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trishjbutler's review
4.0
A coming of age magical adventure in an alternate world (3.5 stars)
Malenie, Nes and Paza travel to several locations on either side of a mysterious wall to try and find, and ultimately rescue, Malenie’s father and Nes’s siblings. Paza is avoiding the clutches of a powerful man in blue robes who seems obsessed with capturing her. Along the way, Malenie must learn to master the magic of the blue diamonds covering her skin, and they meet many other people, some helpful some not so much, culminating in an exciting showdown at the Suntin family home.
There are several characters and magical abilities to learn as expected in the first book of a series, so it can get complicated, but focus on the three main protagonists (all female by the way, which is refreshing) and you won’t go wrong. Given it is a different world to ours, the names are often unusual. I don’t mind that, but often thought Melanie when I read Malenie. My biggest complaint was more the inconsistency. If her name is Malenie then surely her nickname should be Mallie, not Mellie? Also, family names were often similar, e.g. Liac and Serliac; so why then was it Malenie and Emelenie, not Emalenie?
I call this a coming of age, as Malenie had never questioned her father about the blue diamonds and therefore when she discovers her magic, she knows nothing of it; how to control it, rules in using it and so on. Frustratingly, though she meets others who could help her, she asks little about it and only uses what they tell her. Therefore, exactly what she can do is revealed annoyingly slowly.
Also slow, is the middle of the story, in which the girls travel here and there. The descriptions of modes of transport, scenery (it’s mostly desert), and food are vividly detailed, but not varied. We only know what’s going on from Malenie’s POV in the third person and she tends to determine her friends’ and companions’ moods by observation rather than asking them.
The writing is good, although I did get confused sometimes as to who was speaking, and the book provides a solid foundation for the beginning of the series. Lovers of magical worlds and fantasy adventures should check it out.
Malenie, Nes and Paza travel to several locations on either side of a mysterious wall to try and find, and ultimately rescue, Malenie’s father and Nes’s siblings. Paza is avoiding the clutches of a powerful man in blue robes who seems obsessed with capturing her. Along the way, Malenie must learn to master the magic of the blue diamonds covering her skin, and they meet many other people, some helpful some not so much, culminating in an exciting showdown at the Suntin family home.
There are several characters and magical abilities to learn as expected in the first book of a series, so it can get complicated, but focus on the three main protagonists (all female by the way, which is refreshing) and you won’t go wrong. Given it is a different world to ours, the names are often unusual. I don’t mind that, but often thought Melanie when I read Malenie. My biggest complaint was more the inconsistency. If her name is Malenie then surely her nickname should be Mallie, not Mellie? Also, family names were often similar, e.g. Liac and Serliac; so why then was it Malenie and Emelenie, not Emalenie?
I call this a coming of age, as Malenie had never questioned her father about the blue diamonds and therefore when she discovers her magic, she knows nothing of it; how to control it, rules in using it and so on. Frustratingly, though she meets others who could help her, she asks little about it and only uses what they tell her. Therefore, exactly what she can do is revealed annoyingly slowly.
Also slow, is the middle of the story, in which the girls travel here and there. The descriptions of modes of transport, scenery (it’s mostly desert), and food are vividly detailed, but not varied. We only know what’s going on from Malenie’s POV in the third person and she tends to determine her friends’ and companions’ moods by observation rather than asking them.
The writing is good, although I did get confused sometimes as to who was speaking, and the book provides a solid foundation for the beginning of the series. Lovers of magical worlds and fantasy adventures should check it out.
amelianicholebooks's review
5.0
This is the best book I've read in a long time. First, the cover is absolutely gorgeous and was the first thing that caught my eye. I love stories set near deserts and this delivers in spades. The magic system felt fresh and interesting. I loved how the main character had to build bridges between all of the characters, and in light of her upbringing the occasional piece of wisdom made sense.
I love each of the characters fiercely and would adopt all of them in a heartbeat! I actually had a moment (you'll know when), where I thought, well, crap, now I have to adopt this grown man too. They tug on my heartstrings. <3 <3 <3
I loved the strong female friendships formed in this book, it is rare that I read about women forming such close friendships and bonds in a way that it realistic. I really enjoyed the three vicious girls in this book.
This didn't feel like a NA, YA or MG book to me, just a fantasy book with protags who were younger and that is refreshing. Highly recommend!
I love each of the characters fiercely and would adopt all of them in a heartbeat! I actually had a moment (you'll know when), where I thought, well, crap, now I have to adopt this grown man too. They tug on my heartstrings. <3 <3 <3
I loved the strong female friendships formed in this book, it is rare that I read about women forming such close friendships and bonds in a way that it realistic. I really enjoyed the three vicious girls in this book.
This didn't feel like a NA, YA or MG book to me, just a fantasy book with protags who were younger and that is refreshing. Highly recommend!
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