Mother of Learning

Mother of Learning is a fun, breezy read with an addictive timeloop narrative structure, but it's ultimately held back from being a great fantasy read due to its clunky exposition and a thin cast of supporting characters. While the central narrative conceit of Mother of Learning makes it easy to keep turning the pages, the process can feel like a slog when Nobody103 gets too caught up in the minutiae of the magic system and world they've created, often delivered in large chunks of dialogue that can't help but feel unnatural.

The real beating heart of Mother of Learning lies in Zorian, a protagonist who starts out as a constantly complaining bore and slowly transforms, loop after loop, into a caring and empathetic hero. How his relationship with his family evolves over the course of this first arc is a heartwarming development that caught me by surprise.

Overall an amusing and light read if you're looking for a fantasy world to escape into. Won't climb onto my favourite series list, but an entertaining ride nonetheless.