Title: Red Madrassa
Series: Algardis, #1
Author: Terah Edun
Publisher: Self Published
ASIN: B00A4152SA
Tags: Young Adult, Fantasy, Magic
Source: Bought
Hearts: ♥ ♥
Get the BOOK: Amazon
A magical accident threw them together. But when Fate holds all the cards, it can be impossible to tell the difference between pure chance and Destiny…
Allorna thought being a hereditary guardian meant an automatic posting with the royal family. Instead, she’s assigned to Petty Larceny–which has its moments, especially when she engineers a jailbreak and finds herself on the run from her colleagues.
With healer trainee Sidimo in tow, she sets out to save Maride, a young mage unjustly accused of murder. But now she has to clear her name as well. Easier said than done, especially when they accidentally enroll at the Red Madrassa, a legendary school of magic.
Alongside Vedaris, a sarcastic dragon-boy, and Sitara, a storm-caller, they soon find themselves hooked on their studies. The road they’ve stumbled upon is a challenging one, and now each must decide whether the Madrassa is where they truly belong…
Review
I couldn’t help to compare my reading experience with getting lost in a big forest. All starts well, you see a beautiful sky and magnificent trees. You hear birds singing and can feel the sun on your face. What a great walk this will be! But then… You were so lost in thought you missed a turn in the road. You don’t recognize any of the landmarks and quickly walking back, you still don’t recognize a thing. Your completely lost! Slightly panicked you continue your journey in the hope to see something familiar. But to no avail… Wait a second! There, that tree! You knew that one! Immensely relieved you run to it, hug and kiss it and continue your walk. Still shaken from you earlier experience and therefore unable to full enjoy the rest of your trip.
That’s how I felt while reading this book (okay I was NOT scared but confused and annoyed instead ;)). I was off on a great start with a very interesting blurb and one heck of a cover! Seriously! It’s so beautifully drawn and fit the book perfectly. Amalia Chitulescu is an amazing artist. That was the fun part, aka the entering of the forest. However as soon as I started reading I was lost, confused and not very happy. I don’t know what it was, but I was unable to follow the story. It was like there was no red thread and we get to read some random events with no connection whatsoever. Not much was explained and I didn’t have the faintest idea what the author tried to accomplish with this beginning. It felt like there were mayor holes in the story, therefore I was unable to find my way back to familiar terrain.
Fortunately the story found it’s focus the moment everyone arrives at the school. I slowly but surely understood more and more. I could finally start with identifying all the characters and give them their own voice. However the first part had “shaken” me too much to truly love the second part. Not even the prettiest flower or most magnificent tree could make me forget that I was lost at first.
That said, the beauty of the forest, aka the amazing world that Terah Edun created mollified me enough to continue. It’s full of magic and intelligent creatures. With flying horses, who can be haughty at times. A school where everyone has to pas a difficult test to enter. I absolutely loved what the author had created here! It was a great world to discover once I sort of recovered from my initial annoyance.
After having completed my journey, all that is left is to ask is WHY? What makes these five people so special? What has fate in store for them? I’d love to get my hands on the next book and find out!
Conclusion
2 HEARTS. In the first part of the book I had great difficulty with finding my bearings. I could not separate the characters, give them their own identity. I simply had no idea through whose point of view I was reading. Fortunately everything changed for the better when our main characters arrived at the school. From then on I got more and more intrigued by the world that Terah Edun has created and I managed to finish this book feeling slightly happy that I continued. Given the big mystery that the author presented, I’m looking forward to the next book, so I can decipher what it is ^^
Do you agree with me my opinion? Or not? Would you want to read this book? Please explain in a comment ^^
Algardis
- Red Madrassa
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