Summary
Destiny, personal responsibility, what the future holds – common concerns for anyone graduating high school. But usually not because of a cosmic war between timeless beings where you’re the central player.
As the end of school quickly approaches, and Cooper Bailey watches his perfect world slip away, his only concern is savouring every last minute of his high school career. For his best friend, Reid Patterson, graduation is a doorway to the future, where his discipline and focus will finally allow him to meet his true potential.
When a mysterious mirror-masked man begs for their help to stop a dangerous heretic, Cooper and Reid find themselves thrust into unknown worlds, wrestling with a destiny as old as time itself. As the truths about their roles in the universe unfold, and enemies disguise themselves as allies, their only hope is to trust each other – and learn fast! Far from home and in mortal peril, Cooper and Reid attempt to hone their newfound abilities and come to grips with their purpose for being.
Review
The Winds of Change is a phenomenal debut novel perfect for fans of Brandon Sanderson. It kept me glued to my seat with its intricate and complex worldbuilding, coming-of-age protagonists, and relentless action. I couldn’t believe this was a debut, and I can’t wait to see what Paisely has in store for the rest of the series.
Though there are many things I enjoyed while reading The Winds of Change, my favorite is probably the vast and rich world the author has created for this series. Our main protagonists Cooper and Reid are about to graduate high school when they are whisked away through a portal by a mirror-masked man. From there we travel to several foreign planets, magically formed pocket worlds, and realms where immortal pseudo-deities reign over the universe. My personal favorite was a planet whose core is gaseous, and the land masses float in the air.
Beyond just the locations we visit, the magic and lore of the universe is incredible. There are many different kinds of magic, but mostly separated into 2 categories, one based in time and the other in space. Our main protagonists are sort of chosen ones that are prophesied/manipulated to be masters of an elemental magic. The main antagonists appear to be the pseudo-deities that control time-based magic. They were all created by a single entity to embody one trait, and their personalities and talents are completely focused around that trait. Though there are a bunch of them and not all are completely aligned with each other’s goals. And there are a whole bunch of other players introduced throughout the novel, as well as the mirror-masked man who seems to be everywhere just causing chaos for everyone involved for his own unclear reasons. It’s a glorious, twisted mess, and I loved every word.
Even all of that was an extremely simplified description, there is way more going on behind the scenes that slowly unravels over the course of this 600 page book. I was stunned by the amount of detail and complexity the author was able to fit into the story. And while it easily could have become convoluted and confusing, he weaves a beautifully crafted tapestry that might not make sense at first, but once complete is a wonder to look at. Don’t get me wrong, we don’t get all the answers at the end, far from it, but we get enough to avoid frustration, while leaving many more questions to keep you wanting more.
The ridiculous worldbuilding isn’t the only aspect that reminded me of Sanderson though. All of the characters are complex, with different background that are emotional and relatable. Though they can at times come off as YA, especially Cooper and Reid at the beginning of the novel, I would say that this is an adult novel that can also be read and enjoyed by YA readers. The prose is clear and straightforward without coming off as simplistic. The author strikes a great balance between accessible prose that kept me tearing through the pages, and excellent moments of eloquence, such as a porridge analogy that goes on for several pages. Seriously, I never thought I would be moved by reading about how we are all like porridge, let alone written in such an elegant way, but that happened while reading this book, and I’m so glad it did.
I absolutely loved every moment of reading this book, there is nothing about it I would change or do differently. If you like Brandon Sanderson, you have to read this book. And even if you don’t, I would highly recommend giving this one a try. There is something in here for every fantasy reader, and I can already tell this series will become a personal favorite of mine. I want the sequel in my hands yesterday.