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Mahalia
Mahalia spends her days in the gilded cage of a noblewoman’s life, hiding her interest in magic and dreading the day that she is married off for a political alliance. But when a fire demon is released into her oasis, destroying her home and decimating her tribe, Mahalia’s sheltered world is turned upside-down. Her people have always been different, worshiping other gods and practicing arcane magics – now, they are blamed for the disaster, and mysterious robed prophets appear from the deep desert, naming the tribe as demon-born, cursed by Heaven itself. As a strange illness begins to claim members of the tribe, Mahalia steps up to become ailahafeeza, protector of her family – and perhaps the only person who can save them from an enemy who has lain in wait for centuries ...
192 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 10, 2012
3 people are currently reading
71 people want to read
About the author
Moira Katson
40 books97 followersI am a transplant to the frozen wastes of the midwest, learning to love fried food on a stick, hot dish, and the winters. Having recently bought a house, I am also learning everything from how to wire chandeliers to how best to paint a room. (Also, I spend too much time at Menard's.)
I have been writing since I was old enough to read, and I write on every scrap of paper I can get my hands on. In the meantime, I read - oh, I read so much! I like to read articles about science, about economics, about psychology and neuroscience and sociology... Some of my greatest character inspiration has come from true-life tales of people at the center of historical events, and some of it has come from the "what-ifs" that academic inquiry produces.
I encourage you to stop past my website for the latest news on my work! You can find print copies of my work on Amazon and CreateSpace, and my books are available for Kindle, Nook, and through all channels served by Smashwords!
I have been writing since I was old enough to read, and I write on every scrap of paper I can get my hands on. In the meantime, I read - oh, I read so much! I like to read articles about science, about economics, about psychology and neuroscience and sociology... Some of my greatest character inspiration has come from true-life tales of people at the center of historical events, and some of it has come from the "what-ifs" that academic inquiry produces.
I encourage you to stop past my website for the latest news on my work! You can find print copies of my work on Amazon and CreateSpace, and my books are available for Kindle, Nook, and through all channels served by Smashwords!
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
July 3, 2012
I thoroughly enjoyed this book by first-time author Moira Katson. I was immediately drawn in by the characters, who all seemed relatable and sympathetic. Mahalia is a young woman about to be married off more or less for political gain, and because it wouldn't be proper for a woman to hold her father's title. She is firmly against this plan, having much more interest in the study of magic - even though she herself is incapable of magic. Those concerns are all put on hold though, when a demon quite literally tears apart her city, killing her parents in the process, and leaves behind an illness that seems to be rooted in magic.
I appreciated that even the more antagonistic characters are sympathetic in some way. It's hard to dislike Mahalia's fiancee, even if you're on her side, because he's a genuinely nice guy. I found that far more interesting than if he were a cookie cutter anti-love interest. Nasrin is her fiancee's cousin, a woman warrior type I was drawn to as much as Mahalia herself is.
The whole story is set in a desert society, which I found refreshing in a story that would otherwise be pretty straightforward high fantasy. There's magic and demons and political alliances, as well as both familial and romantic entanglements, and if that's your cup of tea (as it is mine) then this is definitely a book worth reading.
There are a few different action/mystery plotlines going on, on top of the personal relationships, and I think some of the more intriguing plot lines about the origins of magic are left for the next book. But I was happy with the ending, and I look forward to seeing where the characters end up next
I appreciated that even the more antagonistic characters are sympathetic in some way. It's hard to dislike Mahalia's fiancee, even if you're on her side, because he's a genuinely nice guy. I found that far more interesting than if he were a cookie cutter anti-love interest. Nasrin is her fiancee's cousin, a woman warrior type I was drawn to as much as Mahalia herself is.
The whole story is set in a desert society, which I found refreshing in a story that would otherwise be pretty straightforward high fantasy. There's magic and demons and political alliances, as well as both familial and romantic entanglements, and if that's your cup of tea (as it is mine) then this is definitely a book worth reading.
There are a few different action/mystery plotlines going on, on top of the personal relationships, and I think some of the more intriguing plot lines about the origins of magic are left for the next book. But I was happy with the ending, and I look forward to seeing where the characters end up next
August 17, 2013
Magical theory, mysterious illness, family politics and finding a healthy balance to it all...what more could you want?
September 25, 2013
There's not a lot new in this fantasy with romantic elements. Easily the most interesting part is the setting, rich with world-building amongst desert tribes. Good journeyman-style writing draws the reader along on the short-term level, but left some larger questions unanswered and those are the ones that irritate me now the book's finished.
[SPOILER ALERT] A group of mages attempt to call water, but they don't ward their spell properly and instead of water they get a demon. The effort to send it back where it came from exhausts the mages and leaves the counterspell unfinished, so it's hanging around, like a slow energy drain on anybody who's touched with magic within this particular tribe. The slow drain presents as a genetically selective disease, striking hardest at those with the most magic (the mages), but affecting almost everyone in the tribe. Three women who aren't affected, including main character Mahalia, ride off into the desert to solve the problem.
But the demon was summoned from within the oasis town. What's it doing off in the desert a matter of weeks or months later? And why were they so concerned that another tribe had cast a curse on them? Despite providing a bit of tension, the other tribe's presence didn't seem to contribute much to the story. Was that merely a blind, an attempt to hide the disease's actual cause during the story's slooow and lengthy middle? The cause wasn't that difficult to figure out. [END SPOILERS]
The book has some problems with inconsistencies which should have been caught in editing. A camel turns into a horse and then back into a camel. Mahalia is holding the reins, but she's riding behind her cousin, and then she has to wrestle the reins away from the cousin to stop the camel. They're riding an hour past nightfall while the sun climbs into the sky. There's also an occasional missing word, not many at first, but becoming progressively more common and irritating toward the climax and conclusion. Only skimmed the lengthy epilogue; I was pretty frustrated by then.
More inconsistencies tarnished the main character. In the early chapters, Mahalia is under her parents' thumbs but rebellious at heart. Then her parents are gone, and without warning or set-up, she turns into a combination of them both, mimicking her mother's behavior while doing her father's work. She doesn't want to marry the man her parents selected for her, but instead of telling him so and breaking off the engagement once her parents are gone, she strings the guy along and treats him like a child. Neither sympathetic nor attractive.
Some of this is likely my own frustration talking. But the story left me distinctly unsatisfied. Two stars is the best I can give.
[SPOILER ALERT] A group of mages attempt to call water, but they don't ward their spell properly and instead of water they get a demon. The effort to send it back where it came from exhausts the mages and leaves the counterspell unfinished, so it's hanging around, like a slow energy drain on anybody who's touched with magic within this particular tribe. The slow drain presents as a genetically selective disease, striking hardest at those with the most magic (the mages), but affecting almost everyone in the tribe. Three women who aren't affected, including main character Mahalia, ride off into the desert to solve the problem.
But the demon was summoned from within the oasis town. What's it doing off in the desert a matter of weeks or months later? And why were they so concerned that another tribe had cast a curse on them? Despite providing a bit of tension, the other tribe's presence didn't seem to contribute much to the story. Was that merely a blind, an attempt to hide the disease's actual cause during the story's slooow and lengthy middle? The cause wasn't that difficult to figure out. [END SPOILERS]
The book has some problems with inconsistencies which should have been caught in editing. A camel turns into a horse and then back into a camel. Mahalia is holding the reins, but she's riding behind her cousin, and then she has to wrestle the reins away from the cousin to stop the camel. They're riding an hour past nightfall while the sun climbs into the sky. There's also an occasional missing word, not many at first, but becoming progressively more common and irritating toward the climax and conclusion. Only skimmed the lengthy epilogue; I was pretty frustrated by then.
More inconsistencies tarnished the main character. In the early chapters, Mahalia is under her parents' thumbs but rebellious at heart. Then her parents are gone, and without warning or set-up, she turns into a combination of them both, mimicking her mother's behavior while doing her father's work. She doesn't want to marry the man her parents selected for her, but instead of telling him so and breaking off the engagement once her parents are gone, she strings the guy along and treats him like a child. Neither sympathetic nor attractive.
Some of this is likely my own frustration talking. But the story left me distinctly unsatisfied. Two stars is the best I can give.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 5, 2015
I made it about 75% of the way through this book, but I just couldn't finish it.
Some of it was implausible, like when Mahalia was requested to look into the disease sweeping the desert. And the fact that she doesn't really get anywhere with her research, literally, almost every scene is set in the study room of her house. There's a lot of lengthy conversations like, maybe it means this, or maybe it means that. But it's mostly meaningless conjecture. That lasts 400 pages.
When I stopped reading, they were actually going on a trip across the desert, and even though something was finally happening, someone was finally leaving the study room, to embark on an actual story, I didn't care about any of the characters, and didn't care how it ended.
Also the author seemed to be setting up the components for some girl on girl romance, or at least one girl, I don't know if it was requited or not. But for me personally, wasn't something I liked reading about, also it felt a little objectifying, because she's always checking out the other woman.
I've liked some of this authors other books, which is why I tried to read this one. And the writing itself isn't bad, but the plot was really lacking, again in my opinion.
Some of it was implausible, like when Mahalia was requested to look into the disease sweeping the desert. And the fact that she doesn't really get anywhere with her research, literally, almost every scene is set in the study room of her house. There's a lot of lengthy conversations like, maybe it means this, or maybe it means that. But it's mostly meaningless conjecture. That lasts 400 pages.
When I stopped reading, they were actually going on a trip across the desert, and even though something was finally happening, someone was finally leaving the study room, to embark on an actual story, I didn't care about any of the characters, and didn't care how it ended.
Also the author seemed to be setting up the components for some girl on girl romance, or at least one girl, I don't know if it was requited or not. But for me personally, wasn't something I liked reading about, also it felt a little objectifying, because she's always checking out the other woman.
I've liked some of this authors other books, which is why I tried to read this one. And the writing itself isn't bad, but the plot was really lacking, again in my opinion.
May 31, 2015
My rating: 2.5 stars
I really liked this author's Shadow and Light trilogy, so I was excited to dive into this one. Unfortunately, the pace of this novel is slow, and most of the action happens out of the main character's sitting room. She's pondering how to fix a disease that is sweeping over the members of her mage family, and most of the book is spent thinking and speculating, many times on problems whose answers seem obvious to me. I won't be finishing the series, unfortunately, but I will likely check out some of her later books.
I really liked this author's Shadow and Light trilogy, so I was excited to dive into this one. Unfortunately, the pace of this novel is slow, and most of the action happens out of the main character's sitting room. She's pondering how to fix a disease that is sweeping over the members of her mage family, and most of the book is spent thinking and speculating, many times on problems whose answers seem obvious to me. I won't be finishing the series, unfortunately, but I will likely check out some of her later books.
June 2, 2018
I enjoyed this read, unfortunately I started reading it while in a reading slump and so it took a while for me to finish it.
The story is interesting, and the writing is good. I might consider reading the next book in the series, but it might look like no second book will be coming as it has been 6 years now. No cliffhanger though, so it's not like you're left wondering how it would have ended :)
The story is interesting, and the writing is good. I might consider reading the next book in the series, but it might look like no second book will be coming as it has been 6 years now. No cliffhanger though, so it's not like you're left wondering how it would have ended :)
September 26, 2013
More than Half the story is about Mahalia's research. Then there is a very quick climax and boom, done! The story was ruined for me when Mahalia starts to get homosexual feelings for another woman. Kind of ruins the story for me.
May 10, 2015
So I've really enjoyed other books by Moira Katson, but I just couldn't really get into this one. Great premise but it felt rather rushed, and there were some jumps in logic that I couldn't quite follow. I also didn't care for the love interest.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews