Genre: Fantasy
# of Pages: 403
Anna was born into an elite Luminate British family, which means her family has access to magic, which is strictly restricted from anyone not in the Luminates. There is an uprising building up to break the binding spell that restricts magic away from anyone considered unworthy and Anna is shocked to learn her own father is a sympathizer. He believes the binding is in place merely to keep the wealthy in power and not to protect those who simply do not know how to use magic and could hurt themselves or someone else. When Anna comes of age, however, her ceremony to practice magic goes poorly and she is believed to be barren, which means she’ll never really be accepted by the Luminates or those outside the Luminates. One power she does seem to have is to break other people’s spells, which is why her family forbid her from coming to her sister’s coming out party. She sneaks in anyway and accidentally ruins her sister’s coming out. Partly as punishment, partly as protection from those who wish to study Anna’s unusual capability of breaking other people’s spells, she is sent away with her grandmother to Hungary. Upon arrival, Anna meets some interesting people and begins to see that those who possess magical tendencies but at outside the Luminates are treated abominably in order to keep them in their place. She begins to wonder if she should use her one power to break the binding so that magic would be available to anyone who wishes to use it. Is she powerful enough? Would it cause chaos and catastrophe like the Luminates predict?
Fans of fantasy stories will enjoy this title. The truth about Anna’s condition eventually comes out, but it may confuse some younger readers. The story meanders a bit when Anna first goes to Hungary, but once the new characters are properly introduced the story picks up again for a satisfying ending. Recommended for students who have already found other fantasy series they enjoy.
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