The Novice

The Magicians' Guild ???????????????The Novice ???????????????

The Novice is a massive improvement on book one in the series, and I loved The Magician's Guild. The series as a whole are full of find memories for me as ten years ago they were the first adult books I ever read. They opened a door for me into adult fiction and fantasy fiction in general that I am forever glad I found.

I said in my review for book one of the series that while I loved the atmosphere of the book it was lacking in plot and made for a strong set up for the later books. I completely agree with this statement since finishing book two. The same atmosphere is present in this book, with added uneasiness and intrigue. The plot moves quicker than previously, and has slightly more complexity.

In fact, my only complaint in the entire book is the way a characters sexuality is handled. Spoilers ahead. One of the main cast is gay, but is revealed to have used magic to suppress these feelings as his sexuality is frowned upon in his home land. When he reaches magical exhaustion, he is no longer ‘healing' his feelings away and remembers his past. Honestly I feel this is a ridiculous way to handle the situation - homosexuality isn't something wrong with any person and should be able to be healed away. I think the author was trying to do something with the character, who remains a favourite of mine despite the blunder, that she simply did not properly consider when writing.


I'm giving this book ??????????????? regardless. It's a fantastic novel that balances a large cast well and gives each character plenty time as to build up familiarity with ease. There is a real sense of history withing the world, and there isn't any part where I feel exposition was laboured or obvious. I am fond of every character, even some I shouldn't like.

Finally the ending was just enough of a cliffhanger to make me desperate to read book three.