Book Review: "Cursed With Power", by Lindsey Sablowski

Over the past few weeks, between prepping for having Elli (baby #3), and redoing a kitchen island (pics and learning experiences to follow!)...I read the first book in a YA Fantasy series called, Cursed With Power by new author Lindsey Sablowski.  As you know, Fantasy books are much more up my hubs ally than mine, but I did enjoy this book!  It caught my attention because it was significantly different than any fantasy book I've read.  It wasn't a Harry Potter wannabee, nor was it Twighlighty.... it was something new. 

The quick premise is that main character Celestria and her family stem from a group of dark magicians, and she recently discovers she is one of the last of her kind.  There is a group of white magicians who are plotting for the demise of the remaining dark magicians.

Celestria experiences significant loss in her family, along with other close friends, specifically her sister and best friend, Leal.  While trying to find the last of her kind, Celestria meets one of the remaining dark magicians with a sinister past, Alaire, and gradually falls in love with him.  Together, Celestria and Aliare navigate new faces and decide who is trustworthy, who is worth fighting, and who is worth saving. Aliare gets very injured in a fight with a white magician, leaving Celestria to the greatest task of fighting for her people alone.  However, she has to decide if those she thought she knew, including her own family, have really been honest, and if there is anyone she can trust. 

"Cursed with Power" immediately interested me because the main character is from the supposed "bad" group.  After seeing the world through her eyes, you have automatic sympathy for her. You see her perspective, what she's been through, and realize that both sides have positives and negatives.  The book also leaves you with a significant cliffhanger, begging for its sequel.  Sablowski's book is well edited, and has a unique style of writing.  The dialogue includes subtle formalities as one would expect from the fantasy genre written for young adults. 

It did take me several pages to get into the story, and the second half of the book kept me much more interested than the first.  What was strange to me about the dialogue or possibly the personality of Celestria is that she comes across as extremely dramatic in some instances, yet barely shows her feelings at other times.  A normal scene turns in an instant with Celestria's outbursts, and I couldn't tell if it was poor word choices, or truly a reflection of character development, revealing the true "YA-ness" of this young woman- I mean, a teenager is going to flip from time to time, right? 

I do believe that there is significant promise for young Lindsey Sablowski, and I am excited to see what she writes next!!!  Great job, Lindsey!  Click here to purchase your hard copy of "Cursed with Power."  Click here for the Kindle Edition!

Happy Wednesday!  Happy Reading!
Love,
Anna Everhart