"Bronte Casteel had eleven hours, ten minutes and five seconds before her Non-mage pass expired. Her nerves crackled like the groomed pea gravel crunching beneath her old Volvo's tires..."
The world of the Republic is ruled by mages of a certain class--known as the founding families (the folks on the first Mayflower ships to arrive).
Bronte has the good luck of being born to one such family, and the bad luck of being born seemingly powerless (a Non). Except she's not powerless--she's one of the most feared, powerful types of mages that haven't been seen in hundreds of years.
Bronte has the good luck of being born to one such family, and the bad luck of being born seemingly powerless (a Non). Except she's not powerless--she's one of the most feared, powerful types of mages that haven't been seen in hundreds of years.
Being outed as syphon in Bronte's world is akin to being outed as a witch in Salem.
Our glimpse into her world starts with a dashing colonel, Vincent, from a rival founding family, the Rallises. They have a history together and Vincent knows exactly what she is because he's the one she draws power from whenever the two are in the same vicinity.
"Syphon's Song" is a lot more than just the pull Vincent and Bronte feel towards each other. There's political intrigue, a terrorist faction of Nons that may or may not be using Bronte to further their destruction, and a fear of the unknown that Bronte must work through if she (and Vincent) are going to survive.
My impressions: This wasn't your typical paranormal romance. Anise Rae took her time when building this world and really layered it with twists and turns that were actually more important to the story than the romance (which was amazing, by the way).
Rae, in my opinion, did a great job immersing us as readers into the magic. Through her well-written descriptions and scenes, we get a feel for what the magic (vibes) in this world feel like, look like and behave. It's really fascinating the way one character's magic interacts with the magic of another and added depth to all of the interpersonal relationships in the book.
Can Bronte open the mage world's eyes to the power syphons really have and the good they can do? Can Vincent stay true to his family while loving the daughter of his rivals?
I wasn't expecting to love this book quite as much as I did...it was a genre that was new to me and I'm kind of an old stodgy curmudgeon when it comes to moving outside my YA world. But I'm glad I did.
Syphon's Song is an exciting first book to start out a creative new series.
DETAILS
Title: Syphon's Song
Title: Syphon's Song
Series: Mayflower Mages, Book One
Author: Anise Rae
Publisher: Kensington
Price: Free
Author Website: AniseRae.com
Author Twitter: @aniserae
Goodreads review available here.
Author: Anise Rae
Publisher: Kensington
Price: Free
Author Website: AniseRae.com
Author Twitter: @aniserae
Goodreads review available here.
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