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Worldweavers #1
Gift of the Unmage
Thus says Cheveyo: mage, teacher, the first person in Thea's life to remain unimpressed by her lineage as Double Seventh, the seventh child of two seventh children. From birth, great things were expected of Thea, gradually replaced by puzzled disappointment as it became evident her magical abilities are, at most, minimal. Now, with Cheveyo, Thea has begun to weave herself a new magical identity, infused with elements of the original worlds where Cheveyo and others like him walk. But back home, she attends the Academy, the one school on earth for those who, like her, can't do magic. It is at the Academy that Thea realizes she will indeed have to fight, since her enemies are hungrier and more dangerous than she thought. What's more, her greatest strength may be the very powerlessness she has resisted for so long. Alma Alexander has woven a richly invented fantasy out of elements from many cultures, both real and imagined, and a memorable cast of characters.
400 pages, Hardcover
First published March 1, 2007
9 people are currently reading
790 people want to read
About the author
Alma Alexander
73 books204 followersAlma Alexander is a scientist by education, duchess by historical accident, and an author who has written more than a score of novels, including 'The Secrets of Jin-shei', published in dozens of editions and languages around the world.
Known as the Duchess of Fantasy, she is also a blogger sharing writing tips, and glimpses of both the mundane and magic of a fantasy author's life.
Her latest novels include 'Val Hall', a series about a retirement home for Superheroes, Third Class; 'Embers of Heaven' a Jin-shei follow-up; 'Empress', a love story; and 'Midnight at Spanish Gardens'.
Coming in July is 'The Second Star', a novel about the big eternal questions – about who, or what, God is; about our own immortal souls and their salvation; what it really means to be human; and whether it is possible to go out to where the monsters dwell and expect to come home again unchanged. It is a story of how humans meet the stars, and find themselves there.
Her YA include the four-book Worldweavers series, and 'The Were Chronicles' trilogy.
Her work has been translated into 14 languages worldwide, including Hebrew,Turkish, and Catalan.
She is currently at work on a new series of alternate history novels with roots in Eastern Europe.
She lives in Bellingham, WA, with her husband, two cats, and assorted visiting wildlife.
Visit her website/blog at www.AlmaAlexander.org or AlmaAlexanderAuthor.com , like her Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/pages/Alma-A...
Known as the Duchess of Fantasy, she is also a blogger sharing writing tips, and glimpses of both the mundane and magic of a fantasy author's life.
Her latest novels include 'Val Hall', a series about a retirement home for Superheroes, Third Class; 'Embers of Heaven' a Jin-shei follow-up; 'Empress', a love story; and 'Midnight at Spanish Gardens'.
Coming in July is 'The Second Star', a novel about the big eternal questions – about who, or what, God is; about our own immortal souls and their salvation; what it really means to be human; and whether it is possible to go out to where the monsters dwell and expect to come home again unchanged. It is a story of how humans meet the stars, and find themselves there.
Her YA include the four-book Worldweavers series, and 'The Were Chronicles' trilogy.
Her work has been translated into 14 languages worldwide, including Hebrew,Turkish, and Catalan.
She is currently at work on a new series of alternate history novels with roots in Eastern Europe.
She lives in Bellingham, WA, with her husband, two cats, and assorted visiting wildlife.
Visit her website/blog at www.AlmaAlexander.org or AlmaAlexanderAuthor.com , like her Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/pages/Alma-A...
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 74 reviews
October 30, 2009
This book started out very Harry Potter-esque. Then the majority of the book was spend on whimsical soul-seeking journeys and pipe dreams. Suddenly, at the end of the book, the author introduces and antagonist and grants Thea a stupid power that saves everyone but no one knows it, (and frankly, it's hard for the reader to believe she did anything great either).
Okay book, lame in the end.
Okay book, lame in the end.
April 3, 2014
Thea is 14 years old. She's the seventh child of two seventh children, which means she is to be very powerful. Thea wants to go to the best magical University when she gets older. But, there is one thing holding her back...she doesn't have the magical touch, at all. She's not able to perform any magical projects. She feels she's letting her parents down. They have tried everything they can to help Thea find her magical nitch. Now, there is only one thing left to try and her father will call in a huge favor to try it.
In her eavesdropping Thea knows her parents have plans for her and if these plans with some private lessons don't work, she will be sent to that place next year. That place is The Wandless Academy, where non-magical children go to school. Non-magical children and schools are the minority and she feels she will become nothing in a magical world without magical powers.
This is a world where magic exists in a big way, and in many different specialities and levels. If you don't have magic, you don't amount to much of anything here, or as Thea feels. There is a big world starting to be created here with endless magical possibilities; from our traditional telepathy between family members to traditional magic with music or shepherd mages and different levels of mages. We even have portals to travel to different places and through time.
This young adult read is not one for lots of violence or intimacy of boyfriend/girlfriend, but what I did enjoy from it was the American Indian mythology usage. This was a great mythology to set with this world. Alma relates the things Thea learns my using the beliefs to the current time and place Thea lives in.
Thea starts off as a typical teenage child who in a way feels sorry for herself and guilty for her lack of powers, in relation to her parents. She has a wonderful and open relationship with her Aunt. As she is close with her parents, it's just she feels she has let them down, being expected to be so powerful. Thea really grows greatly through this book with what she learns while with Chevery. Then how she uses it when she returns home to willingly go to the Wardless Academy. Thea makes some wonderful and unusual friends there at the school. But it is a time she will never forget, for the things she accomplishes. I enjoyed the journeys Thea takes to understand herself. Through the beliefs and teachings Thea goes through she learns she has to be patient and the understanding will come ~ a great lesson to be learned by both children and adults alike.
I enjoyed this first book, and will be reading the next book as well. I would suggest this book to a Young adult who likes to read of magic and Americal Indian mythology. I feel this book was a nice break from lots of fighting and violence and even the drooling love scenes. This is a nice read for a younger adult to sit back and enjoy, and the parents not worring what is in those pages.
In her eavesdropping Thea knows her parents have plans for her and if these plans with some private lessons don't work, she will be sent to that place next year. That place is The Wandless Academy, where non-magical children go to school. Non-magical children and schools are the minority and she feels she will become nothing in a magical world without magical powers.
This is a world where magic exists in a big way, and in many different specialities and levels. If you don't have magic, you don't amount to much of anything here, or as Thea feels. There is a big world starting to be created here with endless magical possibilities; from our traditional telepathy between family members to traditional magic with music or shepherd mages and different levels of mages. We even have portals to travel to different places and through time.
This young adult read is not one for lots of violence or intimacy of boyfriend/girlfriend, but what I did enjoy from it was the American Indian mythology usage. This was a great mythology to set with this world. Alma relates the things Thea learns my using the beliefs to the current time and place Thea lives in.
Thea starts off as a typical teenage child who in a way feels sorry for herself and guilty for her lack of powers, in relation to her parents. She has a wonderful and open relationship with her Aunt. As she is close with her parents, it's just she feels she has let them down, being expected to be so powerful. Thea really grows greatly through this book with what she learns while with Chevery. Then how she uses it when she returns home to willingly go to the Wardless Academy. Thea makes some wonderful and unusual friends there at the school. But it is a time she will never forget, for the things she accomplishes. I enjoyed the journeys Thea takes to understand herself. Through the beliefs and teachings Thea goes through she learns she has to be patient and the understanding will come ~ a great lesson to be learned by both children and adults alike.
I enjoyed this first book, and will be reading the next book as well. I would suggest this book to a Young adult who likes to read of magic and Americal Indian mythology. I feel this book was a nice break from lots of fighting and violence and even the drooling love scenes. This is a nice read for a younger adult to sit back and enjoy, and the parents not worring what is in those pages.
September 12, 2017
This book seemed to be two stories in one, one contemporary set in an alternate universe and one mythological .I liked the contemporary part of the story. It was about the struggle to overcome limitations. In this case, a girl, Thea, without magic living in a world that depends on it. She is dealing with expectations of being a double seventh, a child who was supposed to have great magical powers. She feels she is a disappointment to her family even though they love her just as she is. I didn't enjoy the mythological part of the story. It didn't ring true for me, and I was unable to suspend disbelief. Perhaps it was just a little too woo woo. I will probably give the second book a chance in the hopes that it will spend more time at Wandless Academy, the school for non-magicians where Thea is to be sent next semester.
Want to read
February 21, 2024I just found out that this book is being banned in Florida. That is sufficient for me to decide to get it.
April 1, 2011
Some nice imagery, and an interesting premise, but also a vague and disjointed story. I wasn't sure whether Thea's world was supposed to be a future version of our world, or an alternate version. It sounded like the Alphiri came from another world (as in another dimension-sort-of-thing), but some passages made it seem like they just came from another planet. These science fiction elements are intriguingly blended with fantasy, but the details could have used some more work.
Thea's father was said to have gone to work in Washington D. C., but was apparently retired, because later in the book the family was living in Washington State(?) Or did I just miss a transition there?
Also, the Magical Indian theme--a little eye-rolling at first, but I was glad that as it went along, it took on more aspects of native mythology, aside from Magpie's cliche animal healing. It also confused me that Cheveyo was an Anasazi (ancient Pueblo people), but Thea's friend Magpie from some Pacific Northwest tribe understood his words for the months. Why would Magpie know Anasazi words? Just because she's a Native American? Say what? All in all, the Native American elements were interesting, but an awkward blend with the later scenes in Thea's school and the computer magic. Her ability to access other worlds through computers seemed sort of contrived and random--I guess since in her world, she and computers were both supposed to be unmagical, that somehow allowed her to use them to access her otherworldly powers?
A school on the Olympic Peninsula at this point smacks of Twilight, as does the "Quilcah" tribe--I'm glad that this story is better and that the commonalities ended there.
Though a little different in nature, the main enemy being "The Nothing" was pulled straight from the pages of The Neverending Story and didn't show up until the final third of the book--the author could have elevated the sense of threat and tied the story together better if the enemy had been present the whole time, and not just in the form of the somewhat-sinister-to-Thea-but-otherwise-benignly-avaricious Alphiri.
Confusing, to say the least, but good enough to read the sequel.
NOTE: After reading the whole trilogy, I'd say it's definitely worth going on. It gets better with each book.
Thea's father was said to have gone to work in Washington D. C., but was apparently retired, because later in the book the family was living in Washington State(?) Or did I just miss a transition there?
Also, the Magical Indian theme--a little eye-rolling at first, but I was glad that as it went along, it took on more aspects of native mythology, aside from Magpie's cliche animal healing. It also confused me that Cheveyo was an Anasazi (ancient Pueblo people), but Thea's friend Magpie from some Pacific Northwest tribe understood his words for the months. Why would Magpie know Anasazi words? Just because she's a Native American? Say what? All in all, the Native American elements were interesting, but an awkward blend with the later scenes in Thea's school and the computer magic. Her ability to access other worlds through computers seemed sort of contrived and random--I guess since in her world, she and computers were both supposed to be unmagical, that somehow allowed her to use them to access her otherworldly powers?
A school on the Olympic Peninsula at this point smacks of Twilight, as does the "Quilcah" tribe--I'm glad that this story is better and that the commonalities ended there.
Though a little different in nature, the main enemy being "The Nothing" was pulled straight from the pages of The Neverending Story and didn't show up until the final third of the book--the author could have elevated the sense of threat and tied the story together better if the enemy had been present the whole time, and not just in the form of the somewhat-sinister-to-Thea-but-otherwise-benignly-avaricious Alphiri.
Confusing, to say the least, but good enough to read the sequel.
NOTE: After reading the whole trilogy, I'd say it's definitely worth going on. It gets better with each book.
March 7, 2015
In a world almost exactly like ours, except that it has magic, our heroine is the seventh child of two seventh children. Naturally, she's expected to be something special. Too bad she isn't. She's flunking her magic classes and her parents are going to send her off to some sort of summer boot camp to finally drill the magic into her. Somehow.
Instead, she gets sent on a Native American flavored spiritual journey, where she meets with the personifications of various forces and learns that she has the ability to weave, both cloth and light. Not that she'll keep these powers when she goes back. This world is realer than her own, which is full of Alphari, or elves, who put a price on everything and want her and the power that she was supposed to have.
However, she's being sent off to a school for the magicless and those actively allergic to magic. Here she makes some of the first friends of her life and discovers that there's a Nothing that's eating the world. And one of her birth gifts from the Faele was to conquer nothing. Is this the nothing it meant?
It's an enjoyable read as Thea changes from a whiny, entitled child to an accepting young girl who knows that she has magic, she just doesn't let herself use it in this world. She's an intriguing character. I also like the school motif and, of course, magic is always a good thing. I look forward to the next in the series.
Instead, she gets sent on a Native American flavored spiritual journey, where she meets with the personifications of various forces and learns that she has the ability to weave, both cloth and light. Not that she'll keep these powers when she goes back. This world is realer than her own, which is full of Alphari, or elves, who put a price on everything and want her and the power that she was supposed to have.
However, she's being sent off to a school for the magicless and those actively allergic to magic. Here she makes some of the first friends of her life and discovers that there's a Nothing that's eating the world. And one of her birth gifts from the Faele was to conquer nothing. Is this the nothing it meant?
It's an enjoyable read as Thea changes from a whiny, entitled child to an accepting young girl who knows that she has magic, she just doesn't let herself use it in this world. She's an intriguing character. I also like the school motif and, of course, magic is always a good thing. I look forward to the next in the series.
March 1, 2009
I met Alma Alexander at last year's Portland Kidlit gathering at Powell's. I'd seen the books around, but meeting her prompted me to actually read it. I happened to find this at the library the other day, so I got it. For such a hefty-looking book, it was a pretty quick read--in part because it was so interesting.
It took me a while to figure out whether this story took place on Earth or in some made-up world. It is indeed set on Earth, but magic is commonplace, and other worlds do exist. They're a bit less like worlds and more like planes of existence, I suppose.
I absolutely loved the whole part with Grandmother Spider. She's a great character. The characters at the Academy were great, too. I think my favorite character in the whole book was Magpie. The plot was interesting, but I don't think there was enough-build up. The climax fell kind of flat. I think some of the ideas in there could have been expanded and explored a lot more. There are a lot of great concepts throughout the book, and I wonder how many will return later in the series.
With what happens at the end... I'm certainly interested in reading the next book, "Spellspam". I shall be getting it from my library soon.
It took me a while to figure out whether this story took place on Earth or in some made-up world. It is indeed set on Earth, but magic is commonplace, and other worlds do exist. They're a bit less like worlds and more like planes of existence, I suppose.
I absolutely loved the whole part with Grandmother Spider. She's a great character. The characters at the Academy were great, too. I think my favorite character in the whole book was Magpie. The plot was interesting, but I don't think there was enough-build up. The climax fell kind of flat. I think some of the ideas in there could have been expanded and explored a lot more. There are a lot of great concepts throughout the book, and I wonder how many will return later in the series.
With what happens at the end... I'm certainly interested in reading the next book, "Spellspam". I shall be getting it from my library soon.
June 16, 2009
This young adult fantasy book was different and new and so that captured my interest. I loved it at the first, but then when she goes to learn how to use her powers it slows down. Later as she attends the school for non-magical people she teams up with five friends. Each of them has a single strength. I'm sure that they will travel from world to world conquering evil in future books. It didn't capture me enough to find out what those adventures would be. (stop here unless you want to know what happens)
Young Thea is the seventh daughter of parents who were each the seventh child. She is supposed to be able to perform a lot of magic. She can't do this. In fact it seems that she doesn't have an ounce of magic in her. Her father takes her to one of the "old ones," to see if he can help her discover her gifts. She is taught by him and by Spider Woman all of the things that she can do. It seems that in our world she is non-magic, but in other worlds she can weave light and colors into patterns. She can go from one world to another by thinking about it. She and her friends conquer the "Nothing" that is killing and absorbing all of their magical teachers. The first of a series.
Young Thea is the seventh daughter of parents who were each the seventh child. She is supposed to be able to perform a lot of magic. She can't do this. In fact it seems that she doesn't have an ounce of magic in her. Her father takes her to one of the "old ones," to see if he can help her discover her gifts. She is taught by him and by Spider Woman all of the things that she can do. It seems that in our world she is non-magic, but in other worlds she can weave light and colors into patterns. She can go from one world to another by thinking about it. She and her friends conquer the "Nothing" that is killing and absorbing all of their magical teachers. The first of a series.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 7, 2011
I was pleasantly surprised. I've really heard nothing about this series, but Alma Alexander is one of my LJ friends, so I was curious, and picked this up at the library. Thea is a "double seventh" - the seventh child of two seventh children, and great things were expected of her. To her parents' and her own great disappointment, however, she has, or seems to have no magical skills at all. So her parents decide to send her away to a special school for the magically challenged.
So far, so familiar and predictable. But in the development of the story, Alexander introduces Native American folklore that brings a surprising weight to the narrative. Thea is likeable - intelligent and curious, undermined by lack of confidence in herself. The folkloric elements are fascinating, and the third part of the novel, which becomes a school story, is involving. Yes, it seems to be a bit JK Rowling meets Madeline L'Engle, but it has interesting elements of its own. Looking forward to the next volume.
So far, so familiar and predictable. But in the development of the story, Alexander introduces Native American folklore that brings a surprising weight to the narrative. Thea is likeable - intelligent and curious, undermined by lack of confidence in herself. The folkloric elements are fascinating, and the third part of the novel, which becomes a school story, is involving. Yes, it seems to be a bit JK Rowling meets Madeline L'Engle, but it has interesting elements of its own. Looking forward to the next volume.
February 4, 2008
One of the fliers I saw for this book stated "Look Out, Harry Potter. The Yanks Are Coming." But while this book was good (excellent, even) it actually reminded me more of Susan Cooper's The Dark Is Rising Series, with more of a Native American twist instead of Welsh lore. Thea, the seventh child of two seventh-child parents, was expected to be a mage with tremendous power with such a promising background. To her family's disappointment, it seems she has no magical ability whatsoever. Thea's father sends her to a mysterious tutor as a last resort, before sending her to the Wandless Academy for those without magic talent, or cannot use it for one reason or another (twins Tess and Terry, who later become Thea's friends, are actually allergic to magic). Will Thea learn her own brand of magic? And will she be able to face the dark forces that imperil her world, a feat that have felled some of the most powerful mages of the land?
October 16, 2015
Whines to Much
February 18, 2018
Alexander, Alma Worldweavers: Gift of the Unmage, 400pg. Harper Collins. Language-G, Violence-PG, Sexual Content-G.
In a world where there is only magic it is hard for Thea "the given child" to not have any. But then the unknown, a force created that feeds on others powers comes to town and people's life's are at stake. That is when she has to use her non-magic to help the world.
I thought this book was very good because it had a good moral that sometimes it's not what you can't do it's what you can do that counts.
MS, HS- ADVISABLE. Student Reviewer: MS
http://kissthebook.blogspot.com/2008/...
In a world where there is only magic it is hard for Thea "the given child" to not have any. But then the unknown, a force created that feeds on others powers comes to town and people's life's are at stake. That is when she has to use her non-magic to help the world.
I thought this book was very good because it had a good moral that sometimes it's not what you can't do it's what you can do that counts.
MS, HS- ADVISABLE. Student Reviewer: MS
http://kissthebook.blogspot.com/2008/...
December 10, 2018
Real rating is 3.5 stars. I enjoyed this story; it was very unique and interesting, challenging some traditional fantasy book tropes. There is also a particular interest in the senses, the significance of which remains vague, and I hope it will be expanded upon in the future books. However, the story is quite disjointed, and the antagonist is a rather distant idea for most of the novel. I almost felt like it could have been two books, with the first section/book only having an internal conflict for Thea and the Alphiri set to take their place as antagonists in the next section/book.
February 10, 2023
I wish I could read it again for the first time!
Thea is each of us feeling we are ordinary and unworthy. Not fitting in. Dismal. Doomed. But there is more fir her and for each of us readers. So special. Thank you, Alma.
Thea is each of us feeling we are ordinary and unworthy. Not fitting in. Dismal. Doomed. But there is more fir her and for each of us readers. So special. Thank you, Alma.
January 5, 2018
Couldn’t really follow. Gave it 100 paged to impress me but I didn’t finish because it seemed pointless.
May 12, 2020
There were interesting elements to the book, but it felt disjointed, like separate stories.
July 5, 2020
DNF. Boring
December 13, 2023
Fun. Not the best writing, but fun characters and story!
Read
March 2, 2017Very good idea of ancient logic but a bit too much cliché. Because of the things described could have been use more colorful diction. In the end story was classic and not really unique but there was some good and unique ideas.
December 31, 2014
Thea has always failed to live up to expectations. As the seventh child of two seventh children---a Double Seventh---she's a shoo-in to be one of the greatest magicians the world has ever seen. But year after year, her lack of talent continues to baffle her parents and herself. As she approaches the age for university, her choices are appallingly slim without a passable grade in magic. Her father has one last, desperate idea---one that will change her forever, unlock the potential everyone knows has to be there, or perhaps destroy her.
In a world where almost everyone has magic, Thea is stuck in the unenviable position not just of being a dud, not just having two powerful parents and a bevy of magical siblings and relatives, but of being the media's darling from birth. As the world watches, the years go by without the slightest spark of magical ability. And the most frustrating part is how hard she tries to live up to those expectations, only to fail again and again.
And then her father sends her away to a mysterious teacher, the last one, the one who must either make or break her. Only Cheveyo isn't what she expected, nor is magic exactly what he has in mind. Patience, he counsels. Ask the right questions. With him, the magic is almost an afterthought. With him, Thea discovers more wonder than she could have imagined. Whole new worlds await, and beings she never could have imagined.
Thea begins the book as a rather spoiled and self-centered child, but her pain runs deep, and the conflict within herself drives the story as much as the external events. By the end she's not only learned a lot, she's able to make some of the hardest decisions of her life and accept the consequences.
It's a pity the jacket is rather misleading. The Academy covers about the last third of the book and is the cap on the story, not the main thrust of it. The various polities have minimal explanation, although it usually works well enough, but I was left wondering how much they've crossed into the human world or if they're still more or less on the fringes. The Nothing might have done better if it appeared closer to the beginning of the book, as the plot hurriedly works to both ensconce Thea in her new school and build up a threat Thea herself never witnesses before she challenges it. And Corey remains a puzzling absence after an encounter with Thea that threatens retribution.
By far my favorite part was the mythologies brought to life. The various characters had both vastness and detail, and that magical night Thea spends with Grandmother Spider was for me the highlight of the book. I rate this book Recommended.
In a world where almost everyone has magic, Thea is stuck in the unenviable position not just of being a dud, not just having two powerful parents and a bevy of magical siblings and relatives, but of being the media's darling from birth. As the world watches, the years go by without the slightest spark of magical ability. And the most frustrating part is how hard she tries to live up to those expectations, only to fail again and again.
And then her father sends her away to a mysterious teacher, the last one, the one who must either make or break her. Only Cheveyo isn't what she expected, nor is magic exactly what he has in mind. Patience, he counsels. Ask the right questions. With him, the magic is almost an afterthought. With him, Thea discovers more wonder than she could have imagined. Whole new worlds await, and beings she never could have imagined.
Thea begins the book as a rather spoiled and self-centered child, but her pain runs deep, and the conflict within herself drives the story as much as the external events. By the end she's not only learned a lot, she's able to make some of the hardest decisions of her life and accept the consequences.
It's a pity the jacket is rather misleading. The Academy covers about the last third of the book and is the cap on the story, not the main thrust of it. The various polities have minimal explanation, although it usually works well enough, but I was left wondering how much they've crossed into the human world or if they're still more or less on the fringes. The Nothing might have done better if it appeared closer to the beginning of the book, as the plot hurriedly works to both ensconce Thea in her new school and build up a threat Thea herself never witnesses before she challenges it. And Corey remains a puzzling absence after an encounter with Thea that threatens retribution.
By far my favorite part was the mythologies brought to life. The various characters had both vastness and detail, and that magical night Thea spends with Grandmother Spider was for me the highlight of the book. I rate this book Recommended.
August 26, 2013
Only found out about this series because I won the second book in the "Tesla's Birthday" contest on Tiffany Trent's blog.
In a world where nearly everyone is gifted with magic, Galathea, the seventh child of two seventh children, should have been especially talented. Instead, she has no abilities whatsoever . . . or does she? Her parents send her through a time portal to visit an ancient sage who may be her last chance at unlocking her full potential. But when a malevolent, magic-eating entity attacks her world, Thea discovers that being an unmage isn't such a bad thing after all.
I think the beginning could have used more world-building, and some of the explanation of the magic system was a bit headym, but overall the book was very enjoyable. For example, I thought the story took place in a completely made-up universe until the characters started talking about going to Arizona. Then I realized - ok, parallel reality to our own, gotcha.
I really liked Alexander's writing style and the way she had the characters, especially Zoe, "seeing the wind" and "smelling disappointment," along with other magical mix-ups of the senses. The idea of weaving light and other intangible things was intriguing as well as the concept of "cybermages." I will definitely be finishing the series, and not just because I have volume II sitting tantalizingly on my bookshelf. I checked this particular book out of the library, but I plan to add it to my personal collection at some point.
In a world where nearly everyone is gifted with magic, Galathea, the seventh child of two seventh children, should have been especially talented. Instead, she has no abilities whatsoever . . . or does she? Her parents send her through a time portal to visit an ancient sage who may be her last chance at unlocking her full potential. But when a malevolent, magic-eating entity attacks her world, Thea discovers that being an unmage isn't such a bad thing after all.
I think the beginning could have used more world-building, and some of the explanation of the magic system was a bit headym, but overall the book was very enjoyable. For example, I thought the story took place in a completely made-up universe until the characters started talking about going to Arizona. Then I realized - ok, parallel reality to our own, gotcha.
I really liked Alexander's writing style and the way she had the characters, especially Zoe, "seeing the wind" and "smelling disappointment," along with other magical mix-ups of the senses. The idea of weaving light and other intangible things was intriguing as well as the concept of "cybermages." I will definitely be finishing the series, and not just because I have volume II sitting tantalizingly on my bookshelf. I checked this particular book out of the library, but I plan to add it to my personal collection at some point.
February 7, 2017
Galathea Winthrop is the seventh child of a seventh daughter and a seventh son, and she is expected to be a prodigy of a mage. Her birth is front-page news. Everyone awaits the news of her first signs of the great magic that will surely be hers.
Little Thea proves to be a "magidim," i.e., apparently no magic at all. Ars Magica is the only subject she doesn't excel in at school.
Finally, as a teenager, after years of special classes and special teachers, her parents conclude they have no choice. Her father arranges one last "summer camp" of special tutoring, hoping to knock her magic loose at last, and if that doesn't work, she'll have to go to Wandless Academy, the school for those with no magic at all.
"Summer camp" gets moved up to April, and is nothing like what she expected.
When it's done and she returns home, her ideas have changed a lot, along with her feelings about going to Wandless Academy. And what she finds at Wandless brings new revelations.
This is a story of a teenager who has grown up disappointing the impossible expectations all around her, and discovering who she really is. Along the way, she also learns a lot more about her parents, her aunt, and the other adults around her.
It's a good plot, and good character development. I'd love to talk more about the "summer camp" experience, but what I'd say would be spoilerific, so I refrain.
Recommended.
I bought this audiobook.
Little Thea proves to be a "magidim," i.e., apparently no magic at all. Ars Magica is the only subject she doesn't excel in at school.
Finally, as a teenager, after years of special classes and special teachers, her parents conclude they have no choice. Her father arranges one last "summer camp" of special tutoring, hoping to knock her magic loose at last, and if that doesn't work, she'll have to go to Wandless Academy, the school for those with no magic at all.
"Summer camp" gets moved up to April, and is nothing like what she expected.
When it's done and she returns home, her ideas have changed a lot, along with her feelings about going to Wandless Academy. And what she finds at Wandless brings new revelations.
This is a story of a teenager who has grown up disappointing the impossible expectations all around her, and discovering who she really is. Along the way, she also learns a lot more about her parents, her aunt, and the other adults around her.
It's a good plot, and good character development. I'd love to talk more about the "summer camp" experience, but what I'd say would be spoilerific, so I refrain.
Recommended.
I bought this audiobook.
November 4, 2012
Reviewed by Jocelyn Pearce for TeensReadToo.com
Thea is a double seventh--a seventh child of two seventh children--and so, as soon as she is born, great things are expected of her. Everyone waits anxiously for her sure-to-be powerful magic to reveal itself.
And waits. And waits.
She disappoints everyone with her lack of the magic almost everyone in her world has, even those who can't show it, like her parents. However, in a last-ditch attempt to find Thea's power, her father sends her to another world, where her teacher, Chevyo, helps her to discover her own abilities.
Back home, however, Thea attends the Wandless Academy, where those hopeless cases are sent to be isolated from magic. There, her strange powers that Chevyo helped her find in the other world come in surprisingly handy when she and a few friends, thought to be talentless and useless by much of their society, are called upon to save their world.
GIFT OF THE UNMAGE was a good book, really, but at times I felt like it had a lot of potential to be even better, so I was a little disappointed. It's still worth the read for those who are looking for this sort of fantasy, however, and I will be looking forward to Ms. Alexander's next books.
Thea is a double seventh--a seventh child of two seventh children--and so, as soon as she is born, great things are expected of her. Everyone waits anxiously for her sure-to-be powerful magic to reveal itself.
And waits. And waits.
She disappoints everyone with her lack of the magic almost everyone in her world has, even those who can't show it, like her parents. However, in a last-ditch attempt to find Thea's power, her father sends her to another world, where her teacher, Chevyo, helps her to discover her own abilities.
Back home, however, Thea attends the Wandless Academy, where those hopeless cases are sent to be isolated from magic. There, her strange powers that Chevyo helped her find in the other world come in surprisingly handy when she and a few friends, thought to be talentless and useless by much of their society, are called upon to save their world.
GIFT OF THE UNMAGE was a good book, really, but at times I felt like it had a lot of potential to be even better, so I was a little disappointed. It's still worth the read for those who are looking for this sort of fantasy, however, and I will be looking forward to Ms. Alexander's next books.
August 11, 2009
The seventh kid of two seventh kids, the main character whose name I've already forgotten is supposed to have a ton of magic. But she doesn't. So her father sends her away to study with an Anasazi spiritual guide or something and she finds herself and talks with a Spider Goddess who isn't Anansi, because the trickster in the story is a wolf.
But eventually she goes off to a school for people with no magical ability (which is a real rarity in the world, as there only seems to be one school in the whole world). And the school is the reason I selected this book with Novelist as a tool. So I was glad she finally got there.
I'm not sure what I think of the inclusion of Native American elements. For the most part, it just didn't interest me. But I don't know enough to know if it was handled well, with knowledge and care, or not.
After reading this and Shaman's Crossing by Robin Hobb, I came to the conclusion that I don't like spiritual journeys with a tutor/guide/teacher/whatever. Too much talking and perhaps magic I'm not comfortable with. Or just bored by.
So, not bad, once she finally got to the school. But I'm not ready to put in an ILL request for the next book in the series either.
But eventually she goes off to a school for people with no magical ability (which is a real rarity in the world, as there only seems to be one school in the whole world). And the school is the reason I selected this book with Novelist as a tool. So I was glad she finally got there.
I'm not sure what I think of the inclusion of Native American elements. For the most part, it just didn't interest me. But I don't know enough to know if it was handled well, with knowledge and care, or not.
After reading this and Shaman's Crossing by Robin Hobb, I came to the conclusion that I don't like spiritual journeys with a tutor/guide/teacher/whatever. Too much talking and perhaps magic I'm not comfortable with. Or just bored by.
So, not bad, once she finally got to the school. But I'm not ready to put in an ILL request for the next book in the series either.
June 13, 2008
I met Alma at WisCon and appreciated her views of young adult fantasy, so I picked up this book.
First, it is what I would call lore, as much as fantasy. Two settings were used in the story: the desert southwest and the Pacific Northwest.
The story centers on a young girl, born to a family of mages, as the seventh child of two seventh children, one that, in the world of magic, has special meaning. But young Thea can't perform any magic. As a last gasp attempt to awaken her powers, her father sends her back through time to an ancient mage where she learns of her true powers and abilities.
I won't ruin the book by saying anything more on the plot, but it was a fascinating and moving read for me. I highly recommend it for anyone remotely interested in native American lore and especially those connected to the Pacific Northwest.
I didn't give this five stars for a couple of reasons, but mostly those had to do with some minor nits, not worth mentioning and certainly nothing that spoiled the fine nature of the story.
After you finish reading this book, I strongly recommend reading the second in the series: Spellspam (Worldweavers: Book 2).
First, it is what I would call lore, as much as fantasy. Two settings were used in the story: the desert southwest and the Pacific Northwest.
The story centers on a young girl, born to a family of mages, as the seventh child of two seventh children, one that, in the world of magic, has special meaning. But young Thea can't perform any magic. As a last gasp attempt to awaken her powers, her father sends her back through time to an ancient mage where she learns of her true powers and abilities.
I won't ruin the book by saying anything more on the plot, but it was a fascinating and moving read for me. I highly recommend it for anyone remotely interested in native American lore and especially those connected to the Pacific Northwest.
I didn't give this five stars for a couple of reasons, but mostly those had to do with some minor nits, not worth mentioning and certainly nothing that spoiled the fine nature of the story.
After you finish reading this book, I strongly recommend reading the second in the series: Spellspam (Worldweavers: Book 2).
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October 7, 2013In Thea's world, people who can't do magic are almost less-than-nothing. They get pulled out of real schools and sent to the one school where those unfortunate to have little or no ability with magic are taught other trades.
Thea is a double-seventh - a child of two parents who were each seventh children. Her magic should be unstoppable. Thea should be unstoppable. But the only thing stopping is her schooling - because she just cannot do magic.
A lot was expected of her, heck, she expected a lot of herself. It didn't happen that way though, so along with self-doubt and self-recrimination, she had to figure out what to do with her life - since it wasn't going at all the way she (or anyone else) planned. The plus side? Well, after realizing everyone's hopes were dashed to smithereens and you were going to amount to nothing at all, it seemed almost easier for things to get better, having fallen so far
Thea is a double-seventh - a child of two parents who were each seventh children. Her magic should be unstoppable. Thea should be unstoppable. But the only thing stopping is her schooling - because she just cannot do magic.
A lot was expected of her, heck, she expected a lot of herself. It didn't happen that way though, so along with self-doubt and self-recrimination, she had to figure out what to do with her life - since it wasn't going at all the way she (or anyone else) planned. The plus side? Well, after realizing everyone's hopes were dashed to smithereens and you were going to amount to nothing at all, it seemed almost easier for things to get better, having fallen so far
June 5, 2008
Thea is a Double Seventh, the seventh child of two parents who were themselves seventh children, and the hope of her abilities has haunted Thea all her life. The irony is that she is incapable of doing any magic. Before she is sent away to a special non-magical school, her father sends her into the desert to meet with a shaman. It is journey with the shaman and later with Grandmother Spider, that Thea's learns she does have the power to do magic, but she chooses not too.
I enjoyed this because it played off American mythology, which at least for me as a reader, is still relatively new territory. The time with the Anasazi, and the Grandmother Spider stories were amazing. The new magic that Thea discovers is a little meh in my opinion, but it was a fun read, and I am sure I will read the next one or two to see where they go.
I enjoyed this because it played off American mythology, which at least for me as a reader, is still relatively new territory. The time with the Anasazi, and the Grandmother Spider stories were amazing. The new magic that Thea discovers is a little meh in my opinion, but it was a fun read, and I am sure I will read the next one or two to see where they go.
May 9, 2009
Alma Alexander does an excellent job of showing the angst, self-doubt, hurt, and the defiant self defense mechanisms that somebody in Thea's position might struggle with. You understand her anger mixed with sadness, her fear of that look of disappointment in her father's eyes as she fails in magic school, the one he tries to hide. You sympathize with her jealousy of her six older and magically talented brothers (well, there is Frankie but atleast he has some magic, even if he never quite gets things right.) Plus, she is not the only great character in the book, just the main one. (Warning, bad pun incoming...) It was love at first read! (Feel free to groan now, I did....)
Full Review Here:
Dragons, Heroes and Wizards: Fantasy Series Book Reviews
Full Review Here:
Dragons, Heroes and Wizards: Fantasy Series Book Reviews
January 2, 2008
Double Seventh, the seventh child of two parents who were also seventh children.
Amazing magical ability. As the world watches, Galathea Georgiana Winthrop fails every assignment, every exam, and every teacher that tries to find out her magical gifts. As a last resort her father sends Thea back in time to a Anasazi elder who doesn't exactly teach but simply walks...
When Thea returns with still no signs of her magic, she is sent to the Wandless Academy, a school for the magically inept.
There in a place of no magic Thea faces the battle of her life.
Check out Gift of the Unmage by Alma Alexander at your local library or on amazon.com
Ages 12 and up. If you like Harry Potter or Diana Wynne Jones Young Wizard series you will enjoy this book.
Amazing magical ability. As the world watches, Galathea Georgiana Winthrop fails every assignment, every exam, and every teacher that tries to find out her magical gifts. As a last resort her father sends Thea back in time to a Anasazi elder who doesn't exactly teach but simply walks...
When Thea returns with still no signs of her magic, she is sent to the Wandless Academy, a school for the magically inept.
There in a place of no magic Thea faces the battle of her life.
Check out Gift of the Unmage by Alma Alexander at your local library or on amazon.com
Ages 12 and up. If you like Harry Potter or Diana Wynne Jones Young Wizard series you will enjoy this book.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 74 reviews