Spellslinger by Sebastien de Castell

The Blurb On The Back:

Magic is a con game.

Kellen is moments away from facing his first mage’s duel and the start of four trials that will make him a spellcaster. There’s just one problem: his magic is gone.

As his sixteenth birthday approaches, Kellen falls back on his cunning in a bid to avoid total disgrace. But when a daring stranger arrives in town, she challenges Kellen to take a different path.

The first in a rich and compelling fantasy series bursting with tricks, traps and a devious talking squirrel cat.

( The Review (Cut For Spoilers): )

The Verdict:

Sebastien de Castell’s YA fantasy novel (the first in a trilogy) is an imaginative and entertaining read with a great central trio of characters and a lot of potential and while some of the plot twists were obvious, the world building’s a little heavy-handed and the romance element didn’t convince (although Nephenia is well drawn) there’s plenty here to hold the interest and I look forward to book 2.

SPELLSLINGER was released in the United Kingdom on 4th May 2017. Thanks to the Amazon Vine Programme for the review copy of this book.