Thursday, November 4, 2010

Quillblade by Ben Chandler

Review by Carissa Thorp

Looking for something exciting and complex for your teen to read? Something you might also enjoy yourself? Quillblade is just the thing. 
Our heroes, the slave twins Lenis and Missy Clemens, are Keepers of a small group of Bestia aboard the Hiryū, an airship gifted to the Warlord of Shinzō by the Puritans. The Bestia are creatures that have “affinities” for elements, enabling them to power the world’s technologies, including airships. Lenis and Missy, themselves having affinities with the beasts, are essential to running the airship. Compelled to stay with the ship when it’s stolen the day after it arrives in Shinzō, they are pulled into a dangerous and mystical adventure they don’t understand.
Imaginatively inspired by Anime, Japanese culture, and world myth and history, the story tumbles head-long into a mysterious and thrilling plot set in a world that is obviously wide and deep, full of endless possibilities for more story. This is a good thing as there’s apparently six novels in the series. I finished Quillblade surprised that so much had happened in such a relatively slender novel; epic in a regular sized package. Full of great ideas that are familiar but never cliche, Quillblade is a top read.

This review first appeared in the Aurealis Magazine subscriber newsletter.

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