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Fisherman's Children #1
The Prodigal Mage
Many years have passed since the last great Mage War. It has been a time of great change. But not all changes are for the best, and Asher's world is in peril once more.
The weather magic that holds Lur safe is failing, and the earth feels broken to those with the power to see. Among Lur's sorcerers, only Asher has the skill to mend the antique weather map that governs the seasons, keeping the land from being crushed by natural forces. Yet, when Asher risks his life to meddle with these dangerous magics, the crisis is merely delayed, not averted.
Asher's son Rafel has inherited the father's talents, but has been forbidden to use them. Many died in the last Mage War and these abilities aren't to be loosed lightly into the world. But when Asher's last desperate attempt to repair the damage leaves him on his deathbed, Rafel's powers may not be denied. For his countrymen are facing famine, devastation, and a rift in the very fabric of their land.
The weather magic that holds Lur safe is failing, and the earth feels broken to those with the power to see. Among Lur's sorcerers, only Asher has the skill to mend the antique weather map that governs the seasons, keeping the land from being crushed by natural forces. Yet, when Asher risks his life to meddle with these dangerous magics, the crisis is merely delayed, not averted.
Asher's son Rafel has inherited the father's talents, but has been forbidden to use them. Many died in the last Mage War and these abilities aren't to be loosed lightly into the world. But when Asher's last desperate attempt to repair the damage leaves him on his deathbed, Rafel's powers may not be denied. For his countrymen are facing famine, devastation, and a rift in the very fabric of their land.
503 pages, Hardcover
First published August 1, 2009
About the author
Karen Miller
126 books1,123 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. Please see this thread for more details.
Also writes as "K.E. Mills"
Lord, do you really want to know?
Oh, all right.
I was born in Vancouver, Canada, and came to Australia with my parents when I was 2. I think. Dad’s an Aussie, Mum’s English, go figure. Talk about Fate and Destiny. But three passports come in handy.
I’ve always lived in Sydney, except when I didn’t. After graduating with a BA Communications from the then Institute of Technology (now University) a few years ahead of Hugh Jackman, dammit, talk about rotten timing, I headed off to England and lived there for 3 years. It was interesting. I worked for a bunch of nutters in a community health centre and got the sack because I refused to go do EST with them (you stand in the middle of a circle and thank people for hurling verbal abuse at you for your own good, they said, and then were surprised when I said no), was a customer services officer for DHL London (would you believe at one time I knew every single airport code for every single airport in the world, off by heart?!?), got roped into an extremely dubious life insurance selling scheme (I was young and broke, need I say more?) and ended up realizing a life-long dream of working professionally with horses. After 18 grueling months I woke up, and came home.
Since then I’ve done customer service in the insurance and telecommunications industries, been a training officer, PR Officer in local government, production assistant in educational publishing, taught English and Business Communication at TAFE, been a supervisor and run my own sf/fantasy/mystery bookshop. Money for jam, there! I also managed to squeeze in a Master’s Degree in Children’s Literature from Macquarie University.
I used to have horses of my own, and spent lots of time and money showing, breeding, training and judging, but then I came off one time too many and so a large part of my life ended.
When I’m not writing I’m heavily involved in the Castle Hill Players, my local community theatre group, as an actor, director, prompt, stage manager (but not all at once!) and publicity officer.
I’m a story junkie. Books, film, tv ... you name it. Star Wars, Star Trek, Babylon 5, Battlestar Galactica (the new series), Stargate, Firefly, X-Men, Buffy, Angel, Supernatural, The Professionals, Forever Knight, Due South, The West Wing, The Shield, Sandbaggers, Homicide, Wiseguy, The Shield, The Closer ... and the list goes on. And that’s just the media stuff!
I love music. While writing I listen primarily to film soundtracks, because they’ve been written primarily to evoke emotional responses in the listener. This helps access emotion during tough scenes. Plus, the music is pretty. At least the stuff I listen to is. Favourite film composers include Hans Zimmer, Alan Silvestri, James Horner and John Williams. Vocalists I enjoy are Josh Groban, Russell Watson, Sarah McLachlan, Simon and Garfunkel , Queen, The Moody Blues, Steeleye Span, Meatloaf, Mike Oldfield ... anyone who can carry a tune, basically.
In short, I’m an only child with an overactive imagination, 3 dogs, 2 cats and not enough hours in the day. I don’t drink, smoke, or do enough exercise. I make periodic stabs at eating properly. Chocolate is my besetting downfall.
So that’s me. You can wake up now ...
Also writes as "K.E. Mills"
Lord, do you really want to know?
Oh, all right.
I was born in Vancouver, Canada, and came to Australia with my parents when I was 2. I think. Dad’s an Aussie, Mum’s English, go figure. Talk about Fate and Destiny. But three passports come in handy.
I’ve always lived in Sydney, except when I didn’t. After graduating with a BA Communications from the then Institute of Technology (now University) a few years ahead of Hugh Jackman, dammit, talk about rotten timing, I headed off to England and lived there for 3 years. It was interesting. I worked for a bunch of nutters in a community health centre and got the sack because I refused to go do EST with them (you stand in the middle of a circle and thank people for hurling verbal abuse at you for your own good, they said, and then were surprised when I said no), was a customer services officer for DHL London (would you believe at one time I knew every single airport code for every single airport in the world, off by heart?!?), got roped into an extremely dubious life insurance selling scheme (I was young and broke, need I say more?) and ended up realizing a life-long dream of working professionally with horses. After 18 grueling months I woke up, and came home.
Since then I’ve done customer service in the insurance and telecommunications industries, been a training officer, PR Officer in local government, production assistant in educational publishing, taught English and Business Communication at TAFE, been a supervisor and run my own sf/fantasy/mystery bookshop. Money for jam, there! I also managed to squeeze in a Master’s Degree in Children’s Literature from Macquarie University.
I used to have horses of my own, and spent lots of time and money showing, breeding, training and judging, but then I came off one time too many and so a large part of my life ended.
When I’m not writing I’m heavily involved in the Castle Hill Players, my local community theatre group, as an actor, director, prompt, stage manager (but not all at once!) and publicity officer.
I’m a story junkie. Books, film, tv ... you name it. Star Wars, Star Trek, Babylon 5, Battlestar Galactica (the new series), Stargate, Firefly, X-Men, Buffy, Angel, Supernatural, The Professionals, Forever Knight, Due South, The West Wing, The Shield, Sandbaggers, Homicide, Wiseguy, The Shield, The Closer ... and the list goes on. And that’s just the media stuff!
I love music. While writing I listen primarily to film soundtracks, because they’ve been written primarily to evoke emotional responses in the listener. This helps access emotion during tough scenes. Plus, the music is pretty. At least the stuff I listen to is. Favourite film composers include Hans Zimmer, Alan Silvestri, James Horner and John Williams. Vocalists I enjoy are Josh Groban, Russell Watson, Sarah McLachlan, Simon and Garfunkel , Queen, The Moody Blues, Steeleye Span, Meatloaf, Mike Oldfield ... anyone who can carry a tune, basically.
In short, I’m an only child with an overactive imagination, 3 dogs, 2 cats and not enough hours in the day. I don’t drink, smoke, or do enough exercise. I make periodic stabs at eating properly. Chocolate is my besetting downfall.
So that’s me. You can wake up now ...
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 151 reviews
January 12, 2011
I absolutely loved Kingmaker/Kingbreaker, and I really wanted to love The Prodigal Mage as well. The things I loved about the previous novels don't hold true in this book. I loved Asher's character and really understood where he was coming from in The Innocent Mage and The Awakened Mage. I liked his attitude and ability to set everyone straight. In The Prodigal Mage he comes off as a bitter old man. Asher and his wife argue and fight nonstop in this book. It really bothered me. When they aren't arguing with each other, they are yelling at their kids. Have you ever had to sit and listen to a couple argue with themselves and yell at their kids for long periods of time? If you have, I'll bet you didn't enjoy it. Well that's what you are in for with The Prodigal Mage. Asher doesn't want his children to use bad magic, but he won't explain to them why. So of course, being kids, they do it anyway. When Asher's son Rafel is told not to go into the whirlpools or over the mountains, of course he wants to. It's what kids do. I have to say that most of this book is arguing and debating about the same tired issues. We knew the world wasn't going to be wonderful after the end of The Awakened Mage, and the problems the world faces in The Prodigal Mage are predictable. Of course the two races are going to fight for supremacy and not work together. Of course the people will expect the all powerful Innocent Mage to fix all of their problems in an instant. Of course not everyone trusts Asher. Sigh. The inaction and slowness of Kingmaker/Kingbreaker did not bother me at all because I loved the characters. Even without the characters there was a meaningful plot. I can't say the same about The Prodigal Mage. The characters are all extremely grating, and there is no plot to speak of, just danger. As other reviewers have said, this book is mostly setup, so don't expect any kind of conclusion here. The ending was a bit too predictable to me, and feels like a repeat of the previous novels. I don't think I want to continue with this series, though it pains me to say so since I really do love the world created. The problems the people deal with are real, and they bicker and complain just like real people. On one hand realism is nice, on the other hand if I wanted to hear people complain I would go to a city council meeting, because that's what this book feels like, one big complaint fest.
May 12, 2014
The Prodigal Mage is quite unique amongst fantasy novels that I've read. It is very much character-driven so you should not expect a breakneck paced plot. The father / son relationship is central to the story and is explored quite well.
Rather than facing a human villain in this story, the main antagonistic force is the land itself - the weather. The land is dying, poisoned by left-over magic from a defeated dark lord. While this may sound potentially bland, I felt the sense of impending doom as much as any other book I've read. This is also not to say that this book doesn't have it’s fair share of human antagonists. There is plenty of conflict here - amongst people who have strong disagreements but must ultimately live together.
This was my first Karen Miller book. While the first of a series, it also follows on from a previous series. This was not a stumbling block for me, it simply felt like I was stepping into a fully realised world with a very rich back-story. All I needed to know was explained, though the theology and religious beliefs of the world remained something of a mystery to me. This was fine though, it just made the world feel familiar yet exotic.
The world-building was nicely done. The focus was not on geography, or even culture, it was all about the people. The inhabitants of this world had their own turns of phrase, which gave them a unique voice but without feeling clunky and unnatural. In fact, the dialog was one of this book’s biggest strengths. It definitely brought the characters to life.
In the third act, the plot headed in the direction I had been hoping for. The book ended on a big cliffhanger which left me keen to get into book 2 so I can continue this adventure.
Rather than facing a human villain in this story, the main antagonistic force is the land itself - the weather. The land is dying, poisoned by left-over magic from a defeated dark lord. While this may sound potentially bland, I felt the sense of impending doom as much as any other book I've read. This is also not to say that this book doesn't have it’s fair share of human antagonists. There is plenty of conflict here - amongst people who have strong disagreements but must ultimately live together.
This was my first Karen Miller book. While the first of a series, it also follows on from a previous series. This was not a stumbling block for me, it simply felt like I was stepping into a fully realised world with a very rich back-story. All I needed to know was explained, though the theology and religious beliefs of the world remained something of a mystery to me. This was fine though, it just made the world feel familiar yet exotic.
The world-building was nicely done. The focus was not on geography, or even culture, it was all about the people. The inhabitants of this world had their own turns of phrase, which gave them a unique voice but without feeling clunky and unnatural. In fact, the dialog was one of this book’s biggest strengths. It definitely brought the characters to life.
In the third act, the plot headed in the direction I had been hoping for. The book ended on a big cliffhanger which left me keen to get into book 2 so I can continue this adventure.
January 22, 2013
As a followup to the Kingmaker, Kingbreaker books, this one fails on several levels. Where the first two books had the strength of Asher and Gar's friendship to sustain them, there is no such emotional bond in this one.
First, the book is split into two parts, I suppose according to the turning point for Lur itself, but I found it to be somewhat awkward. The first part spans about 20 years. The first beat establishes Rafel's burning obsession with magic and his rebellious, stubborn nature as well as Arlin's backstory, painting him as a child warped by his father's abuse and hatred for Olken. There are a few emotional moments, but they are far in between. Rafel, though understandable, is very unlikeable and lacks the sweetness that Asher had (once he settled in his friendship with Gar and such). He comes across mostly as an arrogant pup. Which he is. Which he is supposed to be. Miller establishes interesting developments in the Olken-Doranen area, with Doranen wanting to leave and Olken wanting to purge them. Then there's something weird going on, Asher tries to fix it, ends up killing himself a little more. Fast forward 10 years, Rafel's grown up, but only in age not character, his relationship with Asher is much more fraught, and they discover that Asher didn't really fix the weird thing after all. Lur is threatened, people die, and everyone freaks out. Pretty standard stuff and though it lacks the real emotional heft, I read on anyways.
The second part is mostly Rafel and Asher quarreling and Asher quarreling with everyone else about how to save Lur. And it's just pages and pages of Rafel spewing resentment and Asher trying to be a father and dealing with his own despair at being powerless to help Lur. Pages and pages. Rafel is no more sympathetic, I would say even less so after failing to grow up after the events of the first part of the story, and though Asher is the more interesting and complex of the two, the constant despair and frustration is grating. Then finally, both are pushed to the breaking point and the story finally gets to the meat of it with only about 80 pages left to go. And then you get to the end and it's utterly predictable.
I really did not enjoy this one. There was nobody to root for and it was all pretty standard quest material, so no interesting surprises there. Plus, you leave Lur behind and with that the problems of the Olken and Doranen, so you don't even have the interesting racial tensions and possible genocide part. I'm going to read the second one to see if Miller can make Deenie a more round and likeable character (there's potential there...but I'm not holding my breath).
First, the book is split into two parts, I suppose according to the turning point for Lur itself, but I found it to be somewhat awkward. The first part spans about 20 years. The first beat establishes Rafel's burning obsession with magic and his rebellious, stubborn nature as well as Arlin's backstory, painting him as a child warped by his father's abuse and hatred for Olken. There are a few emotional moments, but they are far in between. Rafel, though understandable, is very unlikeable and lacks the sweetness that Asher had (once he settled in his friendship with Gar and such). He comes across mostly as an arrogant pup. Which he is. Which he is supposed to be. Miller establishes interesting developments in the Olken-Doranen area, with Doranen wanting to leave and Olken wanting to purge them. Then there's something weird going on, Asher tries to fix it, ends up killing himself a little more. Fast forward 10 years, Rafel's grown up, but only in age not character, his relationship with Asher is much more fraught, and they discover that Asher didn't really fix the weird thing after all. Lur is threatened, people die, and everyone freaks out. Pretty standard stuff and though it lacks the real emotional heft, I read on anyways.
The second part is mostly Rafel and Asher quarreling and Asher quarreling with everyone else about how to save Lur. And it's just pages and pages of Rafel spewing resentment and Asher trying to be a father and dealing with his own despair at being powerless to help Lur. Pages and pages. Rafel is no more sympathetic, I would say even less so after failing to grow up after the events of the first part of the story, and though Asher is the more interesting and complex of the two, the constant despair and frustration is grating. Then finally, both are pushed to the breaking point and the story finally gets to the meat of it with only about 80 pages left to go. And then you get to the end and it's utterly predictable.
I really did not enjoy this one. There was nobody to root for and it was all pretty standard quest material, so no interesting surprises there. Plus, you leave Lur behind and with that the problems of the Olken and Doranen, so you don't even have the interesting racial tensions and possible genocide part. I'm going to read the second one to see if Miller can make Deenie a more round and likeable character (there's potential there...but I'm not holding my breath).
June 28, 2011
Where are the women in this book? Even when the author is female it is most of the time a male dominated world with marginal roles for the women. (why do the women in fantasyworlds keep on wearing long dresses as if they live in OUR past? Okay it is mostly set in a kind of medievel world. But I have sometimes the feeling that Tolkien made a template and every new writer fills it with his or her own story and forgets that we live in the 21th century - but this aside)Even Danthe is just on the side, arguing, crying and pleading but not contributing. The daughter is even less there, and is a weeping girl who is too sensitive for her own good.
I understand she grows in a strong character in the next book so I wait and see.
Don't get me wrong, I like Asher but I liked him more in the first series. The son I can understand but do I feel for him? Not really I am sorry to say.
I understand she grows in a strong character in the next book so I wait and see.
Don't get me wrong, I like Asher but I liked him more in the first series. The son I can understand but do I feel for him? Not really I am sorry to say.
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January 8, 2016
This book didn't make me feel sympathetic or any other kind of connection with the characters to make me want to read the sequel to it. All the characters seemed to be really extreme: either extremely cocky, extremely arrogant, extremely stupid, extremely fragile, extremely helpless, extremely annoying or extremely ignorant. There seemed to be no middle ground, no mixture, people either listened or they didn't, or they were too arrogant to even think about anything else. I don't think it was realistic in terms of character.
Disappointing since I had read Karen Miller's Riven Kingdom trilogy and thoroughly enjoyed them; perhaps these books are far too "Young-Adult" for my liking. Possibly Kingmaker: Kingbreaker should have been read first, though if Asher is anything like he is in these books in those too then I doubt that. There was a lot of refrencing to those books, and fair enough, this does come after those, though it isn't necessary. Perhaps Young-Adult isn't the way forward, though I am still very disappointed and highly recommend the Riven Kingdom series of books, particularly if you didn't seem to enjoy these books much, either.
Disappointing since I had read Karen Miller's Riven Kingdom trilogy and thoroughly enjoyed them; perhaps these books are far too "Young-Adult" for my liking. Possibly Kingmaker: Kingbreaker should have been read first, though if Asher is anything like he is in these books in those too then I doubt that. There was a lot of refrencing to those books, and fair enough, this does come after those, though it isn't necessary. Perhaps Young-Adult isn't the way forward, though I am still very disappointed and highly recommend the Riven Kingdom series of books, particularly if you didn't seem to enjoy these books much, either.
February 7, 2017
The Prodigal Mage is the first book in a duology called Fisherman's Children. It's the continuation of the story from the duology Kingmaker, Kingbreaker. Basically, this is book three! The story picks up 10 years after book two as we meet Asher's children and learn that the Kingdom of Lur is in trouble again. This book has A LOT more action than the Innocent Mage, and is also much darker. I thoroughly enjoyed seeing how life has progressed in Lur since the last book ended and got sucked into the story. I did really miss some of the characters that died in the last book though. Similar to the Kingmaker, Kingbreaker duology, The Prodigal Mage is just the beginning of a new adventure and ends with a huge cliffhanger, meaning you "have" to read the next book (the Reluctant Mage) to see how it ends. I can't wait to do so!
August 27, 2019
Goodness gracious, I finally finished this. I honestly don't have time to review this now but will try to write something for the next book in the series. It was quite good, but if this is your first K. Miller book you'd probably think it was terrible. What I know about her is she pretty much just builds characters in book one, then the plot takes off.
Her writing style is absolutely unique, amazing voice, good job Karen!
Her writing style is absolutely unique, amazing voice, good job Karen!
October 23, 2014
Karen Miller is a popular fantasy author from Australia. Apparently she has written quite a few novel down under but only a few, more recent ones have made past our borders. The Prodigal Mage is the first book in one of her new series and I thought it was quite good.
But I’m not really sure whether or not it was much better than just ‘quite good’. There are a few things that I really liked, mostly about the writing style, and other things that weren’t so exciting.
Here’s what I really liked:
- The speech that is used for each character and the development through that speech. This is quite an impressive feat. The story follows a few different characters, but the main ones start out as children and develop into adults by the end of the book. She not only makes this happen through descriptions and good character development, but also by starting the voice of the children appropriately to the age. They mess up sentences, they have a hard time pronouncing everything, and they are meek and compliant to their parents and other adults. As the story develops and they get older, their language grows with them. The childish aspects of how they act and how they think become more and more acute and intelligent. The process by which Karen does this is actually very impressive. High props to her for that.
- The relationship between characters is deep, passionate and real. This book is about family. People may not really catch that as they read through it, but that’s an aspect that I picked up right away and it made me happy when I read about those things. Yes, I said happy…for lack of a better, more descriptive word. Of course, this isn’t a perfect family and a large part of the story deals with the values of trust that come along with family. Values that might not seem so common to all individuals these days. There are times when we are ready to give up on loved ones, but even through the secrets and the mistakes we tag along on the journey of life and do our best. This was very well depicted in The Prodigal Mage.
-There was never really a villain. I mean sure, there are annoying people and there are taints left from an old villain. But for the longest time, there is no Sauron…no Darth Vader…it’s man vs a collapsing world. Even though this might seem at times to take away from the entertaining aspect of the world that Karen has created, I believe that it has set the stage for a different type of character development from what we are use to seeing in other novels of the genre. If you read this book, I think you might agree that it has set a good stage for the upcoming volumes of the series.
A couple downers:
-It is pretty slow. A lot of internal character development in this book and that means that not as much is happening in outer world events. It’s a sacrifice she had to make for the characters and I think that in the long run it will pay off. The downside is that you actually need to get through this book to keep interest for the next ones. If her readers are bored with volume one, she might lose potential fans before the second one is out.
-The magical elements of the world she created were really interesting, but she didn’t play with them enough. I was hoping she would find ways to put more of the different powers into play, but she never did. That was a bummer and only added to the overall slow pace of the entire work.
The Prodigal Mage is a fun read. It’s pretty simple and the language is very well put together. Despite the couple swear words here and there, it is a fairly mild book compared to some of her others, but I’m getting the impression that this will change in the following volumes. I’d recommend this one to anybody who is in the mood for a bit more of a psychological fantasy novel (if there is such a thing)…if you’re looking for fights and dragons and wars, you’ll have to look somewhere else.
But I’m not really sure whether or not it was much better than just ‘quite good’. There are a few things that I really liked, mostly about the writing style, and other things that weren’t so exciting.
Here’s what I really liked:
- The speech that is used for each character and the development through that speech. This is quite an impressive feat. The story follows a few different characters, but the main ones start out as children and develop into adults by the end of the book. She not only makes this happen through descriptions and good character development, but also by starting the voice of the children appropriately to the age. They mess up sentences, they have a hard time pronouncing everything, and they are meek and compliant to their parents and other adults. As the story develops and they get older, their language grows with them. The childish aspects of how they act and how they think become more and more acute and intelligent. The process by which Karen does this is actually very impressive. High props to her for that.
- The relationship between characters is deep, passionate and real. This book is about family. People may not really catch that as they read through it, but that’s an aspect that I picked up right away and it made me happy when I read about those things. Yes, I said happy…for lack of a better, more descriptive word. Of course, this isn’t a perfect family and a large part of the story deals with the values of trust that come along with family. Values that might not seem so common to all individuals these days. There are times when we are ready to give up on loved ones, but even through the secrets and the mistakes we tag along on the journey of life and do our best. This was very well depicted in The Prodigal Mage.
-There was never really a villain. I mean sure, there are annoying people and there are taints left from an old villain. But for the longest time, there is no Sauron…no Darth Vader…it’s man vs a collapsing world. Even though this might seem at times to take away from the entertaining aspect of the world that Karen has created, I believe that it has set the stage for a different type of character development from what we are use to seeing in other novels of the genre. If you read this book, I think you might agree that it has set a good stage for the upcoming volumes of the series.
A couple downers:
-It is pretty slow. A lot of internal character development in this book and that means that not as much is happening in outer world events. It’s a sacrifice she had to make for the characters and I think that in the long run it will pay off. The downside is that you actually need to get through this book to keep interest for the next ones. If her readers are bored with volume one, she might lose potential fans before the second one is out.
-The magical elements of the world she created were really interesting, but she didn’t play with them enough. I was hoping she would find ways to put more of the different powers into play, but she never did. That was a bummer and only added to the overall slow pace of the entire work.
The Prodigal Mage is a fun read. It’s pretty simple and the language is very well put together. Despite the couple swear words here and there, it is a fairly mild book compared to some of her others, but I’m getting the impression that this will change in the following volumes. I’d recommend this one to anybody who is in the mood for a bit more of a psychological fantasy novel (if there is such a thing)…if you’re looking for fights and dragons and wars, you’ll have to look somewhere else.
September 27, 2012
Book three of the Innocent Mage series introduces us to the next geneneration of mages: Opening some 8-10 years after the defeat of Morg, Asher is now a leader in the kingdom (more a republic than a kingdom now), with wife and children. This story focuses on the evolution of Asher's son as a mage in his own right, with the parallel and forumlaic backstory of father and son conflict: The son who wants to use and flaunt his power, vs. the older and wiser father who seeks to suppress him. The overall story shows promise, with new protagonists, conflict and the still unanswered questions of "what's beyond Barl's Wall?"
Book three is an okay story, in an okay series, with an okay plot and okay writing. The premise continues to be solid, and overall not a disappointing read, but I still struggle with the author's writing style: Do we really need to create and overuse new words and slang for every character to emphasize they live somewhere else? After the first 100 pages I found these "language gimmicks" more distracting to the read, than helpful to the story (apparently 'fratched' can be substituted for angry, frutstated, vexed, pissed, worried, upset or confused, and so we see the word at least once on every page). Also, as has been my complaint with the prior two books, the same story could have been told with 50-100 less pages. The extra length did not seem to add depth or substance, and just made an overall good read, a bit of a chore, when not supported by a storyline of sufficient engrossing depth.
Book three is an okay story, in an okay series, with an okay plot and okay writing. The premise continues to be solid, and overall not a disappointing read, but I still struggle with the author's writing style: Do we really need to create and overuse new words and slang for every character to emphasize they live somewhere else? After the first 100 pages I found these "language gimmicks" more distracting to the read, than helpful to the story (apparently 'fratched' can be substituted for angry, frutstated, vexed, pissed, worried, upset or confused, and so we see the word at least once on every page). Also, as has been my complaint with the prior two books, the same story could have been told with 50-100 less pages. The extra length did not seem to add depth or substance, and just made an overall good read, a bit of a chore, when not supported by a storyline of sufficient engrossing depth.
December 10, 2017
Not a better love story than twilight.
I just want to give some reference here. I didn't learn to read until I was 10. I was very stubborn as a child and refused to learn until eventually I became jealous of my sisters, and learned over a two month period, and boy did I find out I was missing out big time.
Reading became my favorite hobby. I read every single non-fiction book in our local library. I spend the majority of every waking minute reading until I was 20. I have read 50-100 books or more per year every year for the last 16 years, all fantasy fiction or sci-fi.
So I want you to know that when I say this is, without any doubt, the worst book I have ever read by a sizable margin I really mean it.
Do not read this book. Do not look at this book. Do not even think about this book. I have basically no standards, I've read twilight, I've read fanfiction, I've read bargin bin romance novels. Nothing been so abysmally boring before. This book finally broke my spirit and caused me to stop reading every single book and series I start to completion.
I have never experienced this much loathing for a work of fiction before or since. I wish I could purge my mind of this unholy abomination of whiny tedium from my brain, alas I cannot.
So dear reader before you sacrifice your love of books on this unholy road to damnation I implore you. Read anything else.
I just want to give some reference here. I didn't learn to read until I was 10. I was very stubborn as a child and refused to learn until eventually I became jealous of my sisters, and learned over a two month period, and boy did I find out I was missing out big time.
Reading became my favorite hobby. I read every single non-fiction book in our local library. I spend the majority of every waking minute reading until I was 20. I have read 50-100 books or more per year every year for the last 16 years, all fantasy fiction or sci-fi.
So I want you to know that when I say this is, without any doubt, the worst book I have ever read by a sizable margin I really mean it.
Do not read this book. Do not look at this book. Do not even think about this book. I have basically no standards, I've read twilight, I've read fanfiction, I've read bargin bin romance novels. Nothing been so abysmally boring before. This book finally broke my spirit and caused me to stop reading every single book and series I start to completion.
I have never experienced this much loathing for a work of fiction before or since. I wish I could purge my mind of this unholy abomination of whiny tedium from my brain, alas I cannot.
So dear reader before you sacrifice your love of books on this unholy road to damnation I implore you. Read anything else.
May 9, 2015
I would not say that this series can be read just like this. You will not get the entire back story. Sure you could enjoy it, but you really should read the series that takes place 10 years before. And the prequel that explains why all these people are in trouble anyway.
But anyway this book; 10 years ago they saved Lur and got rid of Morg. The Olken and Doranen are now equals (before the Doranen were the Lords and if the Olken used magic they got killed.) Asher the hero from the previous series is married with 2 kids. He is a stubborn mule as always. The Olken and Doranen still bicker and are idiots. The country is not saved after all and after 600 years of magic hitting it the world is falling apart.
That is our story. Can Lur be saved? Is the rest of the world dead? Will anyone be left standing, cos honestly this world is going to hell. Some people just should not be allowed to have magic.
People argue, whine and are idiots. Still it's nice old school fantasy. I do wonder how it will play out.
But yes, I do think the books should be read in order.
But anyway this book; 10 years ago they saved Lur and got rid of Morg. The Olken and Doranen are now equals (before the Doranen were the Lords and if the Olken used magic they got killed.) Asher the hero from the previous series is married with 2 kids. He is a stubborn mule as always. The Olken and Doranen still bicker and are idiots. The country is not saved after all and after 600 years of magic hitting it the world is falling apart.
That is our story. Can Lur be saved? Is the rest of the world dead? Will anyone be left standing, cos honestly this world is going to hell. Some people just should not be allowed to have magic.
People argue, whine and are idiots. Still it's nice old school fantasy. I do wonder how it will play out.
But yes, I do think the books should be read in order.
October 18, 2011
After reading The Innocent Mage and Awakened Mage and enjoying them so much I was hoping that Prodigal Mage would be just as satisfying a read and I wasn't disappointed.
Though not as action packed as the first two books, Prodigal Mage has a strong story and I couldn't put it down.
Asher hasn't changed a bit (thank God) and his son and daughter are brilliant characters in their own rights. The language styles in the book are still fantastically written and very funny, I've not read many books where you can really hear a character's voice inside your head but Karen Miller succeeds in bringing them to life effortlessly.
At some points in the book I wasn't certain where the story was going, but the last two chapters made it completely impossible to leave the story where it was, so I've picked up the second book and started it immediately, I'm desperate to find out what happens next!
Though not as action packed as the first two books, Prodigal Mage has a strong story and I couldn't put it down.
Asher hasn't changed a bit (thank God) and his son and daughter are brilliant characters in their own rights. The language styles in the book are still fantastically written and very funny, I've not read many books where you can really hear a character's voice inside your head but Karen Miller succeeds in bringing them to life effortlessly.
At some points in the book I wasn't certain where the story was going, but the last two chapters made it completely impossible to leave the story where it was, so I've picked up the second book and started it immediately, I'm desperate to find out what happens next!
March 19, 2010
Not up to the standard set in the first two books. This one is nothing more than one VERY long prelude tot eh next book in the series.
Most of the book you want Asher, the main character from the first two books, to stop whining and moping and get on with what needs to be done. But that's just it, he can't so his son has to, and that is what this book is about. It's also the classic villain resurrection plot. The ultimate villain from the first two books is back and the world is hurting.
Most of the book you want Asher, the main character from the first two books, to stop whining and moping and get on with what needs to be done. But that's just it, he can't so his son has to, and that is what this book is about. It's also the classic villain resurrection plot. The ultimate villain from the first two books is back and the world is hurting.
April 20, 2023
WOW. This was a SLOG to get through! I was young when I first read this and have no idea why I gave it 4 stars.
There are very few exciting parts of this book, but when you do come across them they are GOOD.
This whole book is just a slow set up for part 2 which I can tell you is EONS better. If you are invested in Lur and its characters, trudge your way through this one to get to book 2.
There are very few exciting parts of this book, but when you do come across them they are GOOD.
This whole book is just a slow set up for part 2 which I can tell you is EONS better. If you are invested in Lur and its characters, trudge your way through this one to get to book 2.
August 17, 2015
I liked the other Mage-books; the next book in the series was a real page-turner! This book, however, was boring me to tears. Hardly anything was happening and there was a lot of angry, long winded dialogue.
May 3, 2020
Kto nie zna historii, ten nie ma przyszłości. Kojarzycie to sformułowanie? Jest ono parafrazą tezy rzuconej kiedyś przez Józefa Piłsudskiego. I wcale nie jest to takie nieszczęśliwe porównanie, jak mogłoby się wydawać. Co mają ze sobą wspólnego marszałek i bohaterowie książki Utracona Magia? Dość powiedzieć, że im współcześni w sposób łatwy i jednoznaczny oceniają ich decyzje i ich wpływ na dalsze losy ich narodów nie znając całego obrazu i sytuacji, w jakiej tamci się znaleźli. Ad rem...
Wiele lat temu kraina Olków i Doran stanęła w ogniu walki dobra ze złem i dzięki zaangażowaniu naszego głównego bohatera Ashera (i w myśl idei książek fantasy) zwyciężyło dobro. Jednak z obawy przed powtórką z rozrywki postanowiono, że w krainie nie używa się magii, bo ona wywołuje same nieszczęścia i jest źródłem wszelkiego zła. Cała geneza tej historii została opowiedziana w dwóch poprzednich tomach pod wspólnym tytułem Królotwórca, królobójca. I mamy nowe pokolenie mieszkańców Lur - dzieci naszych bohaterów z pierwszych części - którzy nie do końca zdają sobie sprawę z ceny, jaką zapłacili ich rodzice za spokój w krainie. Buntują się przeciwko zakazom narzuconym przez dorosłych. Odczuwają potrzebę manifestowania swojej wolności i walczą z zasadami, dzięki którym Lur istnieje.
Skąd my to znamy... Kto z nas będąc młodym człowiekiem zgadzał się z zasadami wprowadzonymi przez rodziców? Kto z nas nie buntował się przeciwko zakazom i nakazom dorosłych? Kto rozumiał - albo chociaż chciał rozumieć - pobudki kierujące starszymi do ograniczania nam swobody. Inna sprawa w jaki sposób nam komunikowano te granice.... Zwykle oszczędzano nam całej otoczki, z czego bierze się konieczność ochrony własnych dzieci. Z reguły nie wtajemniczano nas w proces myślowy, na którego końcu było głośne "nie wolno". I w końcu kto z nas będąc już dorosłym, często rodzicem, robi dokładnie to samo? Kto z nas nie obiecał sobie "nie będę taki, jak moi rodzice" i łapie się na powielaniu tych zachowań?
Tak też dzieje się w przypadku naszych bohaterów. I ten konflikt jest osią obrotu całej historii. Rodzice, którzy "wiedzą lepiej" i dzieci, które uważają, że ta wiedza dzisiaj nie ma zastosowania. Młode pokolenie dorasta, jednak dorośli zdają się tego nie dostrzegać. Młodzi zaczynają budować swój własny światopogląd, jednak starsi chcieliby nadal mieć przy sobie niewinne i spolegliwe istoty. A tymczasem Lur znowu zaczyna pogrążać się w konflikcie - tym razem wewnętrznym konflikcie wynikającym z podziału społeczeństwa na dwie rasy - i konieczne są nowe decyzje i nowe działania. A kto może je dzisiaj podjąć, jak nie nowe pokolenie?
Utracona magia to pierwszy tom cyklu Dzieci Rybaka będącego kontynuacją Królotwórcy, królobójcy. To świetnie opowiedziana historia o dorastaniu, odpowiedzialności i socjalizacji. Fantastycznie poprowadzeni, wiarygodni, prawdziwi bohaterowie (Asher i Rafel, wokół których toczy się cała opowieść; postacie kobiece matek i córek - opiekuńcze, ale też silne i decyzyjne), trudne sytuacje życiowe (śmierć najbliższych, wojna, rozłąka), sprawnie zbudowane relacje międzyludzkie (mamy tu relacje rodzinne, przyjacielskie, a także - co nie zdarza się często - warstwę bohaterów stanowiących mentorów dla innych, poniekąd niepisanych członków rodzin naszych głównych postaci, przyjaciół rodziny) w otoczeniu bardzo magicznym, nieco tajemniczym, stanowiącym osnowę świata Lur. Magia stanowi tutaj oczywiście pretekst do opowiedzenia o czymś więcej - ta historia mogłaby dziać się dzisiaj i dotyczyć każdych innych wyborów życiowych - ale właśnie dzięki niej nie jest tak zwyczajnie i dzięki niej książkę czyta się bardzo dobrze.
Ja czytając ciągle zadawałam sobie pytania co ja bym zrobiła na miejscu Rafela. Co myślałabym będąc Asherem. Czy Rafel zrozumie, dlaczego Asher podjął takie a nie inne decyzje. Czy miałabym tyle siły, żeby znieść to, co Deenie. Tych pytań z każdą postacią i sytuacją jest coraz więcej... i nabieramy szacunku do naszych bohaterów coraz bardziej stając się częścią tej historii. Bardzo mi się podobała!!
Wiele lat temu kraina Olków i Doran stanęła w ogniu walki dobra ze złem i dzięki zaangażowaniu naszego głównego bohatera Ashera (i w myśl idei książek fantasy) zwyciężyło dobro. Jednak z obawy przed powtórką z rozrywki postanowiono, że w krainie nie używa się magii, bo ona wywołuje same nieszczęścia i jest źródłem wszelkiego zła. Cała geneza tej historii została opowiedziana w dwóch poprzednich tomach pod wspólnym tytułem Królotwórca, królobójca. I mamy nowe pokolenie mieszkańców Lur - dzieci naszych bohaterów z pierwszych części - którzy nie do końca zdają sobie sprawę z ceny, jaką zapłacili ich rodzice za spokój w krainie. Buntują się przeciwko zakazom narzuconym przez dorosłych. Odczuwają potrzebę manifestowania swojej wolności i walczą z zasadami, dzięki którym Lur istnieje.
Skąd my to znamy... Kto z nas będąc młodym człowiekiem zgadzał się z zasadami wprowadzonymi przez rodziców? Kto z nas nie buntował się przeciwko zakazom i nakazom dorosłych? Kto rozumiał - albo chociaż chciał rozumieć - pobudki kierujące starszymi do ograniczania nam swobody. Inna sprawa w jaki sposób nam komunikowano te granice.... Zwykle oszczędzano nam całej otoczki, z czego bierze się konieczność ochrony własnych dzieci. Z reguły nie wtajemniczano nas w proces myślowy, na którego końcu było głośne "nie wolno". I w końcu kto z nas będąc już dorosłym, często rodzicem, robi dokładnie to samo? Kto z nas nie obiecał sobie "nie będę taki, jak moi rodzice" i łapie się na powielaniu tych zachowań?
Tak też dzieje się w przypadku naszych bohaterów. I ten konflikt jest osią obrotu całej historii. Rodzice, którzy "wiedzą lepiej" i dzieci, które uważają, że ta wiedza dzisiaj nie ma zastosowania. Młode pokolenie dorasta, jednak dorośli zdają się tego nie dostrzegać. Młodzi zaczynają budować swój własny światopogląd, jednak starsi chcieliby nadal mieć przy sobie niewinne i spolegliwe istoty. A tymczasem Lur znowu zaczyna pogrążać się w konflikcie - tym razem wewnętrznym konflikcie wynikającym z podziału społeczeństwa na dwie rasy - i konieczne są nowe decyzje i nowe działania. A kto może je dzisiaj podjąć, jak nie nowe pokolenie?
Utracona magia to pierwszy tom cyklu Dzieci Rybaka będącego kontynuacją Królotwórcy, królobójcy. To świetnie opowiedziana historia o dorastaniu, odpowiedzialności i socjalizacji. Fantastycznie poprowadzeni, wiarygodni, prawdziwi bohaterowie (Asher i Rafel, wokół których toczy się cała opowieść; postacie kobiece matek i córek - opiekuńcze, ale też silne i decyzyjne), trudne sytuacje życiowe (śmierć najbliższych, wojna, rozłąka), sprawnie zbudowane relacje międzyludzkie (mamy tu relacje rodzinne, przyjacielskie, a także - co nie zdarza się często - warstwę bohaterów stanowiących mentorów dla innych, poniekąd niepisanych członków rodzin naszych głównych postaci, przyjaciół rodziny) w otoczeniu bardzo magicznym, nieco tajemniczym, stanowiącym osnowę świata Lur. Magia stanowi tutaj oczywiście pretekst do opowiedzenia o czymś więcej - ta historia mogłaby dziać się dzisiaj i dotyczyć każdych innych wyborów życiowych - ale właśnie dzięki niej nie jest tak zwyczajnie i dzięki niej książkę czyta się bardzo dobrze.
Ja czytając ciągle zadawałam sobie pytania co ja bym zrobiła na miejscu Rafela. Co myślałabym będąc Asherem. Czy Rafel zrozumie, dlaczego Asher podjął takie a nie inne decyzje. Czy miałabym tyle siły, żeby znieść to, co Deenie. Tych pytań z każdą postacią i sytuacją jest coraz więcej... i nabieramy szacunku do naszych bohaterów coraz bardziej stając się częścią tej historii. Bardzo mi się podobała!!
February 24, 2018
I was amazed and excited when I discovered that Miller was doing a sequal duology to her kingmaker, Kingbreaker series, which were two of the most heart-stoppingly brilliant books I have ever read. I decided to wait until both books were out in this series however, because when I read 'innocent mage' I had to wait two of the slowest days of my life for the 2nd book 'awakened mage' to arrive, and devoured it immediately. I didn't want the suspense of waiting months for the 2nd in this series to be released, so waited for both.
So now to the review of this book! Well, I loved it! Ok, perhaps it didn't have quite the level of excitement and suspense that the last series did, this is definately a book where the story is being built up and we become aware of the extent of the problem of the weathermagic failing. But the new characters in this book, Rafel & deenie (asher and dathne's children), Goose (rafel best friend), Charis (deenie's best friend) and Arlin (not a huge part of this book, but important none the less) are truly brilliant. I adored Rafel as a little boy, he was so clever, but very proud and also slightly adorable. He grows into a great young man, and it's clear why the girls like him.
Asher and Dathne also return in this book, and much to my overwhelming pleasue, Gar is mentioned quite regularly. A bit of me hoped he'd return to life, but I know that wouldn't happen.
As i said, this book is really more of a lead up to the real story, which happens in the 2nd book (Reluctant mage) but I still think it is excellent! Well worth reading, but I highly recommend you read the first series (innocent mage, awakened mage) before reading this series, otherwise a lot of the characters and references might not make sense to you.
So now to the review of this book! Well, I loved it! Ok, perhaps it didn't have quite the level of excitement and suspense that the last series did, this is definately a book where the story is being built up and we become aware of the extent of the problem of the weathermagic failing. But the new characters in this book, Rafel & deenie (asher and dathne's children), Goose (rafel best friend), Charis (deenie's best friend) and Arlin (not a huge part of this book, but important none the less) are truly brilliant. I adored Rafel as a little boy, he was so clever, but very proud and also slightly adorable. He grows into a great young man, and it's clear why the girls like him.
Asher and Dathne also return in this book, and much to my overwhelming pleasue, Gar is mentioned quite regularly. A bit of me hoped he'd return to life, but I know that wouldn't happen.
As i said, this book is really more of a lead up to the real story, which happens in the 2nd book (Reluctant mage) but I still think it is excellent! Well worth reading, but I highly recommend you read the first series (innocent mage, awakened mage) before reading this series, otherwise a lot of the characters and references might not make sense to you.
June 29, 2019
I read the majority of this book in about 6 hours - it's that engrossing. I would make sure that you've read the 'Kingmaker, Kingbreaker' books first though as this follows on from those, picking up 10 years later. There are references back to previous events, but it might be confusing if you haven't read those books first.
It takes a little while to get back into the dialect of the Olken characters, but that helps to distinguish them from the Doranen characters. The story touches on some interesting issues - class divide, parent-child conflict - and how exactly *do* you warn people of possible impending apocalypse without causing mass panic? Admittedly, one rather snooty character got up my nose to the point I'd happily have reached into the page and punched them, but that does show how effectively they were portrayed.
Some of the characters' arguments get a little repetitive by the end of the book, but what an ending! I need to find the next part ASAP.
It takes a little while to get back into the dialect of the Olken characters, but that helps to distinguish them from the Doranen characters. The story touches on some interesting issues - class divide, parent-child conflict - and how exactly *do* you warn people of possible impending apocalypse without causing mass panic? Admittedly, one rather snooty character got up my nose to the point I'd happily have reached into the page and punched them, but that does show how effectively they were portrayed.
Some of the characters' arguments get a little repetitive by the end of the book, but what an ending! I need to find the next part ASAP.
April 13, 2022
I never give up on books. OK, Ok, ok.... I seldom give up on books. I had high hopes for his one. I gave it more than a week. But, I found myself always looking for something else to read during this time.
I am only speaking from my perspective. But it felt like our protagonist was questioning himself too much. And, this questioning lasted for chapters and chapters. I kept waiting for it to end and the action to start, but the next day there he was talking about his uncertainty to some other character.
Finally, I had enough. I couldn't take it any more. I want strong, independent protagonists who are decisive and when they see a problem and go take care of the problem. Not some weakling that is always second guessing and whining about his life. I kept waiting for the action to start, but finally gave up on the whole thing.
I am only speaking from my perspective. But it felt like our protagonist was questioning himself too much. And, this questioning lasted for chapters and chapters. I kept waiting for it to end and the action to start, but the next day there he was talking about his uncertainty to some other character.
Finally, I had enough. I couldn't take it any more. I want strong, independent protagonists who are decisive and when they see a problem and go take care of the problem. Not some weakling that is always second guessing and whining about his life. I kept waiting for the action to start, but finally gave up on the whole thing.
December 18, 2021
This book cannot possibly stand alone. Therefore, it's difficult to rate it until I read the sister book, "The Reluctant Mage."
I have come to love the language in these books. The jargon she uses when the characters communicate with each other. I feel like I'm there listening to the conversation.
I've become restless now moving on to book 4 to finally get some answers and to see how this all ends. I was surprised at the ending of this book, but not surprised in the fact that it was a massive cliff hanger again. Just like what happened in the first two books of this series.
I'm now ready for Deenie's adventure and how she becomes the heroine and saves the world! Onto the fourth and final I go!
I have come to love the language in these books. The jargon she uses when the characters communicate with each other. I feel like I'm there listening to the conversation.
I've become restless now moving on to book 4 to finally get some answers and to see how this all ends. I was surprised at the ending of this book, but not surprised in the fact that it was a massive cliff hanger again. Just like what happened in the first two books of this series.
I'm now ready for Deenie's adventure and how she becomes the heroine and saves the world! Onto the fourth and final I go!
May 30, 2018
I enjoyed this book, but not nearly as much as I did the first two books in the series and it was because of what many others have pointed out, the conflict within the story was driven largely in part by the arguing that happened among the characters. Were the relationships important and realistic? Yes, but otherwise a reader tends to tune out what appears to be unnecessary squabbling. I will likely look for and read the next book in this series because I’d like to see how the story unfolds and resolves from here, so it wasn’t a bad read- just wondering if there were other ways to show the same conflicts without so much arguing in the dialogue.
July 9, 2018
An enjoyable read but I've only given it four stars because it didn't live up to what I'd come to expect from Karen Miller's other books that I've read.
I felt that there was too much emphasis on council meetings and family arguments which spoiled it a little.
The last part of the story seemed rushed, as if the author tried to squeeze it in. If there had been less of the arguing, I feel she could have concentrated more on the mission at the end of the book.
That's only a minor criticism and I would still recommend her books to anyone who loves epic fantasy.
I felt that there was too much emphasis on council meetings and family arguments which spoiled it a little.
The last part of the story seemed rushed, as if the author tried to squeeze it in. If there had been less of the arguing, I feel she could have concentrated more on the mission at the end of the book.
That's only a minor criticism and I would still recommend her books to anyone who loves epic fantasy.
September 3, 2018
This is the 4th book in the series I've listen to in audiobook format and I've made the decision to DNF 75% of the way through it. Plot progression is virtually non-existant. Almost all of the content in here is made up of people arguing with each other and little else. I tried to keep an open mind but after 20 hrs of listening to people bicker, I'm concluding it's just a bad book.
The story, when it chooses to show itself, is good and the author is a good writer but they seriously need a new editor. A good editor never would have let them write a book with this little substance.
The story, when it chooses to show itself, is good and the author is a good writer but they seriously need a new editor. A good editor never would have let them write a book with this little substance.
May 27, 2021
Czytałam po raz drugi, ale nie pamiętałam nic z pierwszego czytania - nie wiem z czego to wynika, możliwe że z mojej słabej pamięci. Jednak ta seria, przynajmniej pierwsza książka, jest niestety gorsza niż seria poprzedzająca - trochę chyba męczyła mnie. Inna dynamika relacji, przede wszystkim relacji w nietypowej rodzinie chyba nie wyszła autorce do końca - nie podobało mi się to tak bardzo, irytował mnie ten wątek i generalnie większość bohaterów, oprócz Penella Orricka. Drugą część zaczęłam no i jednak zachęca do czytania dalej, chcemy się dowiedzieć co się stanie.
August 13, 2018
I really loved Kingmaker/Kingbreaker, and I really wanted to love this as well, but it just didn't quite live up to my expectations. I loved Asher in the previous novels, and in this novel she made him a bitter old man, quite disappointing. I don't love the characters as much and the plot is not as strong as in Kingmaker/Kingbreaker. Here is to hoping that the next novel picks up the pace a bit and gives at least some of the characters some likability.
October 11, 2017
An unnecessary lenghty book. The first half (literally half the book) is absolute boredom!! Endless conversations, father to son talks on how they love each other and so on... Then suddenly a break in the tedious-ness, but alas only for a short periode... The actual action covers the very last 40 pages of the book. Very sad, this book, very sad!
April 4, 2019
2 to maybe 2.5 stars. This one is a DNF for me. I found it boring for the most part. I found that I was not enjoying the story and did not feel any connections with the main characters. Many this is a slow burn story but I am not reading any more to find out. Sorry to the author as I have like other books by this author so I would try others from her.
October 5, 2020
SO FRUSTRATING
This is a lot of character building (into not the most interesting characters) and a lot of plot buildup into really nothing happening at all. Also what did happen was super obvious through the foreshadowing, which just felt kinda ham-handed and ultimately lame. An annoying book, because Miller has really lovely writing and style, but just nooooottthhhiiiinnnggggg happens.
This is a lot of character building (into not the most interesting characters) and a lot of plot buildup into really nothing happening at all. Also what did happen was super obvious through the foreshadowing, which just felt kinda ham-handed and ultimately lame. An annoying book, because Miller has really lovely writing and style, but just nooooottthhhiiiinnnggggg happens.
October 11, 2020
For me, this book was a slog (though I'm reading the second book right now, and it seems to be picking up speed). I'm usually a fan of character development, but this happened at the expense of a more gripping plotline. The plot of this book comprises characters arguing about the right thing to do (about the residual magic of the sorcerer Morg and Rafe's own magic), which wasn't really fun to read about. To be fair, I haven't read either of the Innocent Mage books--this is my first foray into that universe.
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