Vis in magia, in vita vi. In magic there is power, and in power, life.
I rarely use the word ‘spellbinding’ when describing a novel. I hold magic with too much reverence to use the word loosely. However, SKYLARK by Meagan Spooner gets the honor of that distinction. From the first chapter the reader is apparated into a mesmerizing world of technology meets magic.
There are a lot of books about magic. A lot. Enough to fill the Hogwarts library several times over, more books than hair product used by Draco Malfoy. However, there are not that many new stories. It is incredibly rare to have a book that cannot be equated to another, previously written, tale. Too often novels tout themselves as a “new” Harry Potter or “Hunger Games meets Lord of The Rings” etc. Books try to ride on the success of other plotlines and use their names for their own achievement. There are a lot of “Toms” in the world. This book is not a Tom, it is a Lord Voldemort. SKYLARK stands alone. The unique narrative and brilliant world created by Meagan Spooner will, I have no doubt, create a legion of other novels that try to claim that they are “like SKYLARK.”
For fifteen years, Lark Ainsley waited for the day when her Resource would be harvested and she would finally be an adult. After the harvest she expected a small role in the regular, orderly operation of the City within the Wall. She expected to do her part to maintain the refuge for the last survivors of the Wars. She expected to be a tiny cog in the larger clockwork of the city.
Lark did not expect to become the City’s power supply.
For fifteen years, Lark Ainsley believed in a lie. Now she must escape the only world she’s ever known…or face a fate more unimaginable than death.
Lark Ainsley, is a girl with magic in a Muggle-ish world where her power is seen as literally as power (fuel) rather than a fundamental part of a human being. It is a world the reader will both be enchanted and horrified by. Fleeing the home she has always been told is her only safe haven, Lark must survive in a world she’s been told has been branded with a permanent Dark Mark.
This is a story of discovery but not in the traditional telling of over introspection and morals. Instead, this is the about the discovery of magic. The discovery of power. The discovery of the grim dangers of the world. And the discovery of avoiding what lurks deep in the shadows. Lark is not thrust into sudden understanding, her character builds through her journey. She does not have all the answers and that is what makes her compelling.
There is some magic inside everyone (with the exception of the Dursleys). Meagan Spooner understand this & the true reason people connect to stories of magic. She realizes that true magic is not something you believe in but something you know. An inherent nature that helps define a person. This is magic at its deepest, most natural. The magic of this story is dark, dangerous and enchanting and it makes this story worth reading.
Want to win a SKYLARK prize? Everyone is a winner! Your time has finally come, Hufflepuffs!
http://www.meaganspooner.com/the-skys-the-limit-contest-for-skylark/
SKYLARK will be available August 1st.
If you’re interested in learning more about SKYLARK or Meagan Spooner visit her website at http://www.meaganspooner.com.