Speechless in Achten Tan is a Fantasy novel that will appeal to YA and Adult Readers with its captivating lead character and her search for her personal power.

After her test, Mila is in despair because she doesn't conform to what her community believes are their standards of maturity. She is deprived of the ability to speak and to practice magic. She cannot ascend in their world so she is deprived of her agency.

The dramatic irony is the reason behind her failure. Mila’s brother, Turosh, drowned over the same waterfall where she was being tested. She was temporarily overcome with grief, lost control, and failed the test. A moment of emotion remembering a traumatic event that shaped her youth and motivated her to continue studying ended up becoming a barrier in her pursuit of magic and full acceptance into her society.

As with the heroes in many legends and books in the genre, Mila is sent to continue her journey elsewhere. She leaves her cavern both figuratively and literally (since she's a cavern gnome) to journey to the outside world and take on more advanced studies.

The magic that Mila studies relies both on skills and tools. Nora provides Mila with a series of potions that give her certain abilities like invisibility or telepathy. Certain restrictions apply. There are some engaging and comical moments where Mila and her companions use those potions to get in and out of tight situations and become aware of the side effects and timeframes that come with these powers.

While in Achten Tan, Mila learns more powers like divination, spirit communication, and using bones to cast various spells. She is able to combine her studies with her natural abilities to master them. Despite being mute, she is also able to communicate through the use of sign languages and tattoos that appear when she needs to ask and answer questions. Far from being someone that is seen as having no agency, Mila is able to assert and declare her independence her own way.

Mila's journey to Achten Tan also allows her to connect with her past, present, and future. Her boyfriend from the village, Geb, is also in Achten Tan to train as a healer. He provides an emotional center and keeps Mila focused as her abilities increase.

She also befriends Kaii, son of Opu Haku, the Bone Chief. Mila's friendship allows the son to step out from his father's tyrannical shadow and fight against him. Mila widens the scope of her magical pursuits to make long lasting changes with other kingdoms including her own.

Mila is even able to reconcile her grief over Tarush’s death. She is able to come to terms with the loss and its aftereffects. While death and loss are still painful for her, she is able to set them aside and move forward on her path to maturity.

This is a Fantasy novel that many, especially young people, will relate to as they follow their own paths, discover their own abilities, and gain their own voices.