The Path Of Destiny (The Cremelino Prophecy #1) by Mike Shelton is an exciting and character-rich young adult fantasy novel following the life of Darius, son of a councilor of the King of The Realm, who discovers he has the ability to create fire. Magic is forbidden in The Realm after a wizard rebellion a century before, so Darius is at risk of being banished from his home. Darius must choose whether or not to use his new powers, but finds he may have no choice at all.
Author Mike Shelton is expert at world building: both the world the characters inhabit, and their inner world as well. The map at the beginning of the novel establishes that Shelton knows every corner of his story. Darius and his friends are not merely cogs to further the plot – they’re true-to-life characters that will frustrate you at times, as well as keep turning the pages, hoping everything turns out well for Darius, Christine and Kelln.
The cover is not really indicative of the book inside, as Darius is eighteen, and the cover seems more aimed at middle grade than young adult. Additionally, the title is on the generic side – far more basic than the story Shelton is telling (though the second book in the series – The Path of Decisions – puts this title in some context). Those criticisms aside, this is a fun and well-thought-out introduction to this series. Fans of a certain teenage wizard, or fantasy fiction in general, will find a lot to like here.
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