First Truth by Dawn Cook

First Truth
Truth Series book 1
By Dawn Cook
Narrated by Marguerite Gavin
Audio book (MP3)
*Dawn Cook is also known as Kim Harrison
Rated 3

Description:
Alissa doesn't believe in magic. Her father's stories about the Hold, a legendary fortress where human Keepers learn magic from the enigmatic Masters, are just that—stories. But her mother insists Alissa has inherited her father's magical ability, so she must go to the Hold to be trained. On her way, she crosses paths with Strell, a wandering musician from the plains. Though Alissa is not sure she can trust a plainsman, Strell has something Alissa needs—one of her father's old maps. Traveling together, they can reach the Hold before the snow sets in. But they don't know that the Hold is nearly empty. The Keeper Bailic has sent the Masters on a fool's errand and systematically killed the other Keepers in his search for the First Truth, a book of magic that will give him ultimate power. And he believes that Alissa and Strell hold the secret of the book's hiding place.


The story starts off with Alissa getting the boot from her mother to go find the Hold. Strell has been wandering for the past six years and returns to the plains only to find out some devastating news. On his way back to the coast he runs into Alissa. Together they head out to the Hold. Useless, a master from the Hold tries to discourage Alissa from coming by making her relive her father’s death. Then there is Bailic. Bailic use to be a keeper at the Hold but has since killed almost all the masters in his quest to find the First Truth.

I didn’t like Alissa at first. I found her annoying. Though in the beginning her denial that magic exist is understandable, fairly soon in the book there are event that makes it pretty clear that there are supernatural things going on. Alissa never actually won me over. I continue to listen to the book because I did want to know the outcome but not necessarily because I wanted to know what would happen with her.
Strell, on the other hand, I liked. His character is a stand up guy. Who falls in love with Alissa (this in never stated but one can tell). If it wasn’t for Strell’s presence Alissa would’ve probably been tortured or killed upon entering the gates of the Hold. It is Strell’s presence that makes it so that Bailic doesn’t know which one is the actual keeper.

I really can say mush else about the book without ruining it for those of you who may want to read it so let’s move on to other notes and comments. Ready? Ok.

This is what is happening when you read Harry Potter. You find things to compare. It kind of not fair because let’s be real the Harry Potter series was written wonderfully. In Harry Potter, Harry doesn’t believe in magic but it is not a flat out denial, it is not an absolute I-wont-believe-what-is-right-in-my-face attitude. That is perhaps what irked me most about Alissa’s character.

Bailic is a Voldemort sort of character. He is a half breed you hates half breeds. In this case the two breeds are the Foothills and the Plains. The Plains are the upper class. They do all the skilled labor. And the Foothills are farmers. They, of course, supply all the food. The story does not get into why the two hate each other but it is an intense hatred. Each calling the other names and only tolerating each other enough to be able too trade goods on Market day.

Like Voldemort, Bailic doesn’t understand love. He is arrogant. He doesn’t like interbreeding. And he is consumed with power.

This is not a Harry Potter replacement but the story kept me interested as I said before. I’ll read book two and hope that Alissa will grow on me.

TBR list#4 Read when you get around to it.

Reading Challenges:
Hogwarts Reading Challenge 2012
2012 Paranormal Reading Challenges
Soundtrack Challenge:Dirty Dancing