The Spellgrinder's Apprentice. N.M. Browne

Five stars for a story that got me absorbed and interested. I like the fact that the author doesn't flesh out all the details, leaving the mythology and magic of this world partly to the imagination. Fantasy books that introduce one to every aspect of their world make me feel like an 'outsider' to whom everything has to be explained. Browne avoids this pitfall in her book and sucks the reader into her story right from the skillfully written opening paragraph. I agree with a previous reviewer about the epilogue. It could have been left out, although I suspect younger readers will like it for the sense of closure it gives. I'm surprised this author isn't better known.

Spellgrinders' apprentices rarely survive long enough to become spellgrinders: most die of an illness before that point - and can't escape from the work. But Tommo refuses to face death and decides to run away to the coast: his journey leads him to a fisherman's daughter and a friendship which will reveal the truths of their lives and, ultimately, change their fates. Fans of fantasy will find a spellbinding drama here.