Miss Ellicott's School for the Magically Minded by Sage Blackwood

It's a school to teach them magic but they are also taught deportment.  They learn to be submissive, hold their tongues, and do what they are told.  Well, most do.  Chantel is not one of them...

Katherine Tegan Books and Edelweiss let me read this book for review (thank you).  It will be published March 21st.

I like all of Ms. Blackwood's books.  She writes a good story with plenty of challenges for her characters and they're fun to read.  This one was also very enjoyable and a great read.

Chantel does well with the magic lessons but doesn't always curtsy and sit quietly.  Miss Ellicott gets quite upset over this but it doesn't get better.  Another thing that Chantel does is ask too many questions. (I still do that.)

The city is walled up to protect them from the marauders.  The wall is kept secure by the group of sorceresses. When the sorceresses go missing, Miss Ellicott along with them, Chantel decides to go ask where they went along with a few other questions.  Imagine her astonishment when only one man in the council can hear her talk.  The others ignore her.  This is not a good start...

When she almost gets eaten by a fiend, she finds a strange way out of the castle and ends up on the other side of the wall.  There she meets a young boy who informs her he is not a marauder, he's a member of one of the tribes on the other side of the wall.  He answers her questions and she begins to wonder if the King and his friends are actually protecting them or just trying to acquire more wealth.

As things develop, her snake familiar suddenly grows into a dragon and her life changes.  It's exciting, full of battles, the old queens and kings come to life again and help her in her quest and it's a thrilling read.

I think all ages can read this book and enjoy it but the young ones will eat it up.  This is an epic adventure that I'll remember for a long time.