I ended up with this book quite by accident. I saw Cassandra Clare's Lady Midnight in Asda on a 2 for £8 deal and picked Spellslinger to accompany it because it had a great cover and sounded like the sort of thing I like to read. I'm so glad that I chose this book as it was one of the best books I've read this year!
Spellslinger introduces its main character Kellen, a young Mage in training. His people the Jan'Tep live near the Oasis which gives them magic but Kellen has a problem, his magic isn't sparking the same as the other initiates and if it doesn't pick up before his 16th birthday he will find himself an outcast as a Sha'Tep, the magicless people who live in the slums. That is until a fierce and slightly weird stranger arrives and changes not only his life but his whole outlook.
The story is so engaging! The characters are well formed and interesting and the world building perfect without being so extensive to become boring. Not only that but in parts it's really funny, I loved the character of Kellen because of his inner strength and determination as well as his sarcasm and 'cleverness' but I also loved the supporting characters Ferius and Reiches the Squirrel Cat who both had really amusing sides to their character. There were some sad parts which were really raw but they complimented the story and showed the bravery of the author to not tone it down and make it children's fiction rather than YA.
I can't wait to get started on Shadowblack the sequel in this series!