One boy…one Rite… And a world of deadly secrets that could change the course of history—foreverAnd so begins the tale of Mierta McKinnon. When a horrible fate reveals itself during his Rite of Wands ceremony, he must find a way to change not only his destiny but also the land of Iverna’s. Forbidden from revealing the future he foresees to anyone, he is granted a wand and his magical powers, but … his magical powers, but still must master the realm of magic in order to save himself and those he loves.
But Mierta is not the only one with secrets…especially when it’s impossible to know who to trust.
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If your parents were warlocks and your grandparents were warlocks, wouldn’t that mean that you too would be a warlock? Not necessarily, according to the Rite of Wands. Those who are born warlocks are forced to take the Rite of Wands once they reach a certain age. If they pass, they get to proceed with their magic, but if they fail–magic is taken from them. What a horrible way to live life, knowing that you could have done something great but it was stripped away because of some choices you’d made early in life. The wisdom sets in the older you get, but these youths are forced to take the test none-the-less to see if they can handle their destiny. Flohr has an entertaining and action-packed young adult fantasy novel that will engulf readers into a new world.
Mierta McKinnon has pass his Rite of Wands, only to be dreadfully concerned about the plague that kills him and his family as a young adult. He knows that Lord Kaeto’s warning to start researching apothecary using his father’s potion book is the right way to go, but he finds himself running into hardships in order to get there. Unable to stress the urgency of what was shown to him through his Rite of Wands, his father is reluctant to grant him access for fear of unleashing his own secrets. Within a neighboring kingdom, another warlock has been accepted by the king as his new soothsayer out of respect for his mother. He foresees the king’s untimely death, but is not believed and the story continues to follow both warlocks through their fascinating, yet harsh life of friendship, poison, death, and dishonor. Can both warlocks find a way to fight against the destinies that had been shown to them in their Rite of Wands in order to save their people and kingdom?
Flohr has a fantastic story, filled with creativity, world-building, and originality. The pace is a bit slower in the beginning and quickens throughout the read. This is typically due to the fantasy content and consistency of world-building elements. The story appears to be written fairly well. Since this review compliments the audiobook, the narrator was phenomenal with his voice relay. The scenes were vivid for the imagination and characters were entertaining along with the corresponding background noises. This is the first installment in the Rite of Wands Series; therefore, you can jump right in. If you are interested in action and young adult fantasy, this may be a perfect fit.
An audiobook was provided to Turning Another Page by Audiobookworm Promotions and in no way affects the honesty of this review. We provide a five-star rating to The Rite of Wands by Mackenzie Flohr.
Mackenzie Flohr has created a beautiful world of magical kingdoms in which ambition and conspiracy work to undermine the rightful order and overthrow the rule of the rightful king.
The story is populated by beautifully complex characters, among whom Mierta McKinnon and Orlynd O’Brien take the lead roles. Very few of the characters are transparent at all, so the story keeps on developing interest and intrigue as it progresses. The very fact that Mierta is so complicated and driven a character draws the reader into his thoughts and aspirations, and engages one deeply in the events of the story as they unfold.
It would be too simplistic to say that this is a story of a battle between good and evil. It may be so, but there are nuances and shades of truth and revelation, and of injustice and vindication, that obscure some elements of the characters and of the story so that the reader is never really able to foresee or predict what is yet to come. In this story, the only thing that is sure is that anything could happen.
The story finished at a logical point of resolution, although I really didn’t want it to. A number of questions, both incidental and central to the story, remain to be answered in future books. I’m very keen for the next book!
All in all, this is shaping up to be the series I have been waiting for since I finished reading Harry Potter the seventh time over. It’s not more of the same – the world, the characters and the problems they face are very different, but The Rite Of Wands does capture the imagination in the same fantastic, magical way.