Infinity Son by Adam Silvera

Infinity Son (Infinity Cycle, #1)

by Adam Silvera

From the author of the INTERNATIONAL NO.1 BESTSELLER THEY BOTH DIE AT THE END.

Balancing epic and intensely personal stakes, the New York Times bestselling Infinity Son is a gritty, fast-paced adventure about two brothers caught up in a magical war generations in the making.

Growing up in New York, brothers Emil and Brighton always idolized the Spell Walkers—a vigilante group sworn to rid the world of specters. While the Spell Walkers and other celestials are born with powers, specters take them, violently stealing the essence of endangered magical creatures.

Brighton wishes he had a power so he could join the fray. Emil just wants the fighting to stop. The cycle of violence has taken a toll, making it harder for anyone with a power to live peacefully and openly. In this climate of fear, a gang of specters has been growing bolder by the day.

Then, in a brawl after a protest, Emil manifests a power of his own—one that puts him right at the heart of the conflict and sets him up to be the heroic Spell Walker Brighton always wanted to be.

Brotherhood, love, and loyalty will be put to the test, and no one will escape the fight unscathed.

Praise for Infinity Son:

'A magnificent addition to the ranks of Young Adult fantasy' Waterstones

'Silvera shoots off his plot like a gun and writes action sequences as if they were car chases — relentless, quick-cutting, sparks flying' New York Times

'Silvera has created an exciting fantasy series opener. Fans of Cassandra Clare … will love this magical book that embodies it all.' School Library Journal

Reviewed by dragononabook on

4 of 5 stars

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In a world when powers are either genetic or stolen from magical creatures, conflict keeps breaking out between the two groups of magic users. Brothers Brighton and Emil have always lingered at the edge of this world of magic, until they get thrown in head-first after a close encounter with a specter.

This book was a mixed bag at times. There were some really, really good things, and some not so great things.

The good!

-Phoenixes! They're such an underappreciated creature in fantasy novels, and I really liked the way he built on the lore
-Specter vs celestial: this distinction between source of power is super interesting, and seeing the ways that powers manifest, and how this affects society.
-Emil: he spoke to me so much as a character, and I think it's super important to have characters like him in fantasy stories

The not so good...

-Brighton: I have to say, I didn't really like his character. He was fairly ignorant of the problems around him, and I especially didn't like his reaction to Emil's reveal, I felt it was extraordinarily selfish.
-the development: I feel like there's so much crammed into this world that could have been built on, but that took a sideline to focus on side characters. I'd definitely tear through a guide to the types of magical beings, or even just phoenixes, in this world.

The ugly (AKA the stuff I'm not sure about)
-Ness: Ness POV chapters start showing up fairly early in the book, and yet I still don't know what to think of him. I get that he's supposed to be that kind of character, and I did appreciate the twist that was revealed, but I also feel like there's a fair bit of development he needs to undergo in a way that doesn't often happen in this age range.
-Maribelle: I think Maribelle was an interesting character, until her parentage was revealed. It all felt a little surprising, especially since it seems fairly unrealistic for her to be a Spell Walker and yet not have her phoenix powers come out in the heat of battle previously.

Overall, I'd recommend this book to fantasy lovers, however I do wish that there had been more development.

Disclaimer: I received an ARC of this from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

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  • 17 May, 2019: Reviewed