Spell Starter (A Caster Novel)

by Elsie Chapman

Overview

The Sting meets Fight Club in this magical, action-packed sequel to Caster by Elsie Chapman.

Every spell cast needs a starter.Aza Wu now has magic back. But like all things in her life, it has come at a great cost. After winning the Tournament of Casters, Aza is able to pay off her parents' debt to Saint Willow. But the price of the gathered spell she used to strip Finch of his magic has put her permanently in the employ of the gang leader. And the magic that has been returned to her is not her own.Aza is forced to use this magic, stolen and unpredictable, to do Saint Willow's dirty work. But the gang leader is ambitious and power-obsessed, and she always seems to have a larger plan. Aza knows that if Saint Willow can benefit, it doesn't matter who gets hurt along the way.Forced into a dangerous new situation, Aza will have to reckon with the choices she's made and the unstable magic she wields. If she can find a way out of Saint Willow's hold, she just might survive. That is, if her casting doesn't finally consume her.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781338589511
Publisher:	Scholastic, Inc.
Publication date:	10/06/2020
Pages:	320
Sales rank:	348,052
Product dimensions:	5.70(w) x 8.30(h) x 1.20(d)
Lexile:	HL710L (what's this?)
Age Range:	12 - 18 Years

About the Author

Elsie Chapman grew up in Prince George, Canada, and has a degree in English literature from the University of British Columbia. She is the author of the YA novels Dualed, Divided, Along the Indigo, and Caster as well as the middle-grade novel All the Ways Home, The Scroll of Chaos, and the coeditor of A Thousand Beginnings and Endings and Hungry Hearts. She currently lives in Toronto, Ontario, with her family. You can visit her online at elsiechapman.com.

Editorial Reviews

Praise for Caster:* "Chapman's constructed magic is a complex, balanced system that limits the characters to keep the narrative unpredictable; the battle scenes are creative and fast paced, and the high stakes that Aza faces in her personal life and during the tournament are anxiety-inducing in their believability. Information Aza uncovers about the secrets in her life are parsed out so that the plot never drags; readers will have a hard time putting this one down." — The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, starred review* "Chapman has created compelling young adult novels before, but this is a cut above; the fully realized and atmospheric dystopia is crafted at a level not seen often. This stunning fantasy will fly off the shelves." — Booklist, starred review"A dark and, at times, vicious and violent story of will and questionable honor." — Kirkus Reviews

From the Publisher

2020-08-12
Even in a world with magic, quick fixes come with a cost.

In this sequel to Caster (2019), Aza Wu is again thrust into dangerous tournaments. These are backed not by the Guild but by the ambitious Saint Willow, the Lotusland gang leader. This time, however, Aza does not revel in the freedom of full magic casting; rather, she fears her uncertain control over her new, ill-gotten power and the risk of endangering herself, other fighters, and the world around her. Reluctantly working as Saint Willow’s squeezer and forced to compete nightly in these deadly games, Aza is desperate to find a way out of this predicament that will also keep her parents safe and the family business intact. Though it continues to be strong in action, this second offering spends more time exploring familial obligation, moral choices, and compromise as well as human-made (or magic-made) ecological disasters. Aza’s parents, still ignorant of their daughter’s real job, play a greater role here and are supportive of her, from her work to being interested in whatever sexuality or relationship she may lean toward. There is some diversity in characters, but the book mostly highlights Chinese culture, from Aza’s family’s tea business to the strategic and thoughtful use of romanized Cantonese phrases scattered throughout.

Amped-up action scenes and a thoughtful look at people’s breaking points make this sequel a stronger read. (Dystopian fantasy. 13-17)

Kirkus Reviews