A Wizard of Mars (Young Wizards, #9)
by Diane Duane (Goodreads Author)

5 out of 5 stars

Wizards have been pondering the “Mars problem” for hundreds of years, searching for a message that may have been left by a long dead and forgotten Martian race. Kit is especially obsessed with exploring Mars and looking for answers. When he discovers a mysterious magical presence, he is swept into a series of encounters that change his very identity, and sweep him away from Nita and all his friends. Nita is desperate to find him, and she has to navigate through an ancient prophecy to fight for him and for Earth against the warlike Martians.

As always, it is utterly impossible to describe the wonder, the grandeur, the sheer enchantment of a book by Diane Duane. There’s something so indescribably foreign and deliciously familiar in all her characters. They possess great magical power; they encounter mystic beings; and they stub their toe or spill their tea in the most normally clumsy way. Those little down-to-earth moments, like eating a bowl of cereal and finding your favorite tennis shoes before going off to fight in the planetary wars, are what make her stories so special.

There’s always a current of awareness running under her stories that glances out through little things, showing the dark and brightness in every human heart with a startling clarity. I love the way that each wizard responds to and experiences the magical powers they harness, and there is a reflection of struggle and understanding inside themselves. It makes the magic system so deep and wide and omnipresent in each aspect of the story, because of its complexity and actuality.
(I’m trying so hard to explain the particular enchantment of this magical setting, but I’m failing miserably. It won’t make sense unless you’ve read the magic yourself.)

As always, I adore Nita and Kit’s friendship! They are so comfortable together, and there is such a depth of understanding between them. Every scene with them is so carefully and beautifully written. In this book, they are starting to realize that their feelings for each other are developing into something deeper and with a more romantic connection than their previous friendship. It’s really sweet and so exactly fitting for their personalities.

The plot in this one kept me reading and wondering and enjoying every page! There is a series of mysterious scenes on Mars that are all wizardly constructs that a previously set-up spell is making up from their own human memories, in order to test them and see if they are worthy of unlocking the Martians from their stasis. It’s fascinating to see the puzzle aspects of the plot as the characters try to unravel all the clues of this Martian wizardry, uncover the true prophecy, and awaken the Martians.

I love that this author always deals with heavy subjects – sacrifice, and honor, and the meaning of truth- but there’s also much light-hearted fun in her books.
I can’t wait to read the last book of the series!

To see some mild sensitive content in this book, including some profanity, check it out on the Screen It First website! https://screenitfirst.com/book/a-wizard-of-mars-young-wizards-9-1939288