Cleansing by Fire by Y.S. Hassan

Marc Lacroix—Angibil, the name given to him by Elu—was twenty-five years old and was about to graduate from a prestigious university of Paris and become the youngest Adept Minor of the Order! He had become an expert in many disciplines, mastering not only traditional areas of study but also the most complex of arcane arts.

Angibil hastily went to the consecration chamber in the campus undergrounds. There, in an incredible show of character, he summoned forth a legendary mystical blade to the surprise of the council. He was quickly greeted to the rank of Adept Minor and rewarded by being cast away from all the institutions controlled by Elu! Rumors about Angibil being the long awaited heir to Immaru—the founder—spread among the elders.

Angibil courageously readied himself and left to accomplish his new trials, dreaming of the day he would return to Elu to claim the title of Adept Major.

Guided by an enigmatic symbiotic blade, Angibil traveled the world and the social structures, determined to unearth his enemy. The most elusive and lethal lower demon of ancient Sumer, hiding amongst the unaware and secretly enslaving their souls.

I received this book from the Goodreads Giveaway Program. I had previously read one of Mr. Hassan's books, and having found it very entertaining and different, I was glad to sit to read this one.
Unfortunately, this book is not as captivating. The story itself could have been unique, but the execution is belabored and sometimes repetitive. The main problem, which is one I see in many books that deal with characters that have magical abilities, is that the author makes them so powerful, there really is no doubt they will be fine. There is no foe they can't defeat, which makes it rather dull for the reader. There needs to be doubt and tension, weaknesses that we can relate to, otherwise we never really bond with the chracter.
I thought the book started out on a good path, I was interested in Angibil and his quest, but soon found my mind wandering a tad. There was much that could have been shortened and other parts that should have been explained further. Sometimes it stretched things bit too thin. For example, at one point ngibil learns Mandarin in the space of a couple of days. I don't know, that doesn't do it for me.

I think there is a real gem hidden in these pages, so please don't hesitate to pick it up because of my views on it. If you hve an open mind, none of the issues I mentioned might bother you at all. Read it and see.