A review by kittykatrin
Spellslinger by Sebastien de Castell
adventurous
emotional
funny
inspiring
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
I love stories about magic, cunning and character growth. Kellen has no magic and has to rely on his intelligence more than other people, for whom magic is their first (and sometimes only) skill.
Our MC isn't a perfect guy but has grown up in a society with a lot of prejudice and discrimination. I really like how Ferius (a badass woman from outside his Jan'Tep society) helps Kellen reflect on himself and his actions whereas the talking squirrel cat (who appears halfway through the book) always jumps to the more violent options. This leaves Kellen in more of a middle ground and leads to an interesting dynamic between them.
The world-building was really interesting and engaging. The first half explores the magic trials and society of Jan'Tep and the second half reveled more about the history, the other societies of this world and had more action.
I wish we saw more of the other characters at Kellen's school, especially his love interest, however hopefully we will see them again in the sequels. Also, I did find the book to go very fast towards the end which was great fun but I sometimes got a little lost in everything that was happening!
Overall, I really enjoyed this book a lot, one of my new favourites and I will definitely be collecting the series!
Our MC isn't a perfect guy but has grown up in a society with a lot of prejudice and discrimination. I really like how Ferius (a badass woman from outside his Jan'Tep society) helps Kellen reflect on himself and his actions whereas the talking squirrel cat (who appears halfway through the book) always jumps to the more violent options. This leaves Kellen in more of a middle ground and leads to an interesting dynamic between them.
The world-building was really interesting and engaging. The first half explores the magic trials and society of Jan'Tep and the second half reveled more about the history, the other societies of this world and had more action.
I wish we saw more of the other characters at Kellen's school, especially his love interest, however hopefully we will see them again in the sequels. Also, I did find the book to go very fast towards the end which was great fun but I sometimes got a little lost in everything that was happening!
Overall, I really enjoyed this book a lot, one of my new favourites and I will definitely be collecting the series!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence