The Scholomance by R. Lee Smith
For centuries, there has been a legend of a hidden school where magic is taught by the demons who dwell there to anyone who seeks them out, but they ask a terrible price: Anyone who reaches the door of the Scholomance may enter, but the Devil takes every tenth student who tries to leave.
A hidden school. Demonic masters. An inescapable fate for one out of every ten graduates. But Connie would do anything to have the magic her best friend was born with.
And Mara would do anything to get Connie back.
A hidden school. Demonic masters. An inescapable fate for one out of every ten graduates. But Connie would do anything to have the magic her best friend was born with.
And Mara would do anything to get Connie back.
MY REVIEW
You may call me naïve, but I thought that this would be a magical book about a magic school that resembles Hogwards but for grown up readers. A dark, doomed, not innocent school near Bucharest, located inside a mountain, with demons as teachers, with talented cruel adults as students.
Thus, I was really excited before I started this story.
But not for long.
I suppose my main issue (which I suppose it was an issue for the most people who read this book) is the main female character aka Mara: A young really gifted with mental power girl who is looking for her best friend, Connie. Connie wanted to become powerful, so she started attending this magic school and she disappeared from Mara's life until she sends a letter crying for help. So, Mara runs to find her friend and she ends up as prisoner/student in the school of magic.
Mara. I have read five books by R.Lee Smith, this is by far the most annoying main female character. She tries to pose as a kick ass, powerful, strong-minded heroine. She manages to look like a pathetic, cold-hearted bitch who is angry with everything and everyone and for no particular reason.
I did not like getting lost inside her head and her Panic Room. I did not like listening to her thoughts and her reasoning.
Kazuul. The main male character is weak - although he tries to be (unconvincingly) a strong demon. He does not have the substance and the personality of Kane, Meoraq, Azrael, Sanford.
The secondary characters are actually more interesting:
-The follower and wannabe best friend Devlin (the 'humorous' parts of the book).
-The professor and mentor Horuseps (the 'explanatory' parts of the book)
Moreover, the pace of the book is really slow and the way the demons talk does not help. Lots of "thou" and "thee" and "thy". I wanted to bang my head on the wall every time a demon was talking.
The mystery about the disappearance of the best friend which covers the majority of the book, after a while is not really important. Every time Mara was asking 'where is my best friend, I know she is alive', I was thinking 'yeah, yeah whatever...'
The most interesting parts of the book are actually the description of the school, the inside mountain, the caverns,the cells where the students are sleeping, the Great Library, the theatres, the labyrinth, the lyceum, the chambers, the dining hall.
Overall a really weak book. Unimportant characters. Uninteresting story. I was expecting something that would push my morality and ethical boundaries as it usually happens with Smith's books. Instead I was just bored.
The answers in the end of the book about what happened to Connie and who really Mara is, they did not satisfy me and they did not convince me. I felt that everything was left unfinished.
Thus, I was really excited before I started this story.
But not for long.
I suppose my main issue (which I suppose it was an issue for the most people who read this book) is the main female character aka Mara: A young really gifted with mental power girl who is looking for her best friend, Connie. Connie wanted to become powerful, so she started attending this magic school and she disappeared from Mara's life until she sends a letter crying for help. So, Mara runs to find her friend and she ends up as prisoner/student in the school of magic.
Mara. I have read five books by R.Lee Smith, this is by far the most annoying main female character. She tries to pose as a kick ass, powerful, strong-minded heroine. She manages to look like a pathetic, cold-hearted bitch who is angry with everything and everyone and for no particular reason.
I did not like getting lost inside her head and her Panic Room. I did not like listening to her thoughts and her reasoning.
Kazuul. The main male character is weak - although he tries to be (unconvincingly) a strong demon. He does not have the substance and the personality of Kane, Meoraq, Azrael, Sanford.
The secondary characters are actually more interesting:
-The follower and wannabe best friend Devlin (the 'humorous' parts of the book).
-The professor and mentor Horuseps (the 'explanatory' parts of the book)
Moreover, the pace of the book is really slow and the way the demons talk does not help. Lots of "thou" and "thee" and "thy". I wanted to bang my head on the wall every time a demon was talking.
The mystery about the disappearance of the best friend which covers the majority of the book, after a while is not really important. Every time Mara was asking 'where is my best friend, I know she is alive', I was thinking 'yeah, yeah whatever...'
The most interesting parts of the book are actually the description of the school, the inside mountain, the caverns,the cells where the students are sleeping, the Great Library, the theatres, the labyrinth, the lyceum, the chambers, the dining hall.
Overall a really weak book. Unimportant characters. Uninteresting story. I was expecting something that would push my morality and ethical boundaries as it usually happens with Smith's books. Instead I was just bored.
The answers in the end of the book about what happened to Connie and who really Mara is, they did not satisfy me and they did not convince me. I felt that everything was left unfinished.
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