Zero Blessing (The Zero Enigma, #1) by Christopher Nuttall
My rating: ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ Very Good
Caitlyn Aguirre should have been a magician. Her family certainly expected her to be a magician. But by the time she reached her twelfth birthday, Caitlyn hadn’t even managed to cast a single spell! In desperation, her parents send her – and her magical sisters – to Jude’s Sorcerous Academy, her last best chance to discover her powers.
But as she struggles to survive her classes without a single spell to her name, Caitlyn starts to uncover an ancient mystery that may prove the key to her true powers …
… If she lives long enough to find it.
Magic without magic. No this is not a variant of the old saying “Any sufficiently advanced science is magic”. This is about a magical world and a daughter of a powerful magical family. A daughter which has … no magic. In a last desperate attempt to try and lure out the magic, that they are convinced that she has, her parents are sending her to a magical school.
Here we thought that Emily in Schooled In Magic by the same author had a difficult time and then Mr. Nuttall brings the concept of difficult to a new level. As everyone can image, going to a magical school without being able to do magic is difficult to say the least.
However, if that was all there was to it the story would be a bit bland. So, of course, Caitlyn finds out that she has a few other tricks up her sleeve.
This book is a variant of Schooled In Magic. It is set in pretty much the same universe with the same rules of the game but a different school and a main character that has this slight … handicap.
It is a good book. The characters are, as always, mostly likable and the ones that are not are getting enough nasty surprises that they do not become too intrusive on the reading pleasure. This book, being the first in the series, is very much about introduction and stage setting for the adventure that awaits us. It was still quite enjoyable to read though.
It is impossible to review this book without asking oneself whether this is “just” a copycat (by the same author) of Schooled In Magic? I would see it more as another story in the same universe. Yes, on the surface, it is quite similar. However, the lead character and her abilities are very different. Different enough that both series stands on their own. I for one are eager to see where the author goes with Caitlyn’s development.
I have conservatively rated this book 4 out of 5 stars. It is a very good start but it is the first book and it suffers a little from having to spend time on the set up of the story. Also, I have to admit that I am not yet 100% comfortable with a main character without magic. For that reason and that reason alone I do prefer Schooled In Magic so far.
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