Fractures | By N. K. Leem | Book Review
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Contents
Book Blurb
My Review
About the Author
Book Blurb
Dark magic is evil. The Crown executes all dark mages.
Every Itothian child grows up hearing stories of their wicked spells, demonic rituals and human sacrifices. But what do you do when you are told you are the monster from the very stories used to frighten you?
After the attack on his home village, Thaleon makes the unfortunate discovery he is a valekyn—a dark mage. Facing the threat of execution with his entire family gone, he places his trust in the kind strangers who whisk him away to Allesdale, the Crown’s training facility for young mages. As he navigates the dangers of a world plagued with fear and persecution of his kind, Thaleon begins to question everything he had been taught about the evils of dark magic. But he must keep his magic a secret—for the simplest of mistakes will demand his life.
Meanwhile, Dawyn is captured by hostile raiders and taken to Scyrta—a thriving merchant port of magic and secrets. As he adjusts to his new life in the strange and foreign isle far from home, Dawyn experiences firsthand the terrifying power of dark magic and its wielders.
The darkness of Scyrta craves to take every part of him and it is only a matter of time before it swallows him whole.
“Thaleon’s mind snapped. The thunderous beat of his heart ceased. The unrelenting flow of the burning blood stilled. Shadows surged out of him, soaring viciously and building with terrifying intensity. Writhing dark wisps flooded the air, bristling like black lightning.”
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My Review
Fractures is a YA fantasy with a fast-paced plot and wonderful scenes of dark and disturbing magic. This is the first book in the Ledgers of a Dark Mage series, and they only get better from here! I love how N. K Leem doesn’t shy away from dark and gruesome details. It made me want the main characters to succeed so badly and escape these terrifying situations.
Plot
The story follows these two boys who start out together, but are then led on very different journeys. Brothers Thaleon and Dawyn are separated under traumatic circumstances. Each thinks the other is dead. We follow their separate journeys into a world where light magic is accepted and the use of dark magic is punishable by death.
Thaleon soon learns that he is a valekyn, a dark mage. The very thing children are taught to fear and hate. He must hide his secret abilities as he learns to control light magic at a school for mages.
Meanwhile Dawyn experiences the horrors of dark magic first hand, and must fight to survive in a strange city far from home.
The plot is kept interesting the whole way through by so many unexpected events and constant conflict. Following the two separate POVs makes it even more interesting by having two stories in the one book.
Characters
Thaleon and Dawyn are complex and interesting characters. I cared about what happened to them right from the start. The horrific events they encounter and situations they find themselves in felt very real, and were often frightening and disturbing.
This is very much a coming of age tale for both Thaleon and Dawyn. I liked how both boys were very proactive characters and it was great to see them change with the new situations they were thrust into. Both are extremely lovable and you can’t help but root for them as they constantly tumble into these life threatening situations.
The side characters are all great as well. All are well rounded and characters that have their own backstorys and interesting pasts. I particularly like Cedrik and Laurits.
Setting and magic
The magic is a huge highlight for me. The magic system is well thought out and has a very dark side, but at the same time has a whimsical and epic fantasy feel about it.
I like how the discrimination against the dark magic (val) is based on society prejudice and that there is a lot of history behind this. I think it is really clever the way the two types of magic are portrayed. Though the dark magic (val) and light magic (elar) can actually achieve very similar results in practice, it is the way that the crown perceives the differences in magic which causes this huge divide. This results in dark magic becoming hated and forbidden.
The setting is varied and makes it feel like this is a very wide world just waiting to be explored. One city has an Egyptian or Persian ambiance about it, this creates a very exotic and mysterious setting. Other places feel more like classic medieval fantasy with castles, forests and villages. I enjoyed this mix of both.
Summary
I recommend this if you enjoy exciting magic, battles, betrayal, magical creatures, dark themes and strong relationships. This is the first book in this epic series! You won’t be able to stop reading once you get into this world!
“He tried to stop himself, told himself not to look, but his eyes moved of their own accord. Dawyn forgot to breathe as he stared at the dark curls and the empty sockets. The head had been torn off the body just above the shoulders—long pieces of decaying flesh trailed from it like tentacles. A fat black insect crawled out of Imora’s parted lips.”
About the Author- N. K. Leem
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Author of Fractures N. K. Leem
Checkout links to the Ledgers of a dark mage series!
About the reviewer- Jenny sandiford
Hi I’m Jenny. I am passionate about promoting new authors and sharing any amazing books I find with the world. I am a book blogger, bookstagrammer, YA fantasy writer and travel writer.
I’m also a lover of nature, hiking, Harry Potter, cats, fantasy lands and quiet places.
Other book reviews you might enjoy
Firefrost By Camille Longley
A Darker Shade of Magic By V. E. Schwab
The Stolen Kingdom By Bethany Atazadeh
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