This was a fun fantasy story about a Sprite named Keita and her friends who are fighting against the evil Stygian army. The Stygians have taken over the six kingdoms and Keita and her friends are some of the last remaining royalty in the land. In this first book in the series, they are in the Nome lands that have power over earth. The book has a nice complex world and the differences in the girls personalities and powers are well established and fun.
I think what I really enjoyed in this book was the girls relationships with each other. I loved seeing the way they interacted. Some of the dialogue also was very clever and well done and I enjoyed reading about their friendship. The pacing was pretty good with action coming at the right moments so that you don’t get bored. There were also some fun twists and turns in the book as well.
The thing that I found was the hardest part with this book was that often I would be reading and then all of a sudden I would be lost and have to go back and reread, sometimes several times, to see if I had missed something or to try to fully understand what had happened. Better transitions and checking for flow I feel would have alleviated that problem.
There also was a steep learning curve in this first book and most of the time the author did a really good job of keeping us on track and reminding at the right times. Sometimes the decisions the girls made didn’t make complete sense to me or a major goal suddenly shifted and I wasn’t aware of it.
The characters in this book were very enjoyable and the world felt unique and complex. I liked how each girl had a moment in the book to showcase their powers and the lessons learned in the book were often beautiful and poignant.
If you are into fantasy that includes a unique world with ATLA style division of nations, then check out The Spectra Unearthed!
Official Blurb:
Hiding kept exiled princess Keita Sage alive.
Her nature magic wasn’t enough to save her family or her home. She helps those worse off from behind the scenes, until a traitor hunts her down and a prisoner begs for assistance.
Defeating her enemies requires the unity of all six kingdoms, each with its own magical abilities. Finding representatives from some will be easy: Keita’s best friends would cross deserts for her. But to make her world safe again, she’ll have to accept the title she never wanted and the attention that comes with it.
Other Information:
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JA Curtis 