Shayla Morgansen's Chosen Makes Magic Real!

Magic isn't a myth.

It isn't something that defies logic.

It's actually rather scientific.

At least, that's the impression this latest ebook gave me. Magic was logical, followed specific rules, and even seemed to fit within the laws of science.

In a word, refreshing.

Chosen is the first installment of the Elm Stone Saga, an urban fantasy series written by Shayla Morgansen.

So what's it about?

The White Elm Council has governed over those with magical powers for centuries. Their rule has been a peaceful one, leading its people toward the light side of magic, forbidding the practice of the dark. Now, they're taking it a step further. They've decided to open an academy to train young sorcerers and sorceresses to fulfill their magical potential. Those with the right qualifications will have the possibility of apprenticing with one of the councilmembers, meaning that one day, those individuals may become part of the White Elm Council, as well.

It's a great opportunity, and when the Council Scrier, Qasim, offers Aristea the chance to become an academy student, she wholeheartedly accepts. She has always dreamed of becoming a scrier, even though she has never once been able to scry... well, anything. 

Things don't go quite as she expects them to once she begins her studies, though. One night, she breaks magical law (unintentionally, of course), and considers herself lucky that all she got was three weeks of detention with the headmaster, a man with a dark and mysterious past. There's something familiar about him, though she's never before seen him...

In Morgansen's world, magic exists alongside modern technology. Only those with magical talent, however, know about it. They use their power for Good, rather than Evil.

Or, at least, most of them do.

A former member of the White Elm Council, Lisandro, has gone rogue and manipulated two other councilmembers into following him. His plan? To create a new governing structure with himself at the helm. Cruel and driven, Lisandro will do anything to make this happen. Murder is an acceptable option.

Naturally, Aristea finds herself caught up in this power struggle.

And her personality?

She's complex and real. She wants to do something. Something big. Something important. Yet... she doesn't believe in herself. Overcoming self-doubt is a theme throughout this novel, and Aristea's struggle is one that we've all faced at some point in our lives.

Morgansen makes us believe in Aristea. We believe in her magical potential, her intellectual potential, and especially, we believe in her heart. We know she'll be great. We know that her heart is always in the right place...

But she doesn't.

And that makes her real.

And while we're on the subject of reality...

Morgansen does a spectacular job of making magic itself appear real. It seems quite clear that she has a tremendous amount of scientific knowledge that she draws from to make this happen. Whether she has a background in science, or not, that I don't know.

But she clearly understands scientific processes and theories.

We see this in the instructors of the White Elm Academy. The reader is privy to bits and pieces of lecture that feel very much like real classroom lectures... though more interesting because, well... magic!

Morgansen explains simple concepts, such as the idea that magic cannot be created or destroyed. Merely borrowed, modified. Sound familiar?

Yep. Energy.

Throughout the ebook, in fact, she draws on science in order to create magic, lending it credibility. It was something I found exciting, as well as engaging. She spends a lot of time on theory, rather than trying to impress the reader with awesome spells.

Don't get me wrong, there are plenty of those... but they wouldn't have been nearly as impressive without the theoretical lectures and explanations of the processes involved.

They are what made the magic so true.

Those theories and processes made it feel as though the reader could perform magic... if only we had that talent.

This ebook was wonderfully engaging, and I highly recommend it. Morgansen has a great ability to bring fiction to life.

Chosen can be found on Kindle, Nook, and Smashwords, as well as Scribd.

Stefan Bolz's The Fourth Sage Makes Us Ask "Why"

Is it science fiction? 

Or maybe fantasy? 

Perhaps it's a blend of both? 

Nope. Definitely sci-fi. Though it did seem like a genre blend for quite some time. After all, "Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic."

Ok, ok... that Arthur C. Clarke statement doesn't quite fit, but it's one of my favorites, so I'm using it anyway.

Why doesn't it fit? What in the world am I going on about now? Well... just keep reading!

Cover design by Jason Gurley, who happens to be an author, as well!

The Fourth Sage is the first installment of the sci-fi Circularity Saga, written by Stefan Bolz, who, by the way, has a spectacular author page. So be sure to click on the link in that last sentence!

So what's it about?

In a world where every move a person makes is watched, every word is guarded, and every independent action is punished, Aries Egan is an anomaly. She has discovered how to steal one hour of freedom every night, evading the cameras that lurk everywhere.

But freedom comes with a price, and one mistake can mean re-education and pain, as Aries discovers. Forced to flee, knowing that her life as she knows it is gone, she finds herself on a quest to topple the Corporation and bring freedom to others, as well.

And did I mention that one of the main characters is a hawk?

That's right. A hawk. Bolz breaks free of the standard definition of sci-fi, giving personality and complex communication skills to a bird. An awesome bird, of course, but still a bird.

You see why I thought he blended genres with this ebook?

Turns out, there's a valid reason for this communication. It has nothing to do with technology, but rather with genetics. Still, he placed it in the realm of science, rather than magic.

So... dystopian sci-fi it is!

The environment Bolz created was absolutely stifling. This was a vast city in which the inhabitants have no free choice. There is the semblance of choice, but nothing more. People are reasonably content with that, though, because that's all they've really ever known.

Cameras are everywhere: hallways, bedrooms, common areas... everywhere. The Corporation is watching at all times. Anything construed as veering from the norm, even the smallest gesture, is flagged.

A red flag action is cause for immediate removal and imprisonment. Or death.

People are told the truth that the Corporation wants them to believe. If the Corporation says something is true, it is. Period. The Corporation's word is not to be questioned. Everything the corporation does is done for you.

Well, Aries does question it. And she suffers because of that.

But she's also set free, in a sense. Questioning the Corporation brings her one step closer to true knowledge. She constantly asks that one question that is always needed:

"Why?"

She becomes a leader. Others who have the ability to question what's around them recognize this, and soon she meets a ragtag group of gifted children who have the ability to help her fight the corporation.

The philosophies and creativity this ebook was filled with were absolutely amazing, and the situations were intense. There wasn't a single break for Aries, who was met with adversity at every turn.

And the technology?

Riveting. I could clearly see each drone, each android. The strange flow of electricity was beautiful. The strange readings on Aries' tablet as she sought answers to electrical problems? Fascinating.

There were a few things that didn't quite feel right to me, however.

I felt an emotional disconnect at a couple of points in which I should have felt like my heart was being crushed. Some of the characters' reactions to events didn't feel true. Rather, they felt controlled, reined in. This jarred me from the story on occasion.

But this wasn't common.

In fact, I felt a connection to a few of the characters, and when one of them appeared lost, it upset me. I love when I have those horrid feelings, as contradictory as that sounds!

So this ebook is definitely worth reading. Heck, it even has a well thought out (and rather cool) book trailer!



Awesome, right?

The Fourth Sage can only be found on Kindle.