Zhara by S. Jae-Jones

Jin Zhara is a hidden magician struggling to know how to manage her magical tendencies. She is someone who must hide her magical gift to stay alive and to be able to stay around to protect her younger, blind step-sister. But rumours of monsters and the loss of fellow magicians has created an unstable environment in the world where she lives. Zhara stumbles into the community of the Guardians of Dawn, but how can her limited magic make a difference when she has no idea how to control it? Into this poor girl’s life stumbles Han who is also hiding something. He is hiding his identity as the royal heir, and the magical damage his younger brother seems to be bearing. The threat to existence by the anti-magic authorities adds a degree of menace, but it is the overbearing danger of magic-gone-wrong that creates a tension all through the story. Even in the midst of the uncertainty, Zhara seems to have had opportunity to have her hopes awakened, and even the spark of romance is possible.

This is a complex fantasy, with significant mystical and magical threads. The setting is complete fantasy, but it does have some Asian influence. There are occasional sparks of humour and romance amidst the tension of magical conflict with light versus dark forces in opposition. I loved it and yet there were times its complexity and internal philosophy confused me. Despite this, the lightness of the gentle romance between Zhara and Han had hints of a Cinderella tale that lifted the story out of darkness into hope. But as this is book 1 of the Guardians of Dawn series, the story is not over and Jae-Jones has more for our heroes, and perhaps more evil to overcome for the Guardians of Dawn. This will definitely be a book for 14+ - Adult readers who love intricate fantasies (and particularly revel in the Asian influence woven through their literature choices). But it has a level of complexity that will require some perseverance for those on the younger end of this scale. Note: the author regularly uses an Asian non-gendered use of third-person pronouns, deliberately using ‘they/them’ until the character reveals their own gender. This is an intriguing and sometimes surprising use of language, and for those who have a non-Asian background, it adds a mystery and cultural difference that is fascinating.

Themes: Fantasy, Magic and magicians, Romance, Asian fantasy, Same-sex attraction.

Carolyn Hull