While certain sections of this First Look are interesting, I'm not sure how to feel about the excerpt as a whole.
I think the magic system and world in this story are some of the best parts of this book so far. It's fun to read a different viewpoint to how magic can be incorporated into an urban setting, and I've never read a magic system quite like this one before. While this book seems to focus on the potion making section of this culture, I think the overall process of having to work so hard for a miniscule chance at going to college and becoming licensed makes for an interesting story I can cheer on the main character for.
However, I'm not sure how to feel on the difficult topics this book introduces, such as the teacher giving the main character special privileges the other characters won't have. Mr. B really creeps me out in a way that makes me not even want to read about his character, even though he seems to be a large part of the conflict in this book, and I think having to read the main character going along with what he says anyway will fill me with too many negative and grossed out thoughts.
The inclusion of our main character's rival and the part in the description that says that they are going to have to work together in the play and grow to be friendlier to each other has me interested, however. Especially because our main character is described early on as being attracted to women. Are these characters going to get in a relationship? Should I be rooting for them? I'm not opposed to finding out.
I think the magic system and world in this story are some of the best parts of this book so far. It's fun to read a different viewpoint to how magic can be incorporated into an urban setting, and I've never read a magic system quite like this one before. While this book seems to focus on the potion making section of this culture, I think the overall process of having to work so hard for a miniscule chance at going to college and becoming licensed makes for an interesting story I can cheer on the main character for.
However, I'm not sure how to feel on the difficult topics this book introduces, such as the teacher giving the main character special privileges the other characters won't have. Mr. B really creeps me out in a way that makes me not even want to read about his character, even though he seems to be a large part of the conflict in this book, and I think having to read the main character going along with what he says anyway will fill me with too many negative and grossed out thoughts.
The inclusion of our main character's rival and the part in the description that says that they are going to have to work together in the play and grow to be friendlier to each other has me interested, however. Especially because our main character is described early on as being attracted to women. Are these characters going to get in a relationship? Should I be rooting for them? I'm not opposed to finding out.