This is a book with lots of twists, each of which is just slightly unpredictable. As such it is fascinating in its construction. But obviously there is more to a book than the ideas it contains. It needs a good story and this book has one. A young man at odds with his family and society tries all in his power to to fit in but seemingly that is not what he should do. The protagonist matures rapidly through each of the trials he faces. The characterisation of all of the key characters is well done and the reader gets to understand the reasons why they are as they are as the book progresses.

There is good pace throughout with interesting scenarios played out that hold the reader's attention. The conclusion to the book is probably the most predictable element but then perhaps this was to allow a more effective transition to the next book in the series, which I look forward to.

This book was archived when I went to download it. Never got a chance to read it.

I think I'm turning into That Guy Who Hates Everything Everyone Else Loves and that sucks!! What am I missing that everyone else sees!! I want to like things, dammit!

The main plotline was pretty intriguing, with the Jan'Tep and the shadowblack and things, that was pretty cool. But somehow everything was just... boring? The writing was pretty lacklustre, and the occasional humorous line was not enough to save the overall dullness, I'm afraid. The squirrel-cats struck me as... out of place and a bit absurd, like something that would fit in well with a Terry Pratchett novel but not with something that was (mostly) attempting to be serious.

None of the characters really did anything for me either. Ferius (I mean, I think that was her name? Bad sign...) was relatively interesting, but everyone else was just... no. I just... no. Like everything else, I just found it quite... shallow. (Oh, and there was an Unnecessary Romance Aspect. Boy do I hate those.)

I feel like I'm writing "it's not you it's me" on every negative review recently but like, it must just be me, because everyone else seems to love this thing?? I would say something like "oh, maybe i'm just too much of a crotchety old man to like YA anymore" but I recently read YA masterpieces such as Defy the Stars and The Summer It Came for Us so it can't be that. I guess this book just wasn't for me! Bummer.

An incredible, engaging fantasy with plenty of action, magic and humour. Reichis is practically Rocket Raccoon! Foul-mouthed, aggressive and positively brilliant! Cannot recommend this book enough!

Sebastien de Castell's adult series, Greatcoats, is one of the best fantasy series I've read recently, and so I was intrigued to see what he'd come up with when instead writing for young adults. While I didn't enjoy it quite so much, it still had many of the characteristics that I love about Greatcoats.

The JanTep are a group of people living around an oasis that acts as the source of their magic powers. They are served by the ShaTep, who are JanTep who haven't succeeded in becoming mages. These ShaTep are often family members who, once revealed as having no powers, become a lesser class to the JanTep. Children gain their mage name at the age of sixteen, by passing four trials. So, naturally, there is a school for teaching magic. This was the major sticking point I had, especially to begin with, because "schools for magic" are done over and over, especially in YA fantasy, while they are used much less in adult fantasy. As a result, adult fantasy can feel more creative, so the start of this book at least felt a bit like it had already been done. Which meant I was thankful when the whole magic school thing turned out to not be even a major plot of the book.

What Sebastien de Castell does really well is keep the action going in a book. This is over 400 pages long, and I have a tendency to get bored around the 150-200 page mark of such long books, but that never happened with this book. There were never any lulls in the action, and it kept up right to the end.

If there is one thing I'd criticise about Sebastien de Castell's writing is that he's never quite able to write women of a certain age. Sure, he can write old women (very well in fact), and young girls aren't a problem, but it's ones that are in their teens to middle-age that always seem bland and are literally just there to serve the purpose of love interest. Yes, she did get some character development in this book, but that doesn't detract from the fact that she wasn't particularly interesting for the first 75% of the book or so. (I'm hoping the pattern whereby as we see more of her, she gets more interesting as in Greatcoats, continues.)

But overall, this book was very good. I enjoyed it a lot, and I'm eagerly waiting for the second book (even if there does seem some promise of a love triangle. I suppose I'll just have to suffer that).

A coming of age book with a difference. How do you cope if you are the only untalented member of a hugely magically talented family? Pretty well apparently. A good start and I look forward to the sequel.

Wow I really enjoyed this book! The action begins on page one and doesn't let up throughout. It tells the story of Kellen, a young boy about to take his mage trials and realising that he is losing his magic. The voice that de Castell has created here is spot on. It has just the right amount of boyish arrogance to be believable, while still being wholly likeable. You want Kellen to succeed - it's impossible not to. The magic system within this world is really well constructed and quite original and the nuances of the world building are top notch. As an opening gambit for a series, they don't come much better. The story as told here concludes satisfactorily and still leaves plenty of dangling threads to continue the tale in future instalments. I for one, look forward to the next book with great relish and hope that it can match up to this great offering.

This book was really addictive and I read it in one sitting. I really like the world and the magic system and I'll definitely be picking up more of this authors books. I like the main character, but I don't think the other characters were particularly well developed so I'm hoping for more character development in the next book. I wish this book had been longer as this issue would have probably been resolved if there'd been a few hundred more words. I will definitely be picking up the next book in this series though.

"Tricks are all I have." I said. "Clever. The boy always seeks to be clever."

* * * * .5
4.5 / 5

Kellen is supposed to be earning his mage name; on the cusp of turning sixteen, if he doesn't pass the four trials he'll be relegated to the life of a servant. The problem? He doesn't have any magic any more. It doesn't help that his father is the most powerful mage of their people and his sister, barely thirteen, is already passing all of her trials. This is an absolutely wonderful book that grabbed me from the very first page.

"Evidently he was capable of simultaneously believing that I was a weakling and yet had also acquired a power animal. Moron."

We open with an attention-grabbing scene. Kellen is facing off his classmate in a duel, knowing full well that he cannot win the duel. He manages to fight using only his skills and cunning, which is all ruined when Kellen's incredibly self-righteous younger sister. From there, Kellen struggles to prove himself as a mage, dodging his bullies, and getting mixed into a plot of betrayal as the Clan Leader dies and the city is thrust into a political game. As Kellen doggedly tries everything to make his magic return, he delves deeper into the history and the secrets of his people. Secrets that get people killed.

"It was as if some mischievious god had designed her entirely for the purpose of smirking, making lewd remarks, or sauntering into other people's homes uninvited"

Spellslinger has a great mix of stereotypical fantasy elements and innovative aspects and plot twists. Reichis is the typical young male hero's animal companion, or *ahem* "business partner" as he prefers, who is a feisty squirrel cat who has been the terror of Kellen's people for aeons. Despite being just, y'know, small flying squirrels. Then there's Ferius Parfax, a wandering magic-less traveller, who tries to teach the boy that there is more to power than magic, and that magic can be found in places other than spells. She arrives in a city that is suspicious of her kind and places herself in danger whilst trying to get drunk. Ferius is a great twist on the elder male wizard mentor figure in that she shows up when Kellen is in trouble, but she's got her weaknesses and isn't all-knowing by any means. She does provide some nice input sometimes, breaking up Kellen's inner monologue and helping the reader view the scene more "objectively", so to speak.

There's this scene where the girl Kellen is crushing on appears to shun him after he is humiliated in the arena, where before she had been friendly. Kellen is (rightfully) a bit miffed, but then launches into an annoying teenage speech about how fickle women are and blah, when Ferius comments "would you have noticed her at all if she were not so pretty? If she turned up one day ugly, would you not do the same", turning Kellen's speech into some self-reflective learning moment. But Ferius is also a hilarious character and I think the way she fights, using metal cards like shruiken, is pretty cool.

"These are the questions of a child, Kellen. You already found the one that matters, the one that binds all our fates together. Ask it again."

On that note, I think it's important to mention that this is not an adult novel, per se. As an adult I read and enjoyed this, but it is not like de Castell's other famous series, Greatcoats, which liberally splashes around bloodshed, strong language, and sex. Spellslinger is complex and thoughtful, but I would happily give this book to a thirteen year old. It is also lacking on a couple of things I would expect from a strong fantasy novel, like good worldbuilding. Apparently this takes place in the world of Greatcoats, of which I am still reading the first book, so maybe I'll be more satisfied after I've read that.

But Spellslinger is a bit sparse of the specifics. As well as the geography of the world of Spellslinger being a mystery to me, I'm still not quite sure what an argosi, which Ferius is, is. The biggest annoyance, however, is the magic system. It works according to seven pillars of magic - silk, blood, iron, breath, ember, sand, and the forbidden type, shadow - and each mage initiate gets six tattooed bands around their arm. When the band is sparked, they get access to more power than before. I thought this was all pretty cool, but I have no idea how it actually works. How do you spark a band? How do you actually cast a spell? It seems to be some mixture of mind state, hand gesture, and words. But how do you create a new spell? I have lots of questions about de Castell's magic system, and I hope there are more details in the next book.

"And I finally saw what Ferius wanted me to see. I saw myself. I saw who I was and I saw the man I wanted to be."

This is a beautifully written book. Kellen is one of those protagonists that is genuinely shit at something. I kept turning pages expecting for there to be a moment where Kellen suddenly breaks through his no magic barrier, or gains a powerful magical artefact, or for some reason or another becomes a great mage. Instead, we get a journey where both the reader and Kellen must come to terms with the fact that he has no magic, that he can never become the man he thought he would be as a boy. Instead of a magical triumph arc, we watch him struggle and grow with his burden.

This arc culminated in, what I thought, was a great and fitting ending. I have seen other reviews disagree, but I thought it provided a good amount of closure whilst leaving plenty of space for Kellen and Ferius to have a new story (and according to Goodreads, this will be a series of six books). At the end, Kellen is finally faced with a choice which will determine whether he continues pursuing his childhood dream, trying to become the man he always thought he would become, or if he finds another path, another way to be a man.

So I tend to enjoy most books that centre around a magic related trial of some kind that the main protagonist must take part in. As soon as I read about this book I was very intrigued by the fact that this is one of those kind of books but also because the protagonist Kellen isn't the usual heroin that is almost instantly known to be amazing at the thing the trial enlists. I thought it was a very clever metaphor for showing that it doesn't matter how talented at something you are, and that there will always be something that makes you different and special and that almost anyone can overcome anything if they put their mind to it.

The book follows Kellen and how his dreams of becoming a powerful mage like his father are soon shattered after a failed magical duel results in the realisation that he may never become who he wishes he was. When others seem to suffer a similar fate and lose their magical abilities, Kellen is accused of unleashing a magical curse on his own clan and is forced to enlist the help of a mysterious foreign woman who may in fact be a spy in service to an enemy country.

"When you see the world outside your home town, outside the walls of what you were brought up to see, then you discover that you almost never know if you're dong the right thing. One action, brave and true, leads to war and destruction. Another, craven and greedy, leads to peace and prosperity."

Castell's writing is full of humour and excitement and I found it really hard to put the book down even for a second because it was so enthralling. The magic system in this book is very well done and interesting to read about. I love the way Kellen isn't amazing at it and his suffering because of it is almost a realistic representation of real life and how people often envy those who tend to be better at something than them. It really makes you think and there are some great aspects to the story that can be interpreted in so many different ways that I feel that everyone who reads this book will get something different from it.

“First thing you learn wandering the long roads, kid. Everyone thinks they're the hero of their own story."

Kellen's relationships with other characters are done in a very realistic way but I loved how even though they were amazingly well done they also took a back seat in terms of the plot and that was great. The banter between Kellen and his Squirrel Cat was hilarious to read. Plus the fact that this book had talking animals is definitely one of the reasons that sealed my love for it, it was so good! I hated Kellen's family and how they were so horrible to him and I also hated the discrimination that took place. However it was crucial to the story and I feel like it was great how the main character really disagreed with it and started to intervene. Hopefully we will see more of this in the next book.

I feel like the plot was very captivating and fast paced and overall found it very enjoyable to read. The emotion was done so well and I loved the humorous quips that came from the characters, Castell has an amazing way of making you so unsure whether you want to laugh or cry its almost frustrating.

Overall I thoroughly enjoyed this and I am so glad that there is a sequel coming because I loved these characters and I am so excited to see what happens next. Spellslinger is an intricate fast paced fantasy with a sort of western style world that is full of the best kind of magical intrigue; and characters that are so captivating and full of development that makes the book impossible to put down. Highly recommend!

Thank you to Sebastien de Castell and Hot Key Books for sending me an early via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

5/5 Stars!

I have heard a lot about some of Sebastien De Castell other works, that they've always been fantastic, gripping and thrilling, hence the fact that I have several of his books unread on my TBR list but Spellslinger was must first foray into his writing and right now I can honestly say that this book was so much fun the I will most definitely be reading more of his work very, VERY soon. His writing is sharp clever and rather witty but it would be very good if it could be a little more descriptive as it goes forward but then again maybe he is purposely leaving the world a little on the transparent side so the readers can fill it in for themselves although maybe it's a case of the author hoping the reader has read his previous works set in the same world and that having done so would fill out the world a little more..... who knows?

Spellslinger isn't your ordinary YA novel as it has a rather quirky mythology as it's base ( the magic, the social structure of Kellen's people and so on) and it's this and the subsequent world-building around this mythology that makes this book so much fun. The whole idea behind Kellen and his life is unusual..... the boy who wants to be a mage like the rest of his family but who sadly just doesn't seem to have what it takes. He doesn't know why his life is falling apart and by the end of the book you really do have to feel for the poor kid as he fights the ongoing tragedy that is his life while also fighting all of his demons to find the truth about himself, his family AND his magic. Sadly Kellen does get a little overshadowed by a feisty squirrel cat who seems to be channelling a certain vocal space-faring raccoon that Marvel film lovers have come to know and love........Reichis most certainly has the exact same sass and attitude that we love Rocket for! Ferius is also a very intriguing but still rather shadowy character who I feel still has a great deal of things to tell us about herself and her world going forward in the series..... I really would like to know a lot more about the tarot cards she creates and of course the hows and whys of her life are bound to be fascinating I'm sure.

This book is quite the slow burner to begin with but soon grows and thrives as the book goes on and by the end of the current story I was totally gutted that it was finished..... thankfully the news of Shadowblack coming to continue Kellen's plight to find himself was gratefully received as this is a series that I will be avidly following as this is totally my kind of tale and completely everything that I hoped and expected this book to be.

Spellslinger would be a must read for fans of fantasy books, it's fun and light-hearted at time but still contains a great deal of grit, awful heart-breaking tragedy and violence that makes you squirm and shiver!

Quality Rating: Four Stars
Enjoyment Rating: Five Stars

If you'd asked me within the first half of this book what I thought about it, I would've gushed about its brilliance. I haven't had as much fun reading a book since Six of Crows came out. Unfortunately, it took itself a little too seriously towards the end and lost me a little bit, but it wasn't enough to make me think badly of the book. Spellslinger was a very enjoyable read and I'm looking forward to the rest of the series.

Spellslinger had an interesting magic system - and world system in generall actually. The ideas of different disciplines is pretty standard but it was the politics around sparking the bands (achieving magical skills) and what happened if you weren't able to was what made it click. Especially when you extend that past Kellen's people and onto how they interact and look at the peoples that don't have magic. I loved the idea of Ferius' cards having some sort of magical properties and being a part of this magical world, but not having to be a form of magic itself to be important. There are weapons outside of pure magic for the people that aren't mages.
What carried this book through for me was the quick-witted dialogue. De Castell knows how to tailor a speaking style to a person, and keep it consistent, not to mention a lot of his characters have a humour I can relate to. There are some characters in here that would have annoyed me from just being around had they not had their place in the narrative through their dialogue.

I wouldn't say the plot itself is really what you're focused on in the story; it's more of Kellen's personal journey and development. And quite a bit of setting him up for what's to come in the series I suspect. We get quite a few details that weren't really relevant to this story on its own: the shadowblack and war politics with the peoples outside of the oasis didn't really relate to the mage's trials or war for clan prince, though I'm sure they're going to be a big thing in the future. Having said that, I'm not even sure those particular plot lines are very important either. They were just a bit of a time-absorbing distraction for now to move us along Kellen's story - an enjoyable distraction, I admit. Overall, most of the things that didn't quite fit with this book were still fun to read.
Something that completely went over my head was the western genre. I wasn't even aware I was supposed to be setting it as a western in my head until I did some reading around the book and saw someone mention it. I was actually getting a lot more eastern vibes than western - probably with the terminology of 'oasis' with its pillars and fountain and the magic system and palace. None are things that I'm familiar with being included in westerns.

In terms of characters, there's two sides to it. De Castell's protagonists are well thought out and crafted, consistent and unique from those around them. But his side characters become caricatures of themselves very early on. His female characters, for example, were great to start with, but within 100 pages the novelty wore off and they just became stereotypes of themselves. You can have someone be bold and arrogant, or brash and confident, or even meek and nervous in one situation, but when everything around them changes and they don't they're not a convincing character anymore. And because the women were so obviously supposed to contrast expectations the book set up they were all the more noticeably off.
On the other hand, when de Castell focuses on one character for a big part of his story it pays off. Strange as it sounds, having a protagonist who was genuinely a bit useless at everything he was expected to do was really cool. We all like an underdog narrative but it's all very well having people who are supposedly untalented, and then discover halfway through that they're actually more special than everyone else, but it doesn't ring very true and these days we're tired of it. But Kellen really is useless with magic, but through understanding that (though definitely not accepting it), he ran into other things he could use and take advantage of. It's a bigger thing in Spellslinger because his people are so hell-bent on effectively punishing you if you aren't skilled with magic, so for Kellen to not make it but turn his back on their expectations and find something else that worked for him, it made quite the interesting story.

I'm ultimately more interested in Kellen's adventures from here on out but I did have a lot of fun reading this first book. Its little twists of originality gave it a nice kick and de Castell's writing is definitely fiery and slick enough to keep you engaged. Thoroughly enjoyable and worth the read.

A wonderfully written book full of magical moments, action pack scenes, heart stopping moments and enough humor coming from the amazing Reichis and Ferius to last a lifetime! Must add that main character Kellens character development in this novel is simply stunning.... such a clever lad hit by less than great circumstances but he never loses sight of who he is, who he wants to be.

I love Sebastien de Castell's 'Greatcoat' books, and Spellslinger looks like being the start of another entertaining series. It's pitched at a YA readership (hero from magical family + rite of passage + feisty squirrel-cat buddy), so would make a great gift for teen family members, but older readers will also enjoy it (I'm 66!). Strong on character, plot, and dialogue, my only crit is that it's too short! I eagerly await the sequel.

I always approach novels tagged as YA with a little trepidation, but I needn't have worried - Spellslinger is a riot from start to finish. The narrative has considerably more confidence and control than protagonist Kellen; de Castell never misses a beat as his hero flails his way from bad to worse. Consequently it reads like a pitch for the next big TV show (I'd certainly watch it) - a brash, self-aware origin story with a lot of heart. All it's missing is a record scratch and a voiceover: You're probably wondering how I ended up here. It's okay - your brain will fill it in.

De Castell takes his type fully unpacking context - a few things that initially irked me were eventually shown to be carefully considered world-building as Kellen begins to realise how much of his 'truth' is manufactured. In the end, Spellslinger is both a ball-busting criticism of those in power (and an illustration of how craftily they wield it) and a reminder that the conscience and choices of individuals can make a difference.

It's a timely message, packaged here with a tiny dash of romance, a fistful of spite and a colourful cast. While some are fairly stereotypical (the playground bully; the pudgy best friend), I adored the Dowager Magus and the brilliant re-casting of the cranky mentor - no old men here, just an irrepressible female wanderer with more tricks than magic. Mix in a belligerent talking flying cat, and sit back to watch the sparks fly. It's buckets of fun, and I can't wait to read their next adventure.

Many thanks to Netgalley who provided me with an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.Fun, action-packed adventure! I would say middle-grade rather than YA. This book seems to be setting up what will be a new series. Kellen finds out that all is not as it seems in the world in which he has been raised. He is betrayed by those around him and has to find his own way as an outcast. Along the way he befriends a feisty squirrel cat and a mentor who help him to overcome the odds and become the man he wants to be. Plenty of scuffles, magic duels, baddies, blended with the author's signature sense of fun and humour.

This was a fun, if not frustrating book at some times! I absolutely hated Shalla, the sister, even when at points she looked like she'd redeem herself, but there are enough side characters and really strong personalities to make up for my being so utterly frustrated.

But I'm sure that's what the author wanted - I did really like the nuance of magic shown here, and the politics. A great little read!

Loved this book, which I found strange as I had originally turned my nose up at it when i first saw it thinking it was a formulaic teen book masquerading as a fantasy novel. Yes it does have a hint of this but I found it totally absorbing with a character I grew to like as he battled betrayal, lies and his own dark impulses as he tries to save his people's way of life little knowing the true horror hidden beneath the so called truth.

Spellslinger is the first in a new fantasy series from Sebastien De Castell, whose ongoing ‘Greatcoats’ series I’ve thoroughly enjoyed in the past.

The world of Spellslinger is something a bit different from DeCastell’s last work. In some ways, it has a high fantasy influence. There’s a society ruled by mages, those with the power to shape reality to their whim. Within that society, situated around an oasis, are others – the disenfranchised, those with no magic, the servants to those more than happy to set them on fire on a whim. This is a culture which feels both calcified and paranoid. There’s a central set of families, cloaked in magic, happy to eliminate outsiders to protect their privilege, and then stick the knife into the leaders next to them. The reader is embedded in this niche, following one of the sons of power, seeing privilege at work. That magic has the potential to bestow exceedingly long lifespans is another side-note, another ossification of existing power structures.

There are suggestions of other cultures outside of this one of course, beyond the reach of magic and paranoid insularity. There are some outspoken characters, swaggerers with their metaphorical (and sometimes literal) hat pulled over their eyes, unwilling to take any crap from wizards and their odd social expectations. If the oasis of magery can be likened to Victorian Britain – with all the inbreeding and plutocracy which that implies – its neighbours are something more of the wild west. There’s an energy there, in the small titbits we receive, an enthusiasm for grasping opportunities which the mage-lords seem to feel is beneath them. Still, the overarching society in the narrative, the one on which we focus our attention, is that of the mages – which is socially stratified, petrified and prone to responding to the potential for change with extreme thaumaturgical violence.

The protagonist is the teenage son of one of the pre-eminent mage clans, as yet unable to use his magic, and rather concerned about it. Those from the nobility who are not magic users are sent out into the servant class – no longer family, they may be trusted to serve an un-poisoned breakfast. Kellen is wry, with a burgeoning cynicism typical for his mid-teen age, and at least initially seems unconscious of the gilded had which fate has dealt him. He’s certainly clever, given to thinking (or perhaps overthinking) through his actions and their consequences. At the same time, he can be driven to impulsive moves under emotional strain. It’s interesting to watch Kellen’s journey over the course of the text – less one of maturity, and more realising the reality of the world in which he is embedded.

He already has a sense for injustice, and a somewhat bewildered unwillingness to accept it in himself, his associates, or their society. Still, there’s room for argument here – how Kellen will conduct himself when the pressure is on, and what he actually believes in – well, that becomes clearer over the narrative. Watching him inch toward the person he has the potential to be – for good or ill – is delightful, and convincingly constructed.

In this he’s aided by the fantastically named Feruis Parfax, a woman from one of those far off lands. She’s a little mysterious, obviously clever, and has a tendency not to take any crap from self-entitled magelords. With a waistcoat, a hand of cards, and a penchant for drawling insults, Parfax puts me in mind of a cockier member of the Magnificent Seven. She has an energy and confidence that some of her antagonists’ lack – and also a kind of sorrowful, knowledgeable compassion, which contrasts with what the oasis society paints as necessary cruelties. Parfax is a lot of fun to watch – a sharp-eyed, sharp tongued drifter, with an intolerance for injustice, and willingness to do something about it. That she relies on wits and technology helps keep her approach fresh and interesting. That she’s often laugh-out-loud funny is a happy side-benefit.

The duo are thrown together initially, and watching the banter and cultural confusion as they acclimatise to each other – well, it’s entertaining, and often thought provoking. They do seem unable to keep out of trouble in one fashion or other, and that certainly kept me turning pages.

From a plot standpoint…well, as ever, I’ll try and avoid spoilers. It’s part coming of age story, and part magic-western. There’s some fantastic confrontations against the odds, and possibly the tensest, funniest magical duel I’ve ever read. There’s investigation of a burgeoning conspiracy, with red herrings and blind turns scattered about – at the same time as Kellen slowly comes to terms with who he wants to be, and quite what the society he is immersed in has become. . In short, it’s a compelling story, charmingly and grippingly told. It’ll make you chuckle, make you think, and quite possibly make you cry – and for that, I’d say it’s highly recommended.