It's been a long time since I read a book about magical characters. I guess I was careful because I didn't want to run into any 'Harry Potter' fan fiction. So, dreading the worst, I turned on my Kindle to read "Stones to Ashes' by Kailin Gow, and I have to admit that I was pleasantly surprised. This book was different enough that I saw a story that, although based in a school, kept my interest.Kailin Gow introduces us to Wirt, a boy who is being chased by bullies and ends up transporting himself to a new school that is totally different than his. Almost immediately, he is thrown into the mystery of who stole a chalice which could return stone to life. There's a lot of adventure and mystery in this book, especially with the school itself.The school is not a normal school as you will see if you read it. It was really quite clever in its way. The school also houses students from different dimensions. Yes. This school is not in Wirt's dimension. The classes are quite unique too. There are classes in everything from 'How to be Royal' to being able to transport yourself. There are friendships made, subtle jealousies, mystery and most importantly ... magic. There is a strong hint of mythology in this book - King Arthur's time, I believe. I loved Merlin.Every book has its bad guy and this book is no exception. What's great about this book is that you don't know who it is. There are so many it could be. And so many people who just want to use Wirt for their own purposes.Now let's talk about characters.Wirt is a character who had gone through foster care and who believed no one really cared about him. And, I really felt that was the case, I couldn't help thinking that when he disappeared everyone would just think he ran away and nothing else. There was definitely a sense of vulnerability about him. He was relatable, smart and quick-thinking. I think the thing that bothered me, about all the characters actually, was the lack of back story. I knew that he had bounced from foster home to foster home, but there was nothing more.Alana was being raised to be the royal adviser to her friend, Princess Priscilla. She wasn't a character to take lightly. I wouldn't say she was a kick-ass character, but she was a very determined one. She was a friend to everyone and even handled an awkward romance moment quite well. I ended up feel sorry for the other person involved in that moment. She was kind of the force that held all the characters together.Spencer was a boy who was controlled by his father. Everything he did was for his father. He had his friends, but he tended to care about his father's opinion to much. He was bright and, apart from Alana, was the first one who met Wirt. He was the quieter one of the three.There were also other characters who played their part as well. I won't go into what I think about them because there are too many.The story line is familiar, as most magical books are these days. You'll see what I mean if you decide to read it. The pace of the story is fine. I didn't get bored, and I wasn't tempted to go off and read other books, which is good for me.I would recommend this book to anyone who likes a little magic in their life. We all need that, don't we? A little magic.This review can be found here http://magicalmanuscriptsandwritingthings.blogspot.co.nz/
A Reader's Heart
Focuses on reviews of Young Adult novels with honesty and integrity. My ratings and reviews vary on how I feel about the book.
It's been a long time since I read a book about magical characters. I guess I was careful because I didn't want to run into any 'Harry Potter' fan fiction. So, dreading the worst, I turned on my Kindle to read "Stones to Ashes' by Kailin Gow, and I have to admit that I was pleasantly surprised. This book was different enough that I saw a story that, although based in a school, kept my interest.Kailin Gow introduces us to Wirt, a boy who is being chased by bullies and ends up transporting himself to a new school that is totally different than his. Almost immediately, he is thrown into the mystery of who stole a chalice which could return stone to life. There's a lot of adventure and mystery in this book, especially with the school itself.The school is not a normal school as you will see if you read it. It was really quite clever in its way. The school also houses students from different dimensions. Yes. This school is not in Wirt's dimension. The classes are quite unique too. There are classes in everything from 'How to be Royal' to being able to transport yourself. There are friendships made, subtle jealousies, mystery and most importantly ... magic. There is a strong hint of mythology in this book - King Arthur's time, I believe. I loved Merlin.Every book has its bad guy and this book is no exception. What's great about this book is that you don't know who it is. There are so many it could be. And so many people who just want to use Wirt for their own purposes.Now let's talk about characters.Wirt is a character who had gone through foster care and who believed no one really cared about him. And, I really felt that was the case, I couldn't help thinking that when he disappeared everyone would just think he ran away and nothing else. There was definitely a sense of vulnerability about him. He was relatable, smart and quick-thinking. I think the thing that bothered me, about all the characters actually, was the lack of back story. I knew that he had bounced from foster home to foster home, but there was nothing more.Alana was being raised to be the royal adviser to her friend, Princess Priscilla. She wasn't a character to take lightly. I wouldn't say she was a kick-ass character, but she was a very determined one. She was a friend to everyone and even handled an awkward romance moment quite well. I ended up feel sorry for the other person involved in that moment. She was kind of the force that held all the characters together.Spencer was a boy who was controlled by his father. Everything he did was for his father. He had his friends, but he tended to care about his father's opinion to much. He was bright and, apart from Alana, was the first one who met Wirt. He was the quieter one of the three.There were also other characters who played their part as well. I won't go into what I think about them because there are too many.The story line is familiar, as most magical books are these days. You'll see what I mean if you decide to read it. The pace of the story is fine. I didn't get bored, and I wasn't tempted to go off and read other books, which is good for me.I would recommend this book to anyone who likes a little magic in their life. We all need that, don't we? A little magic.This review can be found here http://magicalmanuscriptsandwritingthings.blogspot.co.nz/
