Book Review: Spellbreaker by Blake Charlton

Spellbreaker is the third and final novel in the Spellwright series. It's probably my favorite of the three given all that happens alongside the setting. Here is the official blurb:

Leandra Weal has a bad habit of getting herself in dangerous situations.

While hunting neodemons in her role as Warden of Ixos, Leandra obtains a prophetic spell that provides a glimpse one day into her future. She discovers that she is doomed to murder someone she loves, soon, but not who.

Leandra’s quest to unravel the mystery of the murder-she-will-commit becomes more urgent when her chronic disease flares up and the Ixonian Archipelago is plagued by natural disasters, demon worshiping cults, and fierce political infighting. Everywhere she turns, Leandra finds herself amid conflict.

As chaos spreads across Ixos, Leandra and her troubled family – her misspelling wizard father Nicodemus Weal and dragon-of-a-mother Francesca DeVega – must race to uncover the shocking truth about a prophesied demonic invasion, human language, and their own identities–if they don't kill each other first.

Read on for my spoiler-free review.

Overall Impression

This was a great novel. It very much feels like a concluding act with some strong plot elements to it. It also has a refreshing tropical setting and some fascinating characters, both human and divine, that inhabit it. Overall, it was fun to read and try to piece together the various puzzles the characters have to work through.

Plot

We start this story 30 years after the prior novel. Nicodemus and Francesca have a daughter, Leandra, and the story focuses heavily on her. I'd say the opening is very engaging- Leandra gets a prophetic spell that she has to kill someone or everyone will die, and it becomes a bit of a reverse detective novel as she tries to puzzle out who it is or how to get around it. And that's only the tip of the iceberg- we get some great moments that really shape the story and surprised me in good ways. It really feels like an epic conclusion to this series.

Characters

The main character, Leandra Weal, is the troubled daughter of Nicodemus and Francesca. She's very much their child given how stubborn she can be. While she can't spellwright, she's afflicted by a curious disease that sometimes flares up and makes her own at the risk of misspelling and causing some nasty side effects. She lives her life on the edge of this disease, trying to make the world a better place. Overall, she's a pretty cool character and provides some contrast to Nico and Fran whenever they get the spotlight.

Setting / World Building

The setting is the same as the prior novels, with various types of wizards casting magic through written spells. This time we see a bit more of the hydromancers, pyromancers, druids, and highsmiths. The human world is divided in two, however, as there is an Empire led by Vivian that focuses on perfecting spells, and the other, the League of Starfall, led in part by Nicodemus, who favors the creativity that comes with error. These two are at conflict, both claiming to host the Halcyon and protect the world from the War of Disjunction, which in 30 years has not yet come to pass.

The story mainly takes places in the islands of Ixos, which gives it a very tropical setting. This is a refreshing change from the medieval wizard academy of the first, and the Arabic savanna town of the second. Charlton knows how to pick his settings. Personally, I'm a big fan of the tropical island vibe so I'm happy with this one. Furthermore, as one of the lands controlled by the League, the particular magic of Nicodemus has infused the land with creativity that results in a plethora of divinities. There are tons of gods, and some new types of demons, all over League lands and we get to see many more of them in this book.

Final Thoughts

This was a great concluding chapter to the Spellwright series. It has a bit of everything in it with a plot that moves at a good pace with plenty of surprises. It has both new and recognizable characters and an intricate setting with a tropical island nation. Overall, this was a pretty good trilogy and something I can recommend others to read.