The Wizards of Once by Cressida Cowell

My name is Wish, and I've always been told Warriors must kill all Wizards; all magic is evil. I don't understand why my mother, the Warrior Queen, had a magical sword hidden in the castle. Later in the woods, I met a Wizard prince named Xar who can't do magic. That didn't stop him from stealing the magic sword from me, taking me to his castle, and having a Witch attack me in his room. The dead Witch embedded in Xar's floor proves they're not extinct as everyone believes. One of Xar's fairies touched the Witch's green blood, so we're going to take him back to the queen's castle to save it from the evil magic. My mother has a stone that can remove magic from creatures simply by touching it. However, no one has asked why the stone is taking the magic, and the answer is very important. It wasn't until too late that we discovered the horrible danger waiting to escape the stone.

This book was very entertaining, and the plot moved along nicely. An intriguing part of the book was the narrator. Early on, it told readers that it was one of the characters, so I kept wondering which one. In the end, the narrator asked me to guess its identity without revealing the truth. I can't tell if the narrator is good or bad, but maybe I'll find out in the book's sequel. Xar seemed to be the main character, but Wish became more interesting. Xar was very self-centered and was obsessed with getting his magic. He was even willing to absorb evil magic, so he'd have magic of some kind. Wish was much more logical and compassionate toward other characters and was willing to make hard decisions to help them. Her ideas about magic became more confused as she learned more about the Wizards, and the plot presented an ironic twist during the climax. The resolution lasted longer than I expected and set a foundation for the sequel. An underlying theme dealt with parent expectations. Xar's father was frustrated with his son's poor decisions and inability to perform magic. Xar was an embarrassment. Wish was short with straggly hair and wore an eye-patch, hardly the image of a Warrior princess. The story behind the eye-patch was a mystery that even Wish didn't know. Her abilities weren't a real surprise, but the secret of her eye was. Overall, this book told a wonderful adventure that included suspense, humor, and the unexpected. I recommend you read it!