Although I originally received a review copy for this novel in ebook format via NetGalley, I wasn't able to read it. I requested a print copy from my library and happily they purchased it for me. Thereby, I borrowed a hardback copy of "Dalya and the Magic Ink Bottle" and loved reading it! I did not receive compensation for my opinions or thoughts shared herein.

From the crumbling estate house to the quirkiness of having a cat with a magical twitching tail - this world slowly entices you to explore it further and to seek out the ways in which Dalya's family secret has a far reaching effect on understanding how her family and the magic of this world are connected to each other. As similar to listening to The Marvelwood Magicians - this story is also Urban Fantasy as it is set within our own timeline of contemporary and modern life but with the added joy of having the magical just on the fringes of our awareness! I would also consider this to be a work of Magical Realism as well due to the inclusion of the Jinn.

The fact there are sentient animals in this story (ie. think #OctoberDaye!) and they each have their own personality and quirky lives to tuck you into the hidden realms of where animals live out their magically inclusive lives in plain sight of humans is wicked fun! I loved the inventiveness of Evenson, too, especially how the marketplace has several 'layers' to it and its not just for humans. There is also the fact the animals themselves play just as much of an important role in this story as Dalya and Mina. It has become one of the more fantastically adventurous stories I've read in recent years and I was delighted to be a part of this world; exploring it with Dalya and Mina.

Transfiguration isn't always explored in the Fantasy novels I've been reading these past few years and I am eagerly delighted to find that this particular story is exploring the subject! I won't spoilt the surprise for anyone who might want to read this lovely novel but ooh! You are in for a treat because Evenson found a way to keep the innocence intact and the mystery of the moment the transfiguration takes place! I especially love when this happens with a cross-species experience - where you start out as one species and become another? In other stories, I've read about shapeshifters - where you can be both man and bird (such as in my beloved #LelandDragons stories, ie. the Murkens) but to completely change your current state of being in exchange for another species is just as delightful. Evenson truly captured this moment and gave us a wicked lovely scene to disappear inside!

Not only had Dalya found a way to take an adventure she hadn't expected to take but she also had found a curious way to shift back in time! She was quite unsure how all of this transpired simply by adhering to a riddle on an ink bottle but the curious bit for me as a reader is how we get to see this family estate from its origins and how even in the veils of time, this estate holds more secrets than it reveals! As we go back in time, we find another Aunt at the head of the estate - though this one isn't as endearing as Aunt Zehra and is quite a cross woman. You wouldn't want to anger her as she doesn't seem to have a maternal bone in her body! You can infer this by how she treats the young girl (Mina) who lives there - where she takes out her ire on the girl and doesn't seem to feel charitable towards her either. This has a smashingly brilliant ending and to be frank, I was glad Evenson gave Mina's Aunt the 'just dues' she deserved in similar fashion as the ending to Ever After (film).

There was also a beautiful foreshadowing about Dalya's journey by her Aunt Zehra - about what 'home' means to different people and how the concept of 'home' is sometimes misconstrued. Working off that, Evenson presented us with such a classical story of adventuring after a wish and finding instead a few secrets about how best to live. She took us on this incredible journey through Dalya's adventure wherein we not only had the chance to see Istanbul but we were able to peer closer to what it means to be a part of a family. The connections family gives us to our past, to our ancestors and the roles in which we all play in the larger sense of our own living histories. There are some beautiful passages of thought about this in the story - Evenson, at the end in her author's note explains how this started as a bedtime story for her children and that makes sense to me because it is a story which renews any child's sense of self and their concept of what their family means to them.

She plays out the theme of discovering our place in both the world itself and in our families whilst dipping into a bit of folklore and connective cultural bonds Dalya and her grandmother share together. I loved the three generations of Dalya's family all co-merging into the background of the story - as Mina, her Aunt Zehra and her re-explore their histories and in a way, impart a path towards healing the deceptions which struck to pull the family apart all those years ago. Part of what gives this story so much joy to read is the conclusion. If only part of that ending could be true in our reality too. I definitely devoured this in one sitting and I can't wait to purchase my own copy for my personal library one day. It is one of my #unputdownable reads this #WyrdAndWonder!

// This is a quotation of my full review originally shared via jorielovesastory.com

This is such a wonderful mix of magic, fairy tales, time travel, animals and even a dash of Istanbul... a read which allows the imagination to soar.

Dalya isn't excited about staying in a haunted mansion somewhere in Istanbul, and she's even less excited about spending so-called quality time with her father when all he wants to do is work, anyway. Her aunt doesn't help matters, considering she's more than just a bit odd. When a boring day brings along a cat with a glowing tale, Dalya can't help but follow it up the stairs to the 2nd floor. There she discovers an ink bottle, which claims it can grant her one wish. Before she knows it, she accidentally wishes to be home. But the result is anything but what she wants or expected. Now, she's stuck somewhere in time, and that as a cat. And she's not sure how she'll ever have her old life back.

It takes a little bit for this story to really get going as we first meet Dalya entering her aunt's old house in Istanbul. The author allows the reader to get to know Dalya a little first as well as the difficult relationship she has with her father. The aunt's oddities and promise of a secret set the stage for the adventure, but these first pages run a bit slow for my more adventurous reader heart. And I was a little disappointed that Istanbul isn't really presented during this time much at all. But this changes as the cat appears and the magic begins.

Once the ink bottle is in Dalya's clutches, the story takes flight. It's fun to zoom back in time with her and meet a new gang of friends...especially since Dalya now takes the form of a cat and the friends consist of a rat, a girl and several other creatures. The author does a nice job at allowing Dalya as a cat and her new animal friends to come to life in an almost human way (yes, they talk). There's constant action and tension as they need to not only battle with an evil woman, dangerous squirrels, a genie and more. It's a true flight into an exciting adventure with all of the magical flare that a children's story needs to sparkle and shine.

I received an ARC through Netgalley and am giving this one 4.5 -stars and rounding up. ( )