Cheryl R. (Spuddie) -
Helpful Score: 13
Black Magician trilogy Book 1, about a teenage girl named Sonea, a commoner who gets caught up in a protest against the Magicians on Purge day. When she becomes very angry and throws a rock that breaches the Magicians' magical barrier, it's obvious that Sonea must have latent magical power. Soon everyone is searching for her--from the Guild itself to fellow slum dwellers, eager for the reward that turning her in would bring. Sonea is shuttled from hiding place to hiding place by a small group of friends while trying to make sense of her new-found magic power only to discover just how dangerous it can be when she has no idea how to control it. I thoroughly enjoyed this book! The writing style kept you reading on and on, and while it contains many of the elements that make up other fantasy books and is not a terribly unique story line, I thought it was a very well-told story and the author was able to make her characters and settings come to life
Helpful Score: 7
Great series. Comparable to Raymond Feist's Magician series but darker (only slightly) and with a female protagonist. A coming of age novel
Irene L H. (NonExistence) -
Helpful Score: 7
The Magicians' Guild will not take your breath away like some of the other fantasy series out there but it is definitely
worth a shot. The book did not take long in terms of growing on me though it does feel like it is targeted at teens. The
story moves at a blistering pace and is based on the life of Sonea, a girl with magical powers who does not know that she has them.
The plot: It is exciting, fast paced but extremely simple. There is very little politics and the number of characters leaves
nothing to the reader's imagination. You know who the bad guy is from the very start. Even then, it does not stop you
from reading on.
The characters: I would have to say that the characters are probably the best part of this book.
The writing style: I am uncertain what to say about the writing style. It is good enough and I read the book fairly quickly.
All in all, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I will be starting the second book today (which is when I finished this).
I would recommend this as a nice book to anyone who likes fantasy.
worth a shot. The book did not take long in terms of growing on me though it does feel like it is targeted at teens. The
story moves at a blistering pace and is based on the life of Sonea, a girl with magical powers who does not know that she has them.
The plot: It is exciting, fast paced but extremely simple. There is very little politics and the number of characters leaves
nothing to the reader's imagination. You know who the bad guy is from the very start. Even then, it does not stop you
from reading on.
The characters: I would have to say that the characters are probably the best part of this book.
The writing style: I am uncertain what to say about the writing style. It is good enough and I read the book fairly quickly.
All in all, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I will be starting the second book today (which is when I finished this).
I would recommend this as a nice book to anyone who likes fantasy.
Helpful Score: 4
Quick easy read with enough differences from others of this genre to keep it interesting. I enjoyed it enough that I will read the others of the series as well
Helpful Score: 4
The Magician's Guild is about a girl who unexpectedly comes into her magical powers. Sonea is from the slums, and most magicians in the guild are from the Houses, the caste of noblemen. Sonea is hunted by the magicians because they fear the danger she will pose to the city if she loses her power. This book is good read.
Helpful Score: 2
Classic story of poor girl comes into hero .. or magician in this case.
Still, the way the story play out is interesting, and well written.
The story is pretty predicatble, but enjoyable to read.
The ending leads to the next book in a convenient way.
I liked the story and writing style enough to continue the series, and would recommend it for anyone who enjoys a good story, even if it isn't deep in terms of story within a story, or twists and turns.
Still, the way the story play out is interesting, and well written.
The story is pretty predicatble, but enjoyable to read.
The ending leads to the next book in a convenient way.
I liked the story and writing style enough to continue the series, and would recommend it for anyone who enjoys a good story, even if it isn't deep in terms of story within a story, or twists and turns.
Helpful Score: 2
Very good story. I love the characters and the plot. This is a must read for fantasy fans!
Kristin K. (escapeartistk) -
Helpful Score: 1
As some other reviewers have mentioned, this book is probably more suited to adolescent and young adult readers. The plot, characters, relationships and writing are simple but also engaging, endearing, relatable and easy to follow. There is little-to-no depth, darkness, or true 'evil.' It's a fun, quick read, and were I a young adult, I probably would have rated it higher.
Helpful Score: 1
I picked this book up on a whim and what a treat it's been. The story is well thought out and keeps you interested far beyond it's own boundaries. It's one of those wonderful books that you simply can't put down until it's done...and then you wish you'd taken longer to savor it.
I really Liked the world the author created. Fun read
Elizabeth B. (grimreaper) reviewed The Magicians' Guild (Black Magician, Bk 1) on + 29 more book reviews
This is the first book I have read by Trudi Canavan. I really enjoyed it. I am looking for to the second book in her trilogy. I would highly recommend her to others.
Enjoyable tale. Easy to read. I will get the next one in the series. I haven't been reading much fantasy recently so it was fun.
Tom E. (ProstheticLips) reviewed The Magicians' Guild (Black Magician, Bk 1) on + 25 more book reviews
A quick read, good characters and a believable main character. A little sparse on the "mechanics" of the world / magic, but that is my own personal taste, coming from a science fiction background. All in all, a good start to a series, and a nice entry from a new author (this was Ms. Canavan's first published book).
Jolene O. (esmestohelit) -
I don't read a lot of Epic Fantasy. It's not that I don't enjoy it. I'm an impatient reader. I want action within the first few chapters. A proper epic fantasy requires quite a bit of set up. It takes a truly amazing author to keep my attention through 100 pages of set up. Canavan had my full attention at page 1 and kept it through the entire book.
The world building was phenomenal. No matter what part of the city the characters were in, I felt like I was there with them. I could clearly picture the rickety homes in the slums and the grandness of the guild. I could feel the damp of the underground tunnels. And the characters were brilliant. Sonea is one is one of the strongest and most likable characters I've met this year. If I had to deal half the things thrown at her, I would have been a blubbering mess of tears and snot hiding in a corner somewhere. She thought about the decisions she had to make. She didn't run into danger thinking she could over come anything. She knew she couldn't out run everyone, but she's be damned if she's go without a fight. She had just the right amounts of fear and braveness.
This is one of my favorite reads this year. I'm really glad I already have the next book in this series. I can't wait to find out what happens next. I highly recommend this if your looking for something similar to Harry Potter without all the teenage dramatics
The world building was phenomenal. No matter what part of the city the characters were in, I felt like I was there with them. I could clearly picture the rickety homes in the slums and the grandness of the guild. I could feel the damp of the underground tunnels. And the characters were brilliant. Sonea is one is one of the strongest and most likable characters I've met this year. If I had to deal half the things thrown at her, I would have been a blubbering mess of tears and snot hiding in a corner somewhere. She thought about the decisions she had to make. She didn't run into danger thinking she could over come anything. She knew she couldn't out run everyone, but she's be damned if she's go without a fight. She had just the right amounts of fear and braveness.
This is one of my favorite reads this year. I'm really glad I already have the next book in this series. I can't wait to find out what happens next. I highly recommend this if your looking for something similar to Harry Potter without all the teenage dramatics
I really enjoyed this book. I'm looking forward to finishing the series.
Jodi G. (Barroom-Psychologist) reviewed The Magicians' Guild (Black Magician, Bk 1) on + 38 more book reviews
Loved this trilogy, waiting for her to write more.
Brittany Q. (notebook-junkie) reviewed The Magicians' Guild (Black Magician, Bk 1) on + 81 more book reviews
I LOVE this book and almost don't want to put it on here.
great series!
Kristin K. (escapeartistk) -
As some other reviewers have mentioned, this book is probably more suited to adolescent and young adult readers. The plot, characters, relationships and writing are simple but also engaging, endearing, relatable and easy to follow. There is little-to-no depth, darkness, or true 'evil.' It's a fun, quick read, and were I a young adult, I probably would have rated it higher.
Bethany B. (Forevertiny) -
what the magicians guild has long dreaded has finally come to pass. there is someone outside their ranks who possesses a raw power beyond imagining, an untrained mage who much be found and schooled before she destroys herself and her city with a force she cannot yet contral
