Grade: B
For all fantasy fans, this book has immediate appeal. The magic relates to control of the elements though it has a "Golden Compass" aspect to it in that the elements are conscious and the "Crafters" sort of become companions with the "Furies."
Unfortunately, the first couple hundred pages do not do enough to bond the reader to the characters. Tavi is liked right away, but he takes too long to develop and Amara remains only mildly interesting until Bernard comes into the picture. Luckily I continued to read because the book ended up actually being pretty good.
The magic system did not dominate the characters, which is a clear sign of good writing.
The character Tavi was written in a way that makes it seem as if he is younger than he really is. About halfway through the book it states that Tavi is fifteen, but I think it would have worked much better had he been around twelve or so. His voice seemed that way and I was honestly shocked when his age was revealed. This was one of the major character flaws in the book.
The overarching theme of the series introduced in the first few chapters does not see much resolution. I typically do not like books that start by basically saying "I am going to be a monster series." I guess it works out alright in the end. I suppose my opinion will change a little once I have read the other books in the series.
Overall, I give it a B because of its character flaws and lack of interesting beginning. Because it turned out to be a great book once it got going, it still passes and should be read again.
If you have read this book feel free to post a review and/or grade as well.
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