What the book's about:
Rumors are surging through Appernysia that a Beholder has been born, the first wielder of True Sight in over a millennium.
Seventeen-year-old Lon Marcs discovers he has been blessed—or cursed—with this gift. He cannot control the power of True Sight and feels it killing him with each passing day. He realizes that the only people who might possess the knowledge to save his life are the sworn enemies of his king. To obtain their help, Lon would have to journey into exile, leaving behind his village, family, and beloved Kaylen.
Although this is the hardest decision Lon has ever made, it is only the first of many that will test his strength and challenge his interpretation of right and wrong.
My Take:
James has created an interesting world with political realms that left me, as the reader, unsure which one I was supposed to root for. On the one hand, there's Lon's father who used to be a Rayder, but who fled that life and the unreasonable controls they force on their people. Then there's the country of Appernysia where Lon's father ran to for the sake of his love for Lon's mother.
Yet things aren't right there either. And Lon's stuck in the middle when he finds he has a power that could hurt or kill those he loves--and the only people who might have the knowledge to help him are the same people his father fled from.If the "Book One" on the cover isn't a give away, this is a series. The ending isn't exactly a cliffhanger, but it definitely leaves circumstances in flux. I'm especially curious about what Lon's twin sister is up to.
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