Boy gets pulled into a magical world he didn’t know existed, responds “What the hell is this!?” and then promptly faints. Exactly as he should. In too many books the so-called ‘chosen one’ will not be overly shocked at the magical world because it explains why they were ‘different than everyone else’. Not in this book!

If not anything else, that alone made me like the main character. In fact, ALL the characters of the story are beautifully developed. Consistently mentions were made about small traits such as the Avari’s ears twitching, drooping, etc. I would absolutely LOVE to see these characters brought to life!!! OH! And the names. The variety of names was amazing!

In the narration there were little nuance details about unimportant things that gave the world more character - but not too much where it was distracting or boring. Just the right amount. The same can be said about the dash of mythology. Not too much to be confusing. Just enough to add a bit of interest and development to the world. I also noted it read very smoothly. Even through the switching of perspectives, which sometimes I can find quite confusing, I never felt lost or disconnected. Furthermore the absence of an overarching romance (which I would normally like, but was surprisingly comforted to not find) left room for the reader to fully enjoy the story they are being immersed in. Which, by all accounts was a lot more interesting than any romance would have been.

All this made the book a very enjoyable read! I eagerly anticipate the next book!


Verdict:
An extremely well-developed world, with a compelling cast of characters (I want to SEE them!!). It will pull you into the fantasy magic and mythology but not overwhelm you like a high-fantasy or heavy mythology novel might. And … it has a sequel!

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.