Another M. K. England book. After enjoying The Disasters, I had to see what else she'd written. I was pleased to find that Spellhacker is just as enjoyable.
Spellhacker by M. K. England takes place in a world full of magic—a free, natural resource called maz. After an earthquake unleashed a deadly plague that contaminated maz and sickened thousands of people, maz is an expensive, tightly-controlled commodity. So what is one to do in a world like this? Run an illegal maz siphoning business, of course. That's what Diz and her friends do, but when their "last heist ever" reveals a powerful new strain of maz, they're driven into a conspiracy at the center of the spellplague. Not only do they have to dig themselves out of the hole they've landed in, but they might very well save the entire world in the process.
This world is such a fun place to dive into. Even with corporate greed running the show and a deadly plague, it's thrilling to see what maz can do and how the characters have adapted to use it. Despite being unable to use maz herself, Diz has an intimate knowledge of its workings that allows her to assist her maz-gifted friends, Remi and Ania. Even though she can't use maz and isn't physically strong like her friend Jaesin, Diz gets them out of many scrapes using her wit and hacking prowess. It was heartwarming to see that the seemingly weakest member of their group could still hold her own, and it helped me understand why each of them is instrumental to their survival. All but Ania are orphans due to the spellplague, making them the only family each other has. It's easy to see their love for each other, which made it hurt so much more whenever they fought. Of course, that only made it all the more satisfying to see how they grew and complimented each other throughout the book.
As usual with M. K. England, there is plenty of great LGBTQ+ representation in this book. One of the main characters, Remi, is nonbinary and uses they/them pronouns, and there are constant references to same-sex partnerships and marriages. The romance is deliciously subtle and slow-burning, toying with my heart until I wanted to shake the characters and scream, "JUST KISS ALREADY!" The only thing I disliked about this book was that it was sometimes difficult to understand Diz's hesitation to be vulnerable and pursue her wants. She had her fair share of trauma, which was discussed, but it didn't always make sense to me that it was why she resisted the things that would make her happy.
I rate Spellhacker by M. K. England 4/5 stars. If she were to write another book in this world, I would happily read it.
コメント