Having loved the first two books, I hoped that 'Charmcaster' would live up to them - and it does. The usual trio: Kellen, Reichis and Ferius, are present and correct, but I loved that there are so many characters from the first book here as the action begins to build.
A strength of the series is the world building. As with the second book, most of the action takes place within a city that is new to Kellen, Gitabria in this case. De Castell builds on top of a strong foundation, showing new wonders that add to the reader's previous knowledge. I felt that there was a good degree of development, especially where Kellen was concerned. His character has progressed just enough, so that he retains enough naivety to be astonished by new sights but isn't making the rookie mistakes of the first novel.
I've just finished and already I can't wait for the next instalment!
A strength of the series is the world building. As with the second book, most of the action takes place within a city that is new to Kellen, Gitabria in this case. De Castell builds on top of a strong foundation, showing new wonders that add to the reader's previous knowledge. I felt that there was a good degree of development, especially where Kellen was concerned. His character has progressed just enough, so that he retains enough naivety to be astonished by new sights but isn't making the rookie mistakes of the first novel.
I've just finished and already I can't wait for the next instalment!