Review: The Bookminder

Title: The Bookminder
Author: M.K. Wiseman
Page Count: 444
My Rating: 3.5 TURTLES: A very enjoyable read, I recommend you check it out.
Amazon
*I was given this book in exchange for an honest review

About the Book:

Sired by magick and violence, sixteen-year-old Liara is found guilty of witchcraft and banished from her tiny village by the very priest who raised, then betrayed her. However, a mysterious mage steps forward to assume custody of her: Nagarath, the Wizard of Parentino, whose secret spellwork has long protected both Liara and Dvigrad from the ravages of war.

Despite Liara’s best hopes, Nagarath refuses to apprentice her to his craft but tasks her instead with the restoration of his neglected library. Liara gleans what magickal knowledge she can on the sly, determined to learn, come what may. But the first test of her stolen knowledge goes awry and renews an evil wizard’s interest in the people of the Limska Draga valley.

Only by tapping Liara’s inherent magick and joining it with his own can Nagarath protect Parentino from suffering a horrible fate. However, her discovery of his secrets destroys their fragile trust and ignites the darker tendencies of her gift. Now, he must rescue her from the influence of his mortal enemy before their powerful new alliance destroys them all.

My Review:

The Bookminder had some very interesting world building. I really liked how there were specific rules to the magick in the book and how the reader gets to see the effects and consequences of those rules. Along those lines, I also really enjoyed the appendix at the end that spells out the rules of magick as well as some of the words from the “green” or magickal language, but not the pronunciation -  for the safety of the reader. Liara and Nagarath’s relationship was also really sweet, and I really enjoyed reading the interactions between the two of them.

The plot did seem to slow down quite a bit in the middle of the novel, though. I think part of this had to do that much of the book is just Liara and Nagarath. As much as I like the chemistry between the two of them, it felt a bit odd to me that they were the only two characters with any considerable page time. Many of the other characters had only small roles to play, and even more did not have anything to do with the main plot. I think having just one more character to add a new dynamic, even a sassy talking cat might have done the trick. The pace of the middle also ended up feeling at odds with the quick, gripping ending.

I would recommend this book to all readers of Young Adult Fantasy, but especially fans of Tamora Pierce. The Bookminder has a lot of the themes that I love about Young Adult like self-discovery, budding independence, and making and learning from mistakes. Liara is a complex, dynamic heroine and I really enjoyed getting to know her.

Disclosure: this post contains links to an affiliate program (Amazon), for which I receive a few cents if you make purchases.