. Thankfully, Thomas' new friends realize he is in danger and come up with a plan to help him out of Dr. Alonso's grip.

The Musician is a unique story of magical realism, music and friendship that is craftily blended together. I really liked the idea of this story, a group of people bound together by a higher connection of music, fully using our senses and connecting to nature. All of the characters were very interesting and had different backgrounds. Told mostly through Thomas, we get to know him the best. I was very intrigued by Maruli, a Guarani native and her ways of life. One of the other themes within the story was Indigenous, natural living in alignment with the world and how to combine those principles with the modern world. The writing dives right into the action with Thomas' talents, a chance meeting with others in the town square and then him being taken by Dr. Alonso and Dora. I felt like I just needed to know more about each of the characters, their backstories and motivations before they jumped in to help or harm a man they had just met. Thomas' time at Dr. Alonso's was disorienting, as I'm sure it was for his character. I was very interested in the Orphics and their origins. Every part of the story was meaningful and well written, I just kept feeling like it was a little rushed and needed more context. I would have loved to be immersed in the fantastic world of music, magical creatures, the Brazilian forest and even the Orphics.

This book was received for free in return for an honest review. ( )