My name is Princess Meglynne, and I am dragon-linked. Our lives and minds are joined, but if one of us dies, the other will too. Calen, the mage's apprentice, has been helping me keep the secret and is teaching me about them too. However, there are serious problems brewing in the kingdom. Huge, mysterious creatures are lurking in the forest, and one of them actually attacked me outside the castle walls! Calen and I accidentally overheard a plot to kill my sister and bring about a war with a neighboring kingdom. Unfortunately, we were discovered in our hiding place, and worse yet, the woman who found us is an unmarked mage wanting to start the war. Being unmarked is unheard of, and she has dangerous power. Calen and I have now awakened in a strange forest, and it seems to be far from home. How did we get here, and more importantly, how do we get home and save my sister?
Meg and Calen were a dynamic pair of characters, as they helped each other develop their abilities. Calen researched the connection with dragons and helped Meg understand how to control it. Meg and the dragon communicated with feelings, not specific ideas, and their emotions confused each other and caused them to overreact. Calen didn't take his mage training seriously until he displayed some unusual abilities. With Meg's support, he started to try different spells as survival skills. Perhaps we all have hidden talents that can be developed by trusting ourselves. Calen's master seemed to be a stern, serious character, but a sense of caring for Calen could be detected. The female mage was an unpredictable character, since her entire existence went against all the rules of the Magistratum, the society of mages that controlled their actions. I've already gotten my hands on the sequel to this book and started reading it today!
My name is Holly Short, and once again it's up to Artemis and I to save the world of fairies. Even though I recently quit my position as captain in the LEPrecon, I've reunited with friends now running a super-secret fairy squad. We've discovered portals are quickly opening and closing around the world leading to a land of demons, at different moments in time. A demon recently appeared but was captured by another teen genius. She wants to win a Nobel prize, but she's not aware the demon island of Hybras will soon be destroyed. Artemis figured out the portals are deteriorating which will wipe Hybras from existence, killing almost all of the demons. Now, we've been captured, and I only hope the boy genius has another plan to get us out of this predicament.
I'm enjoying all of the books in the series, although this one left me wanting something more. I can't exactly put my finger on it, but it seemed like some of Artemis's plans were dependent on chance. That's never been the case in the past. Also, Butler and Mulch Diggums had very minor roles in the plot. I've liked their back-and-forth banter with one another, and Mulch especially added humor to the stories. That was missing in this book. However, I've always appreciated Artemis's careful planning and how he's been able to anticipate future events. It may have seemed like things were getting out of control, but then I realized he had everything under control. This book introduced the effects of puberty on Artemis's character, as he found it a curious nuisance. It affected his logic. The series has been very entertaining, and I recommend it for all!
My name is Edgar, and the Highlands are sinking into the ground. The people up there control our food and water, but I've been and searching for a message hidden in the cliff. I finally find a leather-bound book, but I've got to find someone who can read it. It's forbidden for people in my lands to read. I scale the rocks up to the Highlands and find a boy to help. The book says Atherton was created by a young man, but he may have gone crazy while doing it. The book goes on to say changes are coming that may lead to destruction and war. What is war? I later discover Mr. Ratikan's experiments are hurting people in my lands, and I must search for answers by scaling down more cliffs to the Flatlands. Many of my questions are eased, but I may also have discovered an end to all of the inhabitants of Atherton.
Visualize the setting as a three-tiered cake. Each level was a different part of the Atherton society with the House of Power located at the top. The residents of each level did not interact, and the people knew little about each other. The author did a great job of describing Edgar's hardships. He was singled out for extra work, had no friends, and was beset by numerous injuries. The kid lost a finger! I was easily able to visualize Atherton, but I had trouble understanding its creation. It was created by this genius kid, but I couldn't figure out where in the world it might be found. Was it even on earth? It was finally explained late in the book, but it bugged me. The pages following the resolution provide more information about the creation of Atherton. Overall, this was a solid book.
My name is Mage Krelig, and all of these other weak mages infuriate me. Now that I have Calen in my possession, I will destroy everyone who opposes me. I know the boy hates me, but I've finally taught him to tap into his tremendous hidden powers. Of course, this only came about after Calen unleashed his anger toward me. I've convinced the kingdom of Lourin to wage war on Trelian, and the Magistratum of mages has fallen apart. I'm building an army of mages who fear me, as well they should. I am the most powerful mage in history, and I will rid the world of all the rules established by the Magistratum. Mages will once again reign the world, and I will lead them all.
This book concludes the trilogy, and you need to read the others first. It has the most action of all three due to the war and Krelig's growing forces. The author very effectively described Krelig's evilness, as Calen and the other mages were ruthlessly punished or killed during training. The conflict was a classic good versus evil, but the two main characters dealt with internal issues as well. Calen loved his growing power, but he was being taught by a crazy, magical tyrant. Would he be able to withstand Krelig's persuasion to join him in battle? Princess Meg mused about her role as princess heir and how it conflicted with her role in the army. I highly recommend the series if you're into dragons, magic, and adventure.
My name us Finn, and my family has been hunting Legends for forty-two generations. I'd rather be a vet than desiccate minotaurs and other monsters, and I always manage to mess up when they're around. Only yesterday, I almost sank a ship! Darkmouth is the last place on earth with Legend attacks, and my dad and I have been finding blue crystals attached to the new Legends. The last Legend looked at me and said, "The boy shall fall", but my dad won't tell me what this prophecy means. He's working on a machine to desiccate all of the Legends in existence at once, but something's not right. The crystals, portals opening more frequently, and a mysterious human standing next to a recent opening make me feel like something bigger is going on. Little did I know at the time, but a huge Legend army in our world was ready to invade!
Here is another story of a reluctant hero, as he tries to develop his new abilities. However, Finn doesn't have any special powers, and his protective "armor" is bits of metal that have been pieced together. He tries to complete the training and Legend hunts, but he always manages to fail. You normally expect the main character to eventually "get it" and succeed, but Finn doesn't fit that mold. I've never seen a hero get bumped or tripped so many times just when he's about to make the shot. The plot includes a little mystique when a new girl at school actually wants to hang out with him; everyone else thinks he's creepy, and Finn must deal with the standard middle school bullies. Finn's normalness makes him engaging and identifiable, and he shows great perseverance. He has an internal conflict between empathy for living creatures and desiccating them. By the resolution, Finn realizes he needs to embrace the hunter mentality. This book is the start of a fun new series, and I've already gotten my hands on the sequel.
My name is Calen, and many of the other mages think I'm a danger to the Magistratum. The ceremony for my first marking should have been special, and it was special until creatures made of magical energy attacked everyone there. An attack inside the Magistratum should have been impossible, and some mages think I was involved! My master helped me escape, but we quickly discovered the princess was in trouble. Now, Trelian is on the brink of war with a neighboring kingdom, and Meg says Sen Eva is behind it all. We know the unmarked mage is crazy, and she's trying to open a portal and help Mage Krelig return from his 400 year magical exile. The Magistratum fears his awesome power, and some members think I will team up with him. Why does my master not trust me? What must I do to prove I'm not a threat?
You need to read the first book in the trilogy before this one. The plot centers around Calen and Meg, with Calen becoming the major focus by the end. In the first two books, he's been Meg's source of strength and reason, as she struggles with her link to her dragon. However, Calen has his own issues, and it doesn't seem like he has anyone to help clear up his confusion. Not a good situation for a young mage learning to control his growing powers. His ability to see the colors of magic is an unusual twist, since no other mages are able to do it. I recently read Kalifus Rising by Alane Adams and noticed it has a similarity to this book. Calen's character also seems to overestimate his magical abilities and thinks he can face the antagonist alone. I really enjoy the interactions and teamwork between the princess and Calen, and I wonder if they might become even closer by the end of the trilogy. It seems inevitable, but it may be taboo. We'll see.
My name is Keely, and all of Orkney is under attack from Catriona and the Volgrim Witches. I had a vision of Sam fighting against us, side by side with them and their army of huge, hairy creatures. I have faith in my friend Sam, but I must complete my quest to prevent the vision from coming true. I must trek through the mountains of ice giants and then face an eight-legged creature to retrieve the Moon Pearl. Drinking water from Mimir's well allowed me to see visions of the future, but it seems to have changed me in other ways. My hair turned white, and I feel magic growing inside me. What is happening? Odin declared Howie the protector of Skara Brae, but he is definitely not a warrior hero. I hope the city is still standing when I return.
I did not read the first book and really felt like I was missing some background information. Namely, how/why did Sam and his friends leave earth and travel to this fantasy world? (I have since read the first one and had my questions answered) The book involves Norse mythology, as Sam is a descendant of Odin and a witch, and Loki pops up in the later pages. I enjoyed Sam's internal conflict, as he battled with feelings of loyalty and abandonment toward his friends. The blood of Odin was fighting to keep his witch blood from taking over, but the temptation of power was overwhelming. Kalifus is Sam's witch name. With Sam captured, Keely seemed to be the glue keeping the other friends together in the plot even though they had separate quests. It's always nice to see females in leadership roles and becoming heroes. Kalifus Rising is an exciting adventure of good versus evil. I accessed this book through Net Galley.
