Magic is only for the worthy. The clerics. Join them, or your magic is forfeit.
Rinnen doesn’t give the shadowy clerics much thought. At least not until his sister, Kessandra, turns out to have the rare gift. Kessandra wants to keep her magic, but they won’t let her.
When the magic-removal ceremony takes more from his sister than just her special powers, Rinnen is devastated. But he’s just a fighter in training. What good is a sword against magic? How can a handful of ordinary elves fight such a sinister power?
Rinnen knows one thing. He wants his sister back. And he will do whatever it takes to save her.
Book blurb and cover image taken from Goodreads. Goodreads link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/61174138-to-be-called-worthy?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=TRZ63y0Wss&rank=1
I’m so late getting this review out, but that’s not to say that I hated this book, not at all!
Now, to be clear, this book is not necessarily marked as Christian fiction. But to my Christian readers, let me assure you that it is, in fact, by my definition, Christian fantasy. However, I think non-Christians can totally read and enjoy it.
Okay, where to begin?
I guess a good place to start would be the sibling bond between Kessandra and Rinnen. I haven’t seen this a lot in fiction, and their closeness was not said, but seen.
Rinnen was willing to do just about anything for his sister. And his pain at having lost her, his anger, is something I can understand because I would feel the same way. His devotion to her, just because she is his sister, is refreshing and endearing to read. And it was that devotion that (very minor spoiler): was the key used to save her and restore her.
The magic system was unique. It wasn’t just that the elves who were gifted with it could just use it at their disposal, whenever they wanted, but it was limited. And it was something they had that was attached to them, not just something they could concoct. And the differences between red and blue… It made for interesting scenarios.
Also, we must talk about Linazon, because that guy was probably my favorite side character. He’s cool and controlled and amazing with blades and I just like him, okay? I’m a sucker for characters like him. And of course I have one of my own in my own stories too.
The theme of worthiness and also of grace are woven throughout the book. It’s not just tossed in there, but mentioned several times throughout the book.
Also, this is like a little random detail but it made me go “Yesss!” so I have to mention it. (Potential minor spoilers(?) ahead):
So, about, I don’t know, half way or more through the book, Rinnen gets a sore throat. And not just any sore throat, but a feels-blades-stab-themselves-into-you-whenever-you-swallow type of sore throat. And like, he spits because it hurts so much to swallow. And he says something along the lines of, “I don’t remember having to swallow this much before.”
SO RELATABLE.
I know, I know, this doesn’t seem like such a big deal. But as a person who, whenever I get sick, suffers from sore throats, to have it described so stinking relatably-! Yeah, that was definitely a highlight of the book for me.
The romance I didn’t see coming, I didn’t think about pairing those two together ;)
My one complaint is that I think the book could have been fleshed out more. There were some little subplots that I would’ve liked to see developed, or even written into another novel. I would encourage the author to continue to explore what her world and characters have to offer, because I think there is potential.
Yes, you can tell this book is a debut novel, but it is a strong one. I would definitely recommend this book to others. If and when the author decides to publish more, I’ll be interested in reading it.
I was given a free ebook for an honest review, all thoughts and opinions are my own, and I was not required to leave a review.
Author Profile on Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/22448412.Penny_Johnston
Website: https://www.powerwordsediting.com/
Until the next review,
Abby