Review:
Regular readers know I am a big fan of the Spellslinger series. The first book was published shortly after I started my blog and it was a firm favourite. The non-conformity and magical kingdoms were always going to be a hit, but added to that was an epic cast of characters. Four books in and I am still caught up in Kellan’s adventures.
This review assumes you are familiar with the series. Although I will do my best not to include spoilers - if you haven’t read book one I recommend this is where you start.
Soulbinder is where Kellan confronts his own experiences and decides how to go forward. It is also the first book where he has been apart from his friends – mentor Ferius and familiar Reichis. This separation forces Kellan to choose what is most important to him. Unfortunately, once he’s made that choice, he is up against two groups of people with their own agendas.
This is a world where many people define themselves by their society, by their race. As someone who has abandoned his hometown, Kellan is an outlaw but he has never fully embraced a new label. Is he an Argosi? A Shadowblack? Has he always been a Jan’Tep, no matter how hard he runs from it?
The Ebony Abbey is one of those settings you will remember for a lifetime. It should be a sanctuary and a place of scholarship – a place where the shadow magic is not only accepted but studied. Unfortunately, as Kellan knows from experience, where there is magic there is someone willing to use it to their own end.
As in the previous books, old faces mixed with new and we were introduced to another great cast of characters. This time we meet a community of people who, like Kellan, have the shadowblack. It was interesting to see the different ways people responded to the same thing. Until now, we have been familiar with Kellan’s reaction, but after reading Soulbinder I felt as if I had a broader perspective.
I’m looking forward to Queenslayer in 2019 and to the conclusion of the series next autumn. It will be a pleasure to read the series from start to finish and to remind myself how Kellan had developed and grown. These books just get better and better.
Regular readers know I am a big fan of the Spellslinger series. The first book was published shortly after I started my blog and it was a firm favourite. The non-conformity and magical kingdoms were always going to be a hit, but added to that was an epic cast of characters. Four books in and I am still caught up in Kellan’s adventures.
This review assumes you are familiar with the series. Although I will do my best not to include spoilers - if you haven’t read book one I recommend this is where you start.
Soulbinder is where Kellan confronts his own experiences and decides how to go forward. It is also the first book where he has been apart from his friends – mentor Ferius and familiar Reichis. This separation forces Kellan to choose what is most important to him. Unfortunately, once he’s made that choice, he is up against two groups of people with their own agendas.
This is a world where many people define themselves by their society, by their race. As someone who has abandoned his hometown, Kellan is an outlaw but he has never fully embraced a new label. Is he an Argosi? A Shadowblack? Has he always been a Jan’Tep, no matter how hard he runs from it?
The Ebony Abbey is one of those settings you will remember for a lifetime. It should be a sanctuary and a place of scholarship – a place where the shadow magic is not only accepted but studied. Unfortunately, as Kellan knows from experience, where there is magic there is someone willing to use it to their own end.
As in the previous books, old faces mixed with new and we were introduced to another great cast of characters. This time we meet a community of people who, like Kellan, have the shadowblack. It was interesting to see the different ways people responded to the same thing. Until now, we have been familiar with Kellan’s reaction, but after reading Soulbinder I felt as if I had a broader perspective.
I’m looking forward to Queenslayer in 2019 and to the conclusion of the series next autumn. It will be a pleasure to read the series from start to finish and to remind myself how Kellan had developed and grown. These books just get better and better.