A reasonable start to the series, Spellslinger follows Kellan as he attempts to complete a set of four magic-based trials that will allow him to become a mage - the only issue is....he has no magic.
I really enjoyed the majority of this book, however there are a few areas that dragged, which threw me out of the narrative and made it slightly disappointing, especially when compared to the rest of the book which was engaging and well written. Kellan sort of jumped between a 15 year old and a 27 year old...even though he is the main character I felt that more time could have been spent with him and some of the other initiates in order to establish relationships (the whole storyline with Panahsi could have had a lot more impact if we could have seen more than one episode of friendship). The villain(s) of the piece were interesting however they were fairly predictable. I also had no real love for Kellan's parents or sister and feel that the final chapter alone does not give enough of a redemption arc and feels very out of place for the characters and what they believe about certain revelations. The ending also felt rushed, although some of the reveals were genuinely surprising. One of the final things I wanted to comment on was the world building - with a strong magic system and clan understanding established and maintained throughout, I was a bit disappointed that any other characters outside of the main two were largely ignored and not really explored, meaning that names were being thrown around and there was no real way for the reader to establish who they were and how they related to the main characters. I also hated the fact that Ferius became largely a background character and a typical female towards the end of the book, meaning that we don't see a lot of development, something that I would like to see more of in the second book. Please can I have more from Reichis next time as well...pretty please.
Am looking forward to the second book and would recommend for lovers of The Hunger Games
I really enjoyed the majority of this book, however there are a few areas that dragged, which threw me out of the narrative and made it slightly disappointing, especially when compared to the rest of the book which was engaging and well written. Kellan sort of jumped between a 15 year old and a 27 year old...even though he is the main character I felt that more time could have been spent with him and some of the other initiates in order to establish relationships (the whole storyline with Panahsi could have had a lot more impact if we could have seen more than one episode of friendship). The villain(s) of the piece were interesting however they were fairly predictable. I also had no real love for Kellan's parents or sister and feel that the final chapter alone does not give enough of a redemption arc and feels very out of place for the characters and what they believe about certain revelations. The ending also felt rushed, although some of the reveals were genuinely surprising. One of the final things I wanted to comment on was the world building - with a strong magic system and clan understanding established and maintained throughout, I was a bit disappointed that any other characters outside of the main two were largely ignored and not really explored, meaning that names were being thrown around and there was no real way for the reader to establish who they were and how they related to the main characters. I also hated the fact that Ferius became largely a background character and a typical female towards the end of the book, meaning that we don't see a lot of development, something that I would like to see more of in the second book. Please can I have more from Reichis next time as well...pretty please.
Am looking forward to the second book and would recommend for lovers of The Hunger Games