Waterspell book 1: The Warlock - Deborah J Lightfoot

   

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As a foundling, Carin has had it hard in the house of her adopted parents, and when she is encouraged by the town's wise woman, she starts on a long trek north in search of her home. She unknowingly stumbles onto the lands of Lord Verek, a Warlock, grieving the loss of his wife and young son. In the woods, Carin also meets a wood sprite living in the land's trees that Verek had cursed on the death of his wife and son. Soon it becomes clear that Carin is immune to some of Verek's enchantments. He sees in her the opportunity to find out the message hidden in a book in a foreign language that Carin can read. Carin fears the Warlock and the secrets he keeps. Why is he obsessed with the unique book, and what will his experiments in the magic vortex in the bowels of his house lead to? When Carin is forced to help him to interact with another world, something goes wrong. What will become of Carin? Is Verek a black-hearted Warlock with no feeling left for others? The first in a trilogy, the book ends in a cliffhanger that begs one to read the next instalment to find out what happens.

  I liked that the book is a young adult fantasy with no romance. What left me unsatisfied is that although Carin shows growth, Verek is all over the place—sometimes brooding, seemingly amiable and other times evil. Not one of the best fantasy reads I have had lately.