The Rite of Wands (The Rite of Wands, #1)

Mackenzie
Flohr
Genre: 
Young Adult

Mierta McKinnon did not know what to expect during his Rite of Wands ceremony, but when he is granted his powers and his wand, he is also shown a horrible future. Forbidden from sharing what he sees with anyone else, he is left to try to find a way to save not only himself but also the land of Ivernas. Yet with a prophecy beginning to unravel, can Mierta change his fate, or will his efforts only speed up the end? Orlynd O’Brien can see glimpses of the future, but with his father’s failures hanging over his head, few will believe his warnings. Determined to remain loyal, Orlynd risks much at the hands of those he would protect, but with enemies hiding within, kingdoms could fall and the prophecies foretelling disaster could be at hand.

A YA high fantasy, “The Rite of Wands” is the first book in its series. With alternating first person point of views, the story has a tendency to skip forward in time to speed up the pace. The plot itself is one self-fulfilling prophecy after another that leads up to a cliffhanger ending. Still, the flow is smooth, except for Orlynd’s dialogue, which has a historical Scots' lilt and is a bit distracting for the reader to interpret, even with the glossary at the beginning. The characters themselves are all a bit flat, as both the plot and characters lack depth and complexity. Still, this is a worthwhile book for any teenage fans of magic and doomsday prophecies.

Sarah E Bradley