The Sapphire Flute by Karen Hoover

It has been 3,000 years since a white mage has been seen upon Rasann. In the midst of a volcanic eruption miles outside of her village, Ember discovers she can see magic and change the appearance of things at will. Against her mother's wishes, she leaves for the mage trials only to be kidnapped before arriving. In trying to escape, she discovers she has inherited her father's secret--a secret that places her in direct conflict with her father's greatest enemy. At the same time, Kayla is given guardianship of the sapphire flute and told not to play it. The evil mage C'Tan has been searching for it for decades and the sound alone is enough to call her. For the flute to be truly safe, Kayla must find its birthplace in the mountains high above Javak. The girls' paths are set on a collision course...a course that C'Tan is determined to prevent at all costs.

I won this book in a contest and was anxious to read and review it for Karen, especially after I met her!
I was intrigued by the flute part of the book. I wondered what kind of justice an author can do with a musical instrument. Anyone can write about putting a piece of metal/wood/crystal to their lips and blowing, but can they portray the essence of the music?
That was my first thought, well, subconsciously. You see, I'm a Band Fag. Yup. That's the name any member of our marching band was called.
So was Karen.
I played the flute.
So did Karen.
We will soon be BFF (she doesn't know that part yet so let's keep it on the DL, ok?).

Anyway, the book follows two different girls from two unique worlds.
They both have magic, families, a destiny.
Karen wove this tale well from the description of the world to the people who inhabit it. I could picture each person through their unique personality and voice (well, not one character since he didn't talk but he had personality).
I became invested in story right away and found myself rooting for the good guys (or girls) and hoping the bad ones are defeated. Or at the very least, frustrated.
The girls, Ember and Kayla, are not aware of each other except maybe in dreams. But when they both decide to take fate into their own hands, they are set on the same path, and hopefully, will meet soon.
The writing is clean and flows well. The characters are well developed and keep growing. Obstacles and trials are constantly standing in the way of the goals, which change when faced with the possibility of the bad guys winning. The descriptions are bright and thorough. I had no problem entering the world Karen created.
There are many characters and a few times I had to remember which ones belonged to which girl but the problem resolved as I read more.

I await the second book, Karen, and would love to review it for you! hinthintwinkwink

Rating G
S: None
L: None
V: Some fighting