Rating: 4.5/5 Stars
Davian was attacked 3 years ago as a servant. He used Essence and became a gifted. He was a servant at Caladel, but then became a student at the school. However, after that incident he finds he cannot summon Essence. In present day, the trials are about to start and if he cannot summon Essence, then he is to become a Shadow. He finds out the trials are to happen earlier than planned and an Elder comes to him in the middle of the night and tells him he must run from his fate and that he has bigger things that will happen in the future. He is told he is an Augur, which Davian was expecting since he cannot summon Essence and either gets headaches or sees black smoke come from someone’s mouth if they are lying. The boundary is being destroyed and Davian is needed to help fix it. On his way out to escaping, he runs into his friend Wirr and they escape to the north together. The next day, Asha wakes to a quiet school and finds everyone slaughtered expect for her. She becomes a Shadow against her will. Will everything be as it seems for these three?
This book is told in four point of views: Davian, Wirr, Asha, and Caedan. Caedan doesn’t have his memories and is said to have slaughtered a village, so he is trying to find his way and starts traveling with Davian and Wirr. I really liked the world building, the characters, and the adventure. I thought Essence, Kan, and the time traveling were amazing. This book has a lot of action and twists to it. I can’t wait to read the rest of the series, which I’m going to have to buy because the books are lost at my library.