It’s a rarity to find a fantasy novel whose focus is mostly pulled toward the political inner-workings of its fictional countries, yet EXTRACTING MAGIC is rife with enchanting political intrigue. Adria is the assistant to the embattled Lukan, the ambassador to Ardeste, a country of spellcasters. In the volatile split over the use of magic in daily life, the divide established Monavre, a cramped city of haphazard buildings and forbidden magic. Adria works within the walls of State Quarters in Monavre, an imposing, prestigious government building that occupies the bones of an old Ardeste spellcaster academy. Wounded by the loss of his family, Minister Delano works alongside the cunning, dangerous Gelvid, the minister of justice who has unveiled a device able to extract magic from anyone (especially trained spellcasters). As Delano and Gelvid conspire toward war with Ardeste, Adria and Lukan work against them—just as Adria’s hidden magic comes to light.

Isla Kinney’s EXTRACTING MAGIC begins with an earth-shattering assassination, which is felt throughout the entirety of the book. Each of its main characters, including protagonist Adria, feels the ripples of this magic-borne violence—as that night permanently scars the city and its inhabitants. Though everyone in Monavre has access to magic, Adria’s is uncontrolled, overwhelming, and difficult to conceal, especially while the violence against accused spellcasters ramps up.

For such an interesting world, it seems as though this book has barely scratched the surface on the magic system at play. It is an entirely unique one, from the nature of the magic itself to how it’s wielded and its limitations. While this can certainly be remedied in future installments—especially concerning Adria’s character growth—the progression of the plot around it becomes rushed in places. It does all come together with several fantastic twists, but it would have been interesting to let the story breathe a little more between these harrowing events—especially during the climactic scenes.

There’s only a vague sense of the side characters who are important players within Adria’s world. Outside of Lukan, Kathryn (the strict proprietor of Haven, a sanctuary for people with overloaded magic), and Minister Delano, there’s not much substance to grasp onto and further flesh out this captivating world. Some awkward scene-breaks also add to the occasional choppiness of the plot. Minor formatting issues hamper the immersion of the story as well, including overlong paragraphs, missing commas, and missing words. The following sentence is one of many that could have used one more proofread: “Adria span around gave the window an almighty shove, trying to force the two panes to open wide enough for her to haul herself up and out.”

In spite of these few issues, however, Adria’s story is certainly a compelling one: chiefly because of her journey in understanding magic, her risky, impulsive decisions, and her uncompromising protectiveness of those she cares about. Her quick-thinking and clever, observant nature make her a formidable protagonist. Her sibling-like relationship with her mentor Lukan is quite emotional at certain turns: two resolute souls just trying to do what’s right in the face of obvious corruption and warmongering. Lukan is a man who bears an incredible burden, yet he continues to fight even as he’s quietly looking after Adria’s well-being. Delano, in perfect contrast, carries his own personal pain and makes others suffer for it; yet there’s much more to his character than meets the eye.

Isla Kinney’s EXTRACTING MAGIC is a unique entry into the ever-popular fantasy genre, as this first book promises an intriguing start to a brand new series.

~Jessica Thomas for IndieReader