Jinx #1 by Sage Blackwood

This book is a 2013 release, and I gave it a rating of four out of five. Jinx is left in the Urwald forest to die, but he is taken in by a wizard named Simon. Jinx starts to apprentice with Simon, but he already has a couple of powers of his own. He's able to see the colors of people's emotions, and he's able to listen to the trees talking in the forest. Jinx becomes curious about the world, and he starts to wonder about other regions and Samara, the land of Simon's wife that has banned magic. Simon performs a spell on Jinx that seems to take away his powers, and Jinx ventures into the forest to find a witch and the Bonemaster, two dangerous characters who might be able to help him reverse the spell. He meets up with Elfwyn and Reven, two other people with spells cast upon them, and they accompany him on his adventure. Getting help from the witch and the Bonemaster, who will suck your blood through a straw, may create larger problems than the kids can imagine.

The plot explored different parts of characters' personalities as Jinx contrasted their emotional colors with their words and their actions. I was never certain if Simon was a good wizard or an evil wizard, as most of the characters thought. An additional conflict arose when the trees told Jinx about a Terror approaching, so I was kept wondering what it might be. The plot lent itself to some deep thinking, and some different themes arose. Respect for nature and life were just a couple. Knowledge is power was another.