Hey guys!

First I would like to apologise for my lack of blog post last week! It snowed heavily where I live and it kind of messed with all the plans I made for the day (in a good way) which ultimately meant I didn’t have time to write a review.

I am back this week though and I want to talk about a book that has been on my radar for a while but has only recently become apart of my own collection.

Spellsinger is a Young Adult Fantasy book by Sebastien de Castell. The story follows Kellen, a young apprentice training to become a mage in a world where magic is held supreme. There is just one problem. He doesn’t have any himself. This book is a whimsical and enchanting adventure that follows card-wielding cow boy women, talking squirrel cats and an old, dark secret.

This novel was excitedly recommended to me by a fellow book worm who is always well informed on the good stuff and the positively bad stuff that is being released in the young adult world. As such, I trusted her opinion, and jumped at the chance to read Spellsinger. And I was not disappointed.

Right from the beginning this book possesses a steady kind of lighthearted banter and whimsy that holds true across the whole narrative. The writing style felt young and casual which, to me, was the correct choice coming from a narrator who was experiencing youth himself. Moreover, I felt that the pace and the style linked quite nicely to the subject matter of much of the plot itself: magic. The fact that almost all of the story was bordered with laid-back hilarity was important when exploring a force that innately does not take itself too seriously.

The characters were all generally very interesting. There were some questionable choices regarding the plausibility of Kellen’s parents and the situation he finds himself in at the end of the story (I will say no more). These must, to some degree, be overlooked when considering the context of the world that the events of the book existed in. My personal favourite was Ferius Parfax, for two reasons: her name is Ferius Parfax and that to me is delightfully intriguing. The second and more important reason being the fact that she was a total bad ass throughout the whole story and became a feminist icon to me by the end. As a main character Kellen possessed everything he needed not to be lost amongst the massive cast such as an interesting motive and an anti-power  but at times I felt he was just making random choices that did not feel natural in line with the plot that I was learning about.

The plot itself wouldn’t stop moving and undulating and pulsing. It felt sad and happy and rocky, just like real life is. It was this and the core focus on magic (which is always a big sell for me) that allowed me to genuinely enjoy Spellsinger immensely.

I would certainly recommend this book!

I give this book a 4 out of 5 stars

Keep on reading!

And thanks again Beth.