Osea: an Isarine Story

Osea is an ambitious novel, especially for a debut. The author has not only created a fantasy world for a wide range of characters but has also filled it with imaginative details and mysteries with scopes that range from personal to world-spanning. This is a world I wanted to learn more about, and I was glad to know it was the first in a series, for that meant someday I would have a chance to spend more time in it.

The further I went in the book, however, the more doubts I had about it. There is a great deal of imagination in the world-building, but little description, causing some plot elements to arise seemingly out of nowhere. In addition, some of the mysteries seem to be left by the wayside rather than brought to even a partial resolution. At times, I had trouble determining what the book was trying to do and what sort of story it meant to tell.

At first, Osea is the story of Haevynne, a girl going through an intensive fantasy school with a focus on dueling. This will be familiar territory for many fantasy readers, but Haevynne herself stands out, both for the doubt she feels in herself and for the power running through her. More than once, we see her injure someone without meaning to, a rare and fascinating trait in female characters.

From there, the story expands outward, touching briefly on what becomes of her school friends as it becomes a tale of oppression and government corruption. Always the focus returns to Haevynne and the mystery surrounding her and her past. Hers is a compelling story, but I kept thinking that the rest of the plot threads didn’t get the attention they deserved. Either they were introduced too late in the story to have a strong impact or they were set aside for too long to be remembered later on.

I mostly enjoyed reading this book, and I know I would have enjoyed it as much if not more if I had come across it as a teenager. Though flawed, it is an ambitious and impressive debut, and I hope to read more from this author in the future. I recommend this book to teenagers looking for a story which combines familiar ground and a fresh feeling, and for those who enjoy books that have strong themes of friendship. Despite the size, it is a breezy read and easy to get into.