AUTHOR:- Sebastien De Castell


PUBLISHED:- 18 September 2018

PAPERBACK:- 448 Pages


SUMMARY:-

The third book in the page-turning SPELLSLINGER fantasy series. Kellen, Reichis, and Ferius are on their way to Gitabria, a city where amazing inventions are dreamed up and sold across the land of the Seven Sands. But when the three of them stumble across a tiny mechanical bird, magically brought to life, they quickly realize all is not as it appears. Meanwhile, two strange Argosi appear, carrying secrets from Ferius' past, together with an unlikely Jan'Tep ally. And as time ticks on, all the cards in Ferius' deck point to the emerging tides of war . . . 


MY THOUGHTS:-


NON-SPOILER:-

The story takes place in different settings with occupants being wildly different from the ones we had been exposed to in the first two books. As I mentioned in the reviews of the last book, Kellen is way out of his depth as an outlaw but he seems to be learning in the tutelage of his self-appointed Argosi mentor and his business partner, the unhinged squirrel cat, Reichis. We follow our heroes as they travel to Gitabria. The Gitabirans have been brewing plans of their own that could thrust the whole continent into an all-out war.


SPOILER:-

This book expands on the world-building and intrigue of the first two books as Kellen enters the lands of Gitabria, the home of scientific innovators of this fantasy world. It’s the first book where we encounter characters with scientific and mechanical prowess rather than magical, but before the adventure truly begins, Kellen, Ferius, and Reichus save a mage from bounty hunters at the beginning of the story who turns out to be none other than Nephenia (Kellen’s not so secret crush). Although it was great to see Nephenia again, She is a wildly different girl than the one we encountered in the first installment of the series. She is more ragged, Edgy,  and missing a few fingers required to work higher Magics. So it’s safe to say that she has gotten more mysterious and interesting in the time we had not seen her.

So, the Possie Travels to Gitabria to unravel the intricately tangled threads of Jan’Tep conspiracy that spans the whole of the continent, and are greeted to a sight unlike any other as the Best of the Mind Gitabria has to offer reveals a contraption that shouldn’t be able to exist but does. Everyone, but a select few, Including Ferius see the repercussions of the seemingly awe-inspiring and innocent creation.

The return of Nephenia Brings with it the knowledge of the fallout after Kellen's departure from his home and the reason why Nephenia is so different than the girl He used to know and adore. This book starts to move the intricately woven plot a little forward, with some revelations with lasting consequences and a glimpse into Ferius’s Past as Her parents enter the picture. Kellen picks up some new tools and skills to add to his Spellslinger arsenal on the streets of Gitabria. Reiches is as unhinged and beautifully entertaining as ever, contributing to about 80% of the comic relief in the book. Ferius, as always Provides 100% of the Sass although some of it might be starting to rub off on Kellen.  

Although the books in this series are laid out in an episodic manner, each story a separate adventure, like a TV show making up an overall arch, each book sees Kellen grow up just a little more into the man he is meant to be from the naïve boys who once thought the Jan’Tap to be the greatest civilization. As the series progresses the Plots are getting more intricate the decisions harder and the world a little darker.

All in all, This book is as lively, entertaining, Fun, and Spellbinding as the last two books in the series. This one felt just a touch different than the last two books but in a good way. So I am very excited to jump to the next adventure.