Acknowledgements and grateful thanks to NetGalley and Book Whisperer publishing for the opportunity to read and review this e-ARC: 'The Secrets of Âlaburg by Greg Walters'. All opinions are my own and are not a reflection of the publishers and/or author, of which I have no association with.

Four out of five stars (4/5 stars).

"A monstrous beast with glowing red eyes attacks Bryn in the dead of night, leaving him with no choice but to flee for his life. The sixteen-year-old barely escapes the creature’s clutches, only to uncover a greater truth: his existence is far from ordinary. Forced to leave his home, Bryn and his foster father, Gerald, seek refuge at the legendary Âlaburg University—a haven where humans, dwarves, elves, and orcs study the arcane mysteries of the Colors of Magic." — from the book's information page on NetGalley.

Funny, smart and adventurous! I guess this is my new boyfriend now.

Honestly, I am not a huge fan of school / university books, but I look forward to the next book in this series. I never even finished Harry Potter, but I'd finish this.

Filled to the rim with sassy comments and friendly fire, this book is great for any child, teen or adult. Easy to read and detailed enough that you know what's going on, but simple enough that you get lost in the story. Perfect.

I had trouble focusing this week, but I swallowed this book whole

When is book 2 coming out and can I pre-order?!

I recommend this for any library or shelf (especially your Goodreads shelf) and love the magical system that the author has created. In some ways it is similar to HP, but is done by species not desires. Join 4 heroes as they learn from each other and their experiences during their first year at the University.

This is book one of the magical fantasy series of Alaburg University.

I thoroughly enjoyed this one.
It is a story of growing up and finding yourself, not just for the main protagonist.

It reminded me of some Harry Potter (a magical school, four houses, a magical sport, etc.) meets the Lord of the Rings (a fellowship of magical beings, some of them dwarves, elves, and humans) story. However, it had its original elements.

The entire premise that the school is for all the different magical creatures, while all of them live separately, and are extremely biased is what rubbed me the wrong way - it is just a matter of time before the animosity tips over. The White House is almost in apartheid. But maybe that is what the author intended.

The story was developing fast enough for me and I enjoyed the writing, although I couldn't always connect to the characters and was sometimes annoyed by them. But that is probably also natural since they are a lot younger than me.

A lot of mysteries are left unsolved by the end and there should be plenty of time to uncover them in future books, which I am looking forward to!

Thank you to NetGalley, author and publisher for giving me a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I'm so glad this book has finally been translated to English.
I read this a few years ago, when I bought my first Kindle and saw the original (German) version on Kindle Unlimited.
It was my first book in the YA / coming of age subgenre I read as an adult and I loved everything about it.

The characters are well written and relatable. The magic system the author described was something entirely new to me and I really love the idea of different races using magic in different colors.
The school trope is one of my favorites and so is the one about underdogs. This story has both.

Give this book a try, you won't regret it ☺️

I really enjoyed this book. I love a good fantasy book that can keep me entertained, and Greg Walters delivered! The characters, especially Bryn, were well written, and the story was so well paced that it kept me reading. I admit that with the action and characters that I can't wait to read more in this series. I highly recommend this book to other fantasy lovers.

Thank you Net Galley ARC and Book Whisperer

The secrets of Alaburg, is an enjoyable, and easy to read fantasy book for several reasons.

This safe, coming of age fantasy, where the main protagonist, Bryn, slowly finds himself, builds quick momentum. The pacing and shorter chapters ensures that the tempo builds steadily & action continues the progress at a rate that commands your attention.

Gerald & Bryn are fleshed out and real with easy to understand nomenclature & use great descriptions for the readers, so you can mentally visualize the characters. The vivid wording develops the setting & environment well enough to bring you into the story.

Even after very few chapters I was intrigued by the magic system, discovering the hidden back story that has created the current situations.

Fortunately this story has it all, in terms of fantasy. Action, sword & sorcery, high magic & romance.

I would say Greg starts off with a solid series, that will leave readers thirsty for the next novel in the series.