Happy New Year!
I told you I was behind! No rest for the overcommitted! This book was…. delightful. Truthfully. I loved it. You should go read it. And here’s why…
What the book is about:
Wild Magic is a teen fantasy novel that follows Daine, a mysterious 13-year-old who has an uncanny connection with animals. She finds herself a job working for Onua, horse procurer for the Riders. Along the way, Daine is continually surprised that the rest of the world doesn’t follow the rigid structures of society that she grew up in and meets people who like her just for her.
Something we all need.
Daine also finally learns about her connection with animals, sorts through some of her own personal issues, meets a dragon, and realizes that perhaps she isn’t as broken as she once believed.
What I liked:
- Nearly everything! No, I know, not good enough.
- Characters: I think Daine is beautifully developed and feels super relatable for me, someone who is used to thinking that people won’t like me if only they knew! This is definitely typical teenage stuff, but I thought it was well done and I found myself forgetting Daine’s age because I related with her. The other characters are also well-developed and feel like whole people and not just caricatures, even the tertiary ones.
- Magic System: This magic system is GREAT! There are different aspects of it and each kind has a different sort of ability, I suppose (I’m trying really hard not to reveal too much here!). I loved the way it was set up. I’ll just leave it at that.
- Cloud: Daine’s horse who acts not so much like a horse. I think this relationship is beautiful and it’s not leaned on too heavily. While Cloud sometimes comes to the rescue, sometimes she doesn’t, and sometimes she gets downright uppity. It’s so sweet.
What I didn’t like:
- Something about the dragon that I can’t actually say because it will give too much away (sorrynotsorry!)
- I had one issue with Daine and that was that I continued to forget she was 13. She came across a bit adult to me, but that could be intentional because of her background. I would have liked to remember a little more that she was actually a YOUNG teenager.
Overall thoughts and opinions:
I reeeeeaaaaally want to read book 2. This is book 1 of 4 in The Immortals series. Does that tell you enough? I want book 2!!
This story grabbed me almost immediately and I enjoyed every single page I read. I even found myself reading to my toddlers from it at nap time this past week. The material is tame enough that I was okay with my 4 year old listening to it (and not going to sleep…) but it was interesting and complex enough to keep my own attention.
I found the promises made in the beginning were delivered on by the end (like what was the madness? What is she talking about???) and answered satisfactorily. I like that everything felt earned and realism was preserved, sometimes much to my chagrin. I liked the lesson that Daine learned at the end of the book and I’d like to see how that lesson impacts future books (of course I can’t share the lesson! You have to read it!).
No matter how old you are, I think, this book is great. The magic system is interesting, the monsters are interesting, the allies are interesting – there’s a lot going on, but the pacing is good and the decisions made about the story are good. I just might like to have Daine as a friend (but probably more The Lioness or Numair… just being real!).
I give this book a hearty five stars!
Learn more about the book and the author.
Share this:
