Reviewed by Lit Amri for Readers' Favorite

“Something is not right in Gildan. Strange things are happening.” In Mark Of The Medallion (The Wizard Academies, Book 1) by Mike Shelton, incidents of wizards and apprentices of the mind risking their lives through dangerous stunts puzzle everyone in the Wizard Academy. Wizard apprentice Kyril Siravan is also affected and injures his arm when he tries to 'fly', persuaded by a mysterious voice in his head. His poor family background and weak magic ability made Kyril the target of jokes and bullies by others. However, he has a good friend, Sylvie Hickory, a young talented wizard of the earth who always comes to his defense. When a brilliant wizard named Targon Qureshi takes Kyril under his wing, the young apprentice feels appreciated. Yet Sylvie worries about Targon's true intentions, especially when there's worrying news about wizard extremists who want to claim their rights to rule over non-wizards.

Mike Shelton's Mark Of The Medallion is a story of magic and wizardry laced with a great sense of adventure, friendship, bravery, as well as tragedy, conspiracy, and danger. The setting and the plot are as intriguing as the characters; 15-year-old Kyril has a tragic past that left an indelible burned mark of his mother's medallion on his hand. It’s easy to root for him even though he lets his emotions get the best of him at times. I also gravitated towards his friend, Sylvie, whose impressive ability and maturity as a wizard are rivaled by her own impatience and recklessness. Overall, fans of the genre will love the story twists, suspenseful moments, and fight scenes, including the depth of emotions and relationships between the protagonists. This is a great debut for The Wizard Academies series and I look forward to reading the next adventure.