Sydelle Mirabil is living proof that, with a single drop of rain, a life can be changed forever. Tucked away in the farthest reaches of the kingdom, her dusty village has suffered under the weight of a strangely persistent drought. That is, of course, until a wizard wanders into town and brings the rain with him.
In return for this gift, Wayland North is offered any reward he desires—and no one is more surprised than Sydelle when, without any explanation, he chooses her. Taken from her home, Sydelle hardly needs encouragement to find reasons to dislike North. He drinks too much and bathes too little, and if that isn’t enough to drive her to madness, North rarely even uses the magic he takes such pride in possessing. Yet, it’s not long before she realizes there’s something strange about the wizard, who is as fiercely protective of her as he is secretive about a curse that turns his limbs a sinister shade of black and leaves him breathless with agony. Unfortunately, there is never a chance for her to seek answers.
Along with the strangely powerful quakes and storms that trace their path across the kingdom, other wizards begin to take an inexplicable interest in her as well, resulting in a series of deadly duels. Against a backdrop of war and uncertainty, Sydelle is faced with the growing awareness that these events aren’t as random as she had believed—that no curse, not even that of Wayland North, is quite as terrible as the one she herself may carry.
Like Never After by Dan Elconin, I first heard about this title from the Who,What, When, Where, Why Blog. (For some reason the blog is no longer available, really sad). This was back at early 2010.
At that time, the title was yet to be released but the cover captivated me so much that I was immersed into finding any information regarding this novel.
The story tells of a distant village girl Sydelle and an unfortunate run into a young Wizard, Wayland North, who says he'd like her to accompany him in return for his good deeds to the place where she lives. Unable to ignore North's bringing of rain to the village, Sydelle and her family have no choice but to accepts the wizards request. At first Sydelle is appalled by everything having to do with North and his sloven ways but soon realizes the importance of the task in hand.
I rather not spoil the story so I'll just say that the books side trips involve wicked fights among magical beings, suspenseful drama involving royals and battles that will keep your eyes glued to the pages. I'm impressed by Alexandra Bracken first novel, she mixed all these enticing elements with a glimmer touch of fantasy romance...it's not everyday an author gives their all into a true passion of writing.
To me, books such as this shouldn't be labeled a quick read because I like to relax as I get lost into a world of magic and absorb all the enhancement and battles that come way...just as long as the story comes together and makes sense, which Bracken does for her debut novel. I really hope there's a sequel for it.
Just to explain why I didn't give this a 5/5...there were times in this book where it got a little cliche which naturally zapped back into New York 2010, but for the most part it was imaginative.
I recommend this book for any young adult reader, there isn't much to dislike. It's a simple yet complicated, fantastical read.
4/5
