Chronicles of a Spell Caster: Book One - Orientation

by J.J. Singleton

A dark secret and a desperate need for answers. Can a freshman prove he belongs before he’s permanently deleted?

Jet yearns to fit in and rid himself of his buried darkness. Believing his chosen university is his best chance for help, the first-year college student is excited to test his magical skills against talented peers. But when trial combat triggers the savage demon inside him, his loss of control alienates his cohort and puts a target on his back.

Through it all, Jet makes a few tentative friends while going on virtual reality training missions and searching for a way to dispatch the monster within. But as the brutally competitive spring semester looms near, the determined teen never imagined his most vicious enemies could be hiding in plain sight.

Can Jet survive his freshman year without unleashing pure evil?

Genres: Fantasy

362 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 19, 2020

About the author

J.J. Singleton is an author who holds a Bachelor’s degree in Anthropology and a Master’s Degree in Ancient Studies. Throughout his life, he has dealt with Dyslexia. So, books were never a source of entertainment for him when he was younger. With the difficulties he had with reading and writing, he never dreamed he would one day write a book. He always had a vivid imagination. When he was a young child, he was always pretending that he was the main character in the imaginary stories he created in his mind. Remembering the worlds and characters he created and combining his creative thoughts with historical themes and ideas he learned from his academic career, he has created his first novel Chronicles of a Spell Caster.

When not writing, he likes to play tennis, travel, and watch various tv series, his favorite are historical dramas. His favorite trip was to Greece, one of the many places he studied. He plans to continue his travels to a variety of locations around the globe. His goal is to see many of the historical places he studied and gather inspiration for future projects.

Reviews

[Tiffany Martin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Do you like mythology, werewolves, magic and technology? This YA fantasy book has all of these things and so much more! Jet, is off to his first year of college but with his great magic comes a powerful Demon that has hitched a ride inside him and longs to take over. Will the Demon get the best of him during his first year at school? Or do other evils far worse than the demon have plans for him his freshman year?

This book had such an abundance of potential and was full of adventure and action! While I enjoyed many sequences and ideas presented within this book, I felt that is a lot of what it was...potential It felt quite underdeveloped. Jet is extremely powerful and strong at the beginning of the book. This gets corrected by the end and I did appreciate that.

I love that this story is set on a college campus and has club sports teams and clubs using powers and magic in an AI atmosphere to compete against one another. The magical system itself is extremely unique as well! And, the battle scenes are epic!

I want to thank the publisher for giving me a copy of the book for review.

[Happy Reading Watching · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyed the magic system and the plot of this one.
Magic
YA Fantasy
Best of all a family friendly!
Looking forward to seeing what this author writes next.

Book Synopsis:
"With Jet’s freshman year gearing up to start, and the normal pressures of college looming, Jet will have to navigate finding a place to fit in, classes, homework, tests, and papers. But in a world where people have powers and abilities and can-do extraordinary things. A new norm has been imbedded into the College curriculum. Students must also complete tasks and assignments within a virtual reality called the AITS to hone their abilities and skills. The idea of who is the strongest, hovers over the whole student body and fighting, backstabbing and betrayal are ever present."

Was send a copy enexchange of my thoughts.

[Anastasia ⋆｡☽˚｡ · Rating 3 out of 5]

*a copy was provided by author in exchange for a honest review
All thoughts and opinions are my own

We follow Jet as our main character in this first book. We get to learn a lot about the school and the magic system through him, and well about Jet himself and others as well. The World building in this book is very well done.
This helps getting into the book a bit faster and getting to know the characters and eventually the plot.
I think people who are fans of Harry Potter would adore this! I both enjoyed and had my issues with Chronicles of a Spell Caster. I’ll start by saying that this book had a lot of potential! It had some really unique ideas and a well-developed magic system and lots of action and adventure, but it fell short in the execution and writing style for me.
The ending is the best part of my reading experience. It will make one think if it is something satisfying or not. I am curious what will happen in the succeeding books.

More detailed review here: http://bookswithnatasa.home.blog/2021...

[rach · Rating 1 out of 5]

I received an ebook copy of this book via Book Publicity Services in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

DNF at 26%


I tried really hard to get into this book, but there were so many info dumps. Also the writing was almost too detailed— it felt like a step by step book. First I’ll do this, then so and so said that. It was just too much information. Another thing was the editing. There was so many typos and grammatical errors in this finished copy.


I think the premise was very interesting and if it weren’t for the writing style and massive info dumps I would’ve continued

[Roxanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

At first i needed some time to get used to the writing style. The magic system takes a bit to get known and used to but it was a good aspect for this book.

We follow Jet as our main character in this first book. We get to learn alot about the school and magic system through him, and well about Jet himself and others as well.

The World building in this book is very well done.
This helps getting into the book a bit faster and getting to know the characters and eventually the plot.

We get to read about various characters and their own agenda's and we get to know more about their strengths and weaknesses.

The concept of the school is well executed using the AITS (virtual reality) as a training system to train everyone's skills. This is an unique system i haven't seen before used to actually train skills.

Overall i really liked this book and i am curious to see where the story will go now.
If you like magic and a unique world this might be the book for you.

[Malli (Chapter Malliumpkin) · Rating 4 out of 5]

ARC was provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.

This review is being published before the release date (September 17th 2020)

Content/Trigger Warnings: Bullying, isolation, injuries, & violence

Friends, it no secret that I'm a devourer of fantasy. So when I was approached to receive a copy of Chronicles of a Spell Caster I , how could I possibly refuse? What I will say, it's been a hot minute since I touched a fantasy book; So it was nice to finally jump back in the saddle with a fantasy read by a self-published author. It felt really good to get consumed by curiosity and a good fantasy storyline once again. I did have some issues with a few things, but overall I really enjoyed my time reading this book.

Jet has just started freshman year at Welwerth University and things are anything but easy. If you thought freshman year OF college was stressful, try being a student who wields magical power. Jet and his fellow students are put to the test with intense entrance exams, some landing students in the infirmary, which will place them in classes and with scholarships that will secure their future. However, that's not the only issue Jet faces. With uncontrollable power and family history laced with mystery, Jet is facing a tough freshman year. Did I mention that trying to make friends is a challenge? In revealing some of his abilities, Jet has made his freshman year ten times more difficult by making enemies and causing everyone to either fear him or want something from him. Needless to say, it should be a very interesting year ahead.

Let me start by saying I fell madly in love with the world building. Any fantasy reader who enjoys detailed world building, you're going to really enjoy the world in this book. It's unique in it's own way. Gives a lot of vibes similar to the world building in HP series, the Percy Jackson series, and I would even say even some vibes of The Mortal Instruments series. However, it remains uniquely it's own world with it's own rules and magic system. The author put a lot of thought and effort into the way the world was built and doesn't shy away from the details. Even when writing the main character, we get to see, experience, and learn about the world and the way the magic system works through Jet's eyes. I also enjoyed the history of this world. It was very easy to get drawn in with that.

Shifting to the topic of the types of powers and abilities, I thought the author did a fantastic job being able to make them incredibly interesting and making the reader want to know more. When Jet starts talking about the Casters, those who are descendants of the ancients, I was hooked. I wanted to know more and it really motivated me to keep reading on. With that being said, every battle scene was packed with action. I always felt like I was hanging on by my seat during these scenes, wondering how the battle would conclude.

"If they are afraid of what magic can do, wait till next year. I will give them something to be afraid of."

With all of these good things that a thoroughly enjoyed, there were a lot of things that made it hard to read this book at times. One of these things were the large amount of side characters to keep track of and who was who. There were a lot of times where certain characters didn't stick out enough that I didn't even remember meeting them. When compared to other characters like Kyle, Kyle will stand out more due to his bully nature and his attitude towards anything that threatens his position in university. There were times where the amount of characters we meet in such a short amount of time felt overwhelming and we got small pockets of information dumps about those characters.

My biggest issue would have to be the repetition of things. There were a lot of times where the repetitions of things bogged the pace of the story down. There were times it felt like there were pockets of information dumping. Don't get me wrong, sometimes you need the details to understand certain things, but other times the extra details aren't necessary. If there was more chopping and polishing, I think the pace wouldn't have been impacted so much.

Overall, I truly enjoyed reading this book. The ending was probably one of my favorite parts of this book and I'm eager to see how things will unfold in the second book. I think this series has a lot of potential and I'm really excited to see it bloom. I would recommend this to any of my fellow fantasy lovers. And let me just say, reading this book on a stormy, rainy day is absolute perfection!

The quotes above were taken from an ARC and are subject to change upon publication.

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[Permanently_Booked · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like the setup of this book in a journal entry type format. Jet chronicles his time at Welworth University and we get to journey along through his narrative. I did have to slow my pace when it came to the magic system and the world building. There is a good bit of information that is provided in the beginning stages of the novel and it took me a minute to grasp the background and intricacies of this world. However, the more immersed you get into this book the more addictive it can be especially with the technological side to this plot.

There comes a point about halfway where everything starts to really pick up. I found this to be the most enjoyable part of the novel surrounding the virtual reality training system called AITS. Let’s just say it spoke directly to my inner nerd. She was gleefully thumbing pages eager for more. Sometimes the writing style did get a bit choppy, and I do think that multiple POVs would’ve benefited in between the journal entries. Jet is an interesting character and I found him well fleshed-out but I did get to the point where he tended to aggravate me at times or I just wanted someone else to narrate for a change.

If you’re a fan (like me) of magical schools and unique takes on the world surrounding them than I would recommend giving this novel a read. I’ve seen some reviews compare it to the likes of Harry Potter and while I did get a sense of that I think the virtual reality moves it away from that area. Thank you to Book Publicity Services for the gifted copy in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts are my own.

[Dai Guerra · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thoughts and Themes: When I read the title of this book I was excited to read more because everything that I ever wrote about when I was younger was spellcasters vs another world. The only books that I knew of growing up with magic were Harry Potter and thankfully I never really got into those. I was thrilled to find a book that had magic, a new world, and more. The only thing was I was a bit surprised by how much I actually really enjoyed this book because I was worried that I wouldn’t really enjoy this book because when I started it, it took me a while to get into it. I was also worried that I wouldn’t enjoy this one because of the strong emphasis on sports. I am not a big fan of sports books but I realized that many of the fantasy books that I have enjoyed this year have the sports theme in common.

I really enjoyed the world building through this book and how you get the history of this world along with the action scenes that keep you reading. I also liked how the world was being built along with the action scenes that kept taking place. I thought that having those action scenes throughout the world building kept me wanting to know what would happen.

I found that while there were some predictable moments, those moments still had a twist to them. The twists that were included through these predictable moments caught me off guard and made me want to know what would happen to Jet. I was glad to know that this was the first book in a series because I could always use some more magic books.

Characters: While there were parts of the main character that really annoyed me, I grew to really like the main character and the occasional sarcasm that we get from him. At first I was frustrated because he seems to be all powerful and all knowing and I just can’t get into stories where characters have no flaws. I was pleased to find as you read more that he did have a fatal flaw and loved how this flaw plays into his story and how it holds him back at times.

I really enjoyed reading about Jet’s past and how this world’s past was affecting current time. I liked seeing how Jet’s relationships were being affected by who and what he is. I thought it was great to see how the other students reacted to finding out information about Jet. I also really enjoyed getting to learn about the other characters and wanted to learn more about specific ones.

Writing Style: This story is told in first person through the eyes of the main character, Jet. This does at times make it seem like the narrator is all knowing which I found got frustrating at the beginning. Something that confused me at times was there are moments in which the story switches and is told in third person when scenes are included that Jet is not a part of. I found that it might have worked better and more seamlessly if it was kept in first person through another character’s view point.

[Abbey and Kate · Rating 3 out of 5]

We were given this book to review by the publisher.
Thank you for giving us this opportunity.


This book had a lot of potential. The world that this story was built in was very unique and had a lot of interesting aspects. There was a lot of adventures and lots of magic. The magic was an important aspect of this book and the magic system that was used was very unique and unlike a lot of books we have read. The Welwerth University that the story took place in, gave us a lot of Harry Potter vibes, and we felt like if this story would have been paced better it could have been an amazing story. There were a lot of fun and unique aspects of this book that I had never read about before. I enjoyed how the student at the school trained through virtual reality, I thought that was a unique part of the story. The idea behind the powers and the casters was very intriguing and it was very interesting to dive into those characters and learn all about them.

But, besides the intriguing part of the world building and characters there was a lot of problems within this book. The plot line was a bit underdeveloped, it got quite confusing at times and there was not a lot of details given to help understand what was going on. A lot of parts in the story felt detached and there was not a lot of emotions given.

The character development though out this book was mostly nonexistent. It felt like the characters weren’t connected to the book and they were very distant. The main character (Jet) seemed undeveloped and almost too powerful. He didn’t have many faults, which made him less relatable and made you have a lack of connection to his character. You never got to learn about the side characters and there was not a lot of dialogue and social connections between the main character and other characters. The conversations that did occur between the characters were detached, disingenuous, and slightly awkward.

There were many subplots within the overall plot, and those subplots could have really been given more details and background information. This would have added more substance and help connected the subplots to the overall plot. If more details and personality were given though out this book it would have had a lot more depth and emotion for the reader to feel. This book did not really make us get attached at all and it was very hard to get immersed into the story.

I genuinely think that The Chronicles of a Spell Caster has lot of potential if written with a bit more emotion. I think this world could have a lot of unique potential.

Thank you so much for allowing us to review this book. We really appreciate it.

[Lola's Library · Rating 3 out of 5]

I both enjoyed and had my issues with Chronicles of a Spell Caster. I’ll start by saying that this book had a lot of potential! It had some really unique ideas and a well-developed magic system and lots of action and adventure, but it fell short in the execution and writing style for me.

It’s written in first person, from the perspective of our protagonist, Jet, who was a bit too perfect for my liking. He was smart and strong and mostly pleasant to follow, but his ego was a bit much at times and he had next to no flaws, which just made his character a little unrealistic to me. I did like the side characters and Jet’s friends! I wish we got to know them a bit better and see a little more development from them.

The writing style was a little info-dumpy in parts (particularly at the beginning), but I forgave this because it would’ve been confusing and hard to follow without it. The dialogue was also a little awkward and unrealistic sometimes, which made it harder to connect to the characters.

The world building and magic-system were the highlights of this book for me. They were quite developed and very unique. I loved that the university used a sort of virtual reality for training, it was a really nice blend of traditional magic/fantasy and technology (something I haven’t seen all too much). The author used good descriptions for the setting and I had a clear picture/map of the University in my head as I read. I also liked the descriptions of the places inside the AITS (the VR training system).

Overall I enjoyed the book. It was well-paced and interesting, but I struggled to connect with the characters and story. I think if the writing had a bit more emotion to it I would’ve liked it a lot more.

Thanks again to the author and publisher for sending me a copy of the novel in exchange for an honest review!

[louisity · Rating 4 out of 5]

Exact rating: 3.75 out of 5 stars

Overall it was a good reading experience.

The setting was vividly depicted. The battles were pretty intense.
There were times that the narratives were wordy and the magic system takes time to understand. But overall the intensity of the battles and the thought process and actions of the characters (they were vividly synthesized) contributed to the overall narrative that would make one react. It made me react.

The ending is the best part of my reading experience. It will make one think if it is something satisfying or not. I am curious what will happen in the succeeding books.

[Pages and Blush · Rating 4 out of 5]

*Was sent a copy for an honest review*
I really enjoyed this! I thought the magic system and characters were a lot of fun! I think people who are fans of Harry Potter and Nevermoore would adore this! I do think that the writing was good, but a bit choppy at times. Overall, this was a fun book and any fans of adventure and fantasy would absolutely love this!

[That Bookworm Boy · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first thing I enjoyed was how the building of this world was executed. This helped create depth and structure to better understand the characters and the plot.

I also enjoyed the university setting as it did give off vibes of Harry Potter. The setting was also relatable since I am currently a college student.

Each character that the reader encounters is unique with different weaknesses and strengths. I am excited to see how the rest of this series unfolds! If you are a fan of magic, fantasy, and adventure, then this book is for you!

(3.5/5 stars!)

[Lysander Tvlasda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Considering that the author is someone who lives with dyslexia, and specifically learned how to cope and work with it in order to create the novel I read, I very much would like to cast the rating aside. J.J. Singleton manages to create a world unique unto itself; even for writers who don’t deal with dyslexia, that’s somewhat difficult given the fact that it’s hard to create something truly original these days. Yet, Singleton does this very well.

J.J. Singleton creates a world adjacent to our own, recognizable yet starkly different in that people generate real, measurable power; opens in a college orientation and testing scenario, wherein people generate power from their feet, hands, or wherever applicable. There are, however, individuals descended from ancient times, though more rarely spawned, called Casters. The main character, Jet, is a rare Caster who oozes confidence and knowledge of the people around him. Jet takes the initial placement test – this is a good opening scenario for world-building and the author does a good job of making the unique magical world easy enough to translate. The use of common terminology mixed with the magical nature of the world these characters inhabit transport the reader aside. Casters, while rare, are only one half of the dynamic of conflict. The Powers are individuals who have the ability to fight with energy instead of magic.

At Jet’s new university, the reader is witness to his journey from Orientation to final tests. Along the way, the cast of characters grows to people you may have known in your own college years, people who feel accessible and real. J.J. Singleton took a unique approach to a world of magic in this novel, and the risk pays off. He has created something new entirely, a pure blend of action and fantasy set in a world very similar to our own present.

The novel itself is a read that engages your attention. Split into “entries,” we follow Jet’s journey from beginning to the end of his first year, as he discovers the past history of Casters and Powers. It’s a solid beginning to a fantastic YA concept, a new sort of world that blends the mundane with enthralling fights and innovative magical ideas. There are, presumably, more tales for Jet to tell the audience, given the author’s work in building a history to the world he brings to us.

Again, I am taken aback by Singleton’s own perseverance in overcoming not only his dyslexia but creating a world with his words that I can’t say I have ever read in fiction. It’s a beautiful blend of elements that remind me of shonen manga and anime, YA fantasy, and many other elements. I’m excited to see more of what this author has in store.

[Gretchen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was given a copy of this book for review.

I have been mulling over the book the last few weeks to make sure I give my honest opinion. For starters I loved the ideas the author had about the magic system and how that world worked. It was unique and interesting which are two things I love!

While I really enjoyed the magic, the writing felt flat. The character Jet felt like he was just dropped into the world with no back story. It needed more help in the editing department. Part of why it felt flare to me was the lack of complex sentences. It felt disjointed which made it difficult to get a good flow going.

I do think with some more edits and rewrites this book could only get better! I would love to see the author’s and story’s potential really be polished so they could shine!

[Katelyn (Balancingbooksandcoffee) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jet is starting his freshman year of college. He lives in a world where people have powers and abilities, and his schooling includes a virtual reality called AITS, where students complete assignments to hone their abilities.

Backstabbing and betrayal ensue as the students continue through their first year and Jet try’s to hide his dark secret.

I really enjoyed the world building in this book. If you know me, I’m a sucker for world building. This book also included a lot of action, which always holds my interest. The characters border that fine line of love and hate. I found myself being frustrated by a character at one point, but then liking them at another.

One thing I found a bit strange was that the book, mostly written from Jets point of view, suddenly goes into a third person view from another character.

Overall this story was intriguing with good world building. It will be interesting to see where it goes!

Thank you @bookpublicityservices for sending me a copy in exchange for my honest review!

[Ashley Martinez (ilovebooksandstuffblog) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Chronicles of a Spell Caster

3.5 stars for me.
This was a little hard for me to rate. I enjoyed the overall concept and loved the idea of Casters and Powers. I did however struggled with the writing. It was hard to get in for me. Someone in another review mentioned that this would be a great anime or manga and I would agree.

[Kimi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you to the author @J.J. Singleton & @bookpublicityservices for sending me a copy in exchange for my honest review!

The book follows the main character named Jet who goes into freshman year of college to become a caster and competes with other students who are powers. The competition is held in a virtual simulation world/dome (comparable to Hunger Game's dome and MMO role-playing games). The students that complete the highest level missions are graded when the term is done. The story is mostly told from Jet's perspective and we follow through many layers of the plot and subplots.

The writing style was hard to get into and almost every aspect of the story was over-explained to the point where it smothered the storyline itself. For example Nesta furrowed her brows...the author then explains why she furrowed her brows and why she is thinking or confused and then what that will lead to. As a reader the descriptions are our clues and colors to the story. The explanation of everything seems to leave little to the imagination. The character development was non-existence and seems as though the main character Jet is perfect, smart, and powerful.

Even though the story has its flaws overall, the story has a lot of potential! I really enjoyed the plot, world-building, magic system, and the creativity behind the story. I enjoyed how the author related certain sports to certain magic abilities which I thought was very creative. The explanation of the intricate magic system was good. I gave three stars based on those categories in the story.

I recommend this to readers who want to get into fantasy but have a hard time understanding magic systems or need more explanation into the details. Those who like Hunger Games, Marvel, and who play MMO role-playing games will appreciate the number of details that went into the book and story plot.

[Anais (atrailofpages) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fun and unique story! I’m not usually one for fantasy books that take place in a school setting, but this one I did enjoy.
We follow Jet who lives in a world where people have powers and people who also don’t. You are first tested to see where you will qualify for classes based on your power and abilities. Now, what’s interesting is you’re tested not in real life, but in a virtual reality system that reminded me of Ready Player One. So, Jet is being tested and abilities honed, and along the way meets other students and has to figure out who are really truly his friends, and who can be trusted. Jet also has his own secrets and it’s quite a ride through the book figuring out who to trust or not trust.
If you love fantasy, especially ones that take place at a school or university setting, then you’ll love this one!
Thank you to the publisher and the author for sending me a free arc in exchange for an honest review!

[Aliyah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Had a hard time getting in the world and the writing style, it took me a while to familiarize myself with the magic system and to get used to all the information. I eventually started appreciating and loving the world building as the story goes on, and I especially love the concept of the school. This book was really unique, I loved how there was a mixture of magic and technology, and the way the author was describing things provided me a clear visual of the beauty of the school.

I was intrigued with the main protagonist, Jet, at the start of the book. But halfway through the book, there would be times I find him annoying. I did enjoy the other characters, and I think it would’ve been more fun to read if the book was in multiple POV’s just so we can know more about Jet’s friends.

All in all, I still enjoyed this book especially since I have been craving a magical school setting book! It was action packed, well narrated, and uniquely written.

[Catherine · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was a tough read and I honestly would have DNF'd it had it not been from a publisher. This had the bones of a great read, however it needs quite a bit of work. The protagonist, while a good guy and character, is too smart and too strong. He's not obnoxious in any way, but it feels like he knows everything, and always wins his fights, he's overpowered without the training we would normally see a character go through. The magic system is definitely unique and the battles read like manga/anime battles, so those were fun. The story is good, but also a little all over the place, it felt like too much was happening. My biggest issue was the editing. Nearly every page had an error, even the back of the book's synopsis had a grammatical error. This felt more like a first draft and needed a lot more polishing.

[Millie Brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good idea and interesting storyline. Obvious similarities to Harry Potter but not a cookie cutter copy and an ending that is well worth the effort to get to.

I wish it had been edited better. It reads like a good first draft, not a polished finished book. In some places its a little vague what is going on.

Still worth reading.

[Mr Pink Ink · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to Book Publicity Services & the author for providing me with a free copy in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

This entertaining debut novel by J J Singleton is just bursting at the seams with potential but is certainly a fresh spin on what could easily have been just another "superhero school" clone. coming in with a decent 3.75/5 stars.

Even though this book was presented as a finished product, the author added a little typed out note asking me to keep in mind that this was a proof copy.

Writing Style: I don't know if the author has his own unique style or not, it's just rather generic - like anyone just sitting down and writing their thoughts out, verbatim. It's clear enough to understand but it's just a complete mess; this book desperately needs a round with some beta readers and a couple more edit runs (just an opinion from a beta reader).

Setting this book out as a series of diary entries is a nice touch, except that it doesn't really work; every entry is just too long-winded...

The author really does well, though, showing off his descriptive skills but some things don't even need to be described, nor do we need to know every single rule of a virtual game that will only last for 2 or 3 chapters; if the author was trying to be didactic in his approach, this only came across as school lectures and history lessons, which were a pain to get through.

Story: The story itself is very good, fresh and new, fast-paced and action-packed, but with a little fine-tuning, this book could be great!

World Building: Singleton has created a world inhabited by people who can manipulate energy in various ways - super speed, super strength, etc. - but we only get to see the college environment, which is in itself essentially two worlds in one; the usual everyday school and the AITS, a virtual world created for students to hone their skills and abilities - students spend a lot of time in here.

But our main protagonist, Jet, is not like the others; he is a Caster, a magic-user long supposed to be "extinct", and as such can do everything everybody else can do, and then some. The magic system in this series is quite unique and is explained quite well; I really enjoyed it.

Characters: Even though Jet may or may not have some sort of hero complex, he is one of the few highly developed characters, like some of the tribes he comes into contact with. Other characters, like Layla for instance, seem to be more generic with the author adding "growth" behind the scenes (eg. Layla makes a complete transformation personality-wise over the year but the reader never knows why or how), which is also confusing.

It took me quite a while to get through this book, which is why my review is so long, but I enjoyed it and I'm looking forward to more of Jet's adventures in book 2.

[Sophia Dyer • bookishly.vintage · Rating 2 out of 5]

Thank you to the publisher and author for a copy to review.

I want to start out by saying this looked like a finished copy, but there was a note that it was an authors copy? This book is also available to be published on amazon....but it felt far from a finished copy. There were so many wording and grammatical errors, it really pulled me out of the story. I spent way too long on some sentences, even saying them aloud, trying to figure out what was being said.

That said....this story was interesting. Jet felt a little over-powered right out the gate, and that rubbed me the wrong way. It seemed corrected later in the book when he was "learning" to better control his powers, which were all cool little stories. The magic system was unique and interesting, even if I do not fully understand the AIT system they spent a majority of time in.

This book had weird time jumps, sometimes mid-paragraph but never really separated from the rest of the chapter. The chapters themselves could jump weeks or months with no explanation of what was happening in between. Sometimes the POV would shift for a paragraph and go back to Jet, so I was left wondering if he overheard a conversation or....what just happened? Sometimes things would be mentioned amid info dumps and then never talked about again, and there was this rising animosity between classmates that Jet just did not pick on and it was never really explained. Why was he hated so much?

The pacing in this book felt all over the place too, not including the time jumps. There were times where I was left wondering how many pages were left in a chapter, and other times where I would get sucked in and not realize how many pages I read. A few of the side quests felt unnecessary, especially because they did not build to anything bigger. So really this book had my feelings all over the place.

I would say my favorite part of the book, the parts that were really well done, were the action sequences. There was just so much magic and fighting, and variety in what people did, and these were the parts that sucked me in the most. At the start of the book they felt iffy, only because Jet was ridiculously strong and did not seem to struggle at all. But they got better, and I think that the action sequences would be the authors strong suit in writing. They were also spread apart enough to not feel on top of each other, while still breaking up the monotony of the smaller tasks.

Overall, this book felt okay to me. I had a hard time getting past the grammatical errors, and the ending did not leave me wanting more. The buried alive aspect was also very weird. I truly hope I did receive an author copy and that any finished copies out there are better, because (as others have said) this book does have potential. I wish the author luck in future endeavors!

[Meigan · Rating 3 out of 5]

”If they are afraid of what magic can do, wait till next year. I will give them something to be afraid of.”

Magic and competition and danger collide in this first installment of J.J. Singleton’s Chronicles of a Spell Caster series. Set against a backdrop of college life, this college is anything but ordinary. Not only do students have to navigate the normal things like classes and papers and exams, they’re also thrown into a competition to test out their magical abilities. College life is hard enough, even more so when seemingly everyone is an adversary.

I love books that incorporate virtual reality and magical games and competitions, so that aspect was a definitely selling point for me, and Singleton didn’t disappoint. There’s betrayal, backstabbing, and plenty of danger involved in this cutthroat test of magical strength and I liked that while the main character Jet had friends, readers are left second- and third-guessing everyone’s motives. Jet was distrustful of most everyone, and for good reason. Alongside this incredibly detailed and multilayered magical world, there’s also some Roman mythology thrown in for good measure and some magical wolves, and those additions were really fun.

My only complaint was the repetition in many parts of the book, it often bogged down the pace and made it feel info-dumpy at times. I didn’t get as fully immersed in this story as I would have liked and I think with a little cleaning and chopping and polishing, the pace would move considerably faster and readers would be able to fully enjoy the story without having to wade through so much repeated info. Pacing issues aside, I really enjoyed this first book and I’m glad to see that it’s going to be a series. I’ll probably pick up the next one when it’s released to see how Jet’s powers have developed. 3.5 stars.

*Many thanks to Book Publicity Services and the author for sending me a copy. This book is also available through Kindle Unlimited if you’re a subscriber!

[Shanna (nighttimefables) · Rating 2 out of 5]

*Book provided by author for an honest review*
DNF: 80%
I think I have put off writing this review long enough..

I have been reading this book for about 5 months now, off and on, and honestly I had to just call it quits. I would begin to read it, and get frustrated and put it back down.
At first I was thinking maybe it was just my mindset at the time.. but coming back to it on several different occasions proved that it wasn’t the case..

This book was very confusing to me and hard to follow. There were moments that we would switch to another character POV randomly, and then go right back to the other with no explanation.
It is very frustrating to me when that happens in a book and makes it hard to fully immerse.
There would be times that the book jumped several months forward in the blink of an eye, and leaves you going “wait.. what just happened!?”

There was also A LOT of info dumping that really seemed to make the book drag at parts. I appreciate the author trying to build up the world and give us the information we needed, but it was definitely a lot.

The writing style was a bit different. Almost written like a journal entry.. but not at the same time. I got used to it the more that I read, so it is adaptable.

I did enjoy the concept of the magic system and the use of technology to help them improve. I also thought that them being divided into sports teams at their college was an interesting way to separate them.
There were moments of the book that I did enjoy reading. I thought the fight scenes were really well done.

I think the concept of the book is interesting, but could have been executed just a little bit better.

[Leann]

Let me start by saying, I enjoyed reading Chronicles of a Spell Caster. It did take me a little bit to get into the author’s writing style and into the groove with this world.

The book is written more like journal entries from Jet about his experiences at Welwerth University, rather than a narrative as it happens, which takes a little adjusting to as a reader.

The beginning for me was very slow - there was a lot of world building, which is very well done. There are a lot of names, places, and word history thrown at you all at once, which for me was difficult to remember the character names, especially when they popped back up 100 pages later.

That said, the world building is done well enough that it keep me interested, and there was enough action and intrigue sprinkled throughout that I wanted to keep reading to learn more.

There is a lot of action in the second half of the book, once the students reach the second half of the school year and are in the AITS for the semester. Once I reached this part of the book, I couldn’t put it down!

Thank you to Book Publicity Services for the gifted copy in exchange for an honest review.

[Namrata Ganti · Rating 3 out of 5]

In this first book of Chronicles of a Spell Caster, the author chronicles the journey of the main character Jet as he navigates his way through Welwerth University, a place where humans with powers come to learn. Jet is unique in that he is the last pure Caster, someone who can use magic directly. This sets him apart from the rest and of course defines his friends and foes.

The concept of the university is interesting in that the students are divided into sports teams and or clubs. Virtual reality is used to help train them and this concept was something that I enjoyed reading about. The author gives us a lot of interesting detail and some history as the story progresses. Even though the story is told in first person, with Jet as the narrator, we come to know many things about the AITS and the University. 

As the students go through the daily classes and experiences, we are introduced to various characters each with their own agenda, strengths and weaknesses. Some become reader favourites and some, well they exist in the story for a reason. It took me some time to get into the book as the writing was not easy to get into. I was not able to relate to Jet easily as he seemed to know everything and he seemed to always win. This was until a point where we are shown fractures in the perfect facades of the characters and then their struggles become more relatable.

Overall, I found the idea of the plot to be interesting and the use of virtual reality as a training tool was unique and well incorporated. The story is worth a read for those who are fans of magic and adventures.

[Anne · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was given this book to review by the publisher and author. Thank you.

I would classify this as YA Fantasy and it was a great read. It was a slow beginning and it took me a bit to get into it. Plus there is a lot of sports and fighting....not exactly what I like to read about. So it took some time.

The main character, Jet is interesting. He seemed to flawless but he isn't. I loved that this is set in college.

The writing was hard to get use to and a good editor can help. Switching from 1st person to 3rd was tough.

Overall quite enjoyable.

[Amanda Lynn · Rating 2 out of 5]

Book provided to me for honest review. Unfortunately I DNFd this book for now, very interesting premise but couldn’t get past the info dump/over explaining of every detail, it made it hard to get into the story. I get that the author was trying to world build, but it just didn’t work in that way, it just became very distracting. Overall interesting idea, with some solid editing it could be an interesting read