Erika Lewis

Loved this story and it's great reading an MG read that has more Celtic Mythology in it since I don't usually see much with Celtic Mythology in it. This is about Kelcie, a human who was raised a foster child in the human world and who one-day transports and finds herself at The Academy for the Unbreakable Arts where she gets tested and admitted as a Saiga, which is one of the most ancient beings in the Otherworld. She gets to learn to train how to fight with combat training and learn how to use her powers. She discovers that she's related to the Otherworld's most infamous traitor.
Kelcie can't remember when she was a kid or much about her parents or who they are or anything. She learns and makes friends in the academy and has to figure out who she is and remember her past, her parents, and what happened when she was little. She and Niall have a cute little budding romance and she and Brona have a great friendship. This has a great glossary to help with terms relating to Celtic Mythology in the back.
Comparing this to Percy Jackson and Harry Potter doesn't seem very accurate though because this story is all its own. It did feel like it was a little slow in parts but overall it was enjoyable and a great read.
Thanks so much to NetGalley and MacMillan-Tor/Forge/Starscape for letting me read and review this fun MG read. All thoughts and opinions are my own.… (más)

Kelcie's been an orphan for as long as she can remember, shunted from one terrible foster home to another. Then, one day, on museum field trip, her caseworker shows up in the company of a strange woman. They take Kelcie away from her school group, and then the really strange stuff starts happening...

I don't want to give away too much of the plot, but I'll just say that Kelcie ends up (as one might surmise from the title) at The Academy of Unbreakable Arts, a warrior training school that turns out elite magical fighters to protect the Lands of Summer from the Lands of Winter. The mythology is based on Celtic lore, and if you're getting a strong Percy Jackson vibe, you're not wrong. This book treads familiar ground, but it does so very well. I found the setting a little vague, but the characters and plot are solid, and it kept me engaged in the story all the way through. For readers who can't get enough of adventure fantasy, this is a strong series starter. I'll be recommending it, and I'm looking forward to reading the second book in the series, myself.… (más)

This was a fun, fast middle-grade romp, and I did enjoy it. The characters, descriptions, and magic were fantastic, and although there were some moments where I wished for a bit more depth, I think the depth/detail was probably pretty perfect for the genre. My only real complaint is that the characters who I found most interesting early on mostly disappeared by about halfway through the book, and really didn't come back into play. The characters who remained the focus felt far more 'stock' for the genre, one of them being more voice than fully developed, and I think that's where I was simply somewhat let down.

I'm honestly not sure if I'll go on to the next book in the series or not. I could see recommending the book/series to young readers and others, but as much as I found it entertaining, some pacing choices and character choices left me really wishing for more. If the next book looks like it might re-focus on some of those characters I wished hadn't disappeared, I'll probably pick it up. If not, I'll probably move on at least for now.… (más)