Author: Cassandra Rose Clarke
Genre: Young Adult, High Fantasy
Release Date: 6 May, 2014
Source: Strange Chemistry via NetGalley
Goodreads
All Hanna Euli wants is to become a proper witch – but unfortunately, she’s stuck as an apprentice to a grumpy fisherman. When their boat gets caught up in a mysterious storm and blown wildly off course, Hanna finds herself further away from home than she’s ever been before.Review by Nara
As she tries to get back, she learns there may be more to her apprentice master than she realized, especially when a mysterious, beautiful, and very non-human boy begins following her through the ocean, claiming that he needs Hanna’s help.
Inevitably, while I was reading, I began comparing this book to The Assassin's Curse duology. As much as I'd like to look at them separately, being set in the same world and by the same author, I couldn't help but compare the two series. I must say, the characters in The Wizard's Promise aren't quite as compelling as those in Clarke's other duology, and there's obviously the missing distinctive narrative voice of Ananna. Still, The Wizard's Promise was a decent read, which fans of Cassandra Rose Clarke will probably enjoy.
On the whole, not that much happens. It's a bit like Tin Star, where lots of things seem to be happening, but if you actually think about it, overall, not much has changed. The entire book is basically the "non-human boy" (from the blurb), Isolfr, attempting to convince Hanna to do something. And she's reluctant to do it until the very end of the book, of course. So it's easy to see why some readers may find the book slightly boring.
On the positive side, the world building in this novel is pretty good. We're back in the same world as Clarke's other duology, and there's the same vivid descriptions of the setting and interesting creatures and magic. I quite like the way Clarke introduces her world- the magic and the creatures aren't forcefully described, they're just things that happen to be part of the world.
Well, if you enjoyed The Assassin's Curse series, I do think that you'll enjoy this series too. If you haven't read either series and enjoy high fantasies, I also think that it's worth a read.
Liked it
Ratings
Overall: 8/10
Plot: 3/5
Writing: 4/5
World Building: 4/5
Characters: 3/5
Cover: 4/5
