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The Shattered Lands #1
The Outcast Mage
A mage bereft of her powers must find out if she is destined to save the world or destroy it in this glittering debut fantasy perfect for fans of Andrea Stewart, James Islington, and Samantha Shannon.
In the glass city of Amoria, magic is everything. And Naila, student at the city's legendary academy, is running out of time to prove she can control hers. If she fails, she'll be forced into exile, relegated to a life of persecution with the other magicless hollows. Or worse, be consumed by her own power.
When a tragic incident further threatens her place at the Academy, Naila is saved by Haelius Akana, the most powerful living mage. Finding Naila a kindred spirit, Haelius stakes his position at the Academy on teaching her to harness her abilities. But Haelius has many enemies, and they would love nothing more than to see Naila fail. Trapped in the deadly schemes of Amoria's elite, Naila must dig deep to discover the truth of her powers or watch the city she loves descend into civil war.
For there is violence brewing on the wind, and greater powers at work. Ones who could use her powers for good… or destroy everything she's ever known.
In the glass city of Amoria, magic is everything. And Naila, student at the city's legendary academy, is running out of time to prove she can control hers. If she fails, she'll be forced into exile, relegated to a life of persecution with the other magicless hollows. Or worse, be consumed by her own power.
When a tragic incident further threatens her place at the Academy, Naila is saved by Haelius Akana, the most powerful living mage. Finding Naila a kindred spirit, Haelius stakes his position at the Academy on teaching her to harness her abilities. But Haelius has many enemies, and they would love nothing more than to see Naila fail. Trapped in the deadly schemes of Amoria's elite, Naila must dig deep to discover the truth of her powers or watch the city she loves descend into civil war.
For there is violence brewing on the wind, and greater powers at work. Ones who could use her powers for good… or destroy everything she's ever known.
464 pages, Paperback
First published January 28, 2025
145 people are currently reading
11562 people want to read
About the author
Annabel Campbell
6 books103 followersAnnabel writes fantasy with fierce female characters and disaster wizards, and believes everything is improved by dragons.
She has a PhD in cardiovascular science, and when not making things up for a living, she works as a Medical Writer.
Her other joys are red wine, playing games, or showing you too many pictures of her dog.
She has a PhD in cardiovascular science, and when not making things up for a living, she works as a Medical Writer.
Her other joys are red wine, playing games, or showing you too many pictures of her dog.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 309 reviews
January 28, 2025
”there wasn’t a mage in the academy who hadn’t heard of the hollow mage.”
i really thought I’d like this one but it ended up being a huge disappointment. it has the typical fantasy set up, with someone who doesn’t have a good grasp on their magic and is shunned because of it. i honestly was so confused for the first half of this book, the author really just throws you into the story and i had no idea what was going on. then when we start to get more insight into the world and how it works, it’s given through chunks of info dumping that made the writing feel even more clunky than it did before. there’s also way too many POVs (around 5 or 6, maybe?) and they all blurred together for me besides Naila, Haelius and Entonin. i could not for the life of me connect to the characters and because of that i wasn’t interested in how things would turn out for them. i will say that the ending was action packed and there’s dragons— so this book DID have some potential but i just couldn’t get into it much.
↠ many thanks to NetGalley, the author and Orbit books for the arc, all opinions are my own.
i really thought I’d like this one but it ended up being a huge disappointment. it has the typical fantasy set up, with someone who doesn’t have a good grasp on their magic and is shunned because of it. i honestly was so confused for the first half of this book, the author really just throws you into the story and i had no idea what was going on. then when we start to get more insight into the world and how it works, it’s given through chunks of info dumping that made the writing feel even more clunky than it did before. there’s also way too many POVs (around 5 or 6, maybe?) and they all blurred together for me besides Naila, Haelius and Entonin. i could not for the life of me connect to the characters and because of that i wasn’t interested in how things would turn out for them. i will say that the ending was action packed and there’s dragons— so this book DID have some potential but i just couldn’t get into it much.
↠ many thanks to NetGalley, the author and Orbit books for the arc, all opinions are my own.
November 6, 2024
Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for this ARC!
I will be taking a break from ARCs for a little while.
Beginning a High Fantasy story by being thrown into the world with no explanation is definitely not the best way to go. I know some people love to be thrown into an ongoing story and go with the flow - but I find it hard to get into… especially if it’s a High Fantasy.
I like to believe I’m smart - but that book made me feel like my IQ was inferior to what it is. I was confused as to what the stakes were. I also dislike when stories tell you things without showing it. So you’re just meant to accept what’s going on or what the stakes are without explanations or a deep understanding of the world.
Moving on to multi POV… that’s another thing that can be a big hit or miss aspect. And in that case - I did feel like the characters blended in and I couldn’t really tell them apart.
In summary, I do think this book has an interesting concept and will appeal to some readers. But I couldn’t get into it and found it a bit confusing to navigate.
I will be taking a break from ARCs for a little while.
Beginning a High Fantasy story by being thrown into the world with no explanation is definitely not the best way to go. I know some people love to be thrown into an ongoing story and go with the flow - but I find it hard to get into… especially if it’s a High Fantasy.
I like to believe I’m smart - but that book made me feel like my IQ was inferior to what it is. I was confused as to what the stakes were. I also dislike when stories tell you things without showing it. So you’re just meant to accept what’s going on or what the stakes are without explanations or a deep understanding of the world.
Moving on to multi POV… that’s another thing that can be a big hit or miss aspect. And in that case - I did feel like the characters blended in and I couldn’t really tell them apart.
In summary, I do think this book has an interesting concept and will appeal to some readers. But I couldn’t get into it and found it a bit confusing to navigate.
November 26, 2024
Fierce female characters, disaster wizards, and all the fun tropes. Magic schools, mystery, multi-pov, fear, fracturing, FANTASTIC!
Naila is a prospective mage, training at the magical Academy of Amoria. Yet, despite having magic, she cannot perform even the simplest of practical exercises. She is a hollow mage.
Larinne is the Consul of Commerce, part of the mage Lieno Council. She is trying to deal with the growing tension between mages and non-mages, fuelled by a power-grabbing mage who uses this fear to legitimise his own private army - the Justice.
Finally, (less prominently) we have a priest from a country that had been responsible for the exodus of mages before they escaped the Empire. He calls himself a Seemer. Others view him as a spy.
Naila is such a compelling coming-of-age heroine to follow. She is so unsure of herself and feels misplaced in every part of her identity. She is an orphan, she doesn’t look like the rest of the populace, and she is also at least three years older than any of her classmates who all hate and bully her.
She was surrounded and quite alone.
She finds belonging in the strangest place she could have imagined - the most powerful wizard who seems at odds with the council and wants to tutor Naila so she isn’t expelled.
Their relationship was one founded on both feeling like outsiders. They are both headstrong, act before they think, and are extremely passionate.
The use of fear, mistrust, and ‘Us’ and ‘Them’ was relevant to our current climate and also very fascinating to read from the point of view from a protagonist who is caught between the two worlds.
Is this how it would always be? Wherever she went, whatever she did, would she find herself as the problem? The enemy?
The prose was extremely accessible (sometimes I did wish for more poignance).
The magic system well-explained with big hinting implications at the end!
High three rounded up 4!⭐️
Arc provided by Little, Brown Book Group.
Bookstagram
Naila is a prospective mage, training at the magical Academy of Amoria. Yet, despite having magic, she cannot perform even the simplest of practical exercises. She is a hollow mage.
Larinne is the Consul of Commerce, part of the mage Lieno Council. She is trying to deal with the growing tension between mages and non-mages, fuelled by a power-grabbing mage who uses this fear to legitimise his own private army - the Justice.
Finally, (less prominently) we have a priest from a country that had been responsible for the exodus of mages before they escaped the Empire. He calls himself a Seemer. Others view him as a spy.
Naila is such a compelling coming-of-age heroine to follow. She is so unsure of herself and feels misplaced in every part of her identity. She is an orphan, she doesn’t look like the rest of the populace, and she is also at least three years older than any of her classmates who all hate and bully her.
She was surrounded and quite alone.
She finds belonging in the strangest place she could have imagined - the most powerful wizard who seems at odds with the council and wants to tutor Naila so she isn’t expelled.
Their relationship was one founded on both feeling like outsiders. They are both headstrong, act before they think, and are extremely passionate.
The use of fear, mistrust, and ‘Us’ and ‘Them’ was relevant to our current climate and also very fascinating to read from the point of view from a protagonist who is caught between the two worlds.
Is this how it would always be? Wherever she went, whatever she did, would she find herself as the problem? The enemy?
The prose was extremely accessible (sometimes I did wish for more poignance).
The magic system well-explained with big hinting implications at the end!
High three rounded up 4!⭐️
Arc provided by Little, Brown Book Group.
Bookstagram
January 6, 2025
The Outcast Mage
by Annabel Campbell
The Shattered Lands #1
Fantasy
NetGalley eARC
Pub Date: Jan 28, 2025
Orbit Books
Ages: 16+
Naila is called a Hollow Mage by her classmates and some teachers because while she has magic she can't use it, and after years of attending classes at the academy it is time for her to prove she can control her powers or be exiled if her powers don't consume her first.
When some of her classmates, full mages, take their bullying too far, Naila tries to protect herself, only to be saved by Haelius Akana, the most powerful mage, but, for the opposite reason, he too has many enemies, and they would love to have him fail and lose his position.
But when a strange magic begins to threaten the city, Haelius and Naila find that some would spread strife, using fear and threats, between the Mages and non-mages in order to take control of the city.
Naila is the MC in this story but there are three(?) additional central characters with close to equal amount of the spotlight. One other who is important to the story has fewer chapters, and two others at the end add to the cliffhanger. There was some confusion with the characters and the minor characters because' nicknames' were used along with proper names. I can get shortening for a nickname, but too many names including a formal one without a proper amount of explanation or similarity can make it confusing.
I do wish there was more history on the world and a few of the characters, even Haelius' past is lacking. There was one whom I really think needs more history about his 'religion', but I do have the feeling there will be more on it in the next book. More about the world as a whole (is it just one continent or is there more) and its 'legends' would expand how the reader sees this world and its people. Sure there is this city and that city, but their relationships or relation on a map to each other, I don't feel were really explained.
This book is influenced by discrimination/hate: Mages vs Non-Mages, using politics, fear, and 'we are better/more important than them' to fan it.
It was a little slow in parts and sometimes rambled. I hope the next book will have more history of the world as a whole.
Even though this book just missed the next star, I will be looking for the next in the series.
3 Stars
by Annabel Campbell
The Shattered Lands #1
Fantasy
NetGalley eARC
Pub Date: Jan 28, 2025
Orbit Books
Ages: 16+
Naila is called a Hollow Mage by her classmates and some teachers because while she has magic she can't use it, and after years of attending classes at the academy it is time for her to prove she can control her powers or be exiled if her powers don't consume her first.
When some of her classmates, full mages, take their bullying too far, Naila tries to protect herself, only to be saved by Haelius Akana, the most powerful mage, but, for the opposite reason, he too has many enemies, and they would love to have him fail and lose his position.
But when a strange magic begins to threaten the city, Haelius and Naila find that some would spread strife, using fear and threats, between the Mages and non-mages in order to take control of the city.
Naila is the MC in this story but there are three(?) additional central characters with close to equal amount of the spotlight. One other who is important to the story has fewer chapters, and two others at the end add to the cliffhanger. There was some confusion with the characters and the minor characters because' nicknames' were used along with proper names. I can get shortening for a nickname, but too many names including a formal one without a proper amount of explanation or similarity can make it confusing.
I do wish there was more history on the world and a few of the characters, even Haelius' past is lacking. There was one whom I really think needs more history about his 'religion', but I do have the feeling there will be more on it in the next book. More about the world as a whole (is it just one continent or is there more) and its 'legends' would expand how the reader sees this world and its people. Sure there is this city and that city, but their relationships or relation on a map to each other, I don't feel were really explained.
This book is influenced by discrimination/hate: Mages vs Non-Mages, using politics, fear, and 'we are better/more important than them' to fan it.
It was a little slow in parts and sometimes rambled. I hope the next book will have more history of the world as a whole.
Even though this book just missed the next star, I will be looking for the next in the series.
3 Stars
July 15, 2024
The Outcast Mage is like the love child of your favorite epic adventure fantasy and a dark academia novel, taking the best of both to create an unforgettable reading experience. With a unique magic system, found family, and political intrigue, there is a little something for every reader. I just could not get enough of the characters, staying up late into the night in order to finish this book in one sitting!
If you want a fantasy book with MINIMAL Romance, this would be the one for you! Instead, you get a beautiful relationship between a teacher and his student that is more like a father/daughter relationship. I adore mentor/mentee relationships and this one did not disappoint!
If you want a fantasy book with MINIMAL Romance, this would be the one for you! Instead, you get a beautiful relationship between a teacher and his student that is more like a father/daughter relationship. I adore mentor/mentee relationships and this one did not disappoint!
January 29, 2025
NOW AVAILABLE!
The worldbuilding in this is absolutely fantastic. It’s masterfully done. Naila is such a great character, and you really feel for her as she stumbles along, alone. Her character arc is a thing of beauty.
There are heartwarming themes of found family and learning how to love and trust others. There’s war and classism between mages and those who don’t have magic. Amoria is a city on the edge of collapse, and tensions are sky-high.
Enter Naila, who possesses magic and yet can’t harness it—causing her to not fit in anywhere. Add in her unusual features, and you’ve got someone who cannot go unnoticed.
I’m completely invested. I can’t wait for the sequel! I can’t recommend this enough.
Thank you to NetGalley and Orbit Books for the eARC in exchange for my honest feedback. I devoured this book. Orbit knows a great story when they see it.
The worldbuilding in this is absolutely fantastic. It’s masterfully done. Naila is such a great character, and you really feel for her as she stumbles along, alone. Her character arc is a thing of beauty.
There are heartwarming themes of found family and learning how to love and trust others. There’s war and classism between mages and those who don’t have magic. Amoria is a city on the edge of collapse, and tensions are sky-high.
Enter Naila, who possesses magic and yet can’t harness it—causing her to not fit in anywhere. Add in her unusual features, and you’ve got someone who cannot go unnoticed.
I’m completely invested. I can’t wait for the sequel! I can’t recommend this enough.
Thank you to NetGalley and Orbit Books for the eARC in exchange for my honest feedback. I devoured this book. Orbit knows a great story when they see it.
January 6, 2025
3.0 Stars
This was an enjoyable if a bit simple start to a new epic fantasy series. This is a piece of adult fiction but I felt like it had crossover appeal for young adult readers. The story and its characters felt a bit more straightforward, which made it feel quite accessible.
I appreciated this one but I didn't feel like the target audience. In the last several years, I have grown a preference for more complex narratives and worldbuilding which this does not provide. The story is enjoyable even if it is predictable. I just needed a more layered story than what was provided.
Disclaimer I received a copy of this book from the publisher.
This was an enjoyable if a bit simple start to a new epic fantasy series. This is a piece of adult fiction but I felt like it had crossover appeal for young adult readers. The story and its characters felt a bit more straightforward, which made it feel quite accessible.
I appreciated this one but I didn't feel like the target audience. In the last several years, I have grown a preference for more complex narratives and worldbuilding which this does not provide. The story is enjoyable even if it is predictable. I just needed a more layered story than what was provided.
Disclaimer I received a copy of this book from the publisher.
January 21, 2025
Review originally on JamReads
The Outcast Mage is the first novel in the epic fantasy series The Shattered Lands, which marks the long form debut of Annabell Campbell, published by Orbit Books. A story clearly inspired by classical fantasy tropes, subverts some of them, takes others to the limit, all to weave a story which paints a parallelism with some real world developments, all to create a compelling and engaging novel.
An ambitious story written with several POVs in mind, and that doesn't hold readers' hand. We immediately start following Naila, a prospective mage, training in the Academy of Amoria; despite she has magic, she's unable to perform any magical act, being called a hollow mage. Being an orphan, and with that condition, bullied by her mates, she finds herself out of place in the magical society; until her path crosses with Haelius Akana's one, finding hope and belonging under his tutelage. Haelius, one of the most powerful mages, and surprisingly, he will tutor Naila, as he can see in her another outsider, another one that didn't fit into a society that is increasingly becoming more intolerant.
Because here's where the secondary POVs become more relevant, as in parallel with Naila's coming of age, we see how the tension between mages and non-mage rises, as Lieno Oriven slowly manipulates the Council to be given absolute powers; using a rhetoric of mistrust and fear to manipulate the mages and use that as the base to exert the oppression over those that he deems as inferior.
Campbell's writing shines especially at characterization; not only we have a highly relatable Nalia, somebody that doesn't fit where she should, but also with how hard-headed Nalia and Haelius are. We even manage to see how, even if Haelius is incredibly powerful, he's a bit naive; and even in the magical society, we can see how they are easily fooled and fearmongered by Lieno, putting themselves in the hands of a tyrant. The characters are rich and complex, and honestly, it's quite easy to connect with them.
The setting has all the vibes of high fantasy, and how we are directly introduced to it only reinforces this feeling; but with all, we have hints of a big world, not only with the complexity of the society at Amoria, but also with the other nations that are part of the world. The magic system is well balanced with an exhaustion cost, making it interesting to read. The pacing is great, making this book easy to devour in a few afternoons.
The Outcast Mage is an excellent presentation letter from Annabel Campbell, a perfect novel if you are looking for something new in the high fantasy field but with a classic touch and really well written characters. I need to know how the Shattered Lands series continues, because I can assure you I want to read more about it!
The Outcast Mage is the first novel in the epic fantasy series The Shattered Lands, which marks the long form debut of Annabell Campbell, published by Orbit Books. A story clearly inspired by classical fantasy tropes, subverts some of them, takes others to the limit, all to weave a story which paints a parallelism with some real world developments, all to create a compelling and engaging novel.
An ambitious story written with several POVs in mind, and that doesn't hold readers' hand. We immediately start following Naila, a prospective mage, training in the Academy of Amoria; despite she has magic, she's unable to perform any magical act, being called a hollow mage. Being an orphan, and with that condition, bullied by her mates, she finds herself out of place in the magical society; until her path crosses with Haelius Akana's one, finding hope and belonging under his tutelage. Haelius, one of the most powerful mages, and surprisingly, he will tutor Naila, as he can see in her another outsider, another one that didn't fit into a society that is increasingly becoming more intolerant.
Because here's where the secondary POVs become more relevant, as in parallel with Naila's coming of age, we see how the tension between mages and non-mage rises, as Lieno Oriven slowly manipulates the Council to be given absolute powers; using a rhetoric of mistrust and fear to manipulate the mages and use that as the base to exert the oppression over those that he deems as inferior.
Campbell's writing shines especially at characterization; not only we have a highly relatable Nalia, somebody that doesn't fit where she should, but also with how hard-headed Nalia and Haelius are. We even manage to see how, even if Haelius is incredibly powerful, he's a bit naive; and even in the magical society, we can see how they are easily fooled and fearmongered by Lieno, putting themselves in the hands of a tyrant. The characters are rich and complex, and honestly, it's quite easy to connect with them.
The setting has all the vibes of high fantasy, and how we are directly introduced to it only reinforces this feeling; but with all, we have hints of a big world, not only with the complexity of the society at Amoria, but also with the other nations that are part of the world. The magic system is well balanced with an exhaustion cost, making it interesting to read. The pacing is great, making this book easy to devour in a few afternoons.
The Outcast Mage is an excellent presentation letter from Annabel Campbell, a perfect novel if you are looking for something new in the high fantasy field but with a classic touch and really well written characters. I need to know how the Shattered Lands series continues, because I can assure you I want to read more about it!
February 2, 2025
5 ⭐️
By the end of this book I was simply obsessed. Are the characters thick at times? Yes…I’m looking at you especially Haelius, but I fell in love with all of them. What started as a magic school story quickly evolved and deepened into a story that hits a little too close to home with a despot rising to power and fueling discord among the people to fuel his hate, and then expanded even further when we left Amoria. That ending especially has me SO excited for what’s going to happen next for Naila and friends…that cliff hanger was so good and so rude at the same time. If you aren’t reading this book you should stop everything else and get to it STAT.
Thank you so much to Orbit for providing me with my new obsession.
By the end of this book I was simply obsessed. Are the characters thick at times? Yes…I’m looking at you especially Haelius, but I fell in love with all of them. What started as a magic school story quickly evolved and deepened into a story that hits a little too close to home with a despot rising to power and fueling discord among the people to fuel his hate, and then expanded even further when we left Amoria. That ending especially has me SO excited for what’s going to happen next for Naila and friends…that cliff hanger was so good and so rude at the same time. If you aren’t reading this book you should stop everything else and get to it STAT.
Thank you so much to Orbit for providing me with my new obsession.
Read
December 3, 2024Unfortunately this wasn’t quite my taste. DNF’d after 100 pages
January 13, 2025
I received this book for free from Orbit Books in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Actual rating: 3.5 stars rounded up to 4
An outcast, the world’s most powerful wizard, a priest, and a senator walk into an inn. It sounds like a joke, but it’s actually a glimpse of just how much The Outcast Mage has to offer. This debut fantasy novel has everything—found family, layered politics, ancient prophecies, dragons, magic, and the chosen one trope. I was expecting The Outcast Mage to be mainly an academia focused novel, but it ended up being so much more than that.
The Outcast Mage immediately sucks readers into the intense political climate of its world, the mage city of Amoria. This glass city feels like it's one spark away from burning itself down in a fire of hatred. Unlike many novels magic users are the minority, in this city, it’s quite the opposite, with non-magic users vastly outnumbered. A rising faction of mages seeks to segregate (or to do much worse to) non-mages, known derogatorily as hollows. Main character Naila is uniquely poised to show off this world to readers, as she is the only one of her kind—a mage without magic. Testing positive for magic, Naila is enrolled into the magic academy only to possess no ability to harness her supposedly intrinsic magic powers.
Unfortunately, this means that Naila is often the whipping boy of not only her classmates, but also her teachers. The latter consider her a waste of their time and resources, resenting having to expend the effort on a student with no aptitude for magic. I immediately felt for Naila, as it's clear the poor girl is beyond burned out by fighting a losing battle to prove herself and has completely given up on having any kind of happiness in her life.
Despite sympathizing with Naila, she is a young woman, so she makes a lot of very unwise decisions, which made me want to scream in frustration. Making matters worse is her new teacher, Haelius Akana, supports all of her decisions, no matter how hare-brained or high the stakes. I can blame the fact that she’s young, but Haelius is the most powerful wizard in existence, so it must be his hubris fully on display. Though the two quite often bring out the worst in each other’s decision making, their father-daughter relationship still manages to be endearing and I couldn’t help but to root for the two to succeed at all of their endeavours.
Surprisingly, my favorite character of The Outcast Mage was not Naila, Haelius, or any of the other members of their found family which include some very strong female characters, but a priest. I really loved the character, named Entonin, whether reading from his perspective or seeing him from another character’s point-of-view. I really enjoyed his sense of humor and his often deadpan commentary on things. He added some much-needed levity to often very dire situations and when most of the cast was taking themselves very seriously, he was never short on a quip. Although much of his background and his religion is very mysterious and vague, The Outcast Mage sets up for both things to play a bigger role in future entries in the series, which I find very exciting.
Though I was incredibly invested in the characters and the story from the get go, I do think some readers might dislike how the novel throws them right into the world without much context. Personally, I did not find learning the terms of the world difficult, and I was able to figure things out pretty easily from just reading along and paying attention. It was not an overwhelming amount of information or new terms like some fantasy novels I’ve read that employ similar storytelling tactics. Each sentence was still comprehensible. However, I know there are plenty of readers who find this style of world-building alienating.
On the other hand, I did have some trouble with the pacing of The Outcast Mage, which was pretty inconsistent. Sometimes I never wanted to put the book down, but then things ground to a halt while characters, and consequently, the readers waited for the other shoe to drop. Likewise, some parts of the novel could have had more tension if they had relied less on telling versus showing, but it didn’t render the novel unreadable or anything.
I also think that most, if not all, of the problems in the novel could’ve been solved if the characters had simply taken a moment and communicated with one another, which would have been pretty easy as they all have magical methods of telepathic communication and teleportation. This was a little frustrating to read, but it definitely added to the tension and drama of the situation, especially with the enmeshment of the found family of characters and their sometimes conflicting allegiances.
Though The Outcast Mage didn’t end up being exactly what I was expecting, I still enjoyed the direction the novel went in. It honestly ended up reminding me of one of my favorite novels, The Priory of the Orange Tree, and I am super excited to see where the next novel ends up taking the characters. Overall, I think this was a really promising debut fantasy novel, as it manages to hit all of the classic hallmarks of the genre and still put a fresh spin on them.
Actual rating: 3.5 stars rounded up to 4
An outcast, the world’s most powerful wizard, a priest, and a senator walk into an inn. It sounds like a joke, but it’s actually a glimpse of just how much The Outcast Mage has to offer. This debut fantasy novel has everything—found family, layered politics, ancient prophecies, dragons, magic, and the chosen one trope. I was expecting The Outcast Mage to be mainly an academia focused novel, but it ended up being so much more than that.
The Outcast Mage immediately sucks readers into the intense political climate of its world, the mage city of Amoria. This glass city feels like it's one spark away from burning itself down in a fire of hatred. Unlike many novels magic users are the minority, in this city, it’s quite the opposite, with non-magic users vastly outnumbered. A rising faction of mages seeks to segregate (or to do much worse to) non-mages, known derogatorily as hollows. Main character Naila is uniquely poised to show off this world to readers, as she is the only one of her kind—a mage without magic. Testing positive for magic, Naila is enrolled into the magic academy only to possess no ability to harness her supposedly intrinsic magic powers.
"‘Haven't you realised yet? No book will make any difference to you—you’re still a Goddess damned hollow.’
Naila felt a fire light in her blood, tingling through her veins. ‘I'm a mage,’ she spat. ‘I have a right to be here.’
‘No, you're not…. You're a liar and a thief, and you'll never be more than that.’”
Unfortunately, this means that Naila is often the whipping boy of not only her classmates, but also her teachers. The latter consider her a waste of their time and resources, resenting having to expend the effort on a student with no aptitude for magic. I immediately felt for Naila, as it's clear the poor girl is beyond burned out by fighting a losing battle to prove herself and has completely given up on having any kind of happiness in her life.
Despite sympathizing with Naila, she is a young woman, so she makes a lot of very unwise decisions, which made me want to scream in frustration. Making matters worse is her new teacher, Haelius Akana, supports all of her decisions, no matter how hare-brained or high the stakes. I can blame the fact that she’s young, but Haelius is the most powerful wizard in existence, so it must be his hubris fully on display. Though the two quite often bring out the worst in each other’s decision making, their father-daughter relationship still manages to be endearing and I couldn’t help but to root for the two to succeed at all of their endeavours.
"I'm trying to protect us—if you're not willing to do what it takes to stop this war, then it's at least time to admit you're in it. Pick your side, Haelius.”
Surprisingly, my favorite character of The Outcast Mage was not Naila, Haelius, or any of the other members of their found family which include some very strong female characters, but a priest. I really loved the character, named Entonin, whether reading from his perspective or seeing him from another character’s point-of-view. I really enjoyed his sense of humor and his often deadpan commentary on things. He added some much-needed levity to often very dire situations and when most of the cast was taking themselves very seriously, he was never short on a quip. Although much of his background and his religion is very mysterious and vague, The Outcast Mage sets up for both things to play a bigger role in future entries in the series, which I find very exciting.
Though I was incredibly invested in the characters and the story from the get go, I do think some readers might dislike how the novel throws them right into the world without much context. Personally, I did not find learning the terms of the world difficult, and I was able to figure things out pretty easily from just reading along and paying attention. It was not an overwhelming amount of information or new terms like some fantasy novels I’ve read that employ similar storytelling tactics. Each sentence was still comprehensible. However, I know there are plenty of readers who find this style of world-building alienating.
On the other hand, I did have some trouble with the pacing of The Outcast Mage, which was pretty inconsistent. Sometimes I never wanted to put the book down, but then things ground to a halt while characters, and consequently, the readers waited for the other shoe to drop. Likewise, some parts of the novel could have had more tension if they had relied less on telling versus showing, but it didn’t render the novel unreadable or anything.
I also think that most, if not all, of the problems in the novel could’ve been solved if the characters had simply taken a moment and communicated with one another, which would have been pretty easy as they all have magical methods of telepathic communication and teleportation. This was a little frustrating to read, but it definitely added to the tension and drama of the situation, especially with the enmeshment of the found family of characters and their sometimes conflicting allegiances.
Though The Outcast Mage didn’t end up being exactly what I was expecting, I still enjoyed the direction the novel went in. It honestly ended up reminding me of one of my favorite novels, The Priory of the Orange Tree, and I am super excited to see where the next novel ends up taking the characters. Overall, I think this was a really promising debut fantasy novel, as it manages to hit all of the classic hallmarks of the genre and still put a fresh spin on them.
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Want to read
December 22, 2024Elliot Brooks Most Anticipated New Releases 💧
December 7, 2024
This was a typical fantasy novel with a Chosen One FMC coming into her own and discovering her powers, while living under a government that's becoming authoritarian. There's stratification in this society, with a push and pull between magic users and regular folks. There's also an MMC who's the son of a non-magic user, but who's also the most powerful magic user in the city.
So, all in all, nothing really new here.
This is labeled as epic fantasy, but I think this would be a good fantasy novel for those transitioning from YA fantasy or genres with lighter fantasy elements. It introduces themes common in epic fantasy without overwhelming the reader with new terminology and concepts.
As a longtime fantasy reader though, this wasn't really all that compelling or interesting. I wasn't really moved by the characters or their actions. It read like yet another iteration of common fantasy tropes (Chosen One, authoritarian wizard government, etc.).
Usually I can get behind the world building or characterization if one of those elements is lacking, but this had nothing that really peaked my interest.
Thank you to Orbit and NetGalley for this arc.
So, all in all, nothing really new here.
This is labeled as epic fantasy, but I think this would be a good fantasy novel for those transitioning from YA fantasy or genres with lighter fantasy elements. It introduces themes common in epic fantasy without overwhelming the reader with new terminology and concepts.
As a longtime fantasy reader though, this wasn't really all that compelling or interesting. I wasn't really moved by the characters or their actions. It read like yet another iteration of common fantasy tropes (Chosen One, authoritarian wizard government, etc.).
Usually I can get behind the world building or characterization if one of those elements is lacking, but this had nothing that really peaked my interest.
Thank you to Orbit and NetGalley for this arc.
Want to read
January 30, 2025why is this giving orientalism?
[googles author, finds out she’s white with an Arab husband] oh.
[googles author, finds out she’s white with an Arab husband] oh.
April 6, 2025
3.75⭐️ rounded up
જ⁀➴..❧.·:*¨ ¨*·.∴ A comfort read for fantasy lovers with familiar tropes and story arcs.
𝚁𝚎𝚊𝚍 𝚒𝚏 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚕𝚘𝚟𝚎:
▶︎ 𝙰𝚌𝚊𝚍𝚎𝚖𝚒𝚌 𝚂𝚎𝚝𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐
▶︎ 𝙳𝚢𝚜𝚝𝚘𝚙𝚒𝚊𝚗 𝚂𝚘𝚌𝚒𝚎𝚝𝚢
▶︎ 𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝙲𝚑𝚘𝚜𝚎𝚗 𝙾𝚗𝚎
▶︎ 𝙼𝚊𝚐𝚎𝚜 𝚟𝚜 𝙼𝚞𝚐𝚐𝚕𝚎𝚜
I think this was categorized as high fantasy because there are multiple POVs, although personally I did not find its world building overly complex. It is adult fantasy, but it felt reminiscent in some ways to the coming-of-age YA-series The Dark Rise.
Naila is a mage who hasn’t learned to wield her magic (she’s “hollow”), leaving her constantly bullied, the underdog at her school for mages.
Also deemed inferior for being born to non-mages, but she is taken under the wing of the most powerful wizard and mage, Haelius who becomes her mentor and advocate.
You’ll have to read it to see what you think, but I had a fun time with this one, especially after the 40% mark when the pacing picks up considerably. Side characters are given the needed space for their own development including multiple romance subplots. And, there be dragons.
°✩₊˚.🎧⋆☾⁺₊ I listened to this on my family’s spring break road trip and I do think that was the way to go. Both my husband and I were very entertained until my Spotify hours ran out, after which point we both devoured the rest in print format! Sarah Slimani has a delightful accent.
જ⁀➴..❧.·:*¨ ¨*·.∴ A comfort read for fantasy lovers with familiar tropes and story arcs.
𝚁𝚎𝚊𝚍 𝚒𝚏 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚕𝚘𝚟𝚎:
▶︎ 𝙰𝚌𝚊𝚍𝚎𝚖𝚒𝚌 𝚂𝚎𝚝𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐
▶︎ 𝙳𝚢𝚜𝚝𝚘𝚙𝚒𝚊𝚗 𝚂𝚘𝚌𝚒𝚎𝚝𝚢
▶︎ 𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝙲𝚑𝚘𝚜𝚎𝚗 𝙾𝚗𝚎
▶︎ 𝙼𝚊𝚐𝚎𝚜 𝚟𝚜 𝙼𝚞𝚐𝚐𝚕𝚎𝚜
I think this was categorized as high fantasy because there are multiple POVs, although personally I did not find its world building overly complex. It is adult fantasy, but it felt reminiscent in some ways to the coming-of-age YA-series The Dark Rise.
Naila is a mage who hasn’t learned to wield her magic (she’s “hollow”), leaving her constantly bullied, the underdog at her school for mages.
Also deemed inferior for being born to non-mages, but she is taken under the wing of the most powerful wizard and mage, Haelius who becomes her mentor and advocate.
You’ll have to read it to see what you think, but I had a fun time with this one, especially after the 40% mark when the pacing picks up considerably. Side characters are given the needed space for their own development including multiple romance subplots. And, there be dragons.
°✩₊˚.🎧⋆☾⁺₊ I listened to this on my family’s spring break road trip and I do think that was the way to go. Both my husband and I were very entertained until my Spotify hours ran out, after which point we both devoured the rest in print format! Sarah Slimani has a delightful accent.
Read
January 9, 2025DNF at 60%
Thanks to NetGalley and to the Editor. I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review
Sadly, this is my first DNF of the year, and it was mostly because this was the wrong book at the wrong time. It's not that this book is bad bad, mind me, but I wasn't in the right mood for all the unfairness and the dumb politics going on.
I think that this was my main problem, I just wasn't really into this part, and it's pretty heavy on politics (and on the one hand, it is a tad too close to home for comfort, in this period; while, on the other hand, the things here are collapsing, and it is baffling how the decisions of the people who are taking the power are just dumb, and yes, I know, again too close to home).
And the characters weren't really working for me, either. I really liked Wizard Akana. He is a good character but all the others weren't as good, I didn't really care for them, and they all go around doing things and screaming and complaining and doing the worst things possible between their possible choices for things to do, but they don't seriously talk to each other. So yeah, I wasn't really a fan of that either.
I am really sorry to let this one go, in part because I was excited for it, in part because it is an ARC and it's always a tad harder to don't finish one of those, and in part because I was already after the halfway mark but every time I put it down I wasn't so keen on picking it up again, so I just decided to let it go and be done with it.
Thanks to NetGalley and to the Editor. I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review
Sadly, this is my first DNF of the year, and it was mostly because this was the wrong book at the wrong time. It's not that this book is bad bad, mind me, but I wasn't in the right mood for all the unfairness and the dumb politics going on.
I think that this was my main problem, I just wasn't really into this part, and it's pretty heavy on politics (and on the one hand, it is a tad too close to home for comfort, in this period; while, on the other hand, the things here are collapsing, and it is baffling how the decisions of the people who are taking the power are just dumb, and yes, I know, again too close to home).
And the characters weren't really working for me, either. I really liked Wizard Akana. He is a good character but all the others weren't as good, I didn't really care for them, and they all go around doing things and screaming and complaining and doing the worst things possible between their possible choices for things to do, but they don't seriously talk to each other. So yeah, I wasn't really a fan of that either.
I am really sorry to let this one go, in part because I was excited for it, in part because it is an ARC and it's always a tad harder to don't finish one of those, and in part because I was already after the halfway mark but every time I put it down I wasn't so keen on picking it up again, so I just decided to let it go and be done with it.
January 19, 2025
I need more complex fantasies that are so out there that I have a great time with them. Review to come! 🏜️
(FINAL REVIEW:)
This was an interesting magic focused plot-driven fantasy that reminded me of The West Passage, The Dollmakers, and The Palace in the Wind in how odd the world was. I had a great time being thrown in with no warning and wish there were more books out there like this because I enjoy floundering in my books because the end just makes it feel so worth the confusion. 🤣
The story follows multiple POVs, but the three main ones are that of Naila, Haelius, Entonin, and Larinne. All three characters are flawed in their own ways, but their self-preservation is what really made me enjoy them the most as the story went on. 😊
Larinne was probably my favorite of the bunch simply because I loved the political intrigue her story holds. She’s a high ranking senator in the city of Amoria and while outwardly cold for show and her job, I liked how she could turn it on and off to be around those that she loves and cares for. While rather reckless here and there, she’s not as crazy as Haelius; I just wish we could’ve gotten a deeper dive into their relationship because I feel like there’s a lot of hidden history between these two and why they are continuously orbiting each other but never making that first move. 😥
Entonin was interesting because he is a foreign priest and provides the reader with a good idea of what the city is like through someone not from there. He’s sly and charismatic, but I loved his banter with Karameth, his hired guard. These two I thought provided a much needed comedic relief in what could have been a heavy political fantasy. 🤭
Haelius is a bit of a mixed bag for me. While I liked how the world has different views of him compared to the version that his loved ones know, I found his arrogance and clear lack of common sense here and there quite annoying. Like, I get that smart people can be pretty stupid at times (I for one, have had this lovingly thrown in my face when I do something incredibly stupid), but man, this man just takes it to a whole new level. I also felt like his ending felt like it just abruptly ended, but I guess that is done to get the reader hyped for the second book. 🫢
Naila . . . Oofta, she was a piece to work through. I sympathize with her need to hide and not draw attention to herself because of her standing at the academy, but man she was so quick to anger and act that I was constantly frustrated that she didn’t get a good talking to (there were a few cases, but I think they needed to do more to get past her stubbornness). I liked that she grew as a character, but I feel like it could’ve been a bit more because her self deprecation was just too much here and there for me. 🙁
I would really like to know whether or not the book had any kind of Arabian influence because the desert world and its people just felt like something out of that area of the real world, but couldn’t really find any clarifications as to whether or not this was the case. 💭
Either way, I still had a great time reading this, and definitely needed it after the book that came before it. A big thank you goes out to my besties Orbit Books and NetGalley for accepting my request to read this in exchange for an honest review. And a thank you goes out to the author, Campbell for writing such an interesting magic filled fantasy! Can’t wait to see what these smart idiots get up to in the next book! ❤️
Publication date: January 28!
Overall: 4/5 ⭐️
(FINAL REVIEW:)
This was an interesting magic focused plot-driven fantasy that reminded me of The West Passage, The Dollmakers, and The Palace in the Wind in how odd the world was. I had a great time being thrown in with no warning and wish there were more books out there like this because I enjoy floundering in my books because the end just makes it feel so worth the confusion. 🤣
The story follows multiple POVs, but the three main ones are that of Naila, Haelius, Entonin, and Larinne. All three characters are flawed in their own ways, but their self-preservation is what really made me enjoy them the most as the story went on. 😊
Larinne was probably my favorite of the bunch simply because I loved the political intrigue her story holds. She’s a high ranking senator in the city of Amoria and while outwardly cold for show and her job, I liked how she could turn it on and off to be around those that she loves and cares for. While rather reckless here and there, she’s not as crazy as Haelius; I just wish we could’ve gotten a deeper dive into their relationship because I feel like there’s a lot of hidden history between these two and why they are continuously orbiting each other but never making that first move. 😥
Entonin was interesting because he is a foreign priest and provides the reader with a good idea of what the city is like through someone not from there. He’s sly and charismatic, but I loved his banter with Karameth, his hired guard. These two I thought provided a much needed comedic relief in what could have been a heavy political fantasy. 🤭
Haelius is a bit of a mixed bag for me. While I liked how the world has different views of him compared to the version that his loved ones know, I found his arrogance and clear lack of common sense here and there quite annoying. Like, I get that smart people can be pretty stupid at times (I for one, have had this lovingly thrown in my face when I do something incredibly stupid), but man, this man just takes it to a whole new level. I also felt like his ending felt like it just abruptly ended, but I guess that is done to get the reader hyped for the second book. 🫢
Naila . . . Oofta, she was a piece to work through. I sympathize with her need to hide and not draw attention to herself because of her standing at the academy, but man she was so quick to anger and act that I was constantly frustrated that she didn’t get a good talking to (there were a few cases, but I think they needed to do more to get past her stubbornness). I liked that she grew as a character, but I feel like it could’ve been a bit more because her self deprecation was just too much here and there for me. 🙁
I would really like to know whether or not the book had any kind of Arabian influence because the desert world and its people just felt like something out of that area of the real world, but couldn’t really find any clarifications as to whether or not this was the case. 💭
Either way, I still had a great time reading this, and definitely needed it after the book that came before it. A big thank you goes out to my besties Orbit Books and NetGalley for accepting my request to read this in exchange for an honest review. And a thank you goes out to the author, Campbell for writing such an interesting magic filled fantasy! Can’t wait to see what these smart idiots get up to in the next book! ❤️
Publication date: January 28!
Overall: 4/5 ⭐️
February 4, 2025
A love letter to classic fantasy written for a modern reader. This book reminded why I started reading fantasy as a kid, hiding a book under my desk, pretending to pay attention to class, while I was lost in another world.
It captures that magic, and bottles it up in a package that’s aged up with the reader. There’s a coming of age story here, but there’s also being of age where character have to come to terms with past mistakes, and reconsider opportunities they may have missed.
You’ll fall in love with the characters, Naila the clear protagonist takes centre stage, with her quest to find out who she is and the source of her sinister power. But the ensemble cast all jump off the page, and into your heart.
My favourite is Larinne, a member of Amoria’s magical aristocracy, fierce, faithful, and powerful she fights for the fate of the city she loves, and the friendship of the the man who’s power could be its salvation or its downfall.
Haelius, Naila’s powerful mentor, would in any other book be a mysterious character who inspires a million AO3 fanfics. What’s wonderful about the Outcast mage is you get to see the older characters deal with their own baggage first hand, he’s brilliantly portrayed, and lovable even if his best intentions sometimes cause more trouble than they prevent. His relationships with Larinne and Malik feel so real you can picture them drink tea together and getting into heated arguments between the chapters; and his rivalry with Oriven is a driving force for his misery.
Then there’s the odd couple of strangers to Amoria, a mysterious priest and an even more mysterious mercenary, why are they in the city, what mischief are they up to and what secrets are they hiding from.
The city of Amoria is on the brink of civil war, between those with magic and those without, but could they all be pawns in someone else’s game?
It captures that magic, and bottles it up in a package that’s aged up with the reader. There’s a coming of age story here, but there’s also being of age where character have to come to terms with past mistakes, and reconsider opportunities they may have missed.
You’ll fall in love with the characters, Naila the clear protagonist takes centre stage, with her quest to find out who she is and the source of her sinister power. But the ensemble cast all jump off the page, and into your heart.
My favourite is Larinne, a member of Amoria’s magical aristocracy, fierce, faithful, and powerful she fights for the fate of the city she loves, and the friendship of the the man who’s power could be its salvation or its downfall.
Haelius, Naila’s powerful mentor, would in any other book be a mysterious character who inspires a million AO3 fanfics. What’s wonderful about the Outcast mage is you get to see the older characters deal with their own baggage first hand, he’s brilliantly portrayed, and lovable even if his best intentions sometimes cause more trouble than they prevent. His relationships with Larinne and Malik feel so real you can picture them drink tea together and getting into heated arguments between the chapters; and his rivalry with Oriven is a driving force for his misery.
Then there’s the odd couple of strangers to Amoria, a mysterious priest and an even more mysterious mercenary, why are they in the city, what mischief are they up to and what secrets are they hiding from.
The city of Amoria is on the brink of civil war, between those with magic and those without, but could they all be pawns in someone else’s game?
January 28, 2025
Really impressed by this it feels initially like it is just about a young woman finding her magical power but Campbell surprised me with different types of characters and much bigger plot developing that really opens up the world and ramps up the stakes, a lovely flowing storytelling style kept me entertained! Highly recommended
Full review - https://www.runalongtheshelves.net/bl...
Full review - https://www.runalongtheshelves.net/bl...
January 11, 2025
Thank you Orbit/Little, Brown Book Group for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.
Naila is a student at the Amoria mage Academy and has never passed a basic class, despite being old enough to graduate. The wizards agree she has magic inside her - she is able to sense the magic of the world around her, and the anima in all living things, but she has never been able to produce any magic. Wizard Haelius Akana, on the other hand, is the most powerful mage in the entire city. Amidst political instability, the fracturing of grace between mages and non-mages, Naila’s inability to learn control risks her place at the Academy and she faces the (supposed) magic within her being burnt away, until Haelius steps in to bet his career that he can teach her to use magic. Fortunately or unfortunately for Naila, Haelius’ meddling in the political unrest leads to her discovering a magical artefact that unleashes her very unique power, and thrusts her into the spotlight of the warring factions.
I put off reading this ARC for a long time… I shouldn’t have. It is a wonderful read. I have far too many notes I’ve taken about this book and I’m struggling to condense them into a simple and coherent review (future Joanna note - I did not, this is basically an essay).
The story begins with Naila’s time at the academy, including a very obvious and tropey collision of bodies with books scattering on the floor, leading to a mix up of belongings between two people. I was worried that this was going to be yet another book about a magical girl at a school, clumsy and silly yet somehow ending up saving the world. I was wrong, it is so much more. Note for anyone curious - if you’re looking for a magical school story, turn the other way, because barely any time is spent inside the walls of the academy (both in plot time and page count), which is a net positive to me. The beginning of the book is very slow, and a little confusing with so many characters who are referred to by multiple names/titles, but keep going, it’s worth it. From about 30% onwards I was entirely consumed and could not put the book down except for a break to sleep.
The shining stars of this book are the characters, and the depth of their emotions. I’m entirely obsessed with Haelius. He’s an insanely talented, powerful, smart man, who is inside simmering with fury and self-hatred. He’s born of contradictions, son of a leader of the non-magical assembly, yet somehow the most powerful of all the mages. He is headstrong and single-minded, but keeps either fumbling or getting set up at every turn. Every moment with Haelius is full of such intense emotion that it’s hard not to feel every grief that he does.
Naila really shines when she’s with her friend, Ko’ani, or working with Haelius. She is such a lost girl, and so lonely, but she’s also very determined. Her bond with Haelius is beautiful. Their similarities and contradictions leave them with an inescapable pull, an attraction in their magics and their stories. I’ll be honest, it reads more like a romance to me than Haelius’ actual romance ever did, so it did surprise me every time they referred to being like family, or like father and daughter.
Entonin, on the opposite end of the magical spectrum, is a priest from a nation who hates mages, sent to try to arrange a peace with them, accompanied only by his Dahrani bodyguard, Karameth. I can’t even go into their story, it has to be experienced for itself. The only POV character I didn’t care for was Larinne. She has no distinct personality traits except for seemingly wanting to chastise Haelius at any given moment. I really wanted to feel more of their bond from their younger days, and I really wanted to root for their romance, but it was just boring and surface level. I adored the complexity of her sister, Dailem, much more. Perhaps Larinne is set up for some character development later in the series.
In terms of worldbuilding, the political plot wasn’t particularly deep, but it didn’t need to be as it felt very close to home (“us vs them”, politicians stoking unrest for their own gain), and the introduction of Lieno Oriven in the first chapter had a shiver running down my spine. Similarly, the magic system isn’t detailed in any depth, but has an interesting mystery running through the book (and further) that is exciting to follow.
This book is for people who love epic fantasy, with its politics, religion, and wide overarching magical mysteries that will (presumably) take an entire series to resolve. It’s not a quick book to jump into and out of - it’s not particularly complex, but there are definitely a lot of hints and intrigue that can be missed if you’re not paying attention. Also, let me be clear as I’ve somehow not mentioned yet in this review, here be dragons!
Logically, this should be 3 or 4 stars - there’s definitely some room for improvement. Unfortunately for any coherence in my rating system, I just loved it. I was absolutely along for the ride, and my heart hurt so utterly for Haelius at every moment that I cannot give it anything less than 5 stars. I cried real life tears at a particular parting around the 60% mark. I am a sucker for a desert-based fantasy story, and I’m a sucker for some LGBTQ+ representation. I also really, really need to know what happens next, so Annabel Campbell please get writing!
Naila is a student at the Amoria mage Academy and has never passed a basic class, despite being old enough to graduate. The wizards agree she has magic inside her - she is able to sense the magic of the world around her, and the anima in all living things, but she has never been able to produce any magic. Wizard Haelius Akana, on the other hand, is the most powerful mage in the entire city. Amidst political instability, the fracturing of grace between mages and non-mages, Naila’s inability to learn control risks her place at the Academy and she faces the (supposed) magic within her being burnt away, until Haelius steps in to bet his career that he can teach her to use magic. Fortunately or unfortunately for Naila, Haelius’ meddling in the political unrest leads to her discovering a magical artefact that unleashes her very unique power, and thrusts her into the spotlight of the warring factions.
I put off reading this ARC for a long time… I shouldn’t have. It is a wonderful read. I have far too many notes I’ve taken about this book and I’m struggling to condense them into a simple and coherent review (future Joanna note - I did not, this is basically an essay).
The story begins with Naila’s time at the academy, including a very obvious and tropey collision of bodies with books scattering on the floor, leading to a mix up of belongings between two people. I was worried that this was going to be yet another book about a magical girl at a school, clumsy and silly yet somehow ending up saving the world. I was wrong, it is so much more. Note for anyone curious - if you’re looking for a magical school story, turn the other way, because barely any time is spent inside the walls of the academy (both in plot time and page count), which is a net positive to me. The beginning of the book is very slow, and a little confusing with so many characters who are referred to by multiple names/titles, but keep going, it’s worth it. From about 30% onwards I was entirely consumed and could not put the book down except for a break to sleep.
The shining stars of this book are the characters, and the depth of their emotions. I’m entirely obsessed with Haelius. He’s an insanely talented, powerful, smart man, who is inside simmering with fury and self-hatred. He’s born of contradictions, son of a leader of the non-magical assembly, yet somehow the most powerful of all the mages. He is headstrong and single-minded, but keeps either fumbling or getting set up at every turn. Every moment with Haelius is full of such intense emotion that it’s hard not to feel every grief that he does.
Naila really shines when she’s with her friend, Ko’ani, or working with Haelius. She is such a lost girl, and so lonely, but she’s also very determined. Her bond with Haelius is beautiful. Their similarities and contradictions leave them with an inescapable pull, an attraction in their magics and their stories. I’ll be honest, it reads more like a romance to me than Haelius’ actual romance ever did, so it did surprise me every time they referred to being like family, or like father and daughter.
Entonin, on the opposite end of the magical spectrum, is a priest from a nation who hates mages, sent to try to arrange a peace with them, accompanied only by his Dahrani bodyguard, Karameth. I can’t even go into their story, it has to be experienced for itself. The only POV character I didn’t care for was Larinne. She has no distinct personality traits except for seemingly wanting to chastise Haelius at any given moment. I really wanted to feel more of their bond from their younger days, and I really wanted to root for their romance, but it was just boring and surface level. I adored the complexity of her sister, Dailem, much more. Perhaps Larinne is set up for some character development later in the series.
In terms of worldbuilding, the political plot wasn’t particularly deep, but it didn’t need to be as it felt very close to home (“us vs them”, politicians stoking unrest for their own gain), and the introduction of Lieno Oriven in the first chapter had a shiver running down my spine. Similarly, the magic system isn’t detailed in any depth, but has an interesting mystery running through the book (and further) that is exciting to follow.
This book is for people who love epic fantasy, with its politics, religion, and wide overarching magical mysteries that will (presumably) take an entire series to resolve. It’s not a quick book to jump into and out of - it’s not particularly complex, but there are definitely a lot of hints and intrigue that can be missed if you’re not paying attention. Also, let me be clear as I’ve somehow not mentioned yet in this review, here be dragons!
Logically, this should be 3 or 4 stars - there’s definitely some room for improvement. Unfortunately for any coherence in my rating system, I just loved it. I was absolutely along for the ride, and my heart hurt so utterly for Haelius at every moment that I cannot give it anything less than 5 stars. I cried real life tears at a particular parting around the 60% mark. I am a sucker for a desert-based fantasy story, and I’m a sucker for some LGBTQ+ representation. I also really, really need to know what happens next, so Annabel Campbell please get writing!
February 18, 2025
3.5 stars.
The desert setting and the frankly absurd but also incredible feat of creating a city totally out of glass immediately set the scene for me: I was immediately thinking of epic stories with a north African feel. The secondary world author Annabel Campbell sets her story in primarily in is the city of Amoria, created by mages from glass, who escaped the Ellath Empire, which has different branches of its priesthood devoted to the finding and killing of mages.
The story opens with Naila, who is studying at the mage academy. She is miserable, bullied by fellow students, and waiting to be kicked out. She is an orphan, looks different from others with her deep black hair and almost black eyes, comes from a human family (humans are seen as less than by mages, and called hollows), and has had no success in casting even the simplest bit of magic.
After bumping into the most powerful mage, Haelius Akana, at a mage rally where a human is targeted (and later killed), Naila's life radically changes. Akana is intrigued by and feels a kinship with her because he, too, came from a poor human family. Unlike Naila, however, Haelius not only had magic, but is probably one of the most powerful mages in recent history.
At the same time, a priest, Entonin, from the Ellath Empire is in town, staying in the human quarter, and is waiting to meet with both the mage and human councils. He's been stymied, and with his bodyguard Karameth, spends his time living in and drinking in the pub run by Naila's adopted parents.
We also meet sister senators (and mages); one, Larinne, is trying to resolve numerous political and economic problems, while the other, Dailem, is also, but does so by joining up with a powerful mage, Oriven, who is gathering power, and employing an increasing number of essentially security, who have broad powers to arbitrarily arrest and detain anyone they feel is breaking laws. Oriven loathes humans, and in particular, Akana.
Dailem's daughter Ko’ani is Naila's one friend, and Naila begins spending more time in Dailem's home when Akana, seemingly out of the blue, decides to begin tutoring Naila after an incident at the academy. He not only teaches her, but also stakes his increasingly precarious position amongst mages, declaring he'll get her using magic successfully.
Larinne is fond of Akana, often forgiving him his lapses in judgment, till it becomes too difficult to ignore. There is a blight affecting crops within the self-contained city, and Akana is breaking all sorts of rules and restrictions trying to figure out what is going on.
The human council is increasingly frustrated by the highhandedness and privilege of the mages and their council, and is looking for something, whether new alliances or different arrangements, to prevent mages from completely ignoring the humans who live and work in the city.
So, there are a number of frustrations brewing in the city. Bigotry against humans is rising rapidly, with attacks, and each new bad thing that happens, whether the crop blight or something else, is twisted to appear that either humans are responsible, or increasingly, Akana. Who is his own worst enemy, as he takes things without asking from the archives, conducts his own experiments, teaches Naila, and basically keeps falling into situations that place him in a poor light, essentially playing into Oriven's hands.
Then, Naila, after touching a black rock Akana took from the Archives without permission, suddenly is able to wield magic, particularly water, and this attracts all the wrong attention, and sends her running, straight into Entonin.
And there is a pair of individuals following something deadly and deranged, far from Amoria, that leaves death and destruction behind it. All three are heading towards Amoria.
This is the start of a larger story, and definitely felt like that. This was slow to take off, as there is a lot of worldbuilding to convey, and laying out of stakes as we meet the characters and come to understand their situations.
Naila is so alone and struggling at the book's opening. She has no allies, is loathed by fellow students for her appearance and inability to do magic (what is with the cruel superiority of her fellow stupid mages??) The bigotry is awful, as well as the tacit approval amongst mages of all ages and professions to abuse and threaten Naila.
Akana is such a disaster. Oh my goodness. The man has good intentions, but can't seem to think himself around the political situation that is growing around him, and doesn't listen when Larinne urges caution. She's in a difficult situation, particularly as her sister is rising in Oriven's estimation, and Larine is finding her own ability to do things curtailed by Oriven and his increasingly repressive directives.
We know from the book's opening that things are going to explode eventually. There are too many hatreds, too much power concentrated amongst the mages, and too little concern for their abuses of power. And as soon as Naila appears to be a danger because she can access the magic within her, things start to move quickly and rapidly downhill.
It took me a while to get invested in this story, but by the halfway point I was there. I liked Naila's friendship with Ko, and her relationship with Akana. There are lots of dangers, and I cared enough about the characters to want to know what happens next. This was an interesting story with all these great elements: a wizard-hating Empire next door, stratified society within a mostly closed city, rampant bigotry, a fragile romance, a powerful young woman coming into her magic, and a messy, powerful mage. And dragons. It looks like a fantastic library is coming up in book two, so, I am looking forward to it.
Thank you to Netgalley and to Orbit Books for this ARC in exchange for my review.
The desert setting and the frankly absurd but also incredible feat of creating a city totally out of glass immediately set the scene for me: I was immediately thinking of epic stories with a north African feel. The secondary world author Annabel Campbell sets her story in primarily in is the city of Amoria, created by mages from glass, who escaped the Ellath Empire, which has different branches of its priesthood devoted to the finding and killing of mages.
The story opens with Naila, who is studying at the mage academy. She is miserable, bullied by fellow students, and waiting to be kicked out. She is an orphan, looks different from others with her deep black hair and almost black eyes, comes from a human family (humans are seen as less than by mages, and called hollows), and has had no success in casting even the simplest bit of magic.
After bumping into the most powerful mage, Haelius Akana, at a mage rally where a human is targeted (and later killed), Naila's life radically changes. Akana is intrigued by and feels a kinship with her because he, too, came from a poor human family. Unlike Naila, however, Haelius not only had magic, but is probably one of the most powerful mages in recent history.
At the same time, a priest, Entonin, from the Ellath Empire is in town, staying in the human quarter, and is waiting to meet with both the mage and human councils. He's been stymied, and with his bodyguard Karameth, spends his time living in and drinking in the pub run by Naila's adopted parents.
We also meet sister senators (and mages); one, Larinne, is trying to resolve numerous political and economic problems, while the other, Dailem, is also, but does so by joining up with a powerful mage, Oriven, who is gathering power, and employing an increasing number of essentially security, who have broad powers to arbitrarily arrest and detain anyone they feel is breaking laws. Oriven loathes humans, and in particular, Akana.
Dailem's daughter Ko’ani is Naila's one friend, and Naila begins spending more time in Dailem's home when Akana, seemingly out of the blue, decides to begin tutoring Naila after an incident at the academy. He not only teaches her, but also stakes his increasingly precarious position amongst mages, declaring he'll get her using magic successfully.
Larinne is fond of Akana, often forgiving him his lapses in judgment, till it becomes too difficult to ignore. There is a blight affecting crops within the self-contained city, and Akana is breaking all sorts of rules and restrictions trying to figure out what is going on.
The human council is increasingly frustrated by the highhandedness and privilege of the mages and their council, and is looking for something, whether new alliances or different arrangements, to prevent mages from completely ignoring the humans who live and work in the city.
So, there are a number of frustrations brewing in the city. Bigotry against humans is rising rapidly, with attacks, and each new bad thing that happens, whether the crop blight or something else, is twisted to appear that either humans are responsible, or increasingly, Akana. Who is his own worst enemy, as he takes things without asking from the archives, conducts his own experiments, teaches Naila, and basically keeps falling into situations that place him in a poor light, essentially playing into Oriven's hands.
Then, Naila, after touching a black rock Akana took from the Archives without permission, suddenly is able to wield magic, particularly water, and this attracts all the wrong attention, and sends her running, straight into Entonin.
And there is a pair of individuals following something deadly and deranged, far from Amoria, that leaves death and destruction behind it. All three are heading towards Amoria.
This is the start of a larger story, and definitely felt like that. This was slow to take off, as there is a lot of worldbuilding to convey, and laying out of stakes as we meet the characters and come to understand their situations.
Naila is so alone and struggling at the book's opening. She has no allies, is loathed by fellow students for her appearance and inability to do magic (what is with the cruel superiority of her fellow stupid mages??) The bigotry is awful, as well as the tacit approval amongst mages of all ages and professions to abuse and threaten Naila.
Akana is such a disaster. Oh my goodness. The man has good intentions, but can't seem to think himself around the political situation that is growing around him, and doesn't listen when Larinne urges caution. She's in a difficult situation, particularly as her sister is rising in Oriven's estimation, and Larine is finding her own ability to do things curtailed by Oriven and his increasingly repressive directives.
We know from the book's opening that things are going to explode eventually. There are too many hatreds, too much power concentrated amongst the mages, and too little concern for their abuses of power. And as soon as Naila appears to be a danger because she can access the magic within her, things start to move quickly and rapidly downhill.
It took me a while to get invested in this story, but by the halfway point I was there. I liked Naila's friendship with Ko, and her relationship with Akana. There are lots of dangers, and I cared enough about the characters to want to know what happens next. This was an interesting story with all these great elements: a wizard-hating Empire next door, stratified society within a mostly closed city, rampant bigotry, a fragile romance, a powerful young woman coming into her magic, and a messy, powerful mage. And dragons. It looks like a fantastic library is coming up in book two, so, I am looking forward to it.
Thank you to Netgalley and to Orbit Books for this ARC in exchange for my review.
December 19, 2024
Thank you NetGalley and Orbit for an eARC in exchange for an honest review!
The Outcast Mage is for people who feel nostalgic for classic high fantasy (especially with your chosen one MC at magic school who is struggling) but wants a little bit of a twist and also more women. And for it to be less white. I don’t know if I’d recommend it to those who are deeply into the hard magic system style fantasy and/or want to get in the weeds of how a magic system works, but as someone who cares little for a D&D handbook on how a world works, I had a lot of fun with it. I found this to be easy to read, though there’s a bunch of new terms that would trip me up on occasion, so it didn’t read as smoothly as I’d expect. I wouldn’t really call this “fresh” because the overall plot does feel familiar, but I thought it was polished and well crafted, so I didn’t mind.
I thought the use of multiple POVs was effective though at times the voices sounded a little similar. I felt that Campbell switched POVs at appropriate times and kept good tension throughout the novel. I liked the world itself and I thought the politics were well done (albeit impossible to misinterpret because by the end it isn’t particularly subtle). Naila’s story in particular is compelling, especially if you’re partial to coming of age stories—I’m very interested in what’s happening to the world at large and Larinne and Haelius’ stories, but Naila is at the heart of it and she’s great. The story itself is a slow burn, but the last couple of chapters and the epilogue were wild and I am very eager to read the second book!
The Outcast Mage is for people who feel nostalgic for classic high fantasy (especially with your chosen one MC at magic school who is struggling) but wants a little bit of a twist and also more women. And for it to be less white. I don’t know if I’d recommend it to those who are deeply into the hard magic system style fantasy and/or want to get in the weeds of how a magic system works, but as someone who cares little for a D&D handbook on how a world works, I had a lot of fun with it. I found this to be easy to read, though there’s a bunch of new terms that would trip me up on occasion, so it didn’t read as smoothly as I’d expect. I wouldn’t really call this “fresh” because the overall plot does feel familiar, but I thought it was polished and well crafted, so I didn’t mind.
I thought the use of multiple POVs was effective though at times the voices sounded a little similar. I felt that Campbell switched POVs at appropriate times and kept good tension throughout the novel. I liked the world itself and I thought the politics were well done (albeit impossible to misinterpret because by the end it isn’t particularly subtle). Naila’s story in particular is compelling, especially if you’re partial to coming of age stories—I’m very interested in what’s happening to the world at large and Larinne and Haelius’ stories, but Naila is at the heart of it and she’s great. The story itself is a slow burn, but the last couple of chapters and the epilogue were wild and I am very eager to read the second book!
December 22, 2024
A Mage bereft of her powers must find out if she is destined to save the world or destroy it.
Naila is a Hollow Mage. She can feel other people's magic but can't wield her own. Wizard Akana - the most powerful living Mage - sees her potential and helps her unleash/control her power.
This is a high fantasy full of magic and political intrigue. Told in a multi POV. The characters are great with all too-human flaws.
I really enjoyed this and will definitely read the next book.
Thank you, NetGalley and publishers, for the ARC.
Naila is a Hollow Mage. She can feel other people's magic but can't wield her own. Wizard Akana - the most powerful living Mage - sees her potential and helps her unleash/control her power.
This is a high fantasy full of magic and political intrigue. Told in a multi POV. The characters are great with all too-human flaws.
I really enjoyed this and will definitely read the next book.
Thank you, NetGalley and publishers, for the ARC.
November 2, 2024
Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher, and the author for providing a free e-arc of this fantasy book that will be published in late January of 2025.
This was a very intriguing book with great characters! It is a good mixture of dark academia and epic fantasy. However the world building started off a little slow and sometimes things were hard to follow when new characters were introduced, but it all culminated into a great story at the end that will take off again in the continuation.
There's an interesting magic system, political intrigue, and a great student-mentor relationship, which I at least have not seen done often in today's literature, usually more classic epic fantasy. It was also interesting to see how the main character Naila comes into her own, and we're still finding out so much about her and her capabilities. I will definitely be picking up a physical copy of this book and book 2 when it comes out!
This was a very intriguing book with great characters! It is a good mixture of dark academia and epic fantasy. However the world building started off a little slow and sometimes things were hard to follow when new characters were introduced, but it all culminated into a great story at the end that will take off again in the continuation.
There's an interesting magic system, political intrigue, and a great student-mentor relationship, which I at least have not seen done often in today's literature, usually more classic epic fantasy. It was also interesting to see how the main character Naila comes into her own, and we're still finding out so much about her and her capabilities. I will definitely be picking up a physical copy of this book and book 2 when it comes out!
May 18, 2025
The Innocent Mage is Annabel Campbell's debut novel and was also the first book I pre-ordered this year. The fact she's going to be at a fantasy event at my local Waterstones was the kick up the arse I needed to actually read the thing.
It's quite fitting that the book was blurbed by Trudi Canavan as it had a feel of her Black Magician trilogy to it but obviously with the author's own take on the story. Here we are introduced to Naila, a resident of a school for mages but with one problem, she can't perform magic at all.
There's a slower pace to the story than some books have and I think that really helps here. There are 3 different perspectives and it took a little while to understand how they all connected. There's also short interludes at various points that really didn't make sense until much later. Basically what I'm saying is that patience is key here and that in time answers are given.
As well as Naila's struggles with being a student with no magic there's also political intrigue which, when done well, is one of my favourite things about fantasy. An odd thing about this is that I got a feel of Star Wars to some of it. That might just be my interpretation and it's not an issue but I did find it an odd choice.
A solid start to a new fantasy series. All the main characters were well fleshed out and the ending was something I could never have predicted but has left me wanting book 2 immediately.
It's quite fitting that the book was blurbed by Trudi Canavan as it had a feel of her Black Magician trilogy to it but obviously with the author's own take on the story. Here we are introduced to Naila, a resident of a school for mages but with one problem, she can't perform magic at all.
There's a slower pace to the story than some books have and I think that really helps here. There are 3 different perspectives and it took a little while to understand how they all connected. There's also short interludes at various points that really didn't make sense until much later. Basically what I'm saying is that patience is key here and that in time answers are given.
As well as Naila's struggles with being a student with no magic there's also political intrigue which, when done well, is one of my favourite things about fantasy. An odd thing about this is that I got a feel of Star Wars to some of it. That might just be my interpretation and it's not an issue but I did find it an odd choice.
A solid start to a new fantasy series. All the main characters were well fleshed out and the ending was something I could never have predicted but has left me wanting book 2 immediately.
October 24, 2024
I was very intrigued by the summary of The Outcast Mage and I was very thankful and excited to receive an eARC from NetGalley and Orbit Books. In my normal reviews, I would like to briefly summarize the story as well, but unfortunately, I can't. The writing was beautiful and poetic, which I felt was a detriment to the story as a whole. The pacing was very slow. I was confused between all the characters and the names. I am not saying this story was bad. My review is based on the fact I could not connect with this story or characters.
There is very little to no world building. Campbell thrust you into this world with little or no explanation of terms and it feels as if the reader has to just understand what is going on. I am very big into world building in fantasy novels and it just was not there for me.
The characters all seemed to blend together for me, and it was hard to keep track of who was who since again there was little explanation about backstory's or character descriptions.
I felt very disconnected with the storyline as it was VERY slow paced. Do not except a high stakes fantasy with this book.
Again, I am always appreciative of NetGalley for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
There is very little to no world building. Campbell thrust you into this world with little or no explanation of terms and it feels as if the reader has to just understand what is going on. I am very big into world building in fantasy novels and it just was not there for me.
The characters all seemed to blend together for me, and it was hard to keep track of who was who since again there was little explanation about backstory's or character descriptions.
I felt very disconnected with the storyline as it was VERY slow paced. Do not except a high stakes fantasy with this book.
Again, I am always appreciative of NetGalley for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
January 27, 2025
I was really excited to start The Outcast Mage, but as the reading experience went on, my attention started to wane. I loved the characters. I was even interested in the plot. However, the world building was a mess. What kind of world are we in? Why is there bigotry toward non-mages? Who's in charge? What does this Senate do? How does this government work? Is there a religion? There are priests from I assume another country coming in. Why are they bad? How do all these characters know each other???? It was just so confused through a lot of my reading and the more confused I became, the less I wanted to read this book because I couldn't shut my brain off. Naila can't save this mess. Haelius can't save this mess.
Thank you to Orbit and Netgalley for the arc for review purposes.
Thank you to Orbit and Netgalley for the arc for review purposes.
October 26, 2025
4.5/5
I think this is such an underrated book, because I have not seen anyone else talk about this and it's a riot.
I loved the characters, because who wouldn't love a disaster powerful wizard who wants to protect a (slightly) feral magic girl who can't do magic like anyone else while a fascist sorcerer tries to take control. Among other things.
The plot was as so many other books nowadays dealing with rising xenophobia and right-wing politics while other magic things are also going on and I loved it and I am impatiently waiting for any news about the sequel.
I think this is such an underrated book, because I have not seen anyone else talk about this and it's a riot.
I loved the characters, because who wouldn't love a disaster powerful wizard who wants to protect a (slightly) feral magic girl who can't do magic like anyone else while a fascist sorcerer tries to take control. Among other things.
The plot was as so many other books nowadays dealing with rising xenophobia and right-wing politics while other magic things are also going on and I loved it and I am impatiently waiting for any news about the sequel.
May 26, 2025
The first half felt a bit slow, with a not unusual setup and character tropes, so nothing that particularly grabbed my interest there. But: I really liked the interludes that hinted at something bigger, and delving deeper into the magic system in the second half was fun. Easy to read, and I liked that it actually felt like high fantasy.
All in all I enjoyed this and am curious to see how the series will progress.
All in all I enjoyed this and am curious to see how the series will progress.
January 8, 2025
Naila attends a magic school for mages without magic. That is, she has the aptitude for it, but for whatever reason, she can't perform any of the same magical benchmarks as her fellow classmates. She's been at this magical school for some time now and has already resigned herself to washing out and all of the baggage that entails, when one of the most powerful wizards in the city takes her under his wing. He's determined to figure out what to do about her problem, and why her magic is different than everyone else's.
We also have Entonin, a priest from a neighboring kingdom with a poor view of mages, arrives in the city with his bodyguard Karameth. Entonin is here ostensibly for negotiations and to try and smooth over feelings on both sides, but is actually there as a spy for a secret organization.
Alongside all of this is Oriven, leader of the city, casually standing up a magic army, seizing control of the food supply, and pitting mage against non-mage citizens. We don't see too much of him directly in this book, but his magical fingers are busily sowing unrest with an eye toward seeing non-mages removed from the city.
I feel like some of the reviews here are too harsh. I will say, the onboarding in this book is difficult to get through. A lot of terms, places, and concepts are thrown at you from the very beginning, and I found myself consulting the glossary in the back fairly often until things started to stick. There's a lot of information dumps early on, paving the way for the rest of the book. I feel like things start smoothing out after the first quarter or so of the book. I also feel like the bad guy of this particular book, Oriven, didn't get nearly enough direct viewpoints. He shows up in two chapters for maybe two pages apiece, and his existence in the rest of the book is other members of the government talking about what new laws he's enacted or what new controversial thing he's done. He's more of a force in this book than he is an actual antagonist.
But I thought the good parts of the book were enough to really make me enjoy this by the end. I thought the writing was descriptive and really pulled me into the city alongside Naila. I thought the political story being told was intriguing, and the last quarter of the book or so really had me on edge. I thought Naila was a really great female lead, and she had one particularly stand-out scene near the end that I loved. The side characters were also all interesting in their own right, which was also nice. I could go for an Entonin/Karameth novella/series, honestly.
All that to say, if you can get through the information flung at you in the beginning, you're rewarded with a pretty interesting political story, a strong female lead I can get behind, and a fantastic ending that leaves me waiting impatiently for the second book.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a free ecopy in exchange for an honest review.
We also have Entonin, a priest from a neighboring kingdom with a poor view of mages, arrives in the city with his bodyguard Karameth. Entonin is here ostensibly for negotiations and to try and smooth over feelings on both sides, but is actually there as a spy for a secret organization.
Alongside all of this is Oriven, leader of the city, casually standing up a magic army, seizing control of the food supply, and pitting mage against non-mage citizens. We don't see too much of him directly in this book, but his magical fingers are busily sowing unrest with an eye toward seeing non-mages removed from the city.
I feel like some of the reviews here are too harsh. I will say, the onboarding in this book is difficult to get through. A lot of terms, places, and concepts are thrown at you from the very beginning, and I found myself consulting the glossary in the back fairly often until things started to stick. There's a lot of information dumps early on, paving the way for the rest of the book. I feel like things start smoothing out after the first quarter or so of the book. I also feel like the bad guy of this particular book, Oriven, didn't get nearly enough direct viewpoints. He shows up in two chapters for maybe two pages apiece, and his existence in the rest of the book is other members of the government talking about what new laws he's enacted or what new controversial thing he's done. He's more of a force in this book than he is an actual antagonist.
But I thought the good parts of the book were enough to really make me enjoy this by the end. I thought the writing was descriptive and really pulled me into the city alongside Naila. I thought the political story being told was intriguing, and the last quarter of the book or so really had me on edge. I thought Naila was a really great female lead, and she had one particularly stand-out scene near the end that I loved. The side characters were also all interesting in their own right, which was also nice. I could go for an Entonin/Karameth novella/series, honestly.
All that to say, if you can get through the information flung at you in the beginning, you're rewarded with a pretty interesting political story, a strong female lead I can get behind, and a fantastic ending that leaves me waiting impatiently for the second book.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a free ecopy in exchange for an honest review.
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