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asianamlitfansWritten by Stephen Hong Sohn
Edited by Lina Jiang
I won’t lie. I’ve been in sort of a reading funk. For some reason, I hadn’t been finding ANY young adult novels all that compelling. I’d crash out of them not long after I started. Well, I finally managed to finish one. Even this one, I stalled out of a couple of times, but it eventually stuck on the third try. I am glad I was persistent because I found the plot and the world building to be quite interesting. In any case, in this review I’m covering Elsie Chapman’s Caster (Scholastic, 2019), which is told from the first person perspective of Aza Wu.
Let’s let the official page provide us with more background information: “If the magic doesn't kill her, the truth just might. Aza Wu knows that real magic is dangerous and illegal. After all, casting killed her sister, Shire. As with all magic, everything comes at a price. For Aza, it feels like everything in her life has some kind of cost attached to it. Her sister had been casting for money to pay off Saint Willow, the gang leader that oversees her sector of Lotusland. If you want to operate a business there, you have to pay your tribute. And now with Shire dead, Aza must step in to save the legacy of Wu Teas, the teahouse that has been in her family for centuries. When Aza comes across a secret invitation, she decides she doesn't have much else to lose. She quickly realizes that she's entered herself into an underground casting tournament, and the stakes couldn't be higher. Real magic, real consequences. As she competes, Aza fights for her life against some very strong and devious competitors. When the facts about Shire's death don't add up, the police start to investigate. When the tributes to Saint Willow aren't paid, the gang comes to collect. When Aza is caught sneaking around with fresh casting wounds, her parents are alarmed. As Aza's dangerous web of lies continues to grow, she is caught between trying to find a way out and trapping herself permanently.”
This description is pretty thorough and gives you a strong sense of some of the world building challenges that came with this particular novel. Casters have to be basically in the closet. As Aza’s powers grow, so does her curiosity in what happened to Shire. When her mentor, Rudy, ends up dying, she knows something strange is going on. Investigating the circumstances around Rudy’s death (and Shire’s) leads her to the “underground casting tournament.” It is here that—and here is your spoiler warning—Aza discovers that her sister was involved in this very same tournament the previous year and was killed in the final round. Aza remains invested in the tournament because it gives her a chance at revenge, on the one hand, while making money for her family, on the other. The competition aspect was an intriguing plot conceit and definitely propelled the novel forward. Aza’s a loner for the most part, but Chapman is able to make her into a likable, gritty protagonist. The other secret that the novel keeps close to the vest for some time is how Shire ended up dying in the previous year’s tournament. All road signs had led to the fact that Shire was the most talented caster that was in that tournament, so people think that Finch, who won and who killed Shire in the final round, had somehow managed to cheat. The other aspect of this novel that was interesting was that there was an environmentalist thread related to magic’s ruination of the world. As part of the world building, Chapman generates a cost for every caster: every spell that is completed takes a considerable physical toll on the body of the caster. Further still, the continued casting has caused the world to become unstable and to become poisoned. Over time, the earth’s way of fighting back was to create a feedback system that would eliminate casters over time. The conclusion is definitely opened ended, so you won’t be surprised to hear that there is already a sequel in store. I am definitely in line to read it!
Buy the Book Here
Edited by Lina Jiang
I won’t lie. I’ve been in sort of a reading funk. For some reason, I hadn’t been finding ANY young adult novels all that compelling. I’d crash out of them not long after I started. Well, I finally managed to finish one. Even this one, I stalled out of a couple of times, but it eventually stuck on the third try. I am glad I was persistent because I found the plot and the world building to be quite interesting. In any case, in this review I’m covering Elsie Chapman’s Caster (Scholastic, 2019), which is told from the first person perspective of Aza Wu.
Let’s let the official page provide us with more background information: “If the magic doesn't kill her, the truth just might. Aza Wu knows that real magic is dangerous and illegal. After all, casting killed her sister, Shire. As with all magic, everything comes at a price. For Aza, it feels like everything in her life has some kind of cost attached to it. Her sister had been casting for money to pay off Saint Willow, the gang leader that oversees her sector of Lotusland. If you want to operate a business there, you have to pay your tribute. And now with Shire dead, Aza must step in to save the legacy of Wu Teas, the teahouse that has been in her family for centuries. When Aza comes across a secret invitation, she decides she doesn't have much else to lose. She quickly realizes that she's entered herself into an underground casting tournament, and the stakes couldn't be higher. Real magic, real consequences. As she competes, Aza fights for her life against some very strong and devious competitors. When the facts about Shire's death don't add up, the police start to investigate. When the tributes to Saint Willow aren't paid, the gang comes to collect. When Aza is caught sneaking around with fresh casting wounds, her parents are alarmed. As Aza's dangerous web of lies continues to grow, she is caught between trying to find a way out and trapping herself permanently.”
This description is pretty thorough and gives you a strong sense of some of the world building challenges that came with this particular novel. Casters have to be basically in the closet. As Aza’s powers grow, so does her curiosity in what happened to Shire. When her mentor, Rudy, ends up dying, she knows something strange is going on. Investigating the circumstances around Rudy’s death (and Shire’s) leads her to the “underground casting tournament.” It is here that—and here is your spoiler warning—Aza discovers that her sister was involved in this very same tournament the previous year and was killed in the final round. Aza remains invested in the tournament because it gives her a chance at revenge, on the one hand, while making money for her family, on the other. The competition aspect was an intriguing plot conceit and definitely propelled the novel forward. Aza’s a loner for the most part, but Chapman is able to make her into a likable, gritty protagonist. The other secret that the novel keeps close to the vest for some time is how Shire ended up dying in the previous year’s tournament. All road signs had led to the fact that Shire was the most talented caster that was in that tournament, so people think that Finch, who won and who killed Shire in the final round, had somehow managed to cheat. The other aspect of this novel that was interesting was that there was an environmentalist thread related to magic’s ruination of the world. As part of the world building, Chapman generates a cost for every caster: every spell that is completed takes a considerable physical toll on the body of the caster. Further still, the continued casting has caused the world to become unstable and to become poisoned. Over time, the earth’s way of fighting back was to create a feedback system that would eliminate casters over time. The conclusion is definitely opened ended, so you won’t be surprised to hear that there is already a sequel in store. I am definitely in line to read it!
Buy the Book Here
