Synopsis:
He took her powers.
She’ll fight to take back what’s always been hers.
Sixteen-year-old Elise is bullied by her peers every day.
Unbeknownst to them all, she possesses twenty-four mutant abilities.
Eighteen-year-old Rolf takes them all away from her. He isolates them both in his own kingdom to gain knowledge and
strength of her powers. As he constructs a plan to bring her down, Elise must seek an ultimatum. Before it’s the end of her.
Favorite Lines:
“In her heart, it was clear to her what unintentionally razing a relationship could do to the heart. Grasping that the dint of love might romp somewhere in her soul, except for all the horror she endured, it seemed impossible to see it in a person. The person who she loved.”
“Distressed, Rolf takes Elise to his chest and screams out.”
“I call this the Icarus room…because when you go in here, you feel your spirits rise. It looks like a nice room, right? Then you fall because of the terror in here.”
My Opinion:
I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for my honest opinion.
This story follows two high school students, sixteen year old outcast, Elise and eighteen year old Rolf. While the target of bullies, Elise has an incredible secret – she possess twenty-four mutant abilities. When Rolf finds out about Elise’s powers, he tries to steal them for himself. What follows is a battle of mental strength and perseverance as Rolf casts Elise into a hidden realm of his own creation in an attempt to break her spirit and ultimately bend her to his will.
This is a fantastic debut novel for Gillick full of creative worldbuilding, strong character writing, and an interesting plot. Gillick brings a magical realm to life with vivid details that made me feel like I was right there along with the characters. Full of colorful descriptions of the landscapes and a well-crafted magic system, I found myself turning one page after another fully addicted to the immersion of the world that Gillick had created. I especially enjoyed the small detail of what music was playing the background in many of the scenes – it only added to being able to picture the scene.
I also found the character writing to be well done because Gillick didn’t try to make the characters perfect. Both Elise and Rolf are multidimensional characters who could only be described as morally gray at their core. They have their flaws and I found this to make them more relatable and more human. Their dynamic is what the story ultimately revolves around and I couldn’t get enough. Also, have I ever mentioned that I am also a sucker for multiple POVs? One thing I did want to point out that made me feel a bit weird was referring to Elise as a child several times throughout the book. I am not sure if this was because it was usually from Haas’ perspective but it felt slightly odd and a bit like a disservice to make her appear younger than her sixteen years.
*While classified as YA, some scenes in this book may be better suited for adults.*
Summary:
Overall, this was an addicting read. With a refreshing take on some familiar tropes and Gillick’s unique writing style bringing hints of dark tension and mystery to the plot, I applaud Gillick and am in awe over this debut novel. I would recommend this to anyone interested in fantasies full of psychological mind games, magic, and mystery that have a darker tone. Happy reading!
Check out The King of Evil here!