Sebastien de Castell

MAGIC IS A CON GAME.
Kellen is moments away from facing his first mage's duel and the start of four trials that will make him a spellcaster. There's just one problem: his magic is gone. As his sixteenth birthday approaches, Kellen falls back on his cunning in a bid to avoid total disgrace. But when a daring stranger arrives in town, she challenges Kellen to take a different path. Ferius Parfax is one of the mysterious Argosi - a traveller who lives by her wits and the three decks of cards she carries. She's difficult and unpredictable, but she may be Kellen's only hope...

Spellslinger 1

Spellslinger

Ariel

3.5, rlly enjoyed it will prob read the sequel

need to see reichis paw slapping live action

mayar 

Sebastien De Castell

How do you survive a mage's duel without magic? Kellen's about to risk everything: His family, his home, even his own life...

Jamieson

“First thing you learn wandering the long roads, kid. Everyone thinks they're the hero of their own story"


This is gonna be a messy incoherent long kinds review containing untagged spoilers you've been warned

Well this was incredibly disappointing. I have limits to how many times I can feel annoyed in a book and this really surpassed my limits. I'm only giving it three stars because despite how aggravated I was for the second half, I did enjoy the worldbuilding in the first half. 

HONESTLY I don't even freakin know what this book was trying to do. We get introduced to a world where there are Jan'Tep and Sha'Tep - Jan'Tep have magic and Sha'Tep don't, which means the Sha'Tep are poorly treated servants and oppressed. Kellen, our main character, doesn't have magic and this book sets up that he will con everyone into thinking he does. except kellen really isn't that tricky or clever? despite everyone constantly telling us he is he's pretty much useless in every single situation and basically constantly needs to be rescued by someone else with actual capabilities. 

My buddy ol' pal Em once wisely said "do fifteen year old boys scrape their personalities off the dirty kitchen floor?" in her review of this book and honestly? thats my entire fucking mood on Kellen. I mean this idiot of a boy is about to die, has become disillusioned with his entire culture, has just found out some groundbreaking information, and, is about to die. and all he can talk about is how he's never kissed a girl ? um shut the fuck up

At one point in this book, we found out the oppressed Sha'Tep have decided to uprise against the Jan'Tep and then Kellen .... takes the Jan'Tep's side ? Listen, what the fuck. I can't side with the people who exile their own families for not having magic, are canonically a genocidal race, who use Sha'Tep as slaves and carelessly send them to their deaths for their benefit. Like, this would be like Katniss Everdeen turning around and saying "you know what?? President Snow has a point". I CANNOT SIDE WITH GENOCIDAL OPPRESSORS SO WHY DID THIS BOOK TRY AND MAKE ME ?? I really don't understand why Kellen helped defeat the uprising. 

On top of that, I was faced with a genocide/imperialism plot line that was messy and just not explored well at all. Like there was way too many elements of this story and I wasn't even sure what it was supposed to be about until the end. I still don't even know

Then we have the side characters. Ferius was interesting and I liked her, but she wasn't in it enough and needed rescuing ALL THE TIME. which is not fun. Then we have Kellen's fellow mages. One of them is fat and the amount of time this book spent telling is how "fat" and "useless" he was because of it was ridiculous HOLY CRAP, we get it Sebastien De Castell you hate fat people. Seriously though, this kid was powerful and there was NO NEED for this book to so thoroughly make gross unnecessary fat jokes. I can't even remember the female love interests name because she was that one dimensional. She literally just existed for Kellen to fantasise over and talk about being in love with even though she appears twice. Holy crap, the amount i DONT CARE about boys getting girls in books for wish fulfilment purposes. Tennat was just the basic bully character with no depth or nuance. Shalla was the most interesting character and I wish she had been fleshed out more because she could have been great. 

strong trigger warning for animal cruelty/abuse which was hard to read and again, why am I supposed to be rooting for the romance with the girl who helps torture animals ???

I mean the thing is even though this book annoyed me enormously at times it was kinda still overall entertaining? And there was some twists that got me. But it was just SO ANNOYING. I seriously don't know what this book was supposed to be and why it was trying to make me sympathise with so many clearly bad people. And the cover really is nice. 

I know I just spent ages raging but even though I spent so long irritated I also had fun reading this and read it fairly fast so that counts for something. I also thought the worldbuilding was cool and the magic system was very interesting. There was elements of this book I liked but put it all together and its a big gloop of NOPE


Honestly, I don't think I'd recommend this book but then also I've seen people love it so I don't know ?? You might ?? but personally I'm still kinda out here wondering why this book wanted me to side with The Capitol over The Districts. Actual rating is 2.5

Chloe C

Emmeline Kössel

** spoiler alert **
           Loved it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Nicole Salcedo

4.5 Stars 
Slow start but definitely picked up and drove me into a deep story excited for book 2!

Rebekah Holland

Took me a while to finish this book unfortunately. I found the first half of this book quite boring and the story not catching my attention as much as I hoped...however, the second half of the book made up for the slow start and I became invested in how it finished. The main I can confidently say that Spellslinger did well during the second half was invoke my emotions towards all the characters in the book. How literally every person in the Jan'tep clan treated Kellen just because he had no magic made me angry and it got worse as the secrets his parents and ancestors kept came to light. Also, the fact that the author didn't magically make Kellen find his powers after being in life-threatening situations was well done, even if it was frustrating in the way he kept stubbornly hanging onto the fact that he would.

Lily D

Not my fave! Might continue, we will see! (TW for animal abuse!!)

A would-be mage with no magic of his own has to defeat powerful enemies with only cunning and deception in the first book of an exciting adventure fantasy series from Sebastien de Castell. Kellen is moments away from facing his first duel and proving his worth as a spellcaster. There's just one problem: his magic is fading. Facing exile unless he can pass the mage trials, Kellen is willing to risk everything -- even his own life -- in search of a way to restore his magic. But when the enigmatic Ferius Parfax arrives in town, she challenges him to take a different path. One of the elusive Argosi, Ferius is a traveller who lives by her wits and the cards she carries. Daring, unpredictable, and wielding magic Kellen has never seen before, she may be his only hope. The first novel in a compelling six-book series, bursting with tricks, humor, and a whole new way to look at magic. Spellslinger SeriesSpellslingerShadowblackCharmcaster For more from Sebastien de Castell, check out: The Greatcoats QuartetTraitor's BladeSaint's BloodKnight's ShadowTyrant's Throne

Took me a while to finish this book unfortunately. I found the first half of this book quite boring and the story not catching my attention as much as I hoped...however, the second half of the book made up for the slow start and I became invested in how it finished. The main I can confidently say that Spellslinger did well during the second half was invoke my emotions towards all the characters in the book. How literally every person in the Jan'Tep clan treated Kellen just because he had no magic made me angry and it got worse as the secrets his parents and ancestors kept came to light. It was frustrating in the way Kellen kept stubbornly denying everything through the entire book even with evidence of the truth, which also shows just how deeply rooted all the secrets of the clan are.

The hardcover cover is a lot nicer than the paperback cover and I read the paperback but whatever.
I feel… slightly deceived. For one, the summary promised cons. Is throwing a playing card that appears to be normal but actually has bladed edges a con? There was some conning in the one duel Kellen “won,” but that was it. Second of all, it’s Sebastien de Castell, and after four Greatcoats books, I was expecting some sort of entertaining, easy to read banter. Except Kellen doesn’t really have friends, given that the other kids he was training to be a mage with ditched him to actually become mages, Ferius appears and disappears at random intervals, and Reichis is a business partner whom no one else can understand. I don’t even know what a squirrel cat is supposed to look like. 
Can’t wait to read the next five books and absolutely hate being in Kellen’s head all the time. 😍😍

Aleena Korell

I can't even be properly disappointed. I'm too stuck on being confused.

What happened, Sebastien?!

I was super bored.

I'm actually having a hard time believing that de Castell wrote this. The Greatcoats series is so well written (at least so far, I'm two books in), with tons of fun twists and turns and dialogue and fight scenes. I mean, maybe we should be worried. This could be a case of a stolen identity-- maybe aliens are involved. I think someone should look into it.

I had a hard time caring about anyone. Liking anyone. The characterization was very archetypal and the wit and cleverness we love de Castell for was just missing. I kept waiting for the moment where crap would go down, thinking oh here it comes, this it it-- but it never happened. 

Maybe it's unfair of me to put expectations on a new-genre-debut. Switching genres can be tricky. But as a lover of YA (and good grief, I've read a lot of YA), it honestly felt patronizing. It felt like de Castell dumbed down his genius, his humor, and his characters. Even his writing-- there was just no emotion behind the words. Yeah, tempering language and perhaps even some political complexities in some scenarios is ok for switching to YA. But this felt on the higher spectrum of Middle Grade to me. Simple, a little bit childish, sort of bland.

I'm sort of hoping this book is just a setup for a really interesting storyline for the rest of the series. I'll probably check out book 2, if for no other reason than the cover being incredible. But if de Castell is tempering his writing, I'll temper my expectations.

Kellen is moments away from facing his first mage's duel and the start of four trials that will make him a spellcaster. There's just one problem: his magic is gone. As his sixteenth birthday approaches, Kellen falls back on his cunning in a bid to avoid total disgrace. But when a daring stranger arrives in town, she challenges Kellen to take a different path. Ferius Parfax is one of the mysterious Argosi - a traveller who lives by her wits and the three decks of cards she carries. She's difficult and unpredictable, but she may be Kellen's only hope ...

Spellslinger 01

Kathleen Boyle

More of 4.5
I absolutely adored this. The writing was amazing and I loved the characterization. Moreover, the story as so intriguing and continuously flipped everything on its head. I really enjoyed the idea that there is no good or evil and that everything was good in it's on right. This was fast paced and original. The magic system such a joy to learn about. I highly recommend this book!

dead line

Not bad, but not good. Very YA.

My main gripe is that the bad guys are so comically evil. Monologue-ing. explaining the plan, obsessed with strength, wanting own child dead, killing with reckless abandon - except for the MC who must wriggle out of grasp every time! Do the bad guys ever learn? No. Animal abuse, saying every line through a sneer. Kind of exhausting tbh.

Also the underclass/slaves are 100% correct. The society shown is rotten all the way through. 

I don't know if it was intentional, but it gave a good depiction of a fascist society obsessed with strength, culture, class, in-groups and out-groups, and if anybody does not fit into the pre-defined categories they're shunned.

They also did a genocide, so I was pretty much all for the slaves revolting, but moderation and the status quo won out in the end. Yay.

3/10

Juliette Raven 

I have this book for a while and decided it was time to pick it up.
I was kind of disappointed in this book I have mixed feelings with the characters not sure I like them. The plot dragged a lot I found out plot twists way too sooner so I was just like "That's obvious!" all the time but well it's the first book in a long series so it could be explained. I think the second book will be more interesting with Kellen leaving for adventure I will continue to push through to see if it gets better because the concept is interesting.

Jane The Bookaholic

⭐️ 4 Stars ⭐️

I really didn’t expect to love this book this much. It’s the exacts kind of books I love to read - fast pace, plot heavy. 
The plot was so interesting and I was afraid it’d feel too “young” and too YA for me, but it felt mature and surprising. 
I can’t wait to read the rest of the books in the series!

Sophie Elaina 

So I tend to enjoy most books that centre around a magic related trial of some kind that the main protagonist must take part in. As soon as I read about this book I was very intrigued by the fact that this is one of those kind of books but also because the protagonist Kellen isn't the usual heroin that is almost instantly known to be amazing at the thing the trial enlists. I thought it was a very clever metaphor for showing that it doesn't matter how talented at something you are, and that there will always be something that makes you different and special and that almost anyone can overcome anything if they put their mind to it.
 
The book follows Kellen and how his dreams of becoming a powerful mage like his father are soon shattered after a failed magical duel results in the realisation that he may never become who he wishes he was. When others seem to suffer a similar fate and lose their magical abilities, Kellen is accused of unleashing a magical curse on his own clan and is forced to enlist the help of a mysterious foreign woman who may in fact be a spy in service to an enemy country. 
 
"When you see the world outside your home town, outside the walls of what you were brought up to see, then you discover that you almost never know if you're dong the right thing. One action, brave and true, leads to war and destruction. Another, craven and greedy, leads to peace and prosperity."
 
Castell's writing is full of humour and excitement and I found it really hard to put the book down even for a second because it was so enthralling. The magic system in this book is very well done and interesting to read about. I love the way Kellen isn't amazing at it and his suffering because of it is almost a realistic representation of real life and how people often envy those who tend to be better at something than them. It really makes you think and there are some great aspects to the story that can be interpreted in so many different ways that I feel that everyone who reads this book will get something different from it. 
 
“First thing you learn wandering the long roads, kid. Everyone thinks they're the hero of their own story."
 
Kellen's relationships with other characters are done in a very realistic way but I loved how even though they were amazingly well done they also took a back seat in terms of the plot and that was great. The banter between Kellen and his Squirrel Cat was hilarious to read. Plus the fact that this book had talking animals is definitely one of the reasons that sealed my love for it, it was so good! I hated Kellen's family and how they were so horrible to him and I also hated the discrimination that took place. However it was crucial to the story and I feel like it was great how the main character really disagreed with it and started to intervene. Hopefully we will see more of this in the next book.
 
I feel like the plot was very captivating and fast paced and overall found it very enjoyable to read. The emotion was done so well and I loved the humorous quips that came from the characters, Castell has an amazing way of making you so unsure whether you want to laugh or cry its almost frustrating.
 
Overall I thoroughly enjoyed this and I am so glad that there is a sequel coming because I loved these characters and I am so excited to see what happens next. Spellslinger is an intricate fast paced fantasy with a sort of western style world that is full of the best kind of magical intrigue; and characters that are so captivating and full of development that makes the book impossible to put down. Highly recommend!
 
Thank you to Sebastien de Castell and Hot Key Books for sending me an early copy via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

A would-be mage with no magic of his own has to defeat powerful enemies with only cunning and deception in the first book of an exciting adventure fantasy series from Sebastien de Castell. Kellen is moments away from facing his first duel and proving his worth as a spellcaster. There's just one problem: his magic is fading. Facing exile unless he can pass the mage trials, Kellen is willing to risk everything - even his own life - in search of a way to restore his magic. But when the enigmatic Ferius Parfax arrives in town, she challenges him to take a different path. One of the elusive Argosi, Ferius is a traveller who lives by her wits and the cards she carries. Daring, unpredictable, and wielding magic Kellen has never seen before, she may be his only hope. The first novel in a compelling six-book series, bursting with tricks, humor, and a whole new way to look at magic. Spellslinger SeriesSpellslingerShadowblackCharmcaster For more from Sebastien de Castell, check out: The Greatcoats QuartetTraitor's BladeSaint's BloodKnight's ShadowTyrant's Throne

Faith

Paige Green

Disclaimer: I bought this ebook. Support your authors!

Book: Spellslinger

Author: Sebastian de Castell

Book Series: Spellslinger Book 1

Rating: 3/5

Recommended For...: magic

Publication Date: May 4, 2017

Genre: YA Fantasy

Recommended Age: can’t recommend, dnf-ed

Publisher: Hot Key Books

Pages: 416

Synopsis: There are three things that earn you a man’s name among the Jan’Tep. The first is to demonstrate the strength to defend your family. The second is to prove you can perform the high magic that defines our people. The third is simply to reach the age of sixteen. I was a few weeks shy of my birthday when I learned that I wouldn’t be doing any of those things.

Magic is a con game.

Kellen is moments away from facing his first mage's duel and the start of four trials that will make him a spellcaster. There's just one problem: his magic is gone. As his sixteenth birthday approaches, Kellen falls back on his cunning in a bid to avoid total disgrace. But when a daring stranger arrives in town, she challenges Kellen to take a different path. Ferius Parfax is one of the mysterious Argosi - a traveller who lives by her wits and the three decks of cards she carries. She's difficult and unpredictable, but she may be Kellen's only hope... 

Review: DNF at 30%. The writing is rich and so amazingly detailed and I could see myself loving this. It reminded me a lot of The Night Circus and Where Dreams Descend and I'd love to try to give it a go but for right now I'm not in the best mindset to do so. I will come back to this book but not right now.

Verdict: It’s a good book, but not for me right now.

Lottie oliver

This was a good start to a series. The magic system was good. The descriptions really made it feel like an old western. I didn't really feel a connection to the characters but I did feel like the setting itself needed more. There wasn't really much information about where its set and what it looks like. The people are brutal but I felt like there was something missing and I'm not sure what that was.

Elodia

Ellie

Dieses Buch war ganz anders als andere Bücher, auf gute Weise.
Ein Hauptcharakter ohne Magie, der sich mit Wörtern aus der Bredouille redet. Und Spielkarten sind auch dabei- also viel Trickserei

SEBASTIEN. DE CASTELL

Soulbinder

SPELLSLINGER 4

Alizée Euphrosine

I struggled to read this book initially as I wasn't on the mind to read a fantasy book and because you learn one news that I didn't really like.

In this book, it's the first time where Kellen travels alone with Reichis. Let me tells you I was afraid of that as we all know his proportion to fell into traps or misadventures. However, it was like discovering a new Kellen.

We see him evolve a little in all the previous books, but it doesn't feel like he learns a lot from Ferius. However, as he is alone in this book, you see that he learn a lot and remember a lot. It was a joy to see that all the teaching was there, even if sometimes he miss some training.

The only struggle I have with him is that he is too trusty especially toward his sister. Nevertheless, I hope that he learns his lesson now and for the last two books it will not be like that. I learn to trust no one in this series, even if they appear sympathetic.

Also, we discover a new place, and it has strange and mysterious vibes. Even the characters who live there are like that. I would have expected another outcome for some of them, but it's okay.

I can't believe that I only have two more books to read because I learn a lot more elements about the shadowblack and the future war, but at the same time, it's like I know nothing. I only have crumbs, and it's frustrating.

I can't wait to continue, and as I listen to the audiobook for this one and I liked it a lot, I will definitely continue like that.

Charlot van Dijk

Spellslinger vond ik echt een geweldig boek om te lezen, het enige wat ik echt lastig vond waren de namen. De humor die erin zit, maakt het boek echt waanzinnig. Toen ik hoorde dat dit boek uit zou komen, wist ik eigenlijk stiekem dat ik m wilde hebben. Het is een distopian YA boek en dat is een van mijn favoriete genres. Het boek is vlot geschreven en het verhaal verloopt met een plottwist hier en daar. Ik zeg: aanrader!

Cath

Actual rating: 3.5/5 stars

This is a very well written Fantasy novel with one of the most interesting magic systems I’ve ever come across. The book also explores racial discrimination between the Sha’Teps (non-mages) and the Jan’Teps (mages), which I found to be very refreshing. De Castell’s writing sucks you in right away, which I was thoroughly impressed about considering the world building that was involved.

A few minor problems I had in this book were the characters. I feel like their personalities are a little.. forced. Ferius has this snarky, sarcastic personality, and I feel like the author just assumes that the readers would automatically love her because of how badass she is. I personally find her to be too much of a know-it-all and sometimes even annoying. Don’t get me wrong, I admire what she embodies (both as a feminist and a fighter) and who she is as a character in general, but I just don’t like the way she’s being represented. It’s sort of conflicting that we are given a character whom you just roll your eyes at them overusing the word ‘kid’ and laughing out loud at almost every serious situation, but can’t help but agree with her morals and beliefs. The author is just too pretentious with Ferius, in my opinion. De Castell probably intends to represent Ferius as this sort of ‘guidance’ in the book who, instead of being wise and almighty, is witty and childish… but hey, at least she owns a cool deck of cards. I feel the same way with Reichis but worse. I don’t know what it is with squirrel cats being so vulgar. Goodness gracious. I get that it’s YA swear words aren’t that big of a deal, but seriously, Reichis just feels the need to cuss at every single thing he despises. Why? It’s so frustrating and uncalled-for. I felt myself cringing at the way Reichis interacts with other people. It’s just so unnecessarily rude. That’s just me, though.

I am not a fan of the other characters either. Oh, how they irk me so. Pretty much for the same reasons, except one can be such a damsel, the other is full of arrogance, and the other is very capricious. But the fact that they’re such horrible characters did not affect how I felt about the book overall. I’m pretty sure that they’re presented the way they are for Kellen’s development (which is evident in the book).

Overall a quick, interesting read. The book has lots of potential and I can definitely see it being developed further. I for one am looking forward to see how this series continues. I really recommend you pick this book up.

Thank you Hot Key Books for sending me a copy in exchange for an honest review x

Spellslinger Spellslinger 1

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