Author: Melanie Cellier
Genre: Young Adult Fiction / Fantasy
Series: Yes (1st in an ongoing book series: The Spoken Mage)
Adult Themes: Mild Violence
From Goodreads:
I
I began reading this book in the hopes of finding something magical I would enjoy which might be similar to the Harry Potter series. It has an interesting premise: words are magic, especially the written word, but most people cannot control that magic, and if they learn to write, they risk causing all sorts of danger, especially explosions. People die. So books are banned so they won't be tempted and they aren't taught how to read. However, there's a group who can control their magic, and the ability appears to be genetic. They are the ruling class and attend a school similar to Hogwarts. They write their spells down, and in order to cast a spell, they tare the paper up.n Elena's world words have power over life and death--but none more so than hers.
As the daughter of shopkeepers, Elena has always known that the mysteries of reading and writing were closed to her. Only the mageborn can risk harnessing the power unleashed from putting pen to paper. Until Elena discovers an impossible new ability and joins the elite ranks of the mages.
But with the kingdom at war, the authorities can't agree if Elena is an asset, or a threat they need to eliminate. Thrust into the unknown world of the Royal Academy without friends or experience, Elena will need all of her wits, strength, and new power to carve a place for herself.
Except as the attacks become more personal, wits and strength won't be enough. Elena will have to turn to new friends and an enigmatic prince to unlock the mysterious potential of her words and survive her first year as a trainee mage.
But then comes ordinary Elena, who can perform magic by speaking it! No one else can do this. They don't know what to make of her. Many feel threatened. Someone wants to kill her. And of course she and the Prince are falling for each other
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I abandoned the book, because it wasn't my taste. You may love it.
