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A review by enchantedfiction
Where Magic Begins by Faith Prince
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
*2.5*
Where Magic Begins is a duel POV story of twin sisters, Zoeli and Saria, who are half-witch, half-human. Their mother was exiled from the magical world because she fell in love with a human, and that means her children can never join the magical world either. And when danger lurks, one sister is left without magic, and if the sisters can't reconcile their past indiscretions, they may doom the whole magical world to destruction.
I received an e-copy of this book from the author, so thank you, Faith!
The concept of this story sounded really intriguing and like a fun read. Sibling rivalry is always an interesting trope to me, so when I saw that was teased in the blurb, I really wanted to know what it was all about.
For me personally, I did not feel as though the story was fleshed out. I wanted more from all of it, more character development, more plot, more organization. I did not understand why these two "half-breed nimwits" were such integral lynchpins to the overtaking of Aurelia by their great-uncle. Their mother was exiled, and half-breeds are so discriminated against they aren't allowed into the magical world, so the main plot point didn't really make sense. There was a focus on the danger that was surrounding the sisters, so I also couldn't really understand why Zoeli stealing all of Saria's power was kind of brushed to the side. I feel like it would have made for a more interesting plot if Saria was forced to take her magic back and learn to control it better so she could be whole but also get to know herself better. I also feel like the sibling rivalry fell into the background because instead of them really having any confrontations, they just kind of ignored each other. I wanted more conflict.
I also felt as though the story couldn't decide if it wanted to be a middle grade or YA book, as a lot of the language and dialog used didn't match. In one breath, it felt like one or the other sister could have been 12, and then the next line of dialog or scene had explicit language or an intimate scene.
There were some parts that actually did suck me in, like when Zoeli and Damian went to Aurelia. The descriptions made me feel like I was there, and it felt like time slowed down a little to give the events some attention. I also could appreciate the message that prejudices against others for something they can't help is wrong, but it kept getting very obviously brought up it kind of got stale. I would much rather have felt the unfair treatment than be told that it was wrong. I feel like that would have been more powerful as Zoeli started to understand and be able to control her magic just like any full witch. I also really liked the epilogue! It was a twist that I didn't see coming, which I always appreciate.
Overall, this did fall flat for me. I wanted to really give these characters a fair shake, but I just couldn't come to care much for them.
Where Magic Begins is a duel POV story of twin sisters, Zoeli and Saria, who are half-witch, half-human. Their mother was exiled from the magical world because she fell in love with a human, and that means her children can never join the magical world either. And when danger lurks, one sister is left without magic, and if the sisters can't reconcile their past indiscretions, they may doom the whole magical world to destruction.
I received an e-copy of this book from the author, so thank you, Faith!
The concept of this story sounded really intriguing and like a fun read. Sibling rivalry is always an interesting trope to me, so when I saw that was teased in the blurb, I really wanted to know what it was all about.
For me personally, I did not feel as though the story was fleshed out. I wanted more from all of it, more character development, more plot, more organization. I did not understand why these two "half-breed nimwits" were such integral lynchpins to the overtaking of Aurelia by their great-uncle. Their mother was exiled, and half-breeds are so discriminated against they aren't allowed into the magical world, so the main plot point didn't really make sense. There was a focus on the danger that was surrounding the sisters, so I also couldn't really understand why Zoeli stealing all of Saria's power was kind of brushed to the side. I feel like it would have made for a more interesting plot if Saria was forced to take her magic back and learn to control it better so she could be whole but also get to know herself better. I also feel like the sibling rivalry fell into the background because instead of them really having any confrontations, they just kind of ignored each other. I wanted more conflict.
I also felt as though the story couldn't decide if it wanted to be a middle grade or YA book, as a lot of the language and dialog used didn't match. In one breath, it felt like one or the other sister could have been 12, and then the next line of dialog or scene had explicit language or an intimate scene.
There were some parts that actually did suck me in, like when Zoeli and Damian went to Aurelia. The descriptions made me feel like I was there, and it felt like time slowed down a little to give the events some attention. I also could appreciate the message that prejudices against others for something they can't help is wrong, but it kept getting very obviously brought up it kind of got stale. I would much rather have felt the unfair treatment than be told that it was wrong. I feel like that would have been more powerful as Zoeli started to understand and be able to control her magic just like any full witch. I also really liked the epilogue! It was a twist that I didn't see coming, which I always appreciate.
Overall, this did fall flat for me. I wanted to really give these characters a fair shake, but I just couldn't come to care much for them.