Eighteen-year old orphan Dane Willows enters the Trials of Power in Vitalor, one of the capital cities of Physos, determined to discover his personal magical power. Centuries before, the Mother granted these powers to the people of Physos to reward and encourage unity, and every year the youth gather to compete in three trials designed to test their intelligence, fighting ability, and grit—and reveal which power they possess. A Geomancer can manipulate stone and earth, a Gravitus can control gravity itself, a Luminarus can summon and bend light, an Aquadorian can control water, and a Biophage can heal and control plant life.
Every citizen discovers their power during the Trials—except Dane. Despite a heroic effort, he almost dies during the combat trial, and is humiliated as the only person to leave the trials without a power. In fact, he has to be saved during his combat trial by Cayde, the young Gravitus who arrived with Dane’s serious crush, Quinn, a Luminarus. Quinn left after her own trials two years before, promising Dane she would return—but never did. Now showing up with Cayde at her side is insult on top of injury to Dane. Before he can process what’s happened to him, Vitalor is attacked by a powerful force. Each power in Physos is drawn from an “energy well,” and each of these wells has seen a large city built up around it. Vitalor’s Energy Well is the enormous Elderwood Tree—and at the end of the day the tree is nearly destroyed, along with much of the city. Cayde reveals that the city was attacked by Avon, an ancient villain who destroyed the energy well known as the Starspire in what had been the city of the Cosmonauts. Avon was believed long dead, but he has returned and is as determined to destroy all the energy wells in Physos. Dane finds himself joining his sister, Sage, Quinn, and Cayde as they embark on a journey that takes them to several more capital cities—and face to face with grave danger. These dangers include a chemocyte, a legendary creature thought stranded on the mysterious Shrouded Isle—the same place Dane’s parents were rumored to have journeyed to before their disappearance. But as they learn more about his devious plans, Avon remains one step ahead of them—with disastrous consequences.
TRIALS OF POWER is book one of a new series, and so it’s to be expected that many of the questions it raises remain unanswered at the end. Author Ben Crow moves his story along briskly, introducing characters and plot points efficiently, and he maintains a high level of energy throughout. His characters bicker and banter, and Dane’s growing sense of self-loathing due to his perceived failure at the Trials almost paralyzes him before he begins to see he might have something to contribute despite his deficiency. But Crow undermines his story with some tired old clichés, starting with the main character who is the only person in the world to lack a power granted everyone else. While the series may surprise us, it’s a fairly safe bet Dane will be revealed as incredibly powerful in an unexpected way before the end of the story. The unrequited love for Quinn is similarly expected and thus not exactly thrilling. The ending is a cliffhanger that would also have been more effective if the worldbuilding was a little deeper—he often uses generic descriptions of places and objects that leave the reader underwhelmed. He’s also stingy with details about the incredible powers people wield—we don’t get many demonstrations or explanations of how they work or how their introduction has shaped the world.
There’s some clunky writing in here, too, and the characters outside of Dane, Cayde, and Quinn don’t get much work—it’s frequently easy to forget Dane’s sister, Sage, altogether, for example. Strangely, the villain Avon suffers from this as well—he’s introduced with little fanfare and the reader is giving almost zero insight into his history and abilities. When the book ends you know that Avon is evil, very old, and he’s probably seeking ultimate power—and that’s about it. Crow’s enthusiasm for the genre and his story shines through, though. And to his credit he’s crafted a story with stakes—there are a few unexpected deaths along the way that give the plot some gravitas. Fans of YA fantasy will likely find this an entertaining—but far from essential—entry.
Ben Crow has penned a fast-paced YA fantasy with TRIALS OF POWER and crafted an affable cast of adventurers to move through his world. But an undercooked universe, use of cliché elements, and bland characters undermine his efforts.
~Jeff Somers for IndieReader