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Mark of Fire by Richard Phillips

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Brief synopsis (no spoilers):
Two main stories: Carol, the daughter of Lord Rafel, wants to be a magic wielder. As she learns magic and grows in strength, she is unaware that she is being hunted by the greatest wielder in the world. The second story is about a ward of Rafel's, named Blade, who becomes an infamous assassin and works for the king. The king sends Blade to kill Rafel and Carol, but he warns them to flee instead. Blade wanders, to escape the king's justice, but finds himself in his own adventure.

Category:
Fiction, fantasy, possibly YA

Why I chose this book:
Kindle First

My personal opinion:
I really enjoyed the story line, the world the author created, and the depth of the characters. It was easy to lose myself in the story. I also really appreciate that the story is "clean" - no bad language, no sexual situations, etc. I feel comfortable recommending this to my teenage children.

Warnings
Language: none
Violence: fairly frequent fighting
"Adult" situations: none
Death: yes, and of main characters

Movie rating equivalent:
PG, maybe PG-13 for fighting

Protagonist description:
Carol is stronger than she realizes. Arn (Blade) is conflicted between his professional self (assassin) and his personal self (decent human being).

Point of view of story:
Third, focused alternately on Carol and Arn

Book length:
Medium-long

Story flow:
Excellent

Grammar and spelling issues:
None, or very few

Character connection (no spoilers):
I'd like to read more about Blade and Rafel

For series:
Independent or integral:
Assuming integral

Series review as a whole:
Good so far. The rest of the series hasn't been released yet, but I plan to buy them as they are released.

If you only have time for one, read:
Start at the beginning: Mark of Fire

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