Audiobook Review: Camp Cacophony by Jessica Khoury

It’s two months before Amelia’s big audition for the Mystwick School of Musicraft. If she gets in, she will learn to spin music into powerful magic - but her Gran has one last-ditch plan to persuade her out of it: sports camp.

A week of softball, sprinting, and sweaty socks isn't exactly Amelia’s idea of a good time - in fact, she's deeply, appallingly unathletic. By the end of day one, she’s puked her guts out in track, gotten a black eye in no-contact flag football, and firmly established herself as the Least Valuable Player at camp.

As head counselor, Coach Shawn is determined to make an athlete of Amelia, despite her complete inability to land a single basket in basketball and her high effectiveness at scoring in the wrong net in soccer. And all Amelia wants is some time to herself, so she can practice her flute for the Mystwick auditions.

But everyone’s plans are quickly derailed by a series of disasters that strike camp, putting everyone in mortal danger. It's clear that strange magic is at work, and as the only musician around, Amelia suddenly goes from benchwarmer to MVP. But can she discover the source of the malevolent magic - and how to stop it - before the deadly spell reaches its crescendo?

GENRE: Middle Grade Fantasy

PURCHASE LINK: Audible

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Jessica Khoury is the author of many books for teens and young readers. Her stories have been translated into over a dozen languages and have been finalists for awards like the South Carolina Junior Book Award, the Ignyte Award, the Maine Student Book Award, the Oklahoma Sequoyah Masterlist, the Amelia Bloomer Project, and many more. Her bestselling middle grade debut The Mystwick School of Musicraft was named one of the Best Audiobooks of 2019 by Audible and is one of the Top 20 Most Listened-To children's books of all time.​

In addition to writing, Jess is also a fantasy cartographer and illustrator. Her artwork has appeared in NYT Bestsellers, video and tabletop games, and of course her own books.

Jess currently lives in Greenville, South Carolina with her husband and daughters. She spends free time hiking in the mountains, playing video games, and sketching new characters for new stories.

Review

Here are my reviews for the other books in this series:

• The Mystwick School of Musicraft (book 1)
• The Midnight Orchestra (book 2)
• The Dark Refrain (book 3)

This prequel novella is best read after the first book, though even that might still cause a little disappointment — if only because there's a particularly stunning orchestration in book 1. As this novella is set in a summer sports camp that does not allow the use of musicraft, there's hardly any musical scores, which has been part of the charm of the audiobooks.

Still, it's a great way to get to know Amelia better, and the novella retains the fun flavor of the series, just in a different setting! I particularly related to her being terrible at sports. What was also surprising was hearing another character talk about those who just don't have the talent for musicraft and expressing the challenges and disappointments they face. It's a universal feeling, but I feel like it's not being talked enough, and how that should be okay. I'm glad it was brought up even though the story didn't dwell on it.

And cliche as it might be, I love the story's overall message: You haven't failed until you've given up.

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️️

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Hi! I'm Marie, a Filipino SFFH author and book reviewer currently based in the UK. I’m the co-author of The Prophecies of Ragnarok, a Norse myth new adult urban fantasy trilogy, and I also have several short stories published in anthologies and literary journals.

You can find more info about me and my books, and also subscribe to my newsletter for more content, here. And if you like what I do, please also consider supporting me on Ko-fi! 🩷 https://ko-fi.com/mariesinadjan

If you fancy a short read, I have a cozy reimagining of the Norse myths about Hel, but it's just under 70 pages and can be read in one sitting. ✨ Plus there's a swag kit coming soon! Includes a "membership card," a bookmark, a sticker, an origami dog, and an exclusive 500-word story 🫶🏼

All things end, and all must die.

But death is not always the end.

When Geiravor Lokisdottir was stripped of her name and cast out of Asgard, torn from her family and the life she had known, she thought she’d lost it all. But in the shadows of Niflheim she discovers the path to her destiny, and what it truly means to be queen.

This is a prequel short story to THE PROPHECIES OF RAGNAROK trilogy by Meri Benson and Marie Sinadjan, and a retelling of the myths involving Hel, the Norse goddess of death and the queen of the underworld.