Review: Spellslinger by Sebastien de Castell

Hey all, Dani here.

Greetings everyone! Man, it has been a pretty darn good year so far. I’ve had a post go up every day this month, and I’m starting to catch up on my backlisted reviews. Nine books have already been added to my Goodreads Reading Challenge, which is awesome. Oh, and my fiance and I are now on the hunt for a house to buy and turn into our nerd fortress. So I guess with all of that going on, it’s a bit of a shock that we’re only 10 days into 2019. Seriously, all of this has happened in just ten days. What does that mean for the rest of the year? If we keep up this sort of pace with our lives, what all will we accomplish before the year’s end?

Anyway, today I’m back with a review for a fantasy author I can now rank up in my favorites. Let’s just jump into it.

Summary

A would-be mage with no magic of his own has to defeat powerful enemies with only cunning and deception in the first book of an exciting adventure fantasy series from Sebastien de Castell.

Kellen is moments away from facing his first duel and proving his worth as a spellcaster. There’s just one problem: his magic is fading.

Facing exile unless he can pass the mage trials, Kellen is willing to risk everything – even his own life – in search of a way to restore his magic. But when the enigmatic Ferius Parfax arrives in town, she challenges him to take a different path.

One of the elusive Argosi, Ferius is a traveller who lives by her wits and the cards she carries. Daring, unpredictable, and wielding magic Kellen has never seen before, she may be his only hope.

The first novel in a compelling six-book series, bursting with tricks, humor, and a whole new way to look at magic.

My Thoughts

Rating: 5 stars

This is the third Sebastien de Castell book that I’ve picked up, but the first one that I’ve finished, and he has definitely earned a spot as a fantasy author I am definitely going to be keeping my eyes on. Currently I have two of his Greatcloaks books and now four of his Spellslinger books. So there is plenty more to look forward to. Spellslinger will be a 6 book series, and the Greatcloaks is a quartet.

The world was intriguing and the magic system was pretty cool. It was interesting to see what sorts of abilities came from unlocking certain bands of magic. Following Kellan on his journey through his mage trial was really cool, especially as he started uncovering more secrets and discovering more about the past of his people. I especially loved that Kellan isn’t exactly magical himself, or at least he doesn’t appear to be, but he is a pretty smart guy, and he knows how to con people a little bit. It sort of plays well into the path he finds himself on by the end of this first installment.

I should probably also mention Farius Parfax, who is a traveler, and a spellslinger. Her mannerisms and attitude definitely make you think of the Old West, which I greatly enjoyed. Oh…and squirrel cat! Kellan gains a sarcastic animal companion who is seriously one of my favorite parts of the book. Squirrel cats are pretty much cat sized creatures that have characteristics of both cats and squirrels. And Kellan’s ally is foul-mouthed and prone to violence.

I thought this book was very well done and I am so glad that I read it. Well, devoured it is more like, because I just wanted to keep reading and reading. I’ll have a review for the second book coming sometime soon-ish, and then I’ll have to keep reading the series. I believe both books five and six will be released in 2019.

Where to Buy

You can pick up a copy of this book from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Books-a-million, Book Depository, or your local indie bookstore.