Ratings8
Average rating3.1
Before the age of seventeen the young men and women of Jerar are given a choice –follow tradition, or pursue a trial year in one of the realm's three war schools to study as a soldier, knight or mage…For 15-year-old Ryiah the choice has always been easy. Become a warrior and leave the boring confines of her lowborn life behind. Set to enroll in the School of Knighthood on the eve of her next birthday, plans suddenly shift when her twin brother discovers powers. Hoping that hers will soon follow, she enrolls with Alex at the Academy instead –the realm's most notorious war school for those with magic.Yet when she arrives Ry finds herself competing against friend and foe for one of the exalted apprenticeships. Every “first-year” is given a trial year to prove their worth –and no amount of hard work and drive will guarantee them a spot. It seems like everyone is rooting for her to fail –and first and foremost among them Prince Darren, the school prod-igy who has done nothing but make life miserable since she arrived.When an accidental encounter leads Ryiah and Darren to an unlikely friendship she is convinced nothing good will come of it. But the lines become blurred when she begins to improve –and soon she is a key competitor for the faction of Combat… Still, nothing is ever as it seems –and when the world comes crashing down around her, Ry is forced to place faith in the one thing she can believe in –herself. Will it be enough?
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This is the first book by Rachel E. Carter that I have read and I enjoyed it. It reminded me in some ways of the Triwizard Tournament in Harry Potter. Three factions of students at the Academy all trying to become the best they could be to win a spot and be able to continue in one of the three fields of either Combat, Restoration or Alchemy.
The novel had lots of action, a little romance and the characters were interesting and complex enough to keep me interested. The story ended in a satisfactory way so that if you never read book #2 you would still be ok with the ending. I did just purchase the second one though, as I was interested in seeing what happened next.
Featured Series
2 primary books3 released booksThe Black Mage is a 3-book series with 2 primary works first released in 2014 with contributions by Rachel E. Carter.