Yanna Gray is the daughter of Witch Hunters, and not just any Witch Hunters Cassius and Nia Gray are two hunters who are known for their utter ruthlessness when it comes to eradicating Earth from the scourge they see as magic. And as far as they are concerned Yanna is never going to live up to their standards. So when Yanna discovers that one of their group is actually a witch in disguise trying to steal a rare magical artifact Yanna is determined to stop her, even if that means being sent to an entirely new world filled with Magic. In her fight to prove herself to her parents, Yanna now finds herself in Ragond, a world that relies entirely on magic and those who cast it. What's worse Yanna discovers that she is not just a witch but a Mage who can become a dragon rider. To survive this new world Yanna must become everything she's been taught to hate if she's ever going to make it back home.
I genuinely hated Yanna for being this very immature, whiny, brat. At first, however, the longer I read the book the more I figured out she was a product of an upbringing I can't even fathom. I mean honestly, my parents almost encouraged rebellion because that meant I was thinking for myself. Oh sure I'd get in trouble for things but it would have never crossed my mind to think exactly as they do and certainly not to *hate* because they do. So to try to enjoy a character whose life was the exact opposite of my own in a way that I've always found important was difficult at first. As I read on though I found myself enjoying watching her character development. It was interesting to watch her start to think and act for herself. Especially when her parents were so freaking awful. Yanna has to learn to trust herself first and foremost after being told most of her life by the very people who should believe in her unequivocally that she simply wasn't good enough. That's a huge character trait to tackle and I was pleasantly surprised by how well Richardson does with this.
Wyatt, another very important character, has some tidbits of wisdom that are absolutely brilliant as well. His commentary on hate and forgiveness is probably some of the best I've read ever. I really mean that. I will keep his words of forgiveness in my head probably for the rest of my life.
The pacing in this is really well done as well. There is a small plot twist but if you read a lot you are probably going to see it coming from a mile away, it doesn't detract from the overall enjoyment of the story too much though. Or at least it didn't for me. The only tiny complaint I have is the dialogue. If one more character said, "Oh Gosh!" in a situation that clearly called for harsher language I was probably going to scream. I'm not sure if Richardson was actually avoiding swearing in the book (it really seems like she was though), however, even if she was there are plenty of other words/phrases to use other than Oh Gosh. It honestly made it difficult to accurately assess the danger the characters were in or their emotions when their response to every dangerous situation was "Oh Gosh!"
Overall this book honestly looks pretty superficial on the outside but covers complex topics with a pretty great cast of characters. On a side note, this is being marketed as a Teens/YA book but honestly, I'd say this is perfect for middle grade as well. If I bought this for any of my kids it would probably be my ten-year-old, not my older three.
And Thank-You to NetGalley and Relay Publishing for the eArc in exchange for this review!
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