Review by Ian Keogh

Aly is a princess being raised to rule her kingdom, but hates the formality and the training. Her life changes, though, when her coach is attacked and her protectors are otherwise occupied when the horse drawing it bolts away. She falls into the company of Trill, a goatherd bringing her herd to market, by which time Aly has been cursed and with daylight transforms into a goat herself.

Kate Wheeler takes a leisurely path to that revelation, by which time we’ve witnessed both Aly’s compromised life and Trill’s comparative poverty, and that Trill’s able to communicate magically with her goats. There’s other magic in the world, not all of it used for good, and different people have different magical talents, although they’re not widespread. Before her transformation Aly was learning magic herself. Also relevant is that not all areas of the realm consider a royal family and their accompanying power to be a good thing.

As would be expected, after a shaky start a bond develops between Aly and Trill, each beginning to understand the pressures the other is under, and Wheeler gradually introduces more background about society in general. It adds a complexity, but not beyond the ability of younger readers to comprehend. Wheeler also devises fables building a background to times gone by, and the individual goats accompanying Trill are given personalities and shown in small sequences larking about, all of which builds a world.

The art is functional rather than beguiling, but it’s solid, and both the action and tender moments transmit, while it’s just as well Wheeler seems to enjoy drawing varieties of goats. Her people are all rather similar, but that plays into a plot twist eventually revealed.

A quest develops, one that’s a race against time, as Aly learns more about the world beyond the palace walls, and why what she represents induces resentment among the wider population. The inequalities of society are rarely addressed in fairy tales, and Wheeler is very deliberately leading younger readers to look at their own circumstances, which makes Goat Magic quite the powerful sugared pill. The guidance never overwhelms the story, though.

Thoughtful, surprising and with a point to make, Goat Magic captivates from the start with strong characters following a compelling path.