Red Madrassa by Terah Edun
A magical accident threw them together. But when Fate holds all the cards, it can be impossible to tell the difference between pure chance and Destiny...
The Madrassa, a magical school for mage practitioners, is the stuff of legend. With selective entrance exams and quotas for only the most advanced of mage children, it's almost impossible to attend.
When Allorna, a guardian trainee for the royal family, ends up on the doorstep of the citadel on the eve of the final day of a recruitment ceremony, she decides it must be fate.
She was sure she knew the path her life would take before she enrolled. But sometimes life has a way of throwing in magical curveballs and strange friends, just to see if you’ll trip up.
Oh, and one of those friends is a mage accused of murder, another is a slightly psychotic dragon, the third a healer facing an existential crisis, and the last is a female storm-caller with more hidden secrets than a thief lord.
Do they all belong at the new school they call home?
Sitara
was curious to learn how they all had arrived at the Madrassa. "I know
Vedaris and I were in the healer's ward, and I was brought in by a group of
friends...you guys. But the last two weeks before that is just a blur,"
she murmured.
Sidimo
angled his head as he sat back with a shrug, "How do you know that it's
just two weeks that you're missing?"
Sitara replied, "Clan Feast Day
was a bit more than two weeks before, and I remember being out in the night
market with my sister. After that everything is fuzzy."
"Fair
enough," replied Sidimo."It wasn't that eventful, really. Just before
we found you, all I remember thinking is that the mountainside was coming down
on us."
"
Really, Sidi!" chided Allorna. "There were a few small rocks tumbling
down the mountain, that was all. When we rounded the bend, there you were, slumped
on the ground."
"Bend? What bend?".
Shifting
anxiously, Maride muttered, "Near the Abbas gate? It's where we
came through."
Sitara
didn't notice his hesitation, but Vedaris frowned, thinking, Hasn't the
Abbas been closed for decades?
"So
the three of you came through the gate, and I fell down a cliff?" Sitara asked
with exasperation.
"As
far as we know, yes," replied Allorna.
"Why don't we go check out this
cliff?" Vedaris suggested.
Sitara
cocked her head and said, "You know, that's not a bad idea. Maybe we'll
find some clues as to how I got there."
Maride
looked as if he were about to be sick.
"Good point. The Abbas
gate isn't that far away," Allorna replied. So they got up—Maride
reluctantly—and hiked out of the Citadel, then down through the town, retracing
the steps of that fateful journey a few weeks before. They walked quietly, everyone
drifting off into their own thoughts.
When they started up the white path
to the ledge, Sitara and Vedaris, who hadn't made that journey before (at least
not consciously, in Sitara's case), saw that trees and dead limbs partially
obscured the area from prying eyes. When they arrived at the ledge, a trail of disturbed
brush and dirt clearly marked the path of Sitara's tumble. She remarked as she
looked off to the right, "It looks like this ledge slopes upward. Mind if
we follow it for a bit to see where it leads?"
No
one minded, so they did, and soon came upon the Abbas portalway. Making
only a few comments, they walked past it, continuing along the upward slope; it
was curving back around the village toward the Madrassa. When they turned a
sharp corner they found, to their surprise, the very edge of the Ameles Forest.
4 STARS
This
was a very enjoyable read for me after I got into it a little bit. At first, it was a little iffy for me because
I had a difficult time during the character introductions because I didn’t particularly care much about them until I began to know them better after arriving at the Madrassa.
It didn’t help that some names seemed too similar to me. The author introduces the main characters
upfront through short scenes. The scenes
are well-written and interesting but each was different, seemingly unrelated to the others, and I didn’t see
connections that later would become relevant.
Once
the five arrive at their destination, whether by fate or chance, I began to
really feel the love for this book. The
story is sometimes humorous, but mostly just interesting because of the
fantastic imagination and creativity that it took to keep it moving along
quickly. Simultaneously, Ms. Edum is deftly building a setting, background and
customs that are unique but seem believable given the world she is
creating. I am very much looking forward
to the next adventure.
This
book was given to me by the author in exchange for my honest review.
Reviewed
by Laurie-J
Terah Edun is a young adult fantasy writer born and raised in the Atlanta metropolitan area, who transplanted to the Northeast region for college, and now lives in South Sudan. She writes the stories that she always loved to read as a young girl.
She prefers tales of adventure, magic, fellowship and courtship – in other words high fantasy. But she’s not adverse to the occasional contemporary fantasy coming her way. Sometimes you’ll see cloaks, daggers, independent and strong girls, independent and strong guys, sweet and soft spoken girls, sweet and soft spoken guys, markets, cute guys, sparkly magic and irritatingly know-it-all boys. The book she’s currently working on is SWORN TO RAISE, the first in the Courtlight series.
Outside of writing, she’s a international development professional with a penchant for Starbucks.
Who is your favorite author?
Tamora Pierce
What do you think makes a good story?
Action, Adventure, and Magic
As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?
At first a veterinarian – then a diplomat.
What are your favorite TV shows?
Scandal and Grimm
What are you passionate about these days?
Ensuring that people around the world have access to basic services and goods.
What do you do to unwind and relax?
Dance parties!
Morning Person? Or Night Person? How do you know?
Night person; If I don’t get a cup of coffee and at least a good fifteen minutes to myself to check email I get cranky in the morning.
What makes you happy?
Reading and friendship.
You just won a huge lottery what is the first thing you'll buy?
A condo in Washington D.C.
 |
| Tour Schedule |
Tour Giveaway
$25 Amazon Gift Card & Red Madrassa Ebook
5 Ebooks of Red Madrassa
Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code or Paypal Cash. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. Giveaway was organized by Kathy from I Am A Reader, Not A Writer http://iamareader.com and sponsored by the author. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.
1 comment:
Thanks for the excerpt! Definitely checking this book out! :)
Post a Comment