When Wayland North brings rain to a region that's been dry for over ten years, he's promised anything he'd like as a reward. He chooses the village elder's daughter, sixteen-year-old Sydelle Mirabel, who is a skilled weaver and has an unusual knack for repairing his magical cloaks. Though Sydelle has dreamt of escaping her home, she's hurt that her parents relinquish her so freely and finds herself awed and afraid of the slightly ragtag wizard who is unlike any of the men of magic in the tales she's heard. Still, she is drawn to this mysterious man who is fiercely protective of her and so reluctant to share his own past.As Sydelle discovers North's dark secret and the reason for his interest in her and learns to master her own mysterious power, it becomes increasingly clear that the fate of the kingdom rests in her fingertips. She will either be a savior, weaving together the frayed bonds between Saldorra and Auster, or the disastrous force that destroys both kingdoms forever.
I am seriously suffering a book hangover right now. This was one of those books I kept saying "I'll stop at the next chapter..." to. I started it at 11pm and finished it at around 3.30am. Now it's the morning, and I don't regret it.
This book is honestly addictive. An original storyline which sees our protagonist, Sydelle, begin a fantastic journey with a witty, handsome wizard called Wayland North. Not only is it beautifully original and gorgeously written, it is witty and clever and all the right things. Written in quite a simplistic way, but with magical descriptions that make you believe you're in this place, Bracken has got the pacing just right and a climax that is absolutely fantastic. There are some plot twists and surprises in there that had me gasping in shock as well!
The characters were good as well, while Sydelle annoyed me a little, with her 'I can do this on my own attitude!', Bracken tried to create a character that is as strong as those other kick-ass YA girls, unfortunately, the consequences of Sydelle's actions are usually bad, and she usually needs North to come save her anyway, which was a bit annoying, but she didn't whine and for most of the novel, I liked her. North... oh North... I have a new book crush. He reminded me of Howl for Howl's Moving Castle, with all his little witticisms and his cute boyish attitude. North, for the better part of the novel was one of the most believable characters, though at some points I took a step back and though... hey... this 18 year old wizard needs a 16 year old girls map reading skills? He also sometimes speaks like a 40 year old, that was a bit offputting as well, but these flaws are tiny and add to the plot, so I will let them pass.
There was steady romantic development that developed at just the right pace, you could see it developing but as more of a background story, which was cute and nice and I really enjoyed it, it was believable for the most part and I really liked the way they weren't all over each other, it was more a subtle tone. I wish that Bracken had put Henry a little more in the novel though... that would have made for some interesting developments.
All in all, I thouroughly enjoyed this book!
Overall rating: B
Stand alone/series: Stand alone
Released: March 23rd 2010 (Hardcover)
Publisher: EgmontUSA
Pages: 354
Book obtained via: Won
Oh yay! I've been wanting to read this one for a while. Looks like I should bump it up on the TBR pile.
ReplyDeleteBtw, we are four YA writers and avid readers, and we just started a new blog to talk about YA literature. It's not so much book reviews as talking about different issues, trends, etc. We are hoping to connect with real teen readers, and we would love to see you there!