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litwithlauren's review against another edition
3.0
Much like its predecessor, Spell Starter took me by surprise and packed a punch – pun intended – but while Caster is very much a story about loss, Spell Starter is one of cost. Aza thought she paid the ultimate cost in getting revenge against her sister’s killer, Finch, by giving up her magic, but in this sequel, she finds that there are even more painful punishments to bear. Spell Starter takes a darker turn as Aza is suddenly forced to participate in a new tournament at Saint Willow’s bidding, and is even more relevant as it tackles environmentalism and greed.
Throughout Spell Starter, Aza struggles. She struggles with her new magic, she struggles with her grief for Shire, and she struggles with the person she’s starting to become under Saint Willow’s employment. No matter how much Aza tells herself that she is fighting in the tournament against her will and that she has no other choice, it does little to relieve any of the guilt she’s feeling. Aza is trying to be fine, both for herself and her parents, but whether she’s ready to acknowledge it or not, she’s now coping with the loss of multiple things. Aza has lost Shire, Kylin, and her magic, and she’s not sure how to start moving forward – if she even can.
You can read my full review here: https://loveyoshelf.com/2020/10/08/blog-tour-and-review-spell-starter-by-elsie-chapman/
Throughout Spell Starter, Aza struggles. She struggles with her new magic, she struggles with her grief for Shire, and she struggles with the person she’s starting to become under Saint Willow’s employment. No matter how much Aza tells herself that she is fighting in the tournament against her will and that she has no other choice, it does little to relieve any of the guilt she’s feeling. Aza is trying to be fine, both for herself and her parents, but whether she’s ready to acknowledge it or not, she’s now coping with the loss of multiple things. Aza has lost Shire, Kylin, and her magic, and she’s not sure how to start moving forward – if she even can.
You can read my full review here: https://loveyoshelf.com/2020/10/08/blog-tour-and-review-spell-starter-by-elsie-chapman/
theshenners's review against another edition
4.0
also found on my blog.
Disclaimer: I received an ARC from the publisher as part of the blog tour hosted by Caffeine Book Tours in exchange for an honest review. This did not affect my evaluation of the book.
Listen. I need everyone to support the heck out of the Caster movie when it comes out because I need Spell Starter to be adapted as well. Like Caster, Spell Starter is dark and atmospheric and a feast for the senses and would make a visually stunning experience on the big screen.
It was interesting to see how the author built upon the world, events, and stakes of the previous book. While the primary antagonist is the same, their relationship has changed since Aza is being forced to work for Saint Willow directly, under the threat of ruining her parents’ business. Aza is once again competing in a tournament, but it’s a different situation because the tournament is run by newcomers who have a different agenda and fewer scruples than the Guild. Furthermore, Aza is using magic that isn’t hers that she struggles to control, and her goal is no longer to win but rather to earn Saint Willow money from bets on the outcome.
Aza is no longer the same person she was at the beginning of the first book. Any naivete she possessed is gone; her psyche is haunted by bitterness, guilt, and anger. As her stolen magic drives her to new lows of excruciating pain, the anger grows and the temptation of power and destruction lurks in the shadows. Watching Aza grapple with this temptation and the costs of succumbing was a visceral and immersive experience because of the evocative imagery used to describe it.
The lows caused by the magic extend beyond Aza’s mind and body, affecting the entirety of Lotusland. The magic from the casting tournament wreaks greater destruction on the city than imagined and there is an ominous sense of impending apocalypse throughout the story. The magic is unstable and unsustainable, and the power and ego of a few threaten the whole population.
One of the things I really enjoyed about the book was the new bits of worldbuilding explored through the tournament. The tournament stages are more than aesthetic plot accessories, they’re very deliberately constructed to evoke a bygone era of abundance, a nostalgic tribute to a world that they cannot return to. Clear blue skies and verdant growth exist only in illusions. The final tournament stage in particular is a resurrected image of Lotusland’s Chinatown, and the announcer explains its origins and demise. It seems to serve as a warning to the casters about the consequences of greed and hubris.
The ending is a bit open-ended, but it feels right for the story that the author’s trying to tell. Both in the story and in real life, the destruction of the world (i.e. climate change) is an ongoing process that you can either enable, whether actively or passively, or fight against, and the ending seems to ask, “what will you choose?”
Content/Trigger Warnings: blood, death, murder
Disclaimer: I received an ARC from the publisher as part of the blog tour hosted by Caffeine Book Tours in exchange for an honest review. This did not affect my evaluation of the book.
Listen. I need everyone to support the heck out of the Caster movie when it comes out because I need Spell Starter to be adapted as well. Like Caster, Spell Starter is dark and atmospheric and a feast for the senses and would make a visually stunning experience on the big screen.
It was interesting to see how the author built upon the world, events, and stakes of the previous book. While the primary antagonist is the same, their relationship has changed since Aza is being forced to work for Saint Willow directly, under the threat of ruining her parents’ business. Aza is once again competing in a tournament, but it’s a different situation because the tournament is run by newcomers who have a different agenda and fewer scruples than the Guild. Furthermore, Aza is using magic that isn’t hers that she struggles to control, and her goal is no longer to win but rather to earn Saint Willow money from bets on the outcome.
Aza is no longer the same person she was at the beginning of the first book. Any naivete she possessed is gone; her psyche is haunted by bitterness, guilt, and anger. As her stolen magic drives her to new lows of excruciating pain, the anger grows and the temptation of power and destruction lurks in the shadows. Watching Aza grapple with this temptation and the costs of succumbing was a visceral and immersive experience because of the evocative imagery used to describe it.
The lows caused by the magic extend beyond Aza’s mind and body, affecting the entirety of Lotusland. The magic from the casting tournament wreaks greater destruction on the city than imagined and there is an ominous sense of impending apocalypse throughout the story. The magic is unstable and unsustainable, and the power and ego of a few threaten the whole population.
One of the things I really enjoyed about the book was the new bits of worldbuilding explored through the tournament. The tournament stages are more than aesthetic plot accessories, they’re very deliberately constructed to evoke a bygone era of abundance, a nostalgic tribute to a world that they cannot return to. Clear blue skies and verdant growth exist only in illusions. The final tournament stage in particular is a resurrected image of Lotusland’s Chinatown, and the announcer explains its origins and demise. It seems to serve as a warning to the casters about the consequences of greed and hubris.
The ending is a bit open-ended, but it feels right for the story that the author’s trying to tell. Both in the story and in real life, the destruction of the world (i.e. climate change) is an ongoing process that you can either enable, whether actively or passively, or fight against, and the ending seems to ask, “what will you choose?”
Content/Trigger Warnings: blood, death, murder
litwithlauren's review
3.0
Much like its predecessor, Spell Starter took me by surprise and packed a punch – pun intended – but while Caster is very much a story about loss, Spell Starter is one of cost. Aza thought she paid the ultimate cost in getting revenge against her sister’s killer, Finch, by giving up her magic, but in this sequel, she finds that there are even more painful punishments to bear. Spell Starter takes a darker turn as Aza is suddenly forced to participate in a new tournament at Saint Willow’s bidding, and is even more relevant as it tackles environmentalism and greed.
Throughout Spell Starter, Aza struggles. She struggles with her new magic, she struggles with her grief for Shire, and she struggles with the person she’s starting to become under Saint Willow’s employment. No matter how much Aza tells herself that she is fighting in the tournament against her will and that she has no other choice, it does little to relieve any of the guilt she’s feeling. Aza is trying to be fine, both for herself and her parents, but whether she’s ready to acknowledge it or not, she’s now coping with the loss of multiple things. Aza has lost Shire, Kylin, and her magic, and she’s not sure how to start moving forward – if she even can.
You can read my full review here: https://loveyoshelf.com/2020/10/08/blog-tour-and-review-spell-starter-by-elsie-chapman/
Throughout Spell Starter, Aza struggles. She struggles with her new magic, she struggles with her grief for Shire, and she struggles with the person she’s starting to become under Saint Willow’s employment. No matter how much Aza tells herself that she is fighting in the tournament against her will and that she has no other choice, it does little to relieve any of the guilt she’s feeling. Aza is trying to be fine, both for herself and her parents, but whether she’s ready to acknowledge it or not, she’s now coping with the loss of multiple things. Aza has lost Shire, Kylin, and her magic, and she’s not sure how to start moving forward – if she even can.
You can read my full review here: https://loveyoshelf.com/2020/10/08/blog-tour-and-review-spell-starter-by-elsie-chapman/
utopiastateofmind's review
3.0
(Disclaimer: I received this book from Edelweiss. This has not impacted my review which is unbiased and honest.)
Spell Starter was one of my most highly anticipated sequels of 2020. Magical fighting rings, environmental destruction, and more? Caster is such a fabulous book full of quests for family and compromise. And so maybe my disappointment is partly my own fault for expectations? If you loved Caster, you can expect much of the same themes: family, environmental destruction, and ethics. Aza is faced with even more choices that have disastrous consequences. Now that she knows more than ever before, the true weight of her decisions and costs make themselves clear to her. Spell Starter is a story about choice. There are so many times we feel like we had no choice, where we are backed up against a wall, and we've got to ask ourselves, do we truly have no other choice? Do we just want the illusion of control?
Yet, I felt like Spell Starter has these kernels I wanted more from throughout the story. The environmental destruction of magic is a huge theme I was expecting more of due to its truly disastrous consequences. And while it was certainly touched upon, I just was craving a bit more depth and introspection about the future of the city. There were also some plot elements I felt like were wrapped up quite suddenly without a lot of space for reflection or introspection. In general, I felt like the whole thing could have used a bit more space to grow and expand.
Yet, I felt like Spell Starter has these kernels I wanted more from throughout the story. The environmental destruction of magic is a huge theme I was expecting more of due to its truly disastrous consequences. And while it was certainly touched upon, I just was craving a bit more depth and introspection about the future of the city. There were also some plot elements I felt like were wrapped up quite suddenly without a lot of space for reflection or introspection. In general, I felt like the whole thing could have used a bit more space to grow and expand.
full review: https://utopia-state-of-mind.com/review-spell-starter-by-elsie-chapman/
Spell Starter was one of my most highly anticipated sequels of 2020. Magical fighting rings, environmental destruction, and more? Caster is such a fabulous book full of quests for family and compromise. And so maybe my disappointment is partly my own fault for expectations? If you loved Caster, you can expect much of the same themes: family, environmental destruction, and ethics. Aza is faced with even more choices that have disastrous consequences. Now that she knows more than ever before, the true weight of her decisions and costs make themselves clear to her. Spell Starter is a story about choice. There are so many times we feel like we had no choice, where we are backed up against a wall, and we've got to ask ourselves, do we truly have no other choice? Do we just want the illusion of control?
Yet, I felt like Spell Starter has these kernels I wanted more from throughout the story. The environmental destruction of magic is a huge theme I was expecting more of due to its truly disastrous consequences. And while it was certainly touched upon, I just was craving a bit more depth and introspection about the future of the city. There were also some plot elements I felt like were wrapped up quite suddenly without a lot of space for reflection or introspection. In general, I felt like the whole thing could have used a bit more space to grow and expand.
Yet, I felt like Spell Starter has these kernels I wanted more from throughout the story. The environmental destruction of magic is a huge theme I was expecting more of due to its truly disastrous consequences. And while it was certainly touched upon, I just was craving a bit more depth and introspection about the future of the city. There were also some plot elements I felt like were wrapped up quite suddenly without a lot of space for reflection or introspection. In general, I felt like the whole thing could have used a bit more space to grow and expand.
full review: https://utopia-state-of-mind.com/review-spell-starter-by-elsie-chapman/
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