The Thirteenth Tower by Sara C. Snider (Tree and Tower #1)

Original Title: The Thirteenth Tower

Year Published: 2014

Published by: Double Beast Publishing (acquired through NetGalley)

Number of Pages: 271

First Sentence: "Emelyn awoke, as always, in darkness."

Goodreads Rating: 3/5

Plot:

In adversity lies strength beyond imagining.

Abandoned as a baby, young Emelyn’s life as a housemaid in the quiet village of Fallow is unremarkable—and empty. That is, until a host of magical creatures arrives and inflicts terrible misdeeds on the townsfolk. Inexplicably immune to their enchantments, Emelyn joins a pair of Magi intent on stopping the cause of the trouble—and who claim to know of her parents, promising Emelyn answers to a lifetime of questions.

But the answers Emelyn seeks prove to be more elusive than she hoped, and the world outside Fallow more perilous than she imagined. Magical creatures roam the land over, attacking yet another town before coming after Emelyn. The key to her survival—and finding her family—lies deep within her, if only she can conquer her doubts and believe she is more powerful than she ever dreamed.

My thoughts:

I liked this book. It takes you on a journey where you, alongside the main character, get to see many new amazing things and get acquainted with many interesting and unique individuals. It is also about learning how there is so much more to the world around us, and that we are capable of amazing feats if we only believe in ourselves.

The main character is a girl named Emelyn. She is a maid and an orphan. After her village falls under a strange spell she follows two magis, wielders of the "art", on a journey after they claim to know who her parents are. Little does she know that they also have a hidden agenda. Emelyn is a sweet girl and easy to like. She works well as the protagonist of this story, but sometimes she seems to be overly meek. Perhaps this is the point, but it did get slightly annoying at times.

My favourite character in the book is a strange creature named Cobbe. She is a Wylkin, a filthy creature, but kind although slightly grumpy. She brightens up many passages of the book that otherwise would be boring. She is the type of friend everyone needs, someone who doesn't coddle you but still does everything they do to help or protect you.

So, why only a rating of 3? Well, there were many times where I had to stop and wonder what the actual plot was. We are on an amazing journey, but it was very easy to forget why. To be completely honest, I didn't see the overall plot of the book until the final three chapters. That's when I had a proper aha-moment and went; "oh, that's why!".

Do I recommend it? 

Sure, since I do believe that this can be turned into a great series. I think that Snider does well with this book, and I think that with a clearer plot in the following books, the other ones will turn out the be epic fantasies.