I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Imagine if Hogwarts wasn't the fortress of safety for youngsters learning to wield magic for the first time, but was instead a training facility not unlike that of the military, where those tapped with the ability of magic are called to battle those who threaten our world.

Imagine if you didn't quite have a choice in your enrollment there.

While others stand in pride at their calling to this fight, Emma sees her carefully driven path for her future stripped away as she's dragged to join the Legion, a magical militia whose secrecy has kept the rest of the world safe from harm. Despite trying to harden herself against the friendships around her and trying to ignore the allure of magic beyond her comprehension, Emma finds herself struggling between solving the mystery that ravages their school and desperately trying to return to her life in the outside world.

The world-building in this novel is, quite simply, massive. This is the kind of fantastical world that you can easily lose yourself in, one that the author has obviously plotted across many novels and, as explained, through the mouths of many characters to come. Since this story took place solely from Emma's POV, she was the only character we truly got to know on a deeper level. If I had a complaint, it would certainly be that I felt we were lacking connection to the other characters by not being given much of their own motivations, outside of "the cause". But with the author's expressed intention of changing perspectives for future novels, I assume that we will learn more of the other characters we've met along the way.

If you enjoy the hum of magic in your veins, and like a story that develops in great depth and over time, this is definitely your kind of book. While certainly likened to a Potter-like world, this is definitely for an older generation, as there is some language and discussion of sex that younger readers (or their parents!) might not be thrilled with. ( )