Unsouled

After finishing Will Wight's Traveler's Gate trilogy, I picked this book up with high expectations. Unsouled met these and then exceeded these expectations. With this new series, it is clear that Will Wight has improved as an author in every way.

The story picks up with the main character, Lindon, failing the basic magic aptitude test that everyone takes when they come of age. Because of this, he is ostracized from his clan and denied any possibility of advancing in social status. However, his clan specializes in illusion magic and follows the contradictory philosophy of “honor by any means.” Which is to say, they encourage cheating to get ahead. Throughout the book, Lindon must compensate for his diminished abilities through cunning, deception, and lots of hard work.

The magic system is fantastic and fully integrated into the worldbuilding. People have the ability to absorb vital aura from their surroundings and use this to strengthen their spirit. This, in turn, allows them to perform magic related to the type of aura they absorb. Once someone has progressed enough in their abilities, they “level up” and gain new powers. The system has well-defined rules a la Brandon Sanderson's works, and is just open-ended enough to excite you with the possibilities.

This book was just plain fun. If you like books by Brandon Sanderson, definitely give Unsouled a read.