The Hound of Rowan

It was okay. Came for the magic school and cool studies part the book but focused more on the daily life aspect that going into a details about the experience which I wasn't really looking for. The ending was nice but really too late and lots of flaws. 

Like, they take the test of loyalty. So why had Alex Munõz betrayed them? What was his reason for the hate??? Totally skipped over the record breaking assessments too in order to get to the actual young boy saving the day scene which thoroughly disappointed me. 

Plus the prose needs a lot of editing. Good editing. There's is so much blatant confusion over what is being described or referred to in a scene and took me our of the story repeatedly. Describing swans flying in the sky for example, 
“he breathed in deep and watched a flight of black swans streak across a sky the color of marigolds.”
Is the color marigold or the birds???? But the bird were described as black??? Which is which!!!!!?????

And that's just one example.

What I did like was the part where the school and the faculty weren't miserable gits who were unnecessarily mean, especially since these students were children. The school is actually exciting as promised and while there is bullying there is also community. 


I think it just could have done better with pacing and figuring where it wants to go. Either really dark or lighter in tone. Would have done the book and story much better.

The Hound of Rowan is an enjoyable first novel, following in the literary footsteps of many boarding-school stories (magical or otherwise). There are a few rough spots in the writing/storytelling, but overall this is a solid book.