Pages: 418 pgs
File Size: 629 KB
Language: English
Publisher: Createspace
ASIN: B0046REJXW
ISBN13: 978-1452846323
Purchase: Kindle, Other E-Readers, Paperback
Website: http://rachelcotterill.com/

REBELLION - the first book in the CHRONICLES OF CHARANTHE series - follows the journey of Eleanor, a young woman raised in a school where children are raised not knowing who their parents, and at the end of training are given assignments as to where they will forge their careers.

Elanor has always dreamed of becoming an assassin, a dream fueled in part by secret training by a mysterious man called Laban, but assassins are supposedly only the job of legends that can only be achieved by refusing the Empire-given assignment and then following trials to reach the Association (the home of the assassins). When Eleanor is told that despite her rebellious ways she's destined for a life as a police officer, she leaves in search of the legendary Association. This gets into a series of misadventures along the way - including working for a band of pirates -
that result in her captivity with a young man named Raf whom she comes to care for, but through his friendship finds the Association where she to the dismay of some becomes its first female assassin candidate. Once she arrives at the Association and meets the young men from some of the other schools, she finds that the challenges are just beginning and the politics are not all that they seem.

The world of Charanthe is developed in great detail, as evidenced by the various lands Eleanor visits before and after she finds the Association. All the characters are developed enough to serve their roles, none are deep or well-rounded but in a story where deception and mislead is key this may be intentional and doesn't feel a problem. At times reading this I felt like I was reading J.K. Rowling's famed series but set in a school for assassins instead. Eleanor may at times seem a bit wishy washy as she displays good skill at using her weapons but less refined social skills, but it must be remembered that most of these characters are still at this moment teenagers with room to grow and develop. I look forward to seeing how this plays out in the second book and if the issues face develop along with the character's social maturity and the secret politics at play. This is a well developed start to a series with a lot of potential.



Reviewed by: Shannon Muir