Charmcaster

De Castell continues to underwhelm in his third Spellslinger fantasy novel (after 2018’s Shadowblack). Teenage mage Kellen is still partnered with two eccentric traveling companions. Ferius Parfax is an Argosi, “enigmatic card players who travel the continent” for an unknown purpose; Reichis is a bloodthirsty squirrel cat. En route to the land of Gitabria, the trio rescue a stranger from religious fanatics who view magic as devil worship. Kellen is stunned to realize that the intended victim was a friend from back home, Nephenia, who has been searching for him since her exile. When the four reach Gitabria, they try to ascertain the purpose of an elaborate mechanical bird that may have the power to “change or even destroy entire civilizations.” De Castell fails to make the high stakes, and Kellen’s struggle to be more than just an “outcast, trapped inside the machinations of great nations,” resonate as consequential, in part because of his lead’s snarky reactions to peril. This bland series will hold little appeal to seasoned fantasy readers. Agent: Heather Adams, HMA Literary. (Sept.)