Book Review: The Novice (Summoner #1)

Release Date: May 5, 2015
Author: Taran Matharu
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Length: 368 pages
Source: eGalley from NetGalley/Library Book

When blacksmith apprentice Fletcher discovers that he has the ability to summon demons from another world, he travels to Adept Military Academy. There the gifted are trained in the art of summoning. Fletcher is put through grueling training as a battlemage to fight in the Hominum Empire’s war against orcs. He must tread carefully while training alongside children of powerful nobles. The power hungry, those seeking alliances, and the fear of betrayal surround him. Fletcher finds himself caught in the middle of powerful forces, with only his demon Ignatius for help.

As the pieces on the board maneuver for supremacy, Fletcher must decide where his loyalties lie. The fate of an empire is in his hands. The Novice is the first in a trilogy about Fletcher, his demon Ignatius, and the war against the Orcs.

    

Review:

Protagonist: Fletcher grew up as an orphan in a small town, becoming the ward and eventual apprentice of the town's blacksmith. When he learns that he possesses the rare power to summon demons that ends disastrously he flees his home and finds his way to an academy that trains young summoners to fight in the war. The tagline on the inside of the dust jacket for this book reads: He can summon demons. But can he win a war. which led me to believe that Fletcher might be a chosen one of some kind, but surprisingly that theory turns out to be false. Fletcher is just an ordinary boy with an extraordinary talent and do to some fortunes of chance he is set slightly apart from the other novices at the academy. I really liked Fletcher, he's a believable character with a good heart. He's clever and brave and those traits will take him far in this world of deceit and betrayal.

World-Building: There is so much about this world to love. The political intrigue alone sets this book apart from other YA fantasies. There is so much going on in this world and it only gets more and more complex as the story continues, though luckily it never gets confusing or convoluted. There is some definite Harry Potter inspiration to this world, although it stays well away from getting uncomfortable, mainly sticking with character tropes and minor themes. I did have one problem with this world, one which is totally based on my opinion, and that's that there are too many entitled asshole characters, one of which is a very unprofessional teacher. Now, I don't mind an entitled asshole character here and there, but the amount that's in this book makes my blood boil. I understand why the author put in so many and it does add depth to the world, it's just hard for me to deal with at times.

Predictability: I have to say that the foreshadowing in this book is done really well. While there were many times that it was easy to pick up on the foreshadowing and know what to expect out of this story, it was always done in the best way possible, a casual reference or two, maybe brought up again if the need dictated, but it was never beaten over the reader's head as if they were too stupid to pick up on the subtle nudges here and there. There were also times in which the foreshadowing was so subtle or non-existent that when the twist or surprise was revealed it made for a very exciting shock and sizzle of excitement. There never seemed like there was a time when I knew before hand something I really wasn't supposed to know, which as you'd expect made for a very enjoyable reading experience over all.

Ending: So, I have a confession to make. For some reason I thought that this series might be a companion novel one, so I wanted to vaguely skim the synopsis of book two for Fletcher's name to be sure, in doing so I had a vague idea of how this book ended. Nothing was concrete but I had a very strong idea of what to expect. That being said, the ending was still the sucker punch in the gut I'm sure it was intended to be. After a spectacular final climax full of action and deception, the reader is treated to a very short cooldown period before the uncharacteristic (at least for the first book in a series) cliffhanger was presented. I have to just say, this ending id pure evil genius.

Rating:

So, going into this book I head some mixed opinions on it, nothing specific, but I ended up loving this book. My only qualm is the abundance of the aforementioned "entitled asshole characters" which is totally based on my opinion on that character trope in general. If you're a fan of fantasy this book is a must read!

Book Review: The Outliers (The Outliers #1)

Release Date: May 3, 2016
Author: Kimberly McCreight
Publisher: HarperCollins
Length: 352 pages
Source: Review Copy from Publisher

From the New York Times bestselling author of Reconstructing Amelia comes a fast-paced teen series where one girl learns that in a world of intrigue, betrayal, and deeply buried secrets, it is vital to trust your instincts.

It all starts with a text: Please, Wylie, I need your help. Wylie hasn’t heard from Cassie in over a week, not since their last fight. But that doesn’t matter. Cassie’s in trouble, so Wylie decides to do what she has done so many times before: save her best friend from herself.

This time it’s different, though. Instead of telling Wylie where she is, Cassie sends cryptic clues. And instead of having Wylie come by herself, Jasper shows up saying Cassie sent him to help. Trusting the guy who sent Cassie off the rails doesn’t feel right, but Wylie has no choice but to ignore her gut instinct and go with him.

But figuring out where Cassie is goes from difficult to dangerous, fast. As Wylie and Jasper head farther and farther north into the dense woods of Maine, Wylie struggles to control her growing sense that something is really wrong. What isn’t Cassie telling them? And could finding her be only the beginning?

In this breakneck tale, New York Times bestselling author Kimberly McCreight brilliantly chronicles a fateful journey that begins with a single decision—and ends up changing everything.

    

Review:

Protagonist: Wylie has had a whirlwind few months. She's lost her mother, she isn't really talking to her best friend after their last fight, and she hasn't been able to leave the house in three weeks. However when Wylie receives a text from Cassie saying that she messed up again and Wylie needs to come rescue her, Wylie drop everything to come to her aid. Wylie isn't your typical YA heroine, she's a strong character for sure, but she doesn't really fit into the archetype of the typical heroine, she's anxious about everything, she's still grieving the loss of her mother, but still she pushes past all the negative emotions to try and rescue her estranged best friend. Wylie is a many layered character and I really liked her development over the course of this book, it's subtle but it's there.

World-Building: So, going into this book I expected it to be sort of a YA thriller about a girl going to save her best friend, which it is, but it's more than that. Without giving too much away I'll say there's a lot going on in this book, and when we get to the meat of the world building this book explodes with wonder. I'll talk a little bit more about my experience going into the larger world building in the next section, but let's just say it was a shock. As you can no doubt see there is no romance section to this review but I do want to talk about it a little bit here. There really isn't a romance in this book, hence no section, but unless I'm mistaken there's some foreshadowing to future romance sometime in the next to books. I have to say there were times when I thought there was a spark between Wylie and Cassie's boyfriend, Jasper, but before too long there would be something to squished those thoughts.

Predictability: The foreshadowing in this book is ON POINT! I love the way the author weaves key pieces of information into the text as if they're just trow away lines of world-building is astonishing. This book has several twists, but there's one big one that sort of starts the snowball sown the hill. This is a twist I didn't see coming at all, but after it was revealed, I knew I should have. After that I kept getting stumped by twists. There isn't an overabundance of them, but they carry a heavy impact on the story. Even the little things I saw coming had some sort of twist to them that I couldn't guess. I'd advise you to stick with the tagline of this book and "Trust Your Instincts."

Ending: With this book being so fast paced it was hard to isolate the final climax. However it is there, it's not a scene full of action and battles, but it's there. The cooldown period of the book though is where everything comes into place. When I went into this book I didn't figure out that it wasn't a standalone until quite a few chapters into it. I wanted to check  the length and chapter count and that's when my eyes, of their own accord, roamed over and saw the cliffhanger ending. Boy was it a doozy, however it wasn't until I was actually reading the end, when the full impact of the ending hit me. I'm excited for the next book, mad at the author for leaving it like that, and just overall emotionally drained.

Rating:

I was not expecting this book to be this good! I mean I expected to like it, but I freaking LOVED this book. It's super fast paced, it grabs you and won't let you go until you're on the floor sobbing over this story, and it's so worth it too!