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The Legacy of Androva #5
Breaking Magic
Callax is fifteen, and he already knows he won't ever grow old. Twelve years after leaving the childstation he will be summoned to the Gathering, where life essences are taken by a deadly, irresistible spell. On his world, this is one of the many ways in which the Exta serve the Opta. His best hope is to avoid an early binding by staying out of trouble.
But in protecting his younger brother Benedar, he was noticed by the Breaker, the evil magician in charge of the Gathering. The closer Callax gets to the ruling house and the girl who lives there, the more he learns, and the greater the danger. A danger he might not understand until it is too late. Callax thinks the Breaker’s defeat will save him, but he is wrong.
Additional information: Although Breaking Magic is part of the Legacy of Androva series, it can also be read independently. If you have read Controlling Magic and want to know more about Imbera, Breaking Magic is Cal’s story. The book retells part of Controlling Magic from Cal’s point of view. Recommended for lower young adult.
But in protecting his younger brother Benedar, he was noticed by the Breaker, the evil magician in charge of the Gathering. The closer Callax gets to the ruling house and the girl who lives there, the more he learns, and the greater the danger. A danger he might not understand until it is too late. Callax thinks the Breaker’s defeat will save him, but he is wrong.
Additional information: Although Breaking Magic is part of the Legacy of Androva series, it can also be read independently. If you have read Controlling Magic and want to know more about Imbera, Breaking Magic is Cal’s story. The book retells part of Controlling Magic from Cal’s point of view. Recommended for lower young adult.
- GenresFantasyYoung Adult
332 pages, Kindle Edition
Published July 1, 2017
132 people are currently reading
362 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
June 5, 2022
✯✧ ☾ 𝕭𝖗𝖊𝖆𝓴𝖎𝖓𝖌 𝕸𝖆𝖌𝖎𝖈☽✧✯
4.5 Stars
Callax lives in Imbera, a world where the ruthless Opta is led by the fearsome Breaker and his sister. The Exta are manipulated, forced to be the slaves of the Opta. They are assigned into Workers or Thinkers, brothers, breeders, and houses. Then, at the age of eighteen, they are killed: their life essence is taken by the Breaker, Varun. Callax lives his life in fear of the Opta. He is assigned to a younger brother Benedar. He meets a girl named Alanna, and his life is forever changed when a group of people from Androva arrive. Shannon and Jax, can forever change Callax's life, and help him uncover secrets buried deep.
What. In. Imbera. This book was so good! I thought the author was a good writer, but wow, this book was absolutely... amazing, emotional, powerful, dark, and uplifting. First of all that concept. This premise was amazing. So unique, so powerful, so unsettling. I loved the struggle of the Exta against the Opta. I loved the new world Imbera, and the important lessons about power, forgiveness, and rebellion. Alex perfectly balanced out the uplifting moments and the unsettling dark moments.
The characters were amazing. From the start I got really invested in Callax's character. He was very complex. His journey was really inspiring, and tragic. I really loved the way this story was told. I absolutely loved that Alex wasted no time in this book. I normally don't like it when books have a lot of time about dumping, random girls hating on girls, love triangles that don't even need to exist, and possessive love interests. Each scene was emotional, powerful, and amazing.
I liked the character dynamic. I loved how this was: character focused + plot focused=A good book. I was really invested in this book. I found it hard to put down and got to 250 pages in one sitting. Every single scene with Varun was unsettling. Yet he was what I define as an antagonist.
The raw emotion, and fear that Callax was feeling was so palpable. I loved his character growth, moral struggle, and his journey. It was really intriguing to see a scene that happened in the previous book happen here from a different perspective.
World-building here was absolutely amazing. It was atmospheric. The plot was fast-paced, very well structured. The characters were realistic, their emotions so tangible. I'm very excited to see what Alex will pull off in book six! I hope to see more from Callax soon! Also the plot twists in here... emotional rollercoaster.
✅PLOT
✅CHARACTERS
✅PLOT TWIST
4.5 Stars
Callax lives in Imbera, a world where the ruthless Opta is led by the fearsome Breaker and his sister. The Exta are manipulated, forced to be the slaves of the Opta. They are assigned into Workers or Thinkers, brothers, breeders, and houses. Then, at the age of eighteen, they are killed: their life essence is taken by the Breaker, Varun. Callax lives his life in fear of the Opta. He is assigned to a younger brother Benedar. He meets a girl named Alanna, and his life is forever changed when a group of people from Androva arrive. Shannon and Jax, can forever change Callax's life, and help him uncover secrets buried deep.
What. In. Imbera. This book was so good! I thought the author was a good writer, but wow, this book was absolutely... amazing, emotional, powerful, dark, and uplifting. First of all that concept. This premise was amazing. So unique, so powerful, so unsettling. I loved the struggle of the Exta against the Opta. I loved the new world Imbera, and the important lessons about power, forgiveness, and rebellion. Alex perfectly balanced out the uplifting moments and the unsettling dark moments.
The characters were amazing. From the start I got really invested in Callax's character. He was very complex. His journey was really inspiring, and tragic. I really loved the way this story was told. I absolutely loved that Alex wasted no time in this book. I normally don't like it when books have a lot of time about dumping, random girls hating on girls, love triangles that don't even need to exist, and possessive love interests. Each scene was emotional, powerful, and amazing.
I liked the character dynamic. I loved how this was: character focused + plot focused=A good book. I was really invested in this book. I found it hard to put down and got to 250 pages in one sitting. Every single scene with Varun was unsettling. Yet he was what I define as an antagonist.
The raw emotion, and fear that Callax was feeling was so palpable. I loved his character growth, moral struggle, and his journey. It was really intriguing to see a scene that happened in the previous book happen here from a different perspective.
World-building here was absolutely amazing. It was atmospheric. The plot was fast-paced, very well structured. The characters were realistic, their emotions so tangible. I'm very excited to see what Alex will pull off in book six! I hope to see more from Callax soon! Also the plot twists in here... emotional rollercoaster.
✅PLOT
✅CHARACTERS
✅PLOT TWIST
June 5, 2017
Review @Elysian Fields<3
I received this book in exchange for an honest review.
Cal is just like every other child on Imbera. Young, enslaved, and doomed to die by the ripe old age of 18. There are two types of people in this world; Opta who are the masters, and Exta who are the slaves. Exta are required to live their lives working for their masters, and when they turn 18, they will be tortured and sacrificed to them. That is their life and they have all accepted their fate.
It is a disgusting, horrible world that made me angry. Imbera reminded me a lot of Red Queen and the struggle between Reds and Silvers. I found myself unable to put this book down as the story progressed. Cal is a wonderfully written character. The reader gets to witness his struggle to trust himself, and when he finds that he remembers details of a life he has never lived, trust becomes hard to come by. His skills as a Worker and the memories he recovers from another life are enough to make the Opta question him. But it just might be enough to stop them as well..
I really enjoyed this story. The world was cruel, but the author managed to hold my interest. The Opta were basically a bunch of power hungry assholes, and the Exta weren't able to fight them because they had no magic of their own. I hate bullies, and this story was full of them. I wanted to see them go down, dammit! I wanted to witness the weak overpower the strong. For the youngsters to stomp on their ashes and all that..
The ending was anti-climatic though. I wanted revenge! I don't want to give any spoilers for the book, but dang. I needed more than that to satiate my anger! Other than that, I really did enjoy this story. I would love to dive back into the world of Androva with the other four books in the series. Thank you so much, Miss Alex C. Vick for the opportunity to read your haunting and beautifully written world. <3
I received this book in exchange for an honest review.
Cal is just like every other child on Imbera. Young, enslaved, and doomed to die by the ripe old age of 18. There are two types of people in this world; Opta who are the masters, and Exta who are the slaves. Exta are required to live their lives working for their masters, and when they turn 18, they will be tortured and sacrificed to them. That is their life and they have all accepted their fate.
The beginning of it all was completely unremarkable. My life-giver was an ordinary Breeder. I don't remember her, obviously. She was long gone before I was old enough for the first memory to stick in my head.
It is a disgusting, horrible world that made me angry. Imbera reminded me a lot of Red Queen and the struggle between Reds and Silvers. I found myself unable to put this book down as the story progressed. Cal is a wonderfully written character. The reader gets to witness his struggle to trust himself, and when he finds that he remembers details of a life he has never lived, trust becomes hard to come by. His skills as a Worker and the memories he recovers from another life are enough to make the Opta question him. But it just might be enough to stop them as well..
I really enjoyed this story. The world was cruel, but the author managed to hold my interest. The Opta were basically a bunch of power hungry assholes, and the Exta weren't able to fight them because they had no magic of their own. I hate bullies, and this story was full of them. I wanted to see them go down, dammit! I wanted to witness the weak overpower the strong. For the youngsters to stomp on their ashes and all that..
Why Opta and Exta? He shrugged. Optimum is best, of course. The rest are just Extracts. Pieces and fragments to do with as we wish.
The ending was anti-climatic though. I wanted revenge! I don't want to give any spoilers for the book, but dang. I needed more than that to satiate my anger! Other than that, I really did enjoy this story. I would love to dive back into the world of Androva with the other four books in the series. Thank you so much, Miss Alex C. Vick for the opportunity to read your haunting and beautifully written world. <3
February 5, 2018
Born into a life of slavery and raised without parents, Cal’s story does not start from an easy place. Throw in the fact that everyone he knows – including himself – will die at eighteen, killed by their magic-wielding Opta rulers, and there doesn’t seem to be a lot of hope for Cal to cling onto.
Except not everything is as it seems in this messed up world, and despite being placed in the lowest ranking Exta workforce and unable to read or write, there’s clearly more to Cal than meets the eye. More to everything, in fact. When Cal starts to ask questions about the way things are run, more questions arise, and a wider mystery begins to unravel.
I really enjoyed this book. I’ve only read the first of this series, but that didn’t stop me from falling deep into Cal’s world and willing him and his friends to find a way out of their situation. The mystery is cleverly unwound throughout the story, giving plenty of hints here and there about what’s going on, but still managing to throw up a few surprises. Cal’s a great hero too, brave and determined as well as angry and selfless, he’s not perfect but that just made him more likeable. There’s also a solid cast of secondary characters backing him up, bringing depth to the world and keeping everything ticking along.
With more mystery than action, it does move a little slowly at times, but that gave the story plenty of time to explore the way Cal’s life works. The pace also picks up a lot towards the end, answering all the important questions and putting Cal and his friends fully to the test. Fans of the Legacy of Androva series will enjoy seeing old faces popping in to play their own part, but equally, newcomers won’t feel left behind. In all an absorbing, intriguing read that left me wanting to explore more from the series.
(Review copy provided by the author.)
Except not everything is as it seems in this messed up world, and despite being placed in the lowest ranking Exta workforce and unable to read or write, there’s clearly more to Cal than meets the eye. More to everything, in fact. When Cal starts to ask questions about the way things are run, more questions arise, and a wider mystery begins to unravel.
I really enjoyed this book. I’ve only read the first of this series, but that didn’t stop me from falling deep into Cal’s world and willing him and his friends to find a way out of their situation. The mystery is cleverly unwound throughout the story, giving plenty of hints here and there about what’s going on, but still managing to throw up a few surprises. Cal’s a great hero too, brave and determined as well as angry and selfless, he’s not perfect but that just made him more likeable. There’s also a solid cast of secondary characters backing him up, bringing depth to the world and keeping everything ticking along.
With more mystery than action, it does move a little slowly at times, but that gave the story plenty of time to explore the way Cal’s life works. The pace also picks up a lot towards the end, answering all the important questions and putting Cal and his friends fully to the test. Fans of the Legacy of Androva series will enjoy seeing old faces popping in to play their own part, but equally, newcomers won’t feel left behind. In all an absorbing, intriguing read that left me wanting to explore more from the series.
(Review copy provided by the author.)
May 4, 2018
This book was entered in The Wishing Shelf Book Awards. This is what our readers thought:
Title: Breaking Magic
Author: Alex C. Vick
Star Rating: 5 Stars
Number of Readers: 25
Stats
Editing: 10/10
Writing Style: 10/10
Content: 10/10
Cover: 10/10
Of the 25 readers:
25 would read another book by this author.
24 thought the cover was good or excellent.
24 felt it was easy to follow.
25 would recommend this story to another reader to try.
14 felt the author’s strongest skill was ‘plotting a story’.
11 felt the author’s strongest skill was ‘developing the characters’.
21 felt the pacing was good or excellent.
25 thought the author understood the readership and what they wanted.
Readers’ Comments
‘Cal develops really well in the story. I don’t like books where the central characters never learn or change. But in this book, that’s not a problem.’ Boy, aged 14
‘Excellent cover!’ Girl, aged 13
‘I think this book is all about struggle. The world the hero is in is pretty nasty, but Cal’s determined to do better. The magic elements are interesting and, although it is not full of action, it still has plenty of pace.’ Boy, aged 14
‘This book really grabbed me. So much so, I stopped reading it and started on book 1. I liked the world the author created. It was wonderfully described. And, of course, any book with magic in it gets my vote. Nice front cover too.’ Girl, aged 14
‘This is not only a cleverly plotted story, it is also a metaphor for society today, and how difficult it is to break free from your ‘class’.’ Girl, aged 14
‘I hope the author enters all of the books in the award!!! That would be cool.’ Boy, aged 13
To Sum It Up:
‘Packed full of magic and mystery. A BRONZE MEDAL winner and highly recommended.’ The Wishing Shelf Book Awards
Title: Breaking Magic
Author: Alex C. Vick
Star Rating: 5 Stars
Number of Readers: 25
Stats
Editing: 10/10
Writing Style: 10/10
Content: 10/10
Cover: 10/10
Of the 25 readers:
25 would read another book by this author.
24 thought the cover was good or excellent.
24 felt it was easy to follow.
25 would recommend this story to another reader to try.
14 felt the author’s strongest skill was ‘plotting a story’.
11 felt the author’s strongest skill was ‘developing the characters’.
21 felt the pacing was good or excellent.
25 thought the author understood the readership and what they wanted.
Readers’ Comments
‘Cal develops really well in the story. I don’t like books where the central characters never learn or change. But in this book, that’s not a problem.’ Boy, aged 14
‘Excellent cover!’ Girl, aged 13
‘I think this book is all about struggle. The world the hero is in is pretty nasty, but Cal’s determined to do better. The magic elements are interesting and, although it is not full of action, it still has plenty of pace.’ Boy, aged 14
‘This book really grabbed me. So much so, I stopped reading it and started on book 1. I liked the world the author created. It was wonderfully described. And, of course, any book with magic in it gets my vote. Nice front cover too.’ Girl, aged 14
‘This is not only a cleverly plotted story, it is also a metaphor for society today, and how difficult it is to break free from your ‘class’.’ Girl, aged 14
‘I hope the author enters all of the books in the award!!! That would be cool.’ Boy, aged 13
To Sum It Up:
‘Packed full of magic and mystery. A BRONZE MEDAL winner and highly recommended.’ The Wishing Shelf Book Awards
December 29, 2022
Confused at the begining, later good
I was well into the 1st chapter when I was still confused about the story. I took a book as a next in a series without reading the cover copy, thinking about the next adventures of Jax and Shannon. But it's a retelling of Cal's story in first person POV and it took a while to get accustomed to the change.
This being said, it’s probably the best written story in the series so far (two more to go).
I usually read the stories in a series in order, but I'll skip the next (Galen's story) in favour of finishing Jax's and Shannon's story first. I guess, changing POVs doesn't sit well with me.
I was well into the 1st chapter when I was still confused about the story. I took a book as a next in a series without reading the cover copy, thinking about the next adventures of Jax and Shannon. But it's a retelling of Cal's story in first person POV and it took a while to get accustomed to the change.
This being said, it’s probably the best written story in the series so far (two more to go).
I usually read the stories in a series in order, but I'll skip the next (Galen's story) in favour of finishing Jax's and Shannon's story first. I guess, changing POVs doesn't sit well with me.
December 30, 2019
This is the first book in the series that I thought was a pretty good book and made me feel any emotion whatsoever... If you gave up hope with this series because of the other books, this is a good place to come back to the series. I think that what made this book better was that the story had more details (show not tell) and you get to know the characters better and understand the weight of situations much better than the previous books
May 22, 2017
Excellent, from start to finish! Could not stop reading, had to know what happened next! I love to read this kind of story!
Excellent, from start to finish! Could not stop reading, had to know what happened next! I love this kind of story! Fantasy and magic! Happy endings and a believable ending are what I look for in a great story? Thanks for this adventure!
Excellent, from start to finish! Could not stop reading, had to know what happened next! I love this kind of story! Fantasy and magic! Happy endings and a believable ending are what I look for in a great story? Thanks for this adventure!
July 2, 2017
Even at my age I really enjoyed reading this book!
I loved this book and I really believe it was the best so far. Middle school children will love it I'm sure. As you write this story the better the better the books you get, keep it up!
I loved this book and I really believe it was the best so far. Middle school children will love it I'm sure. As you write this story the better the better the books you get, keep it up!
November 12, 2017
Fantastic Magi .
This book has character that are so real you feel you've know them all your life And the plot takes hold of you and won't let go all the way to the ending
This book has character that are so real you feel you've know them all your life And the plot takes hold of you and won't let go all the way to the ending
November 20, 2017
Different
Not the type of book I normally read. It was interesting. I would have liked to have seen a little more of an explanation from Varun.
Not the type of book I normally read. It was interesting. I would have liked to have seen a little more of an explanation from Varun.
July 5, 2018
We are proud to announce that BREAKING MAGIC (The Legacy of Androva #5) by Alex C. Vick is a B.R.A.G.Medallion Honoree. This tells readers that this book is well worth their time and money!
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November 10, 2017FREE on Amazon today (11/10/2017)!
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews