ARC Review- Masters of the Veil

TITLE:  Masters of the Veil               SERIES: Veil Trilogy AUTHOR: Daniel Cohen                  PUB DATE: 3/1/12 PUB: Spencer Hill Press                    FORMAT: ARC, 300 pgs SOURCE: from pub in exchange for honest review

Life can't get much better for Sam Lock. Popular, good-looking, and with a future as a professional football player. every guy at Stanton High School wishes he were Sam. That is, until his championship football game, when Sam accidentally links with an ancient source of energy known as the Veil and reveals his potential to become a powerful sorcerer.Sam is whisked off to Atlas Crown, a community of sorcerers who utilize the Veil as a part of everyday life. Once there, he trains beside a mute boy who speaks through music, an eternal sage who's the eyes and ears of the Veil, and a beautiful girl who's pretty sure Sam's an idiot.As it becomes clear Sam's meant for power magic-the most feared and misunderstood form of sorcery-people beyond Atlas Crown learn of his dangerous potential. An exiled group of power sorcerers are eager to recruit Sam, believing that he is destined to help them achieve their long-held goal. If they succeed, they could bring about the downfall of not only Atlas Crown. but all humankind

BOOK TRAILER

THREE WORDS: Original & Great World-Building

MY REVIEW: Daniel Cohen’s  Masters of the Veil is an enjoyable YA Fantasy with captivating world-building and original fantasy elements.

Sam Lock as it all- looks, popularity, the envy of his classmates and an almost guaranteed career has a pro-football player. But at the big championship game Scott taps into some intense power and literally freezes his surroundings and costs his team the game. A mysterious beautiful woman, May, shows up and tells Scott that he as the ability to connect with the Veil (magic) and the potential to become a powerful sorcerer. May whisk Scott off to Atlas Crown, a magical community of sorcerers, where he must learn to control and harness his power. Scott trains with a mute boy who becomes his friend and a hot girl who won’t give him the time of day…but his biggest problem is a group of evil sorcerers who want all the Veil’s power to themselves and plan on using Scott to get it.

On the surface Masters of the Veil has a rather well used premise- young character learns he/she has magical abilities, is whisked off to a school/community/camp to train and must go up against the villain-but Daniel Cohen has taken this premise and infused it with his own original and fantastic fantasy elements and well-developed world to create a story that is new and refreshing.

 The book starts off a bit slow and it did take me a couple of chapters to really “get into” the story, but once I was in, I did enjoy it. The world-building is really wonderful. Cohen has created a magical world that is vivid, enchanting and whimsical, yet dark at the same time. From flowers that make music to trees that bend and move to bushes that change colors depending on the mood of the person passing by to all the wondrous magical abilities the characters possess, the world of Atlas Crown is as fun to explore and discover as Wonderland or Narnia.

The main character Scott is likable enough, but I did find it hard to connect with him. I suppose I just don’t have a great deal in common with a football obsessed, slightly cocky, teenage boy. However, I do think his character grows a great deal throughout the book, which I liked a lot and by the end of the book I was definitely invested in Scott’s journey. I really liked Glissandro, the mute boy who communicates with music; he’s an intriguing character and I feel like there’s a lot more to his backstory and I look forward to learning more about him. At this point I don’t really like Daphne, Scott’s crush and potential love interest. I found her arrogance and superiority complex quite annoying and I wasn’t thrilled by her and Scott’s chemistry…but I’m interested to see where this relationship goes.

The story itself contains a great deal of backstory and introduction; Cohen really seems to spend most of book one setting up the trilogy as a whole. This has both positive and negative effects on the story. On the positive side, I feel like all the backstory and history allowed me to be really immersed in the story and has me intrigued about where the story is going. But, on the negative side, this book lacks enough exciting action or captivating conflict. There is action and conflict toward the end of the book that involves the well developed villains…I just wish there had been more.

The ending is both sad and hopeful and will leave readers wanting more.

MY FINAL THOUGHTS: Masters of the Veil is a fun, fresh fantasy that delivers an intriguing story and fantastic world-building, and is a great first volume in what is sure to be an excellent trilogy.

MY RATING

3/5 Cupcakes

Learn more: Blog / Goodreads / Twitter / Facebook

Purchase: Amazon

Daniel A. Cohen was just your average business student. Microeconomics, finance, marketing… you name it, he had to do a PowerPoint presentation on it. One dark and stormy night, he was bitten by the radioactive realization that memorizing business jargon could possibly be the most boring activity known to man. After gaining eagle-eye vision, abs that could grate cheese, and a talent for imagining things (including his cheese-grating abs), he wrote his first novel and began his epic battle against the formidable business jargon. He continues to fight the good fight by playing saxophone and writing YA fantasy, forever hoping his Veil trilogy will help inspire others to join his cause.

Guest Post: Masters of the Veil by Daniel Cohen

I'm very excited to have Daniel Cohen stopping by today for an awesome guest post! But first, let's take a look at Daniel's book, Masters of the Veil...

Life can't get much better for Sam Lock. Popular, good-looking, and with a future as a professional football player. every guy at Stanton High School wishes he were Sam. That is, until his championship football game, when Sam accidentally links with an ancient source of energy known as the Veil and reveals his potential to become a powerful sorcerer.Sam is whisked off to Atlas Crown, a community of sorcerers who utilize the Veil as a part of everyday life. Once there, he trains beside a mute boy who speaks through music, an eternal sage who's the eyes and ears of the Veil, and a beautiful girl who's pretty sure Sam's an idiot.As it becomes clear Sam's meant for power magic-the most feared and misunderstood form of sorcery-people beyond Atlas Crown learn of his dangerous potential. An exiled group of power sorcerers are eager to recruit Sam, believing that he is destined to help them achieve their long-held goal. If they succeed, they could bring about the downfall of not only Atlas Crown. but all humankind. 

BOOK TRAILER

MAGIC FAQ + A SHORT LESSON FROM BARIV THE CONDUIT

Congratulations! You can do magic!

Here’s what you need to know about your exciting new ability:

Q: WHAT IS MAGIC? AND WHY CAN I DO IT?

This can be a very thrilling, confusing, and even frightening time for a young sorcerer, so let’s start with the basics. Magic is just another way of saying, “Connecting with the Veil.” As you may already know, the Veil is an ancient energy that lies all around us that some fortunate few (YOU!) can even use.

The Veil gives the sorcerer communities everything we need to survive. The more the Veil is used, the more She gives us. All sort of wonderful plants, animals, food, clothing, and shelter… they’re all there, waiting to spring forth.

There is no conclusive evidence explaining why some people can use the Veil and some people cannot. Some speculate it’s genetic, while others believe it’s spiritual. Alas, we will probably never be sure, so just be thankful that you are one of the lucky few.

Q: HOW DO I DO MAGIC?

There are two methods of doing magic: A “grip” and a “drape”

A Grip: Connecting with the Veil to perform a specific feat.

A Drape: Essentially it’s wrapping the Veil around an object to give it extraordinary properties.

As you may have seen from the older sorcerers in your magical community, we use something called a “Second-Skin” to access the Veil.  A second-skin is a covering for your hand that allows you to grip the Veil. Second-skins must be made from materials that have sprung from the Veil in order to work. One of the first things that you will be instructed to do is create your own second-skin in order to create the deepest connection. You can use anything from dried aansi leaves to the bark from a zigzag tree, just know that attempting to do magic that is beyond your reach with break your second-skin.

Q: HOW SOON WILL I BECOME A MASTER SORCERER?

Whoa there! Don’t get ahead of yourself. Magic is extremely difficult and it’s going to take some time for you to become proficient at it. You have a magnificent, bumpy road ahead of you.

Q: BUT WHO IS GOING TO TEACH ME?

The sorcerer community doesn’t take your new ability lightly. We will provide you with the finest teachers available. Train hard enough and you might even get to be in Rona’s group (but don’t get your hopes up)!!! You will be matched up by your skill level and organized by the type of magic you’ll be pursuing.

Q: IS MAGIC DANGEROUS?

It can be if used wrong. To avoid causing unnecessary pain, make sure you study hard, respect your clan elders, and eat your vegetables.

Q: VEGETABLES?

Yes, vegetables.

Q: WILL I HAVE TO LEAVE MY FRIENDS AND FAMILY?

For a short time, yes. Whether you’re from the flathand (those who can’t grip the Veil) world or a magical community, you will be brought to Atlas Crown to study with Bariv. Bariv is the conduit to the Veil, and he will be the first—and probably the most influential—teacher you will have. After learning about your ability from Bariv, you will have the choice of returning home or staying in Atlas Crown.

*Special note for those who come from the flathand world. In the rare occurrence that you choose to return to the non-magic world, you will be draped with the inability to speak of our world or perform magic outside of a magical community. Sorry. The good news is that if you choose to join a magical community, your immediate family will be invited to come with you and will be provided for.

NOW TAKE A SEAT AND ENJOY A QUICK LESSON FROM BARIV ON THE THREE DISCIPLINES OF MAGIC

Welcome. Please have a seat. Before you are three second-skins that I have created for choosing purposes. As you may already know, there are three disciplines of magic that come from the Veil.

First, there are natural magics, which are best gripped with the aid of plants. The green second-skin is made from the leaf of the grampith tree.

Natural magics are very useful. They feed, they clothe, they help us interact with the world around us. We would not survive without them. Nature is dough and you shape it to your desires—if you are skilled enough. Mountains can be leveled and water can fall upwards. Nature’s secrets will whisk you away to another plane where you can realize the awe-inspiring connections we hold with the world around us.

Next, there are the mystical magics. The metal second-skin you see on the left was mined from beneath Grus’ pass and made from silver-palladium mixed by my own hand. A mystical sorcerer would use this second-skin. The mystical magics keep true to their namesake. Even I don’t fully understand all that can be accomplished with this, and I have been close to the Veil for a very long time. Those who excel at the mystical arts can reach into the deepest, darkest parts of the mind and cast dreams into reality. They can navigate the vast and powerful river of time. Reap gold out of metals like a glorious harvest. Harness fear, and ride on its back until it tires.

 And last… there is the second-skin made from the hide of Sectus remisican, the skull-wolf. This is a tool of power magics. These tools work best if taken forcibly. In Atlas Crown, we do not kill when we do not have to; however, in this particular case we had to. The power sect is a dangerous one, yet it brings with it the ability to forge oneself into the greatest ruler and purveyor of dominance. Authority is a given. Supremacy is taken. The true power sect is scarcely found here. Those who have chosen it, or rather have been chosen, usually take the road down another path, a false path that can only lead to death and misery. However, when applied for good, the power sect can be the most useful of them all. An iron body has no need for a suit. That is what the Veil is at Her heart. She is power. She holds possibilities so grand, we can never understand, only observe.

Now why don’t you try one on?

~~~~~
Doesn't that make you so excited to read Masters of the Veil?! I know I'm excited! Look for my ARC review later this month.

Learn more: Blog / Goodreads / Twitter / Facebook

Purchase/Pre-order: Amazon

Daniel A. Cohen was just your average business student. Microeconomics, finance, marketing… you name it, he had to do a PowerPoint presentation on it. One dark and stormy night, he was bitten by the radioactive realization that memorizing business jargon could possibly be the most boring activity known to man. After gaining eagle-eye vision, abs that could grate cheese, and a talent for imagining things (including his cheese-grating abs), he wrote his first novel and began his epic battle against the formidable business jargon. He continues to fight the good fight by playing saxophone and writing YA fantasy, forever hoping his Veil trilogy will help inspire others to join his cause.