Where the Lightning Goes by Jackary Salem

YA Fantasy, 2023 by Derealization Press, 371 Page

What I Didn’t Like:

The opening is jarring. You feel like you don’t know WHAT is going on. In fact this whole fantasy world takes a little time to get used to and feel settled in.
I’m not a fan of original spelling to show regional dialect and this book has a character written that way.
Despite having a main character who appeared young, this never really felt like a young adult book. There’s nothing inherently adult about it, nothing that would make me hesitate when handing it to a young adult reader, it’s just worth mentioning that it didn’t feel like it would fit the current market for that age group.

The jarring nature of the opening IS sort of the point. You are confused, right along with Elle, about how this world works. As much as that can feel frustrating, it is a GREAT TOOL to put you in the mindset of our main character.
The Magic system seems pretty cool. As it builds up and you start to learn a little about how this elemental magic system functions, it’s pretty interesting.
I love when tropes are played around with in interesting ways. Grumpy and sunshine in a found family dynamic is a trope crossover I didn’t even know I wanted. Then you add in the creative way this played with found family and this one goes down as a very creative use of trope twists.

Readers, like me, who enjoy when tropes are played around with.
Fantasy fans who like things a little darker.
Magic fans who like when a magical world is explored through the eyes of a new user.