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Portals to Whyland #0.5
The Spell Speakers
He was raised to resist them. Now he has to join them.
14-year-old Darian was raised in an isolated village in Whyland, among people who resisted the oppression of the King and his army. When his life takes a tragic turn, he ends up living in the King's castle, forced to train in the military academy, closer to his enemies than he has ever dreamed. His only solace is Cayla, a girl he befriends at the castle, who helps him smile and feel whole again, with whom he slowly falls in love, whose identity he ignores at his own peril.
But the castle holds more dangers than expected. Darian has to thread carefully if he wants use his position to help Whyland find freedom and remain alive.
Spell Speakers is a coming-of-age fantasy novella introducing characters featured in the upcoming series Portals to Whyland.
- GenresFantasyYoung AdultEbooks
108 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 31, 2018
12 people are currently reading
240 people want to read
About the author
Day Leitao
20 books2,002 followers🪄 Magic, 💜 heart, 🗡️ action, and 😆 fun!
Follow the Kickstarter for special editions of A Cursed Son, A Traitor Sister, and A Devious Brother at kickstarter.com/projects/dayleitao/remnants-of-the-fallen-kingdom
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Day Leitao believes in the power of stories, the power of characters, and she writes books with heroes (of both genders) finding their own magic and opening their hearts. Of course, there's also the banter and all the shenanigans that happen when personalities collide. 😂
Follow the Kickstarter for special editions of A Cursed Son, A Traitor Sister, and A Devious Brother at kickstarter.com/projects/dayleitao/remnants-of-the-fallen-kingdom
You can also follow my socials at dayleitao.carrd.co/
Don't miss any release, giveaway, or news! Sign up for my mailing list at dayleitao.com/sign-up/
Day Leitao believes in the power of stories, the power of characters, and she writes books with heroes (of both genders) finding their own magic and opening their hearts. Of course, there's also the banter and all the shenanigans that happen when personalities collide. 😂
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 38 reviews
July 24, 2018
My nephews and I like to arrange "magic book evenings." We gather together and read aloud interesting books in turn. I, like them (despite the age) ) really like fantasy, magic, fairy tales, etc.
We spent few pleasant evenings reading and discussing Spell Speakers: An Intro to Whyland by Day Leitao. The plot is interesting, the characters are complex. The main thing is that there is a prospect for their development. This is a great introduction to an interesting series. Each of us had different versions of how the events will develop further. We are looking forward to this series.
We spent few pleasant evenings reading and discussing Spell Speakers: An Intro to Whyland by Day Leitao. The plot is interesting, the characters are complex. The main thing is that there is a prospect for their development. This is a great introduction to an interesting series. Each of us had different versions of how the events will develop further. We are looking forward to this series.
May 6, 2018
* *
2 / 5
I didn't realise this was a novella when I requested it on Netgalley - my, myself, and I don't get on all that well with novellas for the exact reason that this book didn't work for me: it was too short for how much it tried to pack in. Spell Speakers: An Intro to Whyland tries to cover all of the following in a book that took me under thirty minutes to read: boy lives in village that supposedly practices illegal magic (very little magic is featured in book), boy loses his mum, boy meets his dad who he thought was dead and brother he didn't know existed, boy's entire life changes, boy meets girl in forbidden romance, etc. It was all just too much.
The purpose of this book, I believe, was to serve as an introduction to the universe that Day Leitao will write more books in. But I didn't really get that much sense of the world that Darian lived in. Neither was the cast all that compelling; the characters don't feel that distinguishable, although Darian's brother has a fair amount of potential, which is mostly a result of the rather basic writing style. I feel like Spell Speakers is aimed at a very young audience.
What did I like? I adore the cover art, which I think is very well done, and I thought that Darian had some compelling qualities as a main character. He is innocent, wide-eyed, and curious, and his life has a lot of drama that the author will be able to get some mileage out of.
My thanks to Netgalley, the publisher, and the author for an ARC of this book
Read this review and more on my blog: http://atlasrisingbooks.wordpress.com
April 13, 2018
This novella introduces the world of Whyland and the backstory to the main players of the upcoming Portals of Whyland series. For such a quick introduction, the novella is thoughtful, artfully written, and filled with personality-defining events. While I am sure you would be able to start the upcoming series without reading The Spell Speakers, I would urge you to pick up and start with it anyway. The tragedies of this short glimpse into our characters are worth experiencing first hand.
Though young, even for a YA, the characters are easy to relate to and their motivations are realistic. (I would assume they are so young so they are late teens in the future series, which makes a lot of sense.) The antagonist, a mistreated older sibling, is as likeable as he is untrustworthy. The protagonist is young and innocent, but the reader watches as he matures, as he grows from victim of circumstance to a leader with a hidden agenda.
The world was richly constructed and the conflict clearly portrayed. While the magic of the world is touched upon throughout the story, it does not have an active role in the course of events yet so it is not discussed in detail. Which works to peak the reader’s interest in the full series.
I was surprised by the depth of the writing; it appeared to me that The Spell Speakers was a middle grade story. I expected a shallow, but happy story. Leitao, however, delivers a story filled with unexpected philosophical ruminating and beautiful prose. She depicts love and tragedy appropriate for her young characters that resounds joyfully and heartbreakingly in readers of all ages. Yet, because this is a book for younger readers, the plot twists are simple, the emotions are written with simple language, and often the dialogue moves the story forward. While I don’t see these as shortcomings, I warn adult readers that this is not a challenging book.
These few pages have successfully enticed me into the world of Whyland and to finish the story that I’ve started. Thank you to NetGalley, Day Leitao, and SparklyWave for the eARC which powered this review. I look forward to the upcoming series with excitement.
Though young, even for a YA, the characters are easy to relate to and their motivations are realistic. (I would assume they are so young so they are late teens in the future series, which makes a lot of sense.) The antagonist, a mistreated older sibling, is as likeable as he is untrustworthy. The protagonist is young and innocent, but the reader watches as he matures, as he grows from victim of circumstance to a leader with a hidden agenda.
The world was richly constructed and the conflict clearly portrayed. While the magic of the world is touched upon throughout the story, it does not have an active role in the course of events yet so it is not discussed in detail. Which works to peak the reader’s interest in the full series.
I was surprised by the depth of the writing; it appeared to me that The Spell Speakers was a middle grade story. I expected a shallow, but happy story. Leitao, however, delivers a story filled with unexpected philosophical ruminating and beautiful prose. She depicts love and tragedy appropriate for her young characters that resounds joyfully and heartbreakingly in readers of all ages. Yet, because this is a book for younger readers, the plot twists are simple, the emotions are written with simple language, and often the dialogue moves the story forward. While I don’t see these as shortcomings, I warn adult readers that this is not a challenging book.
These few pages have successfully enticed me into the world of Whyland and to finish the story that I’ve started. Thank you to NetGalley, Day Leitao, and SparklyWave for the eARC which powered this review. I look forward to the upcoming series with excitement.
April 15, 2018
Recieved from Netgalley. A short introduction with new magic and characters. I found the princess’ friendship sweet. The truth test was entertaining. I think the father will turn out to be a monster but I’m not sure what to think about Sian yet. He’s an interesting character with his own game plan. This one left a lot of questions waiting to be answered.
April 17, 2018
First off, I would like to thank the publisher and author for providing me this ARC to review. Please note that the version I read was an advanced copy, and certain events/language may be changed in the published edition.
Stars (Out of 10): 3/10 Stars
Spoiler Free: This novella was meant to introduce the world and make readers more interested in the series, but I don’t really think this book did that at all. If I were to judge this novella purely on how well it accomplishes that task, it would’ve received 1 star. It barely bothered to explain the world at all, the one we were supposed to be growing interest in, and focused instead on a very oddly paced plot with characters that all read kind of the same.
Unfortunately, I found out pretty early on that I would most likely not be a fan of this novella. This revelation came purely from the writing style at first, as it felt super cut and dry, very simple and uninteresting. Instead of utilizing language to properly make readers feel and understand the world better, everything just felt stated. “Character A did this. Character B reacted like this.” It told more than it showed, which caused a major disconnect between me and the characters.
Additionally, the plot itself was fairly simple to guess, yet wasn’t aware of this. It not so subtly dropped many clues before every twist, so every reader would have actually picked up on it before it was revealed, but somehow our MC, Darian, was entirely clueless to everything going on around him. The pacing of the overall plot was also fairly weird. We had a very quick-moving start, almost as if we were dropped into the middle of a story, and then we get a lull in the middle, followed by a final chapter in Darian’s POV that suddenly dumps a bunch more information on the reader. When combined with the simple writing, it almost felt as if I was reading a very detailed outline of what the book was going to contain, instead of the book itself.
The world itself, as I mentioned above, is also just poorly explained. We learn nothing of the magic system (which is part of why I requested this novella, it sounded interesting), and almost nothing on the tension between the smaller villages and the kingdom, just that magic is the cause of it. It leaves readers in a limbo of who to believe, as we aren’t given a sympathetic outlook on either side. All we know is that the king is burning villages in search of a witch that is probably dead (but how do only the villages know this? Why doesn’t the king?) It’s all really confusing, so I’m trying not to dwell on it.
Lastly, I wasn’t able to get a grasp on almost any of the characters. While I overall did find Sian interesting, and the interplay of motives running through him, this same level of depth did not come through well in the other characters, and instead made them feel incontinuous. For example, with our main hero Darian, we don’t actually get to learn about life back in the village, or anything that makes us sympathetic to the cause Darian’s mother was fighting for. Furthermore, this makes his constant longing for his old life hard to empathize with, since we have no understanding of that life. His inner voice also seems to shift dramatically within the story, from a focus on home/hatred of the evil king, to a focus on love interest only, and then back to a focus on revenge/hatred without regard of said love interest. This imbalance actually comes through in that love interest as well, and I have a hard time gauging what her inner thoughts actually are, even after having read a POV chapter from her.
However, I was still intrigued. Even with everything above, I still want to learn more. Some might say that this want for more stems from the lack of content that the book provided me with in the first place, but I also didn’t expect much coming into this in terms of content (it is only 100 pages!)
Stars (Out of 10): 3/10 Stars
Spoiler Free: This novella was meant to introduce the world and make readers more interested in the series, but I don’t really think this book did that at all. If I were to judge this novella purely on how well it accomplishes that task, it would’ve received 1 star. It barely bothered to explain the world at all, the one we were supposed to be growing interest in, and focused instead on a very oddly paced plot with characters that all read kind of the same.
Unfortunately, I found out pretty early on that I would most likely not be a fan of this novella. This revelation came purely from the writing style at first, as it felt super cut and dry, very simple and uninteresting. Instead of utilizing language to properly make readers feel and understand the world better, everything just felt stated. “Character A did this. Character B reacted like this.” It told more than it showed, which caused a major disconnect between me and the characters.
Additionally, the plot itself was fairly simple to guess, yet wasn’t aware of this. It not so subtly dropped many clues before every twist, so every reader would have actually picked up on it before it was revealed, but somehow our MC, Darian, was entirely clueless to everything going on around him. The pacing of the overall plot was also fairly weird. We had a very quick-moving start, almost as if we were dropped into the middle of a story, and then we get a lull in the middle, followed by a final chapter in Darian’s POV that suddenly dumps a bunch more information on the reader. When combined with the simple writing, it almost felt as if I was reading a very detailed outline of what the book was going to contain, instead of the book itself.
The world itself, as I mentioned above, is also just poorly explained. We learn nothing of the magic system (which is part of why I requested this novella, it sounded interesting), and almost nothing on the tension between the smaller villages and the kingdom, just that magic is the cause of it. It leaves readers in a limbo of who to believe, as we aren’t given a sympathetic outlook on either side. All we know is that the king is burning villages in search of a witch that is probably dead (but how do only the villages know this? Why doesn’t the king?) It’s all really confusing, so I’m trying not to dwell on it.
Lastly, I wasn’t able to get a grasp on almost any of the characters. While I overall did find Sian interesting, and the interplay of motives running through him, this same level of depth did not come through well in the other characters, and instead made them feel incontinuous. For example, with our main hero Darian, we don’t actually get to learn about life back in the village, or anything that makes us sympathetic to the cause Darian’s mother was fighting for. Furthermore, this makes his constant longing for his old life hard to empathize with, since we have no understanding of that life. His inner voice also seems to shift dramatically within the story, from a focus on home/hatred of the evil king, to a focus on love interest only, and then back to a focus on revenge/hatred without regard of said love interest. This imbalance actually comes through in that love interest as well, and I have a hard time gauging what her inner thoughts actually are, even after having read a POV chapter from her.
However, I was still intrigued. Even with everything above, I still want to learn more. Some might say that this want for more stems from the lack of content that the book provided me with in the first place, but I also didn’t expect much coming into this in terms of content (it is only 100 pages!)
April 20, 2018
2.5 stars
**I received a free PDF copy from the author in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed in this review are mine and 100% honest.**
I wasn't a huge fan of this. I didn't hate it, however, I just thought that it did not live up to what the purpose of this novella was, to introduce to Whyland, and the execution could have been amped up a bit. Okay, more than just a bit.
The writing was not enjoyable. It felt so boring, for lack of a better describing word. It had a very straightforward style, but not in a good way. It was very this happened to this character which made this character feel this way, then all of that together made this character conduct itself a certain way. It had me unengaged from the beginning. Not to mention, the dialogue had me confused -- very confused -- at times, too. While there were some mature sections, on the contrary, there were a lot of immature sections, as well, which added to my confusion on the book.
Predictable. Because of all of the subtle yet not-so-subtle hints that are dropped before a plot twist or a turn in the plot/story or a turn for the characters, it made it easy, too easy at times, to guess what was going to happen. Before the twist or turn happened, I was already able to guess what happened due to the clues sprinkled throughout beforehand.
Back to what I said earlier in the review's introduction, about how this novella didn't do its job at being a novella, there was little to no explanation on the world. The subtitle of this novella is 'An Intro to Whyland, so I was nonetheless going into this expecting nothing more than an intro do Whyland.
Magic is used for the source of a lot of what happens in this story, the biggest one being the already placed tension between both of the villages. I would have liked to see a backstory on it instead of 'Oh, it happened because of magic,' since a lot of this story revolves around the idea of magic anyway. It more or less just left me confused and wondering, trying to figure out or make something up myself of what the cause of the unexplained tension was.
Because this needed to be more confusing for me, no matter how hard I tried, I felt so disconnected from the characters. The only one I found to be even remotely interesting was Sian. But Darian, Cayla, and the rest? Not a fan. I also felt that the introduction to Cayla was a little quick, but its a novella, so the author didn't have much of a choice there on that one.
Considering the above, it's hard to believe that I found this intriguing, but I did. I don't know why I found it intriguing or what aspect made me so intrigued, but I was. That's why I bumped up my original rating of 1-star up to 2.5-stars.
All in all, this novella didn't get me excited for the series, however, that being said, I will most likely give it a shot, due to how I intrigued I was during the what felt way too short 100-page novella Spell Speakers.
**I received a free PDF copy from the author in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed in this review are mine and 100% honest.**
I wasn't a huge fan of this. I didn't hate it, however, I just thought that it did not live up to what the purpose of this novella was, to introduce to Whyland, and the execution could have been amped up a bit. Okay, more than just a bit.
The writing was not enjoyable. It felt so boring, for lack of a better describing word. It had a very straightforward style, but not in a good way. It was very this happened to this character which made this character feel this way, then all of that together made this character conduct itself a certain way. It had me unengaged from the beginning. Not to mention, the dialogue had me confused -- very confused -- at times, too. While there were some mature sections, on the contrary, there were a lot of immature sections, as well, which added to my confusion on the book.
Predictable. Because of all of the subtle yet not-so-subtle hints that are dropped before a plot twist or a turn in the plot/story or a turn for the characters, it made it easy, too easy at times, to guess what was going to happen. Before the twist or turn happened, I was already able to guess what happened due to the clues sprinkled throughout beforehand.
Back to what I said earlier in the review's introduction, about how this novella didn't do its job at being a novella, there was little to no explanation on the world. The subtitle of this novella is 'An Intro to Whyland, so I was nonetheless going into this expecting nothing more than an intro do Whyland.
Magic is used for the source of a lot of what happens in this story, the biggest one being the already placed tension between both of the villages. I would have liked to see a backstory on it instead of 'Oh, it happened because of magic,' since a lot of this story revolves around the idea of magic anyway. It more or less just left me confused and wondering, trying to figure out or make something up myself of what the cause of the unexplained tension was.
Because this needed to be more confusing for me, no matter how hard I tried, I felt so disconnected from the characters. The only one I found to be even remotely interesting was Sian. But Darian, Cayla, and the rest? Not a fan. I also felt that the introduction to Cayla was a little quick, but its a novella, so the author didn't have much of a choice there on that one.
Considering the above, it's hard to believe that I found this intriguing, but I did. I don't know why I found it intriguing or what aspect made me so intrigued, but I was. That's why I bumped up my original rating of 1-star up to 2.5-stars.
All in all, this novella didn't get me excited for the series, however, that being said, I will most likely give it a shot, due to how I intrigued I was during the what felt way too short 100-page novella Spell Speakers.
May 1, 2018
The familiar fantasy tropes are here: Village boy. First tick on the checklist. Village boy forced to leave said village. Another tick. Village boy meets princess . Of course, he must. Tick. Village boy is at the cusp of manifesting unexplained powers/abilities/magic. Naturally, tick. The whole fate of the world rests on the village boy's little shoulders. Tick, tick, tick.
Being an introductory novella into the forthcoming Whyland fantasy series, there is not a great deal of exposition, but perhaps a little more explanation would have been nice. We are drawn into a world where the people are being repressed by the very army that is suppose to protect them. Why they are being repressed and why this magic from the North is so feared is not explained at all.
The dialogue between the characters are stilted and just doesn't flow off the page, the situations seemed forced and the word-building barely drawn.
Nevertheless, under all of this criticism there is a promise of a really good story and I am intrigued.
Being an introductory novella into the forthcoming Whyland fantasy series, there is not a great deal of exposition, but perhaps a little more explanation would have been nice. We are drawn into a world where the people are being repressed by the very army that is suppose to protect them. Why they are being repressed and why this magic from the North is so feared is not explained at all.
The dialogue between the characters are stilted and just doesn't flow off the page, the situations seemed forced and the word-building barely drawn.
Nevertheless, under all of this criticism there is a promise of a really good story and I am intrigued.
April 24, 2018
Okay so I’m going to be completely honest - I wanted to read this novella solely for that beautiful cover. Unfortunately that was a mistake. This novella is supposed to entice you into reading the wider series, but for me that mark was well and truly missed; it was drier than a cracker in a desert.
The idea, particularly the promise of a new and forbidden magic system, is really compelling. Whenever something is forbidden it’s ten times more exciting right? Not in this case. And I can’t decide if that’s because of the boring delivery or if it was the writing style.
Essentially the story reads as though you’ve been dropped into the middle of the action and so you don’t really know the backstory (which seems odd admittedly because surely the idea of this story was to do exactly the opposite). But this isn’t such a huge issue, the issue is mainly in the dialogue. The way the conversations, in particular, are put together in this novella is really juvenile - and I feel awful for saying that, but it’s true. It’s like it’s written for a much younger audience. There’s a lot of telling rather than showing as though the author wanted to be absolutely certain that you’re able to keep up with all the (not very subtle) information the main character is coming across. And honestly, it feels like Darian wasn’t keeping up with even the most obvious of clues other characters were giving him, which is super frustrating.
Many of the characters kind of rolled into one for me, except Sian who has a little more about him. I think I’d have preferred a story from that point of view actually.
I hate giving negative ratings, but I’m giving it two stars and that’s really only for the cover.
ARC provided free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
The idea, particularly the promise of a new and forbidden magic system, is really compelling. Whenever something is forbidden it’s ten times more exciting right? Not in this case. And I can’t decide if that’s because of the boring delivery or if it was the writing style.
Essentially the story reads as though you’ve been dropped into the middle of the action and so you don’t really know the backstory (which seems odd admittedly because surely the idea of this story was to do exactly the opposite). But this isn’t such a huge issue, the issue is mainly in the dialogue. The way the conversations, in particular, are put together in this novella is really juvenile - and I feel awful for saying that, but it’s true. It’s like it’s written for a much younger audience. There’s a lot of telling rather than showing as though the author wanted to be absolutely certain that you’re able to keep up with all the (not very subtle) information the main character is coming across. And honestly, it feels like Darian wasn’t keeping up with even the most obvious of clues other characters were giving him, which is super frustrating.
Many of the characters kind of rolled into one for me, except Sian who has a little more about him. I think I’d have preferred a story from that point of view actually.
I hate giving negative ratings, but I’m giving it two stars and that’s really only for the cover.
ARC provided free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
April 19, 2018
Interesting YA fantasy novella dealing mostly with a 14-year-old boy adjusting to court life, expectations, and members of his family he'd never met before. Looking forward to reading the rest of this series!
I voluntarily read a Review Copy of this book. All opinions stated are solely my own and no one else’s.
Read more reviews! http://dreamerjbookreviews.blogspot.com
I voluntarily read a Review Copy of this book. All opinions stated are solely my own and no one else’s.
Read more reviews! http://dreamerjbookreviews.blogspot.com
May 7, 2018
So I got 25% into this book and had to stop. I really didn't like it. The writing style was so jerky, the sentences terrible, the description was non-existent. It felt so run-on to me. I knew nothing about the MC, and didn't feel connected to him in any way. I couldn't keep going, despite the short length.
August 22, 2019
This prequel is best read after the first book in the "portal to whyland" series, as many facts that are revealed here, are still unknown there. We meet Darian when he's 14 and just lost his mother and is sent to his father and brother, that he didn't know existed till then. Always nice and pleasant to find out backgrounds of the main characters in a series. We also learn that the magic neckless belonged to Darian's mother and how unpopular and nasty the king, as well as his general, really are. It is now clear where the choices that both brothers make in the next books, originate from. Suitable for middle grade as well as YA.
April 12, 2018
I received this novella from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
"14-year old Darian was raised in an isolated village, resisting the King and his army. When his life takes a tragic turn, he ends up in the castle, closer to his former enemies than he has ever imagined. His only solace is Cayla, a girl who helps him smile again, for whom he slowly falls in love. But the castle has more dangers than he imagined."
I wanted to like this book - the cover is pretty, and I'm always down for some YA fantasy. The magic of the world and a few of the characters piqued my interest at times, but could not overcome the novella's numerous problems.
The worldbuilding was almost entirely done by the narrator, or by characters ostensibly talking to each other in a way that's obviously for the sole benefit of the reader. A scene like the latter comprises the entire discussion of the magic promised in the title, spell-speaking. Magic in general is forbidden, but the few times it's used are hand-waved away with little difficulty. I was very bored by this - if magic is forbidden, practicing it in secret should be exciting! This was not exciting.
I found Darian almost entirely unsympathetic and unbelievable for a few reasons. First, all of the characters in the story sound the same. The lack of tone and voice differences between the characters makes it read very flat, and Darian is the flattest. We're constantly reading about Darian's feelings in terms of "Darian felt sad" - I wanted so badly for Darian's tone to tell me that, or his actions.
Darian regularly "knows" things the author wants the reader to know, like how the castle is lit by strange daylight panels - Darian knows all about them, even though this is his first time in the castle. He knows all about his people's nature-worshipping beliefs and the nuances of why they personify abstract concepts into gods and goddesses, and about how best to hide after the army finds a secret site...which wouldn't be such a problem, if he wasn't missing out on ridiculously basic social cues in the next scene, and repeatedly after that.
This leads into my other major problem with the story: most of the conflict is generated via Darian not understanding something someone else is trying to tell him, and the other character refusing to speak plainly. This is a perfectly fine trope, but when it happens three or four times in one story - and when every one of those reveals is glaringly obvious to the reader - it gets very stale, very quickly.
One of the bright spots in the story was Sian, an important character whose voice is perhaps the most distinct of all the characters. His tragic past and sarcasm are his most interesting traits, and the inevitable future standoff between his goals and Darian's is perhaps the only thing I'd like to see more of in the coming series.
On the whole, I think this story would benefit from a serious rework - better character voice, more emphasis on demonstrating the world and characters rather than describing them, and a whole lot of higher stakes.
Rating: 1.5/5 stars
"14-year old Darian was raised in an isolated village, resisting the King and his army. When his life takes a tragic turn, he ends up in the castle, closer to his former enemies than he has ever imagined. His only solace is Cayla, a girl who helps him smile again, for whom he slowly falls in love. But the castle has more dangers than he imagined."
I wanted to like this book - the cover is pretty, and I'm always down for some YA fantasy. The magic of the world and a few of the characters piqued my interest at times, but could not overcome the novella's numerous problems.
The worldbuilding was almost entirely done by the narrator, or by characters ostensibly talking to each other in a way that's obviously for the sole benefit of the reader. A scene like the latter comprises the entire discussion of the magic promised in the title, spell-speaking. Magic in general is forbidden, but the few times it's used are hand-waved away with little difficulty. I was very bored by this - if magic is forbidden, practicing it in secret should be exciting! This was not exciting.
I found Darian almost entirely unsympathetic and unbelievable for a few reasons. First, all of the characters in the story sound the same. The lack of tone and voice differences between the characters makes it read very flat, and Darian is the flattest. We're constantly reading about Darian's feelings in terms of "Darian felt sad" - I wanted so badly for Darian's tone to tell me that, or his actions.
Darian regularly "knows" things the author wants the reader to know, like how the castle is lit by strange daylight panels - Darian knows all about them, even though this is his first time in the castle. He knows all about his people's nature-worshipping beliefs and the nuances of why they personify abstract concepts into gods and goddesses, and about how best to hide after the army finds a secret site...which wouldn't be such a problem, if he wasn't missing out on ridiculously basic social cues in the next scene, and repeatedly after that.
This leads into my other major problem with the story: most of the conflict is generated via Darian not understanding something someone else is trying to tell him, and the other character refusing to speak plainly. This is a perfectly fine trope, but when it happens three or four times in one story - and when every one of those reveals is glaringly obvious to the reader - it gets very stale, very quickly.
One of the bright spots in the story was Sian, an important character whose voice is perhaps the most distinct of all the characters. His tragic past and sarcasm are his most interesting traits, and the inevitable future standoff between his goals and Darian's is perhaps the only thing I'd like to see more of in the coming series.
On the whole, I think this story would benefit from a serious rework - better character voice, more emphasis on demonstrating the world and characters rather than describing them, and a whole lot of higher stakes.
Rating: 1.5/5 stars
August 6, 2019
For a full review please visit http://www.awindowtomysoul.com/spell-...
It is probably my favorite book from the saga. Knowing Darian and Cayla’s relationship at last, in addition to each other’s past, explains a lot about why each of them did the things they do in the future. I definitely think the saga should be read in order, starting with this. While it is true that you can understand the story without reading them all, the feeling is completely different.
Basically, it is a warm story, which gives us as a bonus a little more information about the village where Darian was raised and the capital, Siphoria. And the state of the latter upon Karina’s arrival in Whyland. Totally recommended.
It is probably my favorite book from the saga. Knowing Darian and Cayla’s relationship at last, in addition to each other’s past, explains a lot about why each of them did the things they do in the future. I definitely think the saga should be read in order, starting with this. While it is true that you can understand the story without reading them all, the feeling is completely different.
Basically, it is a warm story, which gives us as a bonus a little more information about the village where Darian was raised and the capital, Siphoria. And the state of the latter upon Karina’s arrival in Whyland. Totally recommended.
February 25, 2019
Rating: 3.5 stars
This has been a fun and light read for me! I believed it helped me get out of my reading slump!
The world building was not hard to imagine and get into.
The flow of the story and the character's banter were spontaneous and fun!
*coughs* I especially like the way Sian interact with the others *coughs* I'm weak for guys who have a tragic background and pretends to be all tough and mighty (even if he'd look bad to others). Also, I am not overlooking the fact that there's more to him than what he shows in this novella. THAT'S what I am looking forward to uncovering all throughout this series He really is an interesting character!
I still think Cayla and Darian's relationship were too quick, too fast? for them to decide what's what, I appreciate the author throwing in characters like Odell and Sian to remind these two, from an older point of view, of what they're doing and "feeling".
Also, there's more to Keen than what this novella portray who he is! I just feel it!
To conclude, I'm currently fond of what this book, this world has in store for me and I'm looking forward to reading the next books!
This has been a fun and light read for me! I believed it helped me get out of my reading slump!
The world building was not hard to imagine and get into.
The flow of the story and the character's banter were spontaneous and fun!
*coughs* I especially like the way Sian interact with the others *coughs* I'm weak for guys who have a tragic background and pretends to be all tough and mighty (even if he'd look bad to others). Also, I am not overlooking the fact that there's more to him than what he shows in this novella. THAT'S what I am looking forward to uncovering all throughout this series He really is an interesting character!
I still think Cayla and Darian's relationship were too quick, too fast? for them to decide what's what, I appreciate the author throwing in characters like Odell and Sian to remind these two, from an older point of view, of what they're doing and "feeling".
Also, there's more to Keen than what this novella portray who he is! I just feel it!
To conclude, I'm currently fond of what this book, this world has in store for me and I'm looking forward to reading the next books!
April 16, 2018
*free copy received from netgalley in exchange for an honest review*
This book was just okay, and only because it was so short. I think my biggest issue with this book was the writing. It has a very juvenile and at times grocery list-y kind of writing. It didn't invite to any more reading at all. Let's just say I've spent four days avoiding to read 50 odd pages...kind of says everything, no?
I did find the story interesting at times, but the writing style didn't make for a very inviting character development. The book is meant to be an intro to the Whyland universe, but we're dropped smack in the middle of the story, and that's a bit odd for an intro novella in my opinion. It took me considerable time to get my bearings straight, and to know what in the world was going on.
I'm having mixed feelings, because I wanted to like it so much - just look at that gorgeous cover and the blurb! - but alas. 2,75 stars from me.
This book was just okay, and only because it was so short. I think my biggest issue with this book was the writing. It has a very juvenile and at times grocery list-y kind of writing. It didn't invite to any more reading at all. Let's just say I've spent four days avoiding to read 50 odd pages...kind of says everything, no?
I did find the story interesting at times, but the writing style didn't make for a very inviting character development. The book is meant to be an intro to the Whyland universe, but we're dropped smack in the middle of the story, and that's a bit odd for an intro novella in my opinion. It took me considerable time to get my bearings straight, and to know what in the world was going on.
I'm having mixed feelings, because I wanted to like it so much - just look at that gorgeous cover and the blurb! - but alas. 2,75 stars from me.
May 5, 2018
Personal rating 2.5 stars
I was sent an e copy from net galley for honest review.
This is an opening novella which I think is aimed at setting up the world ready for the series to continue.
The novella is only 108 pages long and personally, I didn't think there was enough world building, or that enough happened in the book for it to be a separate book. I think that this could have easily been slightly condensed and been the first few chapters in the first actual book in the series.
Not enough happened in the novella to capture my attention and make me want to continue reading the series.
I also personally found some of the speech a little confusing and there were chunks that had no indication to who was talking.
I was sent an e copy from net galley for honest review.
This is an opening novella which I think is aimed at setting up the world ready for the series to continue.
The novella is only 108 pages long and personally, I didn't think there was enough world building, or that enough happened in the book for it to be a separate book. I think that this could have easily been slightly condensed and been the first few chapters in the first actual book in the series.
Not enough happened in the novella to capture my attention and make me want to continue reading the series.
I also personally found some of the speech a little confusing and there were chunks that had no indication to who was talking.
July 4, 2019
I didn't connect with the characters at all. The story was to fast pace even for a Novella. The only character I found interesting was Sian. Darian and Cayla's relationship developed to quickly. The Novella didn't make me want to read the rest of the series.
July 5, 2019
Unfortunately I struggled to get into this novella. I couldn't connect with the characters and so won't be picking up the series this is an intro for. Beautiful cover work! I'm sure this will be great for others, unfortunately it just isn't for me. Sorry Day.
March 20, 2018
Sian is such an interesting character. I really loved the introduction to this series. The characters and world were interesting, if a bit predictable.
May 27, 2018
This book is very interesting. I started reading it and fell in love with the plot. I can't wait to see what happens next.
Must read deffinetly!
Must read deffinetly!
July 26, 2018
The Spell Speaker is a cute, short novella that introduces readers to the world of Whyland where using magic is forbidden.
First of all, I would like to commend how beautiful the book cover is! It really entices readers into reading.
The concept of a new, forbidden magic in a magical world is truly beguiling. It awakens a reader's curiosity. In this novel, we are only given some pieces of information on how the magical system works and what happened to the Kingdom itself that caused the tension between the "Evil" King and some villagers. Although several major elements were introduced, it just leaves readers more questions than answers. I'm not so sure if it is the intention of the author or it just lacks more details. Maybe, this world-building will be developed more in the first book.
The plot is fairly simple and quite predictable. The hints for future revelations that are dropped in the story can be easily known and guessed by the reader before the actual revelation. Also, it doesn't have much plot twists which I completely understand since it's only a novella. Moreover, I really like how the story slowly developed the romance between Darian and Cayla. It is a sweet, innocent love. I cannot wait to know what the author has planned for these two characters and what will be their role for the rest of the series.
The author presented the story effortlessly straightforward. The dialogues are okay and it is used to explore the backstories of each character. It would have been better if there are more memorable lines or quotes that will leave readers' minds. Lastly, even though there are some elements that are quite mature, it seems like the tone and mood of the book is intended for younger readers.
The characters are quite interesting. I especially like Sian, who has a huge potential to be a great character. He has an unhappy backstory, which made him into a sly character. Until the end of the book, I still cannot decide what his motives are and whether he is a good or a bad guy.
Overall, The Spell Speakers is an easy read that offers a good intro to a new series. I can honestly say that I am looking forward to reading the rest of the series. I just hope that there will be more depth and details on the rest of the series because this book has both an appeal and potential to be a great one.
I gave this book 3.75/5 stars!
First of all, I would like to commend how beautiful the book cover is! It really entices readers into reading.
The concept of a new, forbidden magic in a magical world is truly beguiling. It awakens a reader's curiosity. In this novel, we are only given some pieces of information on how the magical system works and what happened to the Kingdom itself that caused the tension between the "Evil" King and some villagers. Although several major elements were introduced, it just leaves readers more questions than answers. I'm not so sure if it is the intention of the author or it just lacks more details. Maybe, this world-building will be developed more in the first book.
The plot is fairly simple and quite predictable. The hints for future revelations that are dropped in the story can be easily known and guessed by the reader before the actual revelation. Also, it doesn't have much plot twists which I completely understand since it's only a novella. Moreover, I really like how the story slowly developed the romance between Darian and Cayla. It is a sweet, innocent love. I cannot wait to know what the author has planned for these two characters and what will be their role for the rest of the series.
The author presented the story effortlessly straightforward. The dialogues are okay and it is used to explore the backstories of each character. It would have been better if there are more memorable lines or quotes that will leave readers' minds. Lastly, even though there are some elements that are quite mature, it seems like the tone and mood of the book is intended for younger readers.
The characters are quite interesting. I especially like Sian, who has a huge potential to be a great character. He has an unhappy backstory, which made him into a sly character. Until the end of the book, I still cannot decide what his motives are and whether he is a good or a bad guy.
Overall, The Spell Speakers is an easy read that offers a good intro to a new series. I can honestly say that I am looking forward to reading the rest of the series. I just hope that there will be more depth and details on the rest of the series because this book has both an appeal and potential to be a great one.
I gave this book 3.75/5 stars!
January 21, 2019
For a short preview into an upcoming series this book is a good one. Along with an introduction of most of the characters we get an idea of what's happening and how the things will shape up. Though well written it feels like the book was not well developed.
This book had a lot more scope and had it been a full length novel it would have done justice to the story. Another thing that put me a little off was that magic was very vaguely mentioned in the book. This story has magic at its core and it was missing from this novella.
However I would like to try reading the 1st book in the series before making a decision of continuing / dis-continuing this series.
This book had a lot more scope and had it been a full length novel it would have done justice to the story. Another thing that put me a little off was that magic was very vaguely mentioned in the book. This story has magic at its core and it was missing from this novella.
However I would like to try reading the 1st book in the series before making a decision of continuing / dis-continuing this series.
April 25, 2018
-Netgalley Review-
8.5/10
The story is interesting, but The plot have very inconsistent pacing and the writing used to introduce characters was quite stilted. The premise of the story was very interesting and there was obviously a lot of World-building been done in the background as several major elements was introduced. However, the significance of how or why magic important or even relevant to the central conflict between the oppressed people and the quote unquote Evil King is vague at best and poorly written at worst as the meanings of magical items such as the twin necklace was described in the first few chapters and then developed into a sudden relevation central to the two main characters’ character arc. There was a sharp absence of necessary foreshadowing to display its narrative significance.
The dialogue was okay, the character interaction was readable. The story used dialogue to explore character backstories and other such matters; that was okay. The dialogue exchanged between the characters wasn’t memorable, but they served the purpose of carrying the story forward and they did a pretty excellent job on that front.
I like how the story developed the romance between Darian and Cayla. I genuinely enjoyed the final resolution to the novella and I truly believed that there is a lot of amazing potential to explore as the writer has a strong grip on the two characters’ perspective on the world. I don’t mind reading more and I certainly wouldn’t mind reading future works set in the same continuity.
I have never read any works by Day Leitao, and I certainly can see the appeals of this book as the romance and the political intrigue elements that the story alludes to be present in its sequels is offers a good hook. The ending showed the resolve no the direction the main cast of characters had chosen to undertake. Without going into details, I could honestly say that I liked what the author did that regard. The characters actually became more and more developed as the plot threads forward.
It is a cute story, but I just wish the writing was a bit better and the writer had created memorable lines of dialogue and fascinating moments that the average reader could remember of the top of their head, and I also wish that the story was a bit deeper, but I know that this is still just an intro novella for a larger series, and hopefully the depth will come later. Thanks to the writer for creating this story and I hope to have the chance of reviewing later books in the series.
8.5/10
The story is interesting, but The plot have very inconsistent pacing and the writing used to introduce characters was quite stilted. The premise of the story was very interesting and there was obviously a lot of World-building been done in the background as several major elements was introduced. However, the significance of how or why magic important or even relevant to the central conflict between the oppressed people and the quote unquote Evil King is vague at best and poorly written at worst as the meanings of magical items such as the twin necklace was described in the first few chapters and then developed into a sudden relevation central to the two main characters’ character arc. There was a sharp absence of necessary foreshadowing to display its narrative significance.
The dialogue was okay, the character interaction was readable. The story used dialogue to explore character backstories and other such matters; that was okay. The dialogue exchanged between the characters wasn’t memorable, but they served the purpose of carrying the story forward and they did a pretty excellent job on that front.
I like how the story developed the romance between Darian and Cayla. I genuinely enjoyed the final resolution to the novella and I truly believed that there is a lot of amazing potential to explore as the writer has a strong grip on the two characters’ perspective on the world. I don’t mind reading more and I certainly wouldn’t mind reading future works set in the same continuity.
I have never read any works by Day Leitao, and I certainly can see the appeals of this book as the romance and the political intrigue elements that the story alludes to be present in its sequels is offers a good hook. The ending showed the resolve no the direction the main cast of characters had chosen to undertake. Without going into details, I could honestly say that I liked what the author did that regard. The characters actually became more and more developed as the plot threads forward.
It is a cute story, but I just wish the writing was a bit better and the writer had created memorable lines of dialogue and fascinating moments that the average reader could remember of the top of their head, and I also wish that the story was a bit deeper, but I know that this is still just an intro novella for a larger series, and hopefully the depth will come later. Thanks to the writer for creating this story and I hope to have the chance of reviewing later books in the series.
April 20, 2018
2.5 Stars.
Disclaimer: I got this as an ARC from Netgalley & of course would like to express my gratitude for the opportunity regardless of how I feel about the novel. My opinions about books I review are just that, my opinions. I would never discourage a writer from writing, nor a reader from reading.
The story is interesting, but I was confused while reading this often. It's really unclear whether this is a middle-grade fantasy, because there are some mature elements, but some very immature ones as well, especially the dialogue. The writing is 7/10, but the dialogue is 4.5/10 sometimes.
I always kept in mind that the characters ages are 14 and 15 & it's likely meant to be middle-grade, but some themes are not for children. The romance aspect was one thing, the main characters brother is assumed to be involved in crime which is another, also the main characters' mothers' death was extremely abrupt (also the fact that the mother's death wasn't even discussed until chapters 3 or 4?), not unheard of but not common in middle-grade fantasy (which I am basically a conisseur of, by the way). Also, another thing I'll mention is the consistency of actual fantasy elements, which is, not very. Few things are thrown in here and there, such as “This tree is from /this/ kingdom”, and “the King has evil magic”, or “nobody knows what these necklaces mean, but I do”. Nothing is explained.
I was instead left waiting forever to read about what is what, and by the time said thing was finally explained, bored.
It's an odd story that begins with a 14 year old boy named Darian, who lives with his mother, never knew his father or anything about his father's life. His mother is a rebel, part of this rebel council hell-bent on taking down the king and his evil and forbidden magic. One day she decides to bring Darian to one of these meetings, and that's when everything changed.
Darian and his mother are randomly attacked by a random band of three men on their way home. Darian's mother dies to save him, and her last words are, “find your father, tell him I love him”.
Fast forward. Darian is living with a couple, presumably friends of his mother's, (it's not actually mentioned what the relationship is). They offer him room and board, but eventually it is decided he can no longer stay with them. Darian agrees, and sets off to find his father in order to fulfill his mother's last words.
Darian meets his father, and a long lost brother that he never knew of. He discovers his father is the general for the king's army, which is kind of awkward given his mother's background. Darian is immediately enrolled in the army's defense academy. He is trained in military combat, and meets a girl his age who inevitably becomes a love interest.
It is a cute story, but I wish the writing was a bit better, and I also wish that the story was a bit deeper, but I know that this is still just an intro novel, and hopefully the depth will come later.
Disclaimer: I got this as an ARC from Netgalley & of course would like to express my gratitude for the opportunity regardless of how I feel about the novel. My opinions about books I review are just that, my opinions. I would never discourage a writer from writing, nor a reader from reading.
The story is interesting, but I was confused while reading this often. It's really unclear whether this is a middle-grade fantasy, because there are some mature elements, but some very immature ones as well, especially the dialogue. The writing is 7/10, but the dialogue is 4.5/10 sometimes.
I always kept in mind that the characters ages are 14 and 15 & it's likely meant to be middle-grade, but some themes are not for children. The romance aspect was one thing, the main characters brother is assumed to be involved in crime which is another, also the main characters' mothers' death was extremely abrupt (also the fact that the mother's death wasn't even discussed until chapters 3 or 4?), not unheard of but not common in middle-grade fantasy (which I am basically a conisseur of, by the way). Also, another thing I'll mention is the consistency of actual fantasy elements, which is, not very. Few things are thrown in here and there, such as “This tree is from /this/ kingdom”, and “the King has evil magic”, or “nobody knows what these necklaces mean, but I do”. Nothing is explained.
I was instead left waiting forever to read about what is what, and by the time said thing was finally explained, bored.
It's an odd story that begins with a 14 year old boy named Darian, who lives with his mother, never knew his father or anything about his father's life. His mother is a rebel, part of this rebel council hell-bent on taking down the king and his evil and forbidden magic. One day she decides to bring Darian to one of these meetings, and that's when everything changed.
Darian and his mother are randomly attacked by a random band of three men on their way home. Darian's mother dies to save him, and her last words are, “find your father, tell him I love him”.
Fast forward. Darian is living with a couple, presumably friends of his mother's, (it's not actually mentioned what the relationship is). They offer him room and board, but eventually it is decided he can no longer stay with them. Darian agrees, and sets off to find his father in order to fulfill his mother's last words.
Darian meets his father, and a long lost brother that he never knew of. He discovers his father is the general for the king's army, which is kind of awkward given his mother's background. Darian is immediately enrolled in the army's defense academy. He is trained in military combat, and meets a girl his age who inevitably becomes a love interest.
It is a cute story, but I wish the writing was a bit better, and I also wish that the story was a bit deeper, but I know that this is still just an intro novel, and hopefully the depth will come later.
May 2, 2018
The Spell Speakers is cute short novella about magic, wizards and sweet love between main and side character. I just can't help, but their scenes... It was just too cute and adorable!
Although, I don't think that this book is something special, there's something great about it and I must say, that I at least enjoyed reading it.
Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review!
Although, I don't think that this book is something special, there's something great about it and I must say, that I at least enjoyed reading it.
Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review!
June 6, 2018
**Received an ARC from the Publisher via Netgalley**
First, I would like to commend this book for having such a great cover. Yeah, I can totally say, that I am a sucker for books that has a great cover and this is why it usually affects my judgement on why I pick a book.
But with this, Am very sad to say that It did not reach my expectation at all. The teaser was interesting. But then the story lacks the enthusiasm I was looking for.
There are moments I would like to just drop it and don’t finish it at all. But then again, I believe how could I ever give an honest review without giving it a shot until the end. Sad to say, the book did not progress at all. The story is predictable. Characters are under developed. The flow was a little bit slow for my liking. The world building also lacks depth and uniqueness.
First, I would like to commend this book for having such a great cover. Yeah, I can totally say, that I am a sucker for books that has a great cover and this is why it usually affects my judgement on why I pick a book.
But with this, Am very sad to say that It did not reach my expectation at all. The teaser was interesting. But then the story lacks the enthusiasm I was looking for.
There are moments I would like to just drop it and don’t finish it at all. But then again, I believe how could I ever give an honest review without giving it a shot until the end. Sad to say, the book did not progress at all. The story is predictable. Characters are under developed. The flow was a little bit slow for my liking. The world building also lacks depth and uniqueness.
September 24, 2018
An interesting book. Darian A young boy loses his mothers to thieves but ends up with foster parents. Later his aunt takes him to the capital to meet his father. It turns out the his father is the general of the army and an older brother Sian is also there. His father forces him to train with his brother. One day he meets Cayla but he does not know who she is an dthus a friendship is established. However parties determine to sparate them and Darian is sent to an army post in the south. Here he establishes some friends in the villages and decides to help the common people againt the king and the army which of course will separate him from his brother.
May 30, 2018
Thank you for the opportunity to read this book, Netgalley!
This is a story before the actual book where the author is preparing us for the adventure of two brothers - so different from one another. One raised by his loving mother and the other - by his cruel father. But the brothers have something in common - they have magic that can manipulate people.
It is short and a bit plain story. Quite predictable.
This is a story before the actual book where the author is preparing us for the adventure of two brothers - so different from one another. One raised by his loving mother and the other - by his cruel father. But the brothers have something in common - they have magic that can manipulate people.
It is short and a bit plain story. Quite predictable.
April 29, 2018
*Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review *
This was a cute novella that serves as an introduction to a world.
Now, I know that it was a novella, but I still wanted it to be just a little longer, because I didn't get as much of an understanding of the characters, as I get in a little longer books.
But what we got was enjoyable.
This was a cute novella that serves as an introduction to a world.
Now, I know that it was a novella, but I still wanted it to be just a little longer, because I didn't get as much of an understanding of the characters, as I get in a little longer books.
But what we got was enjoyable.
June 2, 2018
Wonderful introduction to the series. Love the characters and the plots within the plots.
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