Title: Lives of Magic
Author: Lucy Leiderman
Publication date: January 28th, 2014
Publisher: Dunduran
Genre(s): Young Adult (Fantasy)
Source: Publisher
Format: ARC
Format: ARC
Pages: 384
Seventeen-year-old Gwen is settling into her new home in Oregon and looking forward to senior year when she is kidnapped by Kian, who warns her that she is in terrible danger. An ancient war was fought between magical Celtic warriors and three evil magicians. Those magicians are alive and well and need Gwen's magic to regain their power. If they succeed, they'll be unstoppable. To save the world, Gwen must unlock the magic trapped in her memories of a past life in Britannia.
As Gwen starts to recover her lost memories and awakens to her power, she suffers the consequences of a divided soul. Gwen and Kian travel to New York and then to England to find others of her kind. Gwen, Garrison, Seth, and Moira need each other to solve the puzzle of their last days in ancient Britannia. They are only as strong as what they remember, but a troublesome history threatens to doom the world. One way or another, a deadly showdown is inevitable, ready or not …
Gwen has always thought she was a normal person-a socially withdrawn person, yes, but a person all the same. Excited to go to high school in Oregon, she promises herself that she will no be an outcast. That all changes when one day, Gwen is chased by Kian, a handsome man who tells her about wars and Celtic warriors and other things that are impossible to believe. Apparently, Gwen has the soul of a Celtic warrior, who sent her soul forwards in time to escape 3 evil magicians and still have a chance to save the world. Gwen and Kian travel all around the world, given leads by Kian's "mysterious source", who sends messages through text. Is Kian really only looking for the other 7 souls, or is this all part of a bigger picture?
Gwen is a really likeable character, and while she was witty with her narration, she was also able to clearly add a more serious tone to the story without making it dull. I sorta can relate to Gwen, because I almost always have some kind of resolution for a new school year, and I always think of ways to fulfill it. The plot and characters were very well made, and the story was engaging and fun to read.
I love the way Lieberman crafted this amazing story with a unique plot and made it seem like magic could actually exist. The writing style was first person, narrated by Gwen. It seems like there will be a second book, which I am super excited to read! I would Definitely recommend it to teens (13-17) and fans of magic YA books.
Now this sounds unique. I haven't heard of this book or this series but all that about Celtic warriors sounds so appealing to me. I'm so glad you enjoyed this one Danna. Great review :)
ReplyDeleteI have to say, I wasn't sure about this one when I first saw it, but it does sound really good. Gwen sounds like a wonderful character. Great review.
ReplyDelete