Chromatic Moonlament
5.0 out of 5 starsCharming fantasy tale
March 19, 2018
Format: Kindle Edition
This was an utterly charming fantasy tale aimed at young readers but perfectly enjoyable for adults who are tired with grim, gritty, multiple-book sagas.
The young heroine begins the novel with very firm opinions on good and evil, and is determined to master her random acts of wild magic that might mark her as a witch - not a bad idea, in a society where witches are put to death. But when she's sent to her great aunt's to apprentice as a wise woman, she quickly learns things aren't as clear cut as she believed. She grows and matures as she discovers her own shapeshifting powers and learns from wise animal helpers, and when she's taken away by the witch who has been stalking her, it takes all of what she's learned to save herself, her aunt, and the people and animals she's vowed to protect.
I enjoyed the classic fantasy tropes of witches and witch-hunters, spells and transformations, intertwined with a very humanistic story about wisdom, forgiveness and inner strength (that doesn't get at all preachy).
I received an ARC in return for a voluntary review.
Rating: High Five
Who I'd Recommend to: Fans of Land of Stories, and The Witch of Blackbird Pond
Thoughts: This book was breathtaking. Elizabeth Forest did an amazing job of creating funny, creative characters, and painting a setting so vivid, it could have come from a movie. I loved how The Third Kind of Magic was not black and white. For example, the witch seems evil but has a good right to feel angry. I also loved the cause and effect in The Third Kind of Magic. For example, if you use the Voice (which lets you take control of any living being) you start to lose your Sight (which lets you see the intentions, needs, and wants of any being). Something else that I loved about The Third Kind of Magic, is that even when all hope is lost, a single candle ignites. Overall, I loved this funny, creative, breathtaking book.
Note: this book was given to me for free in exchange for a review.
