I have heard a lot about some of Sebastien De Castell other works, that they've always been fantastic, gripping and thrilling, hence the fact that I have several of his books unread on my TBR list but Spellslinger was must first foray into his writing and right now I can honestly say that this book was so much fun the I will most definitely be reading more of his work very, VERY soon. His writing is sharp clever and rather witty but it would be very good if it could be a little more descriptive as it goes forward but then again maybe he is purposely leaving the world a little on the transparent side so the readers can fill it in for themselves although maybe it's a case of the author hoping the reader has read his previous works set in the same world and that having done so would fill out the world a little more..... who knows?
Spellslinger isn't your ordinary YA novel as it has a rather quirky mythology as it's base ( the magic, the social structure of Kellen's people and so on) and it's this and the subsequent world-building around this mythology that makes this book so much fun. The whole idea behind Kellen and his life is unusual..... the boy who wants to be a mage like the rest of his family but who sadly just doesn't seem to have what it takes. He doesn't know why his life is falling apart and by the end of the book you really do have to feel for the poor kid as he fights the ongoing tragedy that is his life while also fighting all of his demons to find the truth about himself, his family AND his magic. Sadly Kellen does get a little overshadowed by a feisty squirrel cat who seems to be channelling a certain vocal space-faring raccoon that Marvel film lovers have come to know and love........Reichis most certainly has the exact same sass and attitude that we love Rocket for! Ferius is also a very intriguing but still rather shadowy character who I feel still has a great deal of things to tell us about herself and her world going forward in the series..... I really would like to know a lot more about the tarot cards she creates and of course the hows and whys of her life are bound to be fascinating I'm sure.
This book is quite the slow burner to begin with but soon grows and thrives as the book goes on and by the end of the current story I was totally gutted that it was finished..... thankfully the news of Shadowblack coming to continue Kellen's plight to find himself was gratefully received as this is a series that I will be avidly following as this is totally my kind of tale and completely everything that I hoped and expected this book to be.
Spellslinger would be a must read for fans of fantasy books, it's fun and light-hearted at time but still contains a great deal of grit, awful heart-breaking tragedy and violence that makes you squirm and shiver!
Spellslinger isn't your ordinary YA novel as it has a rather quirky mythology as it's base ( the magic, the social structure of Kellen's people and so on) and it's this and the subsequent world-building around this mythology that makes this book so much fun. The whole idea behind Kellen and his life is unusual..... the boy who wants to be a mage like the rest of his family but who sadly just doesn't seem to have what it takes. He doesn't know why his life is falling apart and by the end of the book you really do have to feel for the poor kid as he fights the ongoing tragedy that is his life while also fighting all of his demons to find the truth about himself, his family AND his magic. Sadly Kellen does get a little overshadowed by a feisty squirrel cat who seems to be channelling a certain vocal space-faring raccoon that Marvel film lovers have come to know and love........Reichis most certainly has the exact same sass and attitude that we love Rocket for! Ferius is also a very intriguing but still rather shadowy character who I feel still has a great deal of things to tell us about herself and her world going forward in the series..... I really would like to know a lot more about the tarot cards she creates and of course the hows and whys of her life are bound to be fascinating I'm sure.
This book is quite the slow burner to begin with but soon grows and thrives as the book goes on and by the end of the current story I was totally gutted that it was finished..... thankfully the news of Shadowblack coming to continue Kellen's plight to find himself was gratefully received as this is a series that I will be avidly following as this is totally my kind of tale and completely everything that I hoped and expected this book to be.
Spellslinger would be a must read for fans of fantasy books, it's fun and light-hearted at time but still contains a great deal of grit, awful heart-breaking tragedy and violence that makes you squirm and shiver!