Description: Hyam is a likeable lad who will make a fine farmer someday. But he carries a burden few can fathom. As his mother slips toward death, she implores him to return to Long Hall, where he spent five years as an apprentice. It was there that Hyam's extraordinary capacity for mastering languages came to light--and soon cast him into the shadows of suspicion. How could any human learn the forbidden tongues with such ease? When Hyam dares to seek out the Mistress of the Sorceries, her revelation tears his world asunder.
He has no choice but to set out on the foreboding path--which beckons him to either his destiny or his doom. An encounter with an enchanting stranger reminds him that he is part hero and part captive. As Hyam struggles to interpret the omens and symbols, he is swept up by a great current of possibilities--and dangers
My Thoughts: When I first saw this book up for review, I was not aware that Hyam was to become a mage. Ordinarily, I would stay away from books with wizarding heroes, but since it was from a Christian publisher, I decided to stick it out.
Let me start by saying that Locke has done some fantastic world building. At no time did I feel like this was not a real world that I could somehow enter and move around in. The story was easy to follow and the magic interesting. Yet, as a whole, I could not get into the story.
For most of the book we are given absolutely no insight into Hyam's emotional state. We know his mother just died and assume this makes him sad, but there is no real clue that it does. The mages themselves seem to be the only things which draw an emotional response from him. Because we have no idea of his emotions, I really can not say what his motivations were. It made him difficult to relate to.
Joelle was a much easier to understand. However, it took half the book for her and Hyam to meet and during that time she did relatively nothing important to the plot except give us a better glimpse of the red mage.
Emissary had a great story, I just wish the characters had been more relatable.
I received this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
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