The Reach Between Worlds
by Cameron M. Hayden
The Arclight Saga #1
Taro lost his right leg years ago, but with a family to support, he doesn’t let it slow him down. For years he’s worked for a notorious crime lord named Victor Mathan; Mathan deals in stolen magical artifacts, and trusts Taro to finish his work with as few questions as possible.
When an absurdly well-paying job comes up, Taro is quick to volunteer. Mathan wants him to break a powerful sorceress out of her magical prison, but her cell is under the control of an ancient military order called the Magisterium. To get to her, Taro must pose as a Magisterium recruit.
The courses are grueling, the trials drive students mad, and the magic they teach can be as deadly to the caster as it is to the target.
We follow Taro, who we get the idea did some not so great things in his past. He’s trying to do right, but things are getting difficult. Both his parents have fallen ill, and he has a sister to take care of. His sister trying to help, gets caught running with Taro’s old group. To try and keep her safe, and to make sure his family is taken care of, Taro agrees against his better judgement to infiltrate the Magisterium and break someone out from there.
The story was somewhat interesting. There are a few times Taro almost gets caught, and he gets lucky just squeaking by. There is also a test the students must pass. This test could mean their lives though. They all must work as a team, or they all fail. On this test, things get dicey, as they fight for their lives with something making them go mad.
Honestly though, this didn’t leave a lasting impression. Before writing this review (I’m just over a month behind), I had to stare at the summary of the book on Goodreads for a few minutes before I remembered anything of what I read. I must have felt this a little while I was reading, as I only gave this 3 stars of 5 on Goodreads. I believe in my Bookie Trials vlog I said I’d continue, but now I’m not too sure.
