*** Hiya :) I decided that this year I was going to write up some reviews for the books I really love when reading but I have never really written a book review before so if you have and helpful criticism or tips I would really appreciate it :) thanks***
First Year by Rachel E.Carter is one of the few books that has nailed the combination of both Harry Potter and The Hunger Games into the one, action packed, spellbinding story!
Set in an academy that trains both magic and combat our young heroine begins her journey, determined to raise her status and make her mark in The Academy’s ranking but with limited spots available and a cocky prince playing with her heart she will soon find out that everyone has their own agenda.
The story follows fifteen year old Ryiah as she discovers her talent for magic and disembarks to The Academy with her brother. Ryiah strives to complete every obstacle in her path at The Academy, although she fails a good percentage of the time. It is for this reason that she is one of my favourite female characters. She is stubborn, resilient and full of courage and determination but more importantly she comes across as relatable and human. So many writers write these amazing heroines with ass kicking moves and killer instincts but Ryiah is not one of them. She comes from a poor background, is uncoordinated as hell and is one of the only female characters I know who's face goes red and sweaty with exercise! (Being a red head I can relate), yet she still pushes herself to fight through all the pain. So what if she’s not the best Mage and she not perfect! She is an amazing character who wants to be the best and will do everything in her power to do so, even if she fails.
Another character who I fell in love with in this novel is the Royal Highness himself. Arrogant, overly confident, (and everything else that falls into the tall,dark and handsome category) is price Darren. It you wanted a character that kept you guessing this would be him. One second he is sweet and his intentions are clear and the next second everything is backwards and his is a backstabbing jerk! Every time you think you have him figured out, think again! How Ryiah and Darren’s interactions are going to proceed in the future is just one of the reasons I am desperate to read the sequel “Apprenticeship”.
The overall novel had a good pace, there was some slow sections and some fast sections but I was rarely waiting for something to happen. Having read the novel through Ryiah perspective allowed the reader to see her progression through the novel along with how she developed and evolved after all the trials and obstacles in her path. Some sections were not as detailed as I would like and I was left wanting more. This was usually with the background information such as the world around them like Jerar and why there are three war academies and what if you didn’t go to one of these academies but hopefully this will be explained more in later novels as this novel was based purely on The Academy’s grounds. In saying that a lot of the foreground detail was well told and explained and even though the story kept you guessing you were never lost as to how you got there.
Full of magic and hot brooding princes First Year is definitely one of my favourite reads this year. If I had to give it a rating it would get four out of five stars and I have already told some of my friends looking for a good read to try it. If you’re a tomboy or a girlie girl or even just a boy, I would recommend First Year as the ideal read as it has a bit of everything and anything I love it!!!
