Author:Rachel E. Carter
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Epic Fantasy
Rating: Should-be-10 Stars
“I told you not to trust a wolf. Because it would only ever want to break you… Haven’t you figured it out yet? I’m the wolf, Ryiah.”
Candidate by Rachel E. Carter was a whirlwind of a read. Because of this, I am staring at this white empty screen attempting to put my thoughts into words in order to adequately show the novels' worth. Candidate was by far the best novel in The Black Mage series and it pushed me to my limits. There is no holding back and because of that, my heart might be eternally bruised due to it.
“And they told me to keep watch over a ‘lady.’” I couldn’t help but smirk. A lady. I lunged and defeated her guard. I was a war mage.
The first two novels in this series were tamer in the sense of brutality. What Candidate does is strip the smoke screen of deception and throw us into the realities of the Kingdom. No one is more shocked than Ryiah about the implications and consequences of these lies. Ryiah fights between doing what is right, with the chance of losing everything, or living in ignorance, and still, losing everything.
“Remind me to never challenge you to a duel. You are a bloodthirsty savage.”
Ryiah is now a second rank Combat Mage and is betrothed to the non-heir Darren. Everything seems to be on track. However, Ryiah struggles with her impending title and court life and decides to go off to Ferren's Keep. There, she finds reprieve from court politics and focuses on just being Ryiah the combat Mage. She continues to prove herself and her dedication to the cause to those apprehensive about her. But Ryiah can not have the best of both worlds; being a solider and royalty at the same time. At the end of the day, she has to decide which one is more important to her.
“That’s the thing about enemies. You never know who they could end up being.”
As the future war with Caltoth approaches, sides must be chosen. This decision opens the reader to the greyness of the kingdom and past actions that caused these chain of events. Friends, families and relationships are tested; the question is whether they will hold up to the strain. It is almost impossible to distinguish between good and evil. Ultimately, who should Ryiah trust?
“The truth is told in anger, not regret, love.”
Ryiah really grew through these novels; yes she still made mistakes, but she was more conscious of her actions. She transforms into an empowered, self-confident (most times), passionate individual. I wonder if she was always destined to be a princess; to implement change. Darren still remains swoon-worthy and charismatic. There is just something about him that attracts you in like a moth to a flame. Their chemistry is off the charts and I can't wait to see where their relationship takes them. The characters in Candidate were dark, gritty, but brutally honest and raw. They all evolved and played an instrumental part to the ending.
“You smell like home.” I felt him crack a smile. “Would you believe me if I told you the same?”
The Plot.... I honestly don't know what to say. I am literally stumped. It takes a lot to surprise me, Candidate surprised the hell out of me. One thing is for certain, Rachel created this novel with such sophistication and maturity. The plot was so meticulous and complex that you didn't really know what is going on until it happened. There were moments where I would could not believe what I was reading. I want to hug this novel but also want to strangle it. I want to comfort Candidate and I also want to it comfort me and tell me everything will be okay.
How many times can a person shatter? At least one more.
I am really proud of Rachel's work and passion in Candidate. I will be riding shot gun for the final novel, The Last Stand. I hope Ryiah is ready! If she wants to win, she has to stop being the sheep and become the wolf.
Flames erupted in a tempest of red. Against the bright summer sun it seared. Red like blood. Red like rage. Red like revenge.
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