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Fantasy. Romance. Young Adult Fiction. Young Adult Literature. HTML: New York Times bestselling author Brigid Kemmerer expands the Cursebreaker world in an electrifying new series. When ancient magic tests a newfound love, a dark fate beckons . . . Magic has been banished in the land of Syhl Shallow for as long as best friends Jax and Callyn can remember. They once loved the stories of the powerful magesmiths and mythical scravers who could conjure fire or control ice, but now they've learned that magic only leads to danger: magic is what killed Callyn's parents, leaving her alone to raise her younger sister. Magic never helped Jax, whose leg was crushed in an accident that his father has been punishing him for ever since. Magic won't save either of them when the tax collector comes calling, threatening to take their homes if they can't pay what they owe. Meanwhile, Jax and Callyn are astonished to learn magic has already returned to Syhl Shallow�??in the form of a magesmith who's now married to their queen. Now, the people of Syhl Shallow are expected to allow dangerous magic in their midst, and no one is happy about it. When a stranger rides into town offering Jax and Callyn silver in exchange for holding secret messages for an anti-magic faction, the choice is obvious�??even if it means they may be aiding in a plot to destroy their new king. It's a risk they're both willing to take. That is, until another visitor arrives: handsome Lord Tycho, the King's Courier, the man who's been tasked with discovering who's conspiring against the throne. Suddenly, Jax and Callyn find themselves embroiled in a world of shifting alliances, dangerous flirtations, and ancient magic . . . where even the deepest loyalties will be tested.… (more)
User reviews
I enjoyed this book. I found it a quick read despite its length and fairly interesting. It doesn't tread much new ground as far as magic and the politics of the kingdoms go. Grey is the only mage and people are still suspicious of magic. But I liked Jax and Tycho's story a lot. Their relationship is sweet and they each help the other overcome bad backgrounds. Callyn is a bit more problematic but she redeems herself. It's a good YA fantasy book with the tropes that genre makes use of.
This is a story with three POV characters and two romances, which means one relationship is much more compelling and nuanced because the reader sees it from both perspectives, and the other relationship seems like less of a good idea, because it's not clear if the romantic interest can be trusted. Which is obviously quite intentional on the author's part but meant I enjoyed some bits of this book more than others.
This was tense and engrossing and I'm interested to see what happens next.
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Waterstones exclusive edition with teal sprayed page edges.