The end of this was messy, but overall I liked it. Really wishing for half-stars on this one.
ELEVEN DAYS LATER: Okay, now that I’m actually sitting down to write this review, I’ve decided to round down on this one because the ending really killed my buzz. It was just so messy, I’m not even sure how to explain it.
The premise here is that there is a town where every twenty years or so, there is a tournament, the family of the tournament winner gaining control over the high magic the town possesses. Everyone else in the world, until recently when a tell-all book about the seven families was published, believed that high magic was depleted. The losers of the tournament all die, and only the family of the winner can even see the magic to utilize it. This all happens because hundreds of years before the seven families got together and laid a curse.
We follow three of the champions, and one girl who assumed she would be champion but her sister was picked instead. Half the book is the lead-up to tournament, and the other half takes place inside it. Saying more than that would be spoilers.
I was entertained throughout this entire book and I read it very quickly, but it didn’t really hit me very hard emotionally. I also don’t really care too much for people who decide to act like villains, although YMMV on how much of that is actually going on here. I bought a copy of this but I will be getting the second one from the library, because I just didn’t like it enough to spend money on it. If the premise sounds intriguing to you, though, it’s worth checking out. It mostly delivers on what it promises.
[3.5 stars]
Chipping Away at Mt. TBR, July 2022—Book 10/31