Catching Stars by Cayla Keenan

Book one in the series

Publisher: OfTomes Publishing

Publication date: May 8^th, 2018

Source: eArc from the publisher

Rating: 5 hearts

Synopsis

Witch. Betrayal. Hunted.

Jayin Ijaad is in hiding. A witch with powerful abilities, she carves out a life for herself in the slums of Pavaal, a city rotting from the inside out. When an old acquaintance tracks her down, Jayin is dragged back into a world she tried to escape — and is determined to escape again.

Maddix Kell is on the run. After two years in prison for crimes he did not commit, Maddix escapes and seeks out a legendary order of witchhunters who are his only chance to find justice.

But all is not as it seems and Maddix soon finds himself on the run from the people he sought as allies. When their paths collide, Jayin and Maddix must put aside their prejudices and forge an uneasy alliance that could crumble at any moment. But if they want to survive in Aestos — a brutal kingdom where magic and corruption lie hand in hand and enemies lurk around every corner — they must first survive each other.

Review

There are two kinds of people, those with magical powers and those without. In Aestos, the king is helped by magicians. I don’t really want to tell you the story so it’s up to you to discover it for yourself.

Jayin is a magician, she has an enormous power but she flees the palace, at least she thought she had fled it, until Maddix escapes and the Kingswitch asks her to hunt him down.

I loved Jayin, she is a young girl full of will who evolves with the wire of the book. At first she is discovered leading a life outside the Palace, she is known as the Gulwitch, she tries to get by herself and manages rather well. She’s got wit, she always knows what to say to get people off their hinges. She knows how to defend herself and despite what one thinks of her, she feels guilty for a lot of things. She’s my hero, a woman who is badass and deserves to live the life she wants.

Maddix makes choices sometimes deplorable but deep down he’s a nice boy, he didn’t deserve what happened to him. He wants his revenge but to do so he will have to ally himself with people who stink first and then go a long way with Jayin. They will get to know and appreciate each other despite their differences.

I really liked this story, it’s about hatred between different peoples and I was irritated by the way the rebels treated the magicians. I suffered with Jayin and frankly I don’t know how she could forgive Maddix but I think it was very good.

I’m really looking forward to reading the second volume because I’ve got a furious envy to know more about it and especially to know if they’ll get out unharmed.

I love Cayla Keenan’s pen, this story is full of action and messages so important to pass on to future generations. I really hope you read this book because it deserves some attention.

Quick Word: A beautifully written and exciting adventure.

About the author

Cayla has fostered a love of books since grade school, where she could be found reading on top of the monkey bars at recess or hiding The Magic Tree House under her desk. It wasn’t long until she started writing, scribbling stories in notebooks that will hopefully never be read.

When not writing, Cayla works to earn her BA in English and Sociology at Fordham University in New York City and can be found exploring the city’s many excellent parks and bookstores. She maintains a healthy diet of musical theater, Netflix television shows, and early 2000s pop-punk, and firmly believes in the magical properties of red lipstick.

Links

AMAZON – GOODREADS