SPELLSLINGER by Sebastien de Castell – Review

I received this book for free from the Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Spellslinger by Sebastien de Castell
Series: Spellslinger #1
Published by Orbit on July 17 2018
Genres: Fantasy
Pages: 432
Format: ARC
Source: Publisher
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The nitty-gritty: Loaded with top notch world-building, characterizations and perfect pacing, Spellslinger is a must read for fantasy fans of all ages.

I was excited to pick up Spellslinger, which is finally available in the U.S., after reading lots of enthusiastic reviews from some of my UK blogger friends. I even purchased a beautiful signed UK edition last year, but never got around to reading it. And I’m happy to report that all those rave reviews got it right. This book was spectacular, and an exciting entry into a projected six book series. This is also my first Sebastien de Castell book and I can assure you I will be rushing off to find copies of his Greatcoats series as soon as I free up some reading time. What made this book so good, you ask? Hands down, it was the characters for me. The story itself is complex with lots of action, twists and turns, so it’s hard to sum it up, but I’ll do my best.

The story is set in a city where two distinct classes live together: the elite Jan’Tep, who have proven themselves able to wield magic and cast spells, and the lower servant class called the Sha’Tep, those without magic who will spend their lives waiting on the Jan’Tep and mining the magical ore used in spellcasting. Kellen is nearly sixteen, the age when the mage trials are given in order to determine a person’s final status in the community, but so far he’s not shown any signs that he has what it takes to become a mage. When a duel with one of his classmates goes horribly wrong and a mysterious woman named Ferius comes to his rescue, Kellen realizes that there is much more to the world than his small, insulated life.

There is so much to love about this story, but I want to start by mentioning how perfect de Castell’s pacing is. Flawless pacing is the mark of a seasoned writer, and it doesn’t get much better than this. He knows how to hit all the right beats, how to end chapters, how long to make his chapters so that the story keeps flowing, and especially, how to balance prose and dialog so that the whole thing feels effortless. The only reason I took off a half star from my rating was because it felt like it took a while for the story to get going in the beginning, but once Ferius joins the group (more about her later!), I never looked back.

At first de Castell’s magic system feels a bit familiar—the Jan’Tep have magical tattoos banded across their arms which they use to access their powers, for example—but as the story progresses, the magic of the Jan’Tep gives way to other types of magic, and other groups of people, until the reader realizes that the Jan’Tep, mighty mages who rule and command respect and attention, are mere blips in de Castell’s world. My favorite part of the world-building deals with Ferius’ special brand of “magic,” and you’ll understand those quotes when you read the story. Ferius comes from a group of wanderers who have been shunned by the Jan’Tep, but that doesn’t stop her from helping Kellen and teaching him about her decks of cards. Ah, the cards! If you’ve seen the UK cover of Spellslinger (I’ll add it to the end of this review), you’ll notice it depicts a playing card (one reason I love the UK cover best), and cards play a very important part in this story. I won’t go into detail, because I don’t want to spoil too much, but let’s just say the author uses cards in a fascinating way.

Which brings me to the characters. The story is told from Kellen’s point of view, so we get to hear firsthand how tense things are as he’s trying to become a mage and uphold his family line. His fellow initiates are all well on their way to passing their trials, so it’s hard to watch Kellen fail over and over. But when Ferius joins the story (I know that’s the second time I’ve said that, but obviously it made an impact on me!), Kellen’s world changes for the better. Ferius shows him that not all types of magic require, well, actual magic. Cards have magic if you know how to use them, as do words. Ferius is shrouded in mystery throughout much of the story, so I’m hoping we learn more about her in the next book. Her age is never revealed, and although she’s depicted as older than Kellen and his friends, and she’s got all sorts of life wisdom to share, I got the feeling that she wasn’t that much older. I’m also hoping she plays a larger role next time. Funny thing is, she really isn’t the main character, but her personality is so big that she easily could have been.

And I can’t end this review without mentioning my favorite character of all, Reichis the squirrel cat. What’s a squirrel cat, you ask? Well, you’ll just have to read the book to find out. Reichis is angry and antagonistic, throwing insults around right and left and biting people whenever he feels like it, but I couldn’t have loved him more. His dialog with Kellen was pure gold, and I kept imagining him with a gruff, smoker’s voice when he spoke. In fact, the first words out of his mouth are “All right, you hairless skinbag sons of bitches. Which one of you wants it first?” Seriously, I want my own squirrel cat!

The story culminates with the mage trials and de Castell wraps everything up nicely, but he leaves us with a glimpse of what’s to come in the next book, which only makes me more excited to dive into Shadowblack. Fantasy fans are not going to want to miss this series, so I suggest getting on board right now, as book two comes out next month. Highly recommended!

Big thanks to the publisher for supplying a review copy.