Charmcaster begins approximately six months after Shadowblack concluded. Kellen is seventeen now, a traitor to his people, and has been on the run for a year. He has spent the last six months, along with Ferius, the wise yet impulsive Argosi wanderer, and Reichis, the foul-mouthed and sticky-pawed squirrel cat, tracking down all those made victims of the onyx worms in the previous novel, and attempting to help them. Only one remains on his list. It is this, as well as the desires of a familiar ally, and the concerning discordance card slipped to Ferius, that brings the group to Gitabria, a nation of inventors and explorers. Here, Kellen once again learns that there are always secrets and betrayals to uncover, and even a peace-loving people can be dangerous. Kellen’s purpose becomes even more complicated, as he is forced to once again question who and what he is, and where his path with take him. This notion of paths, and of a person’s place in the world, is brought up a great deal throughout the story, and is an engaging theme, as it is one that everyone, at some point (or multiple points) in their lives, ponders.
Charmcaster is an excellent entry into the series. I feel that it is on par with, or maybe even better than, Spellslinger. The plot is strong, and the character dynamics realistic and multifaceted. In Charmcaster, Kellen, Ferius, and Reichis are all more familiar with each other, and how they work separately and together, which is enjoyable to witness, and the reason I think I enjoyed it slightly more than Spellslinger. On the subject of characters, I am happy to see some of Ferius’s backstory coming to light, and I am hopeful that we will get to see more of this in the future (Ferius is my favourite, so I can’t help but feel a little biased toward her). I also believe that Charmcaster was a more solid entry than Shadowblack for these reasons.
Charmcaster is an excellent entry into the series. I feel that it is on par with, or maybe even better than, Spellslinger. The plot is strong, and the character dynamics realistic and multifaceted. In Charmcaster, Kellen, Ferius, and Reichis are all more familiar with each other, and how they work separately and together, which is enjoyable to witness, and the reason I think I enjoyed it slightly more than Spellslinger. On the subject of characters, I am happy to see some of Ferius’s backstory coming to light, and I am hopeful that we will get to see more of this in the future (Ferius is my favourite, so I can’t help but feel a little biased toward her). I also believe that Charmcaster was a more solid entry than Shadowblack for these reasons.