Petition first came to my attention last year as it fought, like its protagonist Rahelu, tooth and nail for a position in the SPFBO 9 Finals. It lost that fight by the slimmest of hairs, but the glowing reviews caught my attention and I immediately added it to my TBR. Now in the wake of a successful Kickstarter campaign for the sequel, I decided it was time to read it.
The praise it’s garnered thus far is well deserved.
The synopsis details the story well, and there’s little I would add that doesn’t venture into spoiler territory. Waan’s prose is clean and impactful, rising to the challenge of writing a protagonist as complex as Rahelu without a problem.
And it is Rahelu that carries this story. We first meet her at the conclusion of her education as she attempts to defy the odds and achieve a position with a great House, lifting her family out of the dire poverty they’ve endured for the sake of her learning how to master her resonance magic. She’s quick to anger, but with good reason, and she’s certainly one of the most multifaceted characters I’ve come across in a bit.
As I closed the final pages, I couldn’t help but think of her as a tragic figure from Greek myth, a character whose greatest gift may also prove to be their greatest weakness. She’s stubborn and tenacious, two traits which are more than necessary for her to find any degree of success as she fights against the discrimination present in almost every aspect of her life. But that same stubbornness applies to the story she has of herself.
It’s in this character development I found the most enjoyment. Rahelu is forced to grow, chapter after chapter, but her progress is never linear, and she’s too stubborn to abandon completely how she sees herself. Waan skillfully puts Rahelu through the blender, and watching her character develop through the length of the story was a treat.
I’ll confess the story took several chapters to reel me in. Petition is not a magical academy story, but there’s echoes of one in the first several chapters, and that’s not my personal cup of tea. But I was soon invested and eager to read more.
The book is also clearly the first part in a larger series, and while a handful of conflicts are resolved, it’s apparent we’ve only seen the first act in a much greater play.