Worldweavers - a book review
Hi Guys,
Getting back to my reviews. This time around I got a great book that tells a old story, (or one that has been told before.) But in a very different way. I think you are going to like it. Many thanks to Summer for pointing my towards this series and the writer. :)
Worldweavers- Gift of the unmage.
From the back of the book.
"As the seventh child of two powerful seventh children, Galathea Winthrop was expected to grow into magical abilities beyond anything previously imagined. Instead, she has spent the last 17 years trying desperately to achieve something, anything, in her Ars Magica class at school. Thea has learned to live with her older brothers' jokes about her lack of abilities, but what she cannot face is the look in her father's eyes each time she tries to do magic and fails.
After one last failed magical attempt, Thea overhears her parents talking about sending her to the Wandless Academy, the only school in the country for those who cannot perform magic (otherwise known as the Last Ditch school for the Incurably Incompetent at least to Thea). Thea's final chance to awaken her dormant gift is a mysterious trip back in time to meet with an even more mysterious tutor a member of a now-extinct people known as the Anasazi. In the Anasazi's ancient world, Thea learns that she is not incapable of performing magic, but rather that her spiritual self chose not to let her, at least in her world. Now, she must figure out why, before those from whom she was protecting herself discover that she has found her powers. "
This is the first book of the series, and it will remind a lot of people of the Harry Potter series. Which I guess is bound to happen to a lot of teen books about magic. But here it is a bit unfair. thea does have the talent for magic, incredible magic at that; but something is holding her back from preforming anything. And being born under such a lucky sign, and with her older brothers and family's abilities; there is a lot expected of her. But try as she might she just continues to fail, and whine about it being so unfair. (She whines a lot.) After going to this "Last ditch school", she is helped by Chevyo, who helps her to discover her hidden talent. This not only helps her to do her magic, but comes at just the right time. Because her and the other students at the school, who everyone had given up on, are called upon to save the world.
There is a bit of Hogwarts feel to the school, but there is also a bit of another book called "Winkle in time" there as well. The writer really does a great job of making us feel for Thea, her story must be what it is like to have older brothers or sisters that did well at school. And then you come along and everyone judges you on what they did in the past. It is unfair. Although I am a only child I could still relate to Thea a bit. Starting a new school and all, but also finding that hidden talent that you thought you didn't have. It made me think about a lot of things, and that is the mark of a good book.
Anyone that knows me for very long, knows I can't stop asking questions. Why I love to do research on anything so much. Like Thea, I ask why a lot. Sometimes I find my answers, sometimes it is just the way things are. Thea is still learning that. While she is looking for answers on her own at the school, she stumbles upon a plot there to take over the world. So it is up to the kids that the society has more or less abandoned to come to the rescue.
Don't get the idea that this is a simple teen book, it's not. There is a lot of depth here. There is a lot of things going on, some of it is a bit weird, but that just adds to the story.
I only had a couple nit picks with the books, I just wanted to point out. Because I think it might hang some people up and make them put the book down and walk away. You shouldn't, this is a great book and the writer is very good. But as it is the first book in the series, there is bound to be a few things.after all she is setting the stage for something more to come.
First off, the writer uses descriptions a great, great deal, in some cases that helps out a lot. And I thank her for it, but there were places that it could have been cut back a bit. You don't have to tell us everything, let our imagination fill in the gaps if there are any. I love to do that myself, makes me feel more of a part of the story.
Second, there are characters and things we are told about for a few pages that the writer never gets back to. I am hoping she is setting us up for seeing them in later books. But that is a little disappointing, at least to me it was.
But only two sore spots, not at all bad for a first book in a series and something I was able to look past. I loved also how the writer brought a lot of things together, things you would not think of in a story about magic.
Thea's roommate Magpie, has a fondness for hurt animals and is always hiding one and bringing it into the dorm room. Ben is a tall red haired boy who sneezes when he "Smells" magic, (reminds you of Ron from Harry Potter.) And lastly Terry, who is a computer genius who can't speak a word that deals with magic because he has a allerigic reaction to it and his sister Tess who can't eat anything that has been prepared by magic for the same reason. There was not a lot more written about these characters, so I am hoping in the next book she will flesh them out more. I would love to learn more about them and why they are the way they are.
The boy who is a genius at computers was a bit different and I was not expecting him at all, seeing how this was dealing with magic and a fantasy type world, but the writer managed to pull it off well I think, and it did not pull me out of the story at all.
Overall, I thought this was a great first book in a series. There is three in all so far, not sure if it is just a trilogy or not, did not have time to check with the holiday and everything. But I really liked this book a lot, and can't wait to dive into the others. I think it is going to be fun.
So there you go guys, if you are looking for something new to read over the holidays while you are snowed in, you might want to check this series out. I think it is a great one for kids and fans of Harry potter type books.
Take care, and have fun reading!
Darcy
Getting back to my reviews. This time around I got a great book that tells a old story, (or one that has been told before.) But in a very different way. I think you are going to like it. Many thanks to Summer for pointing my towards this series and the writer. :)
Worldweavers- Gift of the unmage.
From the back of the book.
"As the seventh child of two powerful seventh children, Galathea Winthrop was expected to grow into magical abilities beyond anything previously imagined. Instead, she has spent the last 17 years trying desperately to achieve something, anything, in her Ars Magica class at school. Thea has learned to live with her older brothers' jokes about her lack of abilities, but what she cannot face is the look in her father's eyes each time she tries to do magic and fails.
After one last failed magical attempt, Thea overhears her parents talking about sending her to the Wandless Academy, the only school in the country for those who cannot perform magic (otherwise known as the Last Ditch school for the Incurably Incompetent at least to Thea). Thea's final chance to awaken her dormant gift is a mysterious trip back in time to meet with an even more mysterious tutor a member of a now-extinct people known as the Anasazi. In the Anasazi's ancient world, Thea learns that she is not incapable of performing magic, but rather that her spiritual self chose not to let her, at least in her world. Now, she must figure out why, before those from whom she was protecting herself discover that she has found her powers. "
This is the first book of the series, and it will remind a lot of people of the Harry Potter series. Which I guess is bound to happen to a lot of teen books about magic. But here it is a bit unfair. thea does have the talent for magic, incredible magic at that; but something is holding her back from preforming anything. And being born under such a lucky sign, and with her older brothers and family's abilities; there is a lot expected of her. But try as she might she just continues to fail, and whine about it being so unfair. (She whines a lot.) After going to this "Last ditch school", she is helped by Chevyo, who helps her to discover her hidden talent. This not only helps her to do her magic, but comes at just the right time. Because her and the other students at the school, who everyone had given up on, are called upon to save the world.
There is a bit of Hogwarts feel to the school, but there is also a bit of another book called "Winkle in time" there as well. The writer really does a great job of making us feel for Thea, her story must be what it is like to have older brothers or sisters that did well at school. And then you come along and everyone judges you on what they did in the past. It is unfair. Although I am a only child I could still relate to Thea a bit. Starting a new school and all, but also finding that hidden talent that you thought you didn't have. It made me think about a lot of things, and that is the mark of a good book.
Anyone that knows me for very long, knows I can't stop asking questions. Why I love to do research on anything so much. Like Thea, I ask why a lot. Sometimes I find my answers, sometimes it is just the way things are. Thea is still learning that. While she is looking for answers on her own at the school, she stumbles upon a plot there to take over the world. So it is up to the kids that the society has more or less abandoned to come to the rescue.
Don't get the idea that this is a simple teen book, it's not. There is a lot of depth here. There is a lot of things going on, some of it is a bit weird, but that just adds to the story.
I only had a couple nit picks with the books, I just wanted to point out. Because I think it might hang some people up and make them put the book down and walk away. You shouldn't, this is a great book and the writer is very good. But as it is the first book in the series, there is bound to be a few things.after all she is setting the stage for something more to come.
First off, the writer uses descriptions a great, great deal, in some cases that helps out a lot. And I thank her for it, but there were places that it could have been cut back a bit. You don't have to tell us everything, let our imagination fill in the gaps if there are any. I love to do that myself, makes me feel more of a part of the story.
Second, there are characters and things we are told about for a few pages that the writer never gets back to. I am hoping she is setting us up for seeing them in later books. But that is a little disappointing, at least to me it was.
But only two sore spots, not at all bad for a first book in a series and something I was able to look past. I loved also how the writer brought a lot of things together, things you would not think of in a story about magic.
Thea's roommate Magpie, has a fondness for hurt animals and is always hiding one and bringing it into the dorm room. Ben is a tall red haired boy who sneezes when he "Smells" magic, (reminds you of Ron from Harry Potter.) And lastly Terry, who is a computer genius who can't speak a word that deals with magic because he has a allerigic reaction to it and his sister Tess who can't eat anything that has been prepared by magic for the same reason. There was not a lot more written about these characters, so I am hoping in the next book she will flesh them out more. I would love to learn more about them and why they are the way they are.
The boy who is a genius at computers was a bit different and I was not expecting him at all, seeing how this was dealing with magic and a fantasy type world, but the writer managed to pull it off well I think, and it did not pull me out of the story at all.
Overall, I thought this was a great first book in a series. There is three in all so far, not sure if it is just a trilogy or not, did not have time to check with the holiday and everything. But I really liked this book a lot, and can't wait to dive into the others. I think it is going to be fun.
So there you go guys, if you are looking for something new to read over the holidays while you are snowed in, you might want to check this series out. I think it is a great one for kids and fans of Harry potter type books.
Take care, and have fun reading!
Darcy