BOOK REVIEW | IMBUED | HELENA L. CLOVE

 

ABOUT THE BOOK

Calla has no memories of her childhood except for hazy, recurring nightmares. Working as a servant in Kiriong, the picturesque terrace garden home to one of the most influential families in the Kamphua Dominion, she's content to live a simple life. As long as no one finds out about the forbidden magic stirring under her skin.

When the estranged family heir, Gray-a magehunter in servitude of the royal hold-unexpectedly returns home, Calla's secret threatens to surface. Instead of turning her in, however, Gray offers her the one thing she always feared: to teach her how to use her powers. And as the turbulent tides of long-forgotten magic draw them together, Calla finds it harder and harder to deny her potential. 

But Gray knows more than what he admits. In the aftermath of a vile political plot targeting him and with the shadow of a mage uprising cast upon the land, finding out what happened to Calla in her forgotten years might be their only chance to survive.

Except the knowledge could break them both.

It could break the world.

Publisher: Helyna L. Clove

Number of pages: 332

REVIEW

Hiding from the world in an aristocratic household, Calla is a servant to a wealthy family. Maintaining anonymity, Calla has no memory of her past. However, she has a secret. In a land where magic is outlawed, and those with magic are hunted, she has to keep her secret locked away so that no one can ever find out the truth. Except that is, until the dashing young heir of the aristocratic family discovers her truth.

But instead of reporting her to the authorities, Gray, a magehunter instead offers to teach her..

Told in the first person, Helena L. Clove’s new book, Imbued is a book that is full of plot twists and surprises. 

Calla, a girl who has no past is an intriguing character, who on the whole tends to push others away and instead of being the usual brash chosen one, is a quiet, introspective heroine.

At first, the other characters of the book can seem a little distant. However, as we are seeing this word through our protagonists eyes, this is conveyed surprisingly well by Helena Clove’s writing. You always get the feeling that Calla never wants to interact with the world around her due to the secrets that she keeps. This can be a little frustrating at first, but this is not in a bad way, it is simply due to the fact that you cannot help to become immersed in Calla’s personality and see the damage that she is doing through the omnipresent eyes of a reader.

However, despite how frustrating Calla can be, she is a likeable character as she is very reminiscent of Eleven’s character in Stranger Things, and like Eleven, we know that Calla is going to be extraordinary, both in her relationships with others and with the powers that she has kept hidden.

Helena Clove’s first book in her duology is a fantastic read and one that I enjoyed immensely. The book is brimming full of mystery and secrets, and I definitely had that ‘one more chapter’ vibes going on as I read this book.

The story is initially a slow burn as Clove gently builds the beats to the final conclusion, gently feeding the reader with bits of information. 

In terms of world building, Clove has created an immersive world that put me in mind of a south Asian feeling, which is refreshing at times although it can be difficult for the reader to get used to the language of some of the world that Clove has built, but trust me stick with the book and you will be richly rewarded with a pleasantly surprising immersive read that had me on the edge of my seat several times whilst reading it. 

As I have mentioned before, the characters at first can seem a little fuzzy around the edges, due to us seeing them through the ever mistrustful eyes of the main protagonist. However, as the story progresses and as Calla discovers that there is more to the characters themselves, we get more rounded characters. Gray, is a surprising character. At first he appears to be the typical teacher cum love interest, but these boundaries soon shift and he proves to be a really good counterpoint to the main character. 

Imbued is a fantastic start to Helena L. Cloves’ duology, and I cannot wait to see what comes next.