SYNOPSIS:
Before Tessa can confess her feelings to her long-time crush, he beats her to the punch and confesses his love — for her best friend, Maria. Missing the crush of her dreams and her stag wingman for prom, Tessa’s on the prowl to make it a night to remember, and for more than the humiliation. Determined to not be the only dateless girl at the prom in Small Town USA, she asks the new guy. He has all the qualifications of a fun date: polite, mysterious ― pulse ― but the way Sean talks about magic like it’s real could ruin the illusion. But desperate times call for desperate dates.
To make matters awkward, Maria insists on double-dating for the pre-prom dinner. When a wizard shows up and kidnaps Maria, things go from jealous to deadly before the cummerbunds hit the floor. He’s mistaken Tessa’s friend for a powerful mage whose blood could help him conquer his world, but he’s got the wrong girl. Using the wrong blood wouldn’t make Maria any less dead, and Tessa has no plans to let some whack-job villain from another dimension murder her best friend. Working with Sean, she tracks the wizard to his home, a land filled with strange creatures, stranger customs, and a five-hundred year grudge match between three nations ready to explode into all out war.
Tessa’s starting to think she has a chance against the wizard so long as she has Sean by her side, but his kind words and sweet smile aren’t what they seem. He’s the wizard’s son.
To make matters awkward, Maria insists on double-dating for the pre-prom dinner. When a wizard shows up and kidnaps Maria, things go from jealous to deadly before the cummerbunds hit the floor. He’s mistaken Tessa’s friend for a powerful mage whose blood could help him conquer his world, but he’s got the wrong girl. Using the wrong blood wouldn’t make Maria any less dead, and Tessa has no plans to let some whack-job villain from another dimension murder her best friend. Working with Sean, she tracks the wizard to his home, a land filled with strange creatures, stranger customs, and a five-hundred year grudge match between three nations ready to explode into all out war.
Tessa’s starting to think she has a chance against the wizard so long as she has Sean by her side, but his kind words and sweet smile aren’t what they seem. He’s the wizard’s son.
REVIEW:
This book starts out pretty slow, with not much really happening except a bunch of typical teenage angst. But once magic starts to seep into the tale, the pace finally begins to pick up a bit. And once the scene shifts out of our reality, things become even more heated.
There are so many interesting and intriguing characters: from Tessa herself, and her friend Maria, to Sean and Chrys, Tarisk and Karu, Cindy, Quara and Seliana, just to name a few. Many of them seemed to have alternate personalities at times (although the reason why is discovered along the way), and many of them remain something of a mystery throughout the tale. However, my understanding is that this is the first in a series of books, and I am hopeful that many of these chracters will make a return appearance and be more fleshed out in future volumes.
Indeed, while the world-building was in many aspects robust and detailed, there were quite a few things that were not explained very well, if at all. For example, much of the politics of the land in which they find themselves went entirely over my head, as did much about the different races inhabiting it.
Overall, though, this was definitely an entertaining story; one that I would recommend to readers who enjoy Young Adult Fantasy.
There are so many interesting and intriguing characters: from Tessa herself, and her friend Maria, to Sean and Chrys, Tarisk and Karu, Cindy, Quara and Seliana, just to name a few. Many of them seemed to have alternate personalities at times (although the reason why is discovered along the way), and many of them remain something of a mystery throughout the tale. However, my understanding is that this is the first in a series of books, and I am hopeful that many of these chracters will make a return appearance and be more fleshed out in future volumes.
Indeed, while the world-building was in many aspects robust and detailed, there were quite a few things that were not explained very well, if at all. For example, much of the politics of the land in which they find themselves went entirely over my head, as did much about the different races inhabiting it.
Overall, though, this was definitely an entertaining story; one that I would recommend to readers who enjoy Young Adult Fantasy.
~
I received a free eBook of this title from Curiosity Quills Press
and have willingly provided an honest review.
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