A School for Sorcery
The School for Sorcery series, Book 1
E. Rose Sabin
Starscape
Fiction, YA Fantasy
Themes: Girl Power, Schools, Shapeshifters, Wizards
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Description
It was only a hundred or so years ago that magic was brought back to the land of Arucadi, a land already permeated with electricity and those
new contraptions called automobiles. Most people still view the gifted with distrust. Tria's mother was magically gifted, but never had the
opportunity to develop her skills, married off to a superstitious farmer and forced into the role of farmer's wife. Now, sixteen-year-old Tria
Tesserell has a chance to escape her rural home and explore her own talent at the prestigious Lesley Simonton School for the Magically Gifted.
The brochure promises golden buildings, gleaming halls, and throngs students who - like Tria - have the gift. Upon arrival, she finds a crumbling
schoolhouse, dusty halls that clearly have seen better days, and a pitiful handful of peculiar students... but looks, as she soon learns, can be
deceiving.
Among magicians, it is said that when a door opens for you, you must go through it. The weathered doors of the Lesley Simonton School lead to
wonders and dangers beyond Tria's wildest dreams.
Review
Don't be fooled by the vaguely similar premise of a magical school. This is no Hogwarts knock-off, nor is Tria a female Harry Potter. Magic is a serious art here, with none of the whimsical touches Rowling puts on her lessons. The world reminded me vaguely of Arcanum: Of Steamworks and Magick Obscura, my favorite RPG game/universe, with its steampunk-like mixture of ancient magic and turn-of-the-century science forced into uneasy coexistence. Tria and her classmates are not predictable or cardboard characters. Her own power is as much a temptation as it is a gift, terrifying her with its strength and unpredictability as much as it fascinates her. The story takes some dark and sudden turns, and Tria makes serious mistakes that must later be reckoned with. The final chapters require especially close attention, as the tale splits into parallel action. There is a solid enough premise here for future books.