Status
Available
Call number
Genres
Collection
Publication
ATOM (2005), Edition: Signed Edition, 480 pages
Description
Fantasy. Fiction. Science Fiction. HTML: "We should expect this young woman to be more powerful than our average novice, possibly even more powerful than the average magician." This year, like every other, the magicians of Imardin gather to purge the city of undesirables. Cloaked in the protection of their sorcery, they move with no fear of the vagrants and miscreants who despise them and their work�??until one enraged girl, barely more than a child, hurls a stone at the hated invaders . . . and effortlessly penetrates their magical shield. 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 must be found and schooled before she destroys herself and her city with a force she cannot yet control.… (more)
User reviews
LibraryThing member EffingEden
The first in the Black Magician trilogy, a coming-of-age tale focusing on a girl called Sonea, a commoner who’s power is so strong she is able to work rudimentary magic (something that hasn’t happened for hundreds of years, as magic must be unlocked.) The first novel follows her from the
This book came out clinging to the coat-tails of Harry Potter, though offers none of the action or humour. The style of writing is smooth – so much so I want to call it airbrushed. It is so carefully non-insulting it’s dull. Pleasant enough but there is nothing that throws sparks in the mind. Nothing that bursts with flavour. It’s also far too fussy at times. Ms Canavan for some reason can’t call an ox and ox. That goes for spiders, sheep, cows, wolves, rats and mice. It is so redundant when the animals are obviously things with familiar names.
There is also the issue with humour. I know not everyone can write it, I myself have a similar issue, but Ms Canavan disguises the fact in the most jarring, irksome way. Take one scene, where Sonea is spying on a lesson within the Guild. She can hear the teacher loud and clear, but when the students make a joke she can’t hear a word.
The male characters have some interesting points, but Sonea is very, very badly created. She is stupid but thinks herself clever, she is oddly reserved and polite for someone who grew up in the slums and she is uninteresting to the extreme. They all seem to be very hollow and 2D.
And then the culture. The city the book is set in apparently didn’t have organised thieves until fifty years or so before. It’s been standing for over 800 years, and the thieves only seem to hang out in the slums. Why, when no one in the slums have anything worth stealing? There is so much potential and it’s just fluttered at meekly. It’s so very frustrating.
For itself, the book is, well, boring. The chase doesn’t climax until over midway through and the rest is dedicated to persuading her to become a member of the Guild. It lacks plot and action. I have no idea what possessed me to purchase the entire trilogy. I seem to remember the next books being a vast improvement, which I hope is correct.
Characters: 2/10
Setting: 3/10
Plot: 2/10
Dialogue: 3/10
Overall: 2.5/10
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gutter, to a minor riot, to a cat-and-mouse game between herself and the magicians and then finally her inevitable capture. This book came out clinging to the coat-tails of Harry Potter, though offers none of the action or humour. The style of writing is smooth – so much so I want to call it airbrushed. It is so carefully non-insulting it’s dull. Pleasant enough but there is nothing that throws sparks in the mind. Nothing that bursts with flavour. It’s also far too fussy at times. Ms Canavan for some reason can’t call an ox and ox. That goes for spiders, sheep, cows, wolves, rats and mice. It is so redundant when the animals are obviously things with familiar names.
There is also the issue with humour. I know not everyone can write it, I myself have a similar issue, but Ms Canavan disguises the fact in the most jarring, irksome way. Take one scene, where Sonea is spying on a lesson within the Guild. She can hear the teacher loud and clear, but when the students make a joke she can’t hear a word.
The male characters have some interesting points, but Sonea is very, very badly created. She is stupid but thinks herself clever, she is oddly reserved and polite for someone who grew up in the slums and she is uninteresting to the extreme. They all seem to be very hollow and 2D.
And then the culture. The city the book is set in apparently didn’t have organised thieves until fifty years or so before. It’s been standing for over 800 years, and the thieves only seem to hang out in the slums. Why, when no one in the slums have anything worth stealing? There is so much potential and it’s just fluttered at meekly. It’s so very frustrating.
For itself, the book is, well, boring. The chase doesn’t climax until over midway through and the rest is dedicated to persuading her to become a member of the Guild. It lacks plot and action. I have no idea what possessed me to purchase the entire trilogy. I seem to remember the next books being a vast improvement, which I hope is correct.
Characters: 2/10
Setting: 3/10
Plot: 2/10
Dialogue: 3/10
Overall: 2.5/10
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LibraryThing member ed.pendragon
I began with the prequel to The Black Magician Trilogy as I hoped this would be a good introduction. Now I've finished the first in the trilogy proper I'm starting to get a handle on both the attractions and drawbacks of her books, her writing style and the world she has created.
The interest
Trudi Canavan's concept of magic is ingenious, and the creation of the several jeapardies that provide the impetus for the story is clever. She's created interesting characters for Sonea to react with and against, and by the end of the story I do want to find out the consequences of the twist in the tale that must surely follow in the sequels. However, much as it's clear that she has fallen in love with her created world and hopes that we have too, towards the end there is a sense that there is too much talk, ruminations as Sonea and others consider all the alternatives that may result from an action and the character traits of friends and enemies. This, like the prequel, is very much a 'talky' novel, and at times I would welcome more action and less discussion.
The interest
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centres on a young girl Sonea, who accidentally comes upon her magical potential after a confrontation with magicians. The story is largely taken up with her attempts to evade capture by the magicians of Imardin, a city clearly inspired by the geographical siting of Melbourne in Australia. It becomes clear that unless she is found by the magicians she is likely to be consumed by her magical powers, and it becomes a race against time to avoid the catastrophic release of all her magic. Trudi Canavan's concept of magic is ingenious, and the creation of the several jeapardies that provide the impetus for the story is clever. She's created interesting characters for Sonea to react with and against, and by the end of the story I do want to find out the consequences of the twist in the tale that must surely follow in the sequels. However, much as it's clear that she has fallen in love with her created world and hopes that we have too, towards the end there is a sense that there is too much talk, ruminations as Sonea and others consider all the alternatives that may result from an action and the character traits of friends and enemies. This, like the prequel, is very much a 'talky' novel, and at times I would welcome more action and less discussion.
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LibraryThing member souloftherose
I'd been aware of this fantasy series for a few years and picked this up from the local library. When I flicked through the book in the library the first paragraph captivated me and made me decide to read it:
"It is said, in Imardin, that the wind has a soul, and that it wails through the narrow
The story focuses on a slum girl called Sonea who accidentally discovers she has magical powers. In Imardin it is forbidden for an untrained magician to be loose in the city so the Magicians' Guild must track her down and either train her as a magician or block her powers so she cannot use them. However, the Magicians' Guild is traditionally made up of members from the ruling classes of Imardin and there are many who do not want to see a slum dweller become part of the Guild.
Trudi Canavan, in her first novel, has managed to create an intriguing fantasy world complete with intrigue, rival guilds and an exciting plot hook at the end of the novel to anticipate the rest of the trilogy. I particularly liked the characters she has created; some fantasy authors seem to write characters so annoying that they set my teeth on edge but the characters in The Magicians' Guild were wonderful. One reviewer wrote that they wanted one character (Rothen) to be real so that they could meet him and I completely agree.
I gave this book four stars and immediately went back to my library to grab the next in the series.
"It is said, in Imardin, that the wind has a soul, and that it wails through the narrow
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city streets because it is grieved by what it finds there. On the day of the Purge it whistled amongst the swaying masts in the Marina, rushed through the Western Gates and screamed between the buildings. Then, as if appalled by the ragged souls it met there, it quietened to a whimper." The story focuses on a slum girl called Sonea who accidentally discovers she has magical powers. In Imardin it is forbidden for an untrained magician to be loose in the city so the Magicians' Guild must track her down and either train her as a magician or block her powers so she cannot use them. However, the Magicians' Guild is traditionally made up of members from the ruling classes of Imardin and there are many who do not want to see a slum dweller become part of the Guild.
Trudi Canavan, in her first novel, has managed to create an intriguing fantasy world complete with intrigue, rival guilds and an exciting plot hook at the end of the novel to anticipate the rest of the trilogy. I particularly liked the characters she has created; some fantasy authors seem to write characters so annoying that they set my teeth on edge but the characters in The Magicians' Guild were wonderful. One reviewer wrote that they wanted one character (Rothen) to be real so that they could meet him and I completely agree.
I gave this book four stars and immediately went back to my library to grab the next in the series.
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LibraryThing member Calissa
This book started off on the wrong foot for me, with a contradiction in the first paragraph (is the wind howling because of what it sees or is it silent because of what it sees?). The next few chapters did little to improve my opinion. The characters were stereotyped and the description clumsy.
Having familiarised the reader with everything, it picked up a little bit. However, overall it remained a very unsatisfying read. The characters didn’t seem to develop much (with the possible exception of Cery). There was no explanation as to why Sonea wanted to go home so badly. And home to where, given that had been effectively destroyed in the beginning? Even setting that aside, the reader may have sympathised more if they’d been allowed to see more of what her life was like there. Instead we end up with cardboard cutouts of parents.
All in all, I feel that there are better stories out there waiting to be published.
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There were info dumps about how the world worked. There were words changed simply to make the world feel different—for example, ale became bol and there were substituted words for tea, coffee and troubl...more This book started off on the wrong foot for me, with a contradiction in the first paragraph (is the wind howling because of what it sees or is it silent because of what it sees?). The next few chapters did little to improve my opinion. The characters were stereotyped and the description clumsy. There were info dumps about how the world worked. There were words changed simply to make the world feel different—for example, ale became bol and there were substituted words for tea, coffee and trouble. Some very lazy world-building right there.Having familiarised the reader with everything, it picked up a little bit. However, overall it remained a very unsatisfying read. The characters didn’t seem to develop much (with the possible exception of Cery). There was no explanation as to why Sonea wanted to go home so badly. And home to where, given that had been effectively destroyed in the beginning? Even setting that aside, the reader may have sympathised more if they’d been allowed to see more of what her life was like there. Instead we end up with cardboard cutouts of parents.
All in all, I feel that there are better stories out there waiting to be published.
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LibraryThing member stefferoo
Trudi Canavan is an author I'd been looking forward to read for a long time. Thanks to my book hoarding habits, I found that I actually own the first books from both her Black Magician Trilogy and the Traitor Spy Trilogy and didn't know which to tackle first. Then I found out that the latter series
The book centers around the life of Sonea, a young vagrant girl caught up in the disturbance which occurs every year during the Purge, an event which expels all the city's poor, homeless, beggars and other undesirables from within its boundaries. Sonea sees a group of children trying to annoy the guild magicians in charge by throwing stones at their magical shield, and decides for fun to join in. In a moment of anger, however, the stone she throws somehow manages to pierce the magicians' protection, beaning one of them on the side of the head. Then everything explodes into chaos.
The Magicians' Guild immediately launches a manhunt for the little girl who so effortlessly foiled their shield spell, because it must mean she possesses magical ability as well. No untrained magic user can be trusted to roam unchecked around the city, for the results of that uncontrolled power can be dangerous for all. Not knowing this, Sonea flees and goes deeper underground with the help of her friends, but a time will soon come when she won't be able to escape anymore, neither from the magicians nor herself.
At first, I wasn't sure if I was going to like this. I spent a good chunk of the book wondering when the story will get to the part where the Magician's Guild and Sonea meet up with each other, so that they can finally get on to training her properly in the ways of magic. That's how these kinds of stories usually go, right? Then I realized that the hunt for her was actually the whole point for the entire first half of the novel, dashing any preexisting expectations I had for the plot.
Going to be honest here, the book still didn't quite hook me until the Magicians do eventually end up finding Sonea, and that was around the halfway mark. Everything that occurred before this point detailing the search and Sonea's struggle to control her magic felt like this huge, unnecessarily drawn out introduction, but the good new is, I started to enjoy myself a lot more. It's almost like, "Okay, now that all that's out of the way, we can finally get this show on the road." The conflicts in the plot started to get more interesting, and I found myself drawn to characters like Rothen, for whom I previously felt nothing.
It also wasn't until I finished this book that I heard this series had been re-marketed for the young adult market. If so, that actually made a lot of sense. Assuming that a YA audience probably wouldn't be as critical as I'm being, I thought the story and characters were strong but could have done with a little more depth, especially since a few sections of the plot felt thin to me and not very convincing. As general fantasy though, I liked this book well enough and I think it can be appreciated by all.
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is a continuing story of some of the characters in the former, which ultimately decided it for me. I always I prefer to read things chronologically and in publishing order, so The Magicians' Guild it is!The book centers around the life of Sonea, a young vagrant girl caught up in the disturbance which occurs every year during the Purge, an event which expels all the city's poor, homeless, beggars and other undesirables from within its boundaries. Sonea sees a group of children trying to annoy the guild magicians in charge by throwing stones at their magical shield, and decides for fun to join in. In a moment of anger, however, the stone she throws somehow manages to pierce the magicians' protection, beaning one of them on the side of the head. Then everything explodes into chaos.
The Magicians' Guild immediately launches a manhunt for the little girl who so effortlessly foiled their shield spell, because it must mean she possesses magical ability as well. No untrained magic user can be trusted to roam unchecked around the city, for the results of that uncontrolled power can be dangerous for all. Not knowing this, Sonea flees and goes deeper underground with the help of her friends, but a time will soon come when she won't be able to escape anymore, neither from the magicians nor herself.
At first, I wasn't sure if I was going to like this. I spent a good chunk of the book wondering when the story will get to the part where the Magician's Guild and Sonea meet up with each other, so that they can finally get on to training her properly in the ways of magic. That's how these kinds of stories usually go, right? Then I realized that the hunt for her was actually the whole point for the entire first half of the novel, dashing any preexisting expectations I had for the plot.
Going to be honest here, the book still didn't quite hook me until the Magicians do eventually end up finding Sonea, and that was around the halfway mark. Everything that occurred before this point detailing the search and Sonea's struggle to control her magic felt like this huge, unnecessarily drawn out introduction, but the good new is, I started to enjoy myself a lot more. It's almost like, "Okay, now that all that's out of the way, we can finally get this show on the road." The conflicts in the plot started to get more interesting, and I found myself drawn to characters like Rothen, for whom I previously felt nothing.
It also wasn't until I finished this book that I heard this series had been re-marketed for the young adult market. If so, that actually made a lot of sense. Assuming that a YA audience probably wouldn't be as critical as I'm being, I thought the story and characters were strong but could have done with a little more depth, especially since a few sections of the plot felt thin to me and not very convincing. As general fantasy though, I liked this book well enough and I think it can be appreciated by all.
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LibraryThing member twilightnocturne
Set in the fictitious town of Imardin, the capital city of Kyralia, "The Magician's Guild" by Trudi Canavan starts with a bang. It begins focussing in our main character Sonea, where she and her family are being driven away from their place in the slums. Each year the city streets are purged of the
During these purges, often times young gang members and Dwells gather around to throw rocks at the magicians in a form of protest. Though it usually does little good -- the magicians are protected by a magical shield, things soon change as our main character, young Sonea steps up to the plate. Forcing her anger and rage into the stone which she clutches so desperately; young Sonea broods with hate as she angrily hurls the rock towards a group of Magician's that gather nearby. That's when a real shock occurs; one that takes everyone by surprise, including Sonea herself. With the force of her throw and the will of her mind, the rock plunges straight ahead, breaking through the magical barrier; the invisible shield that was set in place -- the shield that no one could penetrate through without the use of magic -- a magic Sonea never knew she had. And in that moment, the rock hits Lord Fergun with great force, knocking him unconscious.
And this is where the story really begins.
"The Magicians' Guild" is a creative story that takes a few twists and turns. Not only is this novel about the wonder of Magic, it is also about self discovery, self control, love, friendship, and betrayal. The main character Sonea is easily likable, and even relatable to. Though the majority of the story is indeed compelling, I felt a few areas were a bit slow. I also felt that some of the other characters could have been expanded upon more -- given a bit more depth. Despite these small issues, I found this unique story to be an easy and pleasant read. One that kept me curious and engaged, even after I finished the last page. I've already picked up the second in the trilogy, and plan to start it right away.
All in all, if you like fantasy that is a bit *light*, with little violence and no sex, you'll enjoy this magical tale. "The Magicians' Guild" is a friendly read for people of all ages. It's a creative and original piece, written by a writer who clearly has a feel for the fantasy genre. I recommend this book to all who enjoy a good fantasy tale.
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the poor or lower class citizens (also referred to as dwells) by the magician's guild. Though most have no choice but to leave and find new homes, many refuse to go without a fight, hoping that they can force the magician's to let them be -- or at the very least make their point become clear-- that the dwells and slums are a part of Imardin, no matter how much they hate it.During these purges, often times young gang members and Dwells gather around to throw rocks at the magicians in a form of protest. Though it usually does little good -- the magicians are protected by a magical shield, things soon change as our main character, young Sonea steps up to the plate. Forcing her anger and rage into the stone which she clutches so desperately; young Sonea broods with hate as she angrily hurls the rock towards a group of Magician's that gather nearby. That's when a real shock occurs; one that takes everyone by surprise, including Sonea herself. With the force of her throw and the will of her mind, the rock plunges straight ahead, breaking through the magical barrier; the invisible shield that was set in place -- the shield that no one could penetrate through without the use of magic -- a magic Sonea never knew she had. And in that moment, the rock hits Lord Fergun with great force, knocking him unconscious.
And this is where the story really begins.
"The Magicians' Guild" is a creative story that takes a few twists and turns. Not only is this novel about the wonder of Magic, it is also about self discovery, self control, love, friendship, and betrayal. The main character Sonea is easily likable, and even relatable to. Though the majority of the story is indeed compelling, I felt a few areas were a bit slow. I also felt that some of the other characters could have been expanded upon more -- given a bit more depth. Despite these small issues, I found this unique story to be an easy and pleasant read. One that kept me curious and engaged, even after I finished the last page. I've already picked up the second in the trilogy, and plan to start it right away.
All in all, if you like fantasy that is a bit *light*, with little violence and no sex, you'll enjoy this magical tale. "The Magicians' Guild" is a friendly read for people of all ages. It's a creative and original piece, written by a writer who clearly has a feel for the fantasy genre. I recommend this book to all who enjoy a good fantasy tale.
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LibraryThing member MitchHogan
It took me a while to get into this book. Mainly because the first half was far too long, as we all knew Sonea would end up studying at the Magician's Guild. I couldn't see a point to dragging this out for so long and just wanted the story to progress.
The second half of the book was much better,
Overall a pleasant read.
The second half of the book was much better,
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but I do enjoy a good magic system and explaining how everything works more than most I admit. I wish the magic system was a little more complicated though.Overall a pleasant read.
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LibraryThing member riverwillow
I really quite can't make up my mind about how I feel about this book. On the one hand I loved the idea of the world that Canavan has created, even though it feels very derivative, and the idea that a girl, from the wrong part of town, can have magical powers. But on the other hand, I found the
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book quite flat and just misses the mark. Sonea's journey through the slums as she tried to elude the Magicians should have been exciting and interesting, but, because we'd been told that she'd die unless she was properly trained, and the only place to do that was with the Magicians, it just felt overly long and, frankly, boring. The other issue is that there's something missing from the characterisations as the spark that would bring them alive is missing, as a result, I couldn't even work myself up into caring for the villain, and usually the villain of the piece is the most exciting and charismatic character in the book, and the most memorable. It just feels as though if Canavan had written another draft that would’ve put the spark into the book. Show Less
LibraryThing member reading_fox
The debut novel from Australian novelist Trudi Canavan and very well written too.
Sonea, dwells in the Slums of the city, who's king commands the Magicians every winter to drive the disreputable from the streets. Each year the street children protest this practise by throwing stones - harmless fun,
The style is light easy and fast reading, but the main characters are well carefully drafted. The magical system is well thought out. The single most annoying facet is the way of attributing normal creatures made up names - 8 legs, spins webs, poisonous bite: sounds like a spider to me, but no it's a Faren - but the discription comes in dribs and drabs so that initially the reader doesn't know anything about them. This grates all the way thorugh the book.
The sequal is carefully set up - Who is the mysterious figure returning to the Guild dripping in blood? What is the role of the Thieves in the city? are the neighbouring countries as quitescent as they seem? Are the Guild really as bad as all that?
Sonea, dwells in the Slums of the city, who's king commands the Magicians every winter to drive the disreputable from the streets. Each year the street children protest this practise by throwing stones - harmless fun,
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as Magician's can shield themselves without trouble. Sonea so insensed at the injustice puts her anger into the throw and no-one is more suprised than she when her stone pierces the shield. Wisely she flees. The Magicians are not so amused and begin a desperate search of the parts of the city they never normally venture into, looking for her befor she gains or loses Control. The style is light easy and fast reading, but the main characters are well carefully drafted. The magical system is well thought out. The single most annoying facet is the way of attributing normal creatures made up names - 8 legs, spins webs, poisonous bite: sounds like a spider to me, but no it's a Faren - but the discription comes in dribs and drabs so that initially the reader doesn't know anything about them. This grates all the way thorugh the book.
The sequal is carefully set up - Who is the mysterious figure returning to the Guild dripping in blood? What is the role of the Thieves in the city? are the neighbouring countries as quitescent as they seem? Are the Guild really as bad as all that?
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LibraryThing member hypatia_lea
I'm amazed at how long it took for Sonea to be captured, and it really annoys me that the author doesn't make it clear how to pronounce the character's names, but by the end I felt like I wanted Rothen to be real so I could meet him in person.
I thought Sonea had an unusually strong grip on her own
I thought Sonea had an unusually strong grip on her own
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thoughts and feelings, and a very unusually strong sense of being able to stand up for her self, especially given she's supposedly only 15 (or 16 at the most)... I don't know many (or any) 15 year old young women who are rationally assertive without falling into self-doubts and other self-injuring behaviour. But that's the only problem I have with the story - I loved it!! Show Less
LibraryThing member Rainmountain
A fantasy Novel about magicians, rich people, slums and clichees.
A binding, fascinating story.
I'm sure some say, it's like so many others and others say, it's different.
I simply love them, am reading book Nr. 3 right now and am already regretting that it soon will be over.
A binding, fascinating story.
I'm sure some say, it's like so many others and others say, it's different.
I simply love them, am reading book Nr. 3 right now and am already regretting that it soon will be over.
LibraryThing member Clurb
Easy to read, fast paced, entertaining. I whizzed through this and enjoyed every page of it although couldn't quite reconcile myself to the fact that Canavan's Guild and Pratchett's Unseen University are two seperate enteties. Left some amusing images in my head though.
LibraryThing member mandochild
I'm not quite sure what to think of this one. The characters and plot are believable and fascinating. The level of detail is rich, making the world of the Magician's Guild seem very real and complex. Most of the time I was anxious to know what happened next. And yet, I found that I was frequently
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frustrated and wishing it would hurry up and move along. Perhaps the level of detail is too great and the plot development consequently too slow. I found that I was interested, but between readings I didn't really care whether I picked it up again or not. Also, I was very surprised that after being held captive in the dark in a confined space for several weeks, Cery was able to happily jog along behind the High Lord, not constricted in his movements or blinded by light, and even finding the means to trust the hated Guild members. After having been been believable for so long, he suddenly reminded me of Jo in the Famous Five, a bit like a slightly untamed puppy seeking approval. The lack of any serious consequences suddenly took the book to a different, "child's" level, a bit like old TV programmes where a person can be shot or badly beaten up and still keep on fighting regardless. Hmm - a strange mix and yet haunting in the quality of its "vraisemblance" most of the time). Show Less
LibraryThing member irishkitsune
This series follows the adventures of Sonea, a young woman who grows up in the slums of her city but later finds that she is a magician, a status that puts her above most nobility. This trilogy covers a lot of growth of the main characters as their lives are turned upside down by the revelation
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that peasants can be born magicians. It's really a good set of tales, and I probably would have rated it higher if the grand finale in the last book hadn't been so anti-climactic. Show Less
LibraryThing member FabulousandFeminist
Slightly slow to get into-very long, but definitely got me interested. Very clever just how many characters she got in there, sometimes a tiny tiny tiny bit obvious.
LibraryThing member nakmeister
After a few years break from the genre, I decided to try a new fantasy author and it left me wondering why I stopped reading these books. Trudi Canavan has written an excellent start to a trilogy, with an interesting world developing. It's not earth shattering stuff, certainly at the moment, it's
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easy to read and has a fairly simple storyline but it's very readable and enjoyable. It's made me eager to read the next in the series, something that I've not felt in a while. Recommended. Show Less
LibraryThing member rincewind1986
Set in a wonderfully created world, with beautifully crafted characters, the story, although a little simplistic to begin with is interesting and flows well. Canavan really draws you into the trilogy with the first if the books and you cant help but want to read more. The book runs far deeper thn
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just wizards and magic, Sonea (lead character) develops beautifully throughout the book and you discover so much about her as she discovers herself. A must read. Show Less
LibraryThing member guinevereanne
An ingredible book! One of my favorites!
LibraryThing member Tjarda
Sonea is just a girl, living in a society where it is good to be rich and not so good to be poor. Sonea is poor and lives in one of the poorest parts of the city. Then on the yearly Purge (a.k.a. driving the poorest people out of the city) she discovers that she has a gift. She is a magician and
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that is strange because only rich people can do magic stuff. And she discovers it by killing a trained magician. Suddenly a lot of people are interested in Sonea and next thing she know she is running for het life. Show Less
LibraryThing member Sinetrig
A fun, fast fantasy read! The book is plot-driven with just enough suspense to keep the reader turning the pages. The underlying premise is that "magic" is an energy/power within some people, and, that that energy must be controlled or its use will destroy the person and everything around him or
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her. This is the story's justification for the plot line of a government hunting down a young woman, Sonea, who belatedly had become aware of her "magical" energy. In movie-style and "24" style of flashing from scene to scene without any transition, the author achieves a sense of intense and immediate concern and action by both Sonea and her pursuers. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this story as it was written. Had there been more character development and more elaborate descriptions, it could easily have matched some of Dicken's works. Show Less
LibraryThing member Bonne
So much more could have been done in this series. I think she wanted to put a bit of everything in, so nothing is left out.
LibraryThing member MsKelly65
Good story; well-developed characters; interesting uses of magic mentioned; looking forward to reading the rest of the series
LibraryThing member justablondemoment
This book grab me from the 1st page shook me like a rag doll and I got the idea I better dig in this is gonna be one hell of a ride. There was just nothing I didn't like about it. Can't wait to read the next and hope it is every bit ...one more chapter, just one more..then I'll go to bed...as this
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1st book was..WOW what a way to kick off a career. Show Less
LibraryThing member MEMGTaylor
An age old story line where girl suddenly discovers she has magic powers. The main character Sonea draws attention to herself by inadvertently using her blossoming power during a purge carried out every year by the Magician’s Guild. The people of the slums actively dislike and mistrust the
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Magician’s Guild and many live in fear of them, after the Purge the story then relates how Sonea is kept hidden from the Magicians who are searching for her, the problems and fear that she faces as her burdgeoning powers start to become uncontrollable and highly dangerous. This is a book that I think many fantasy fans will enjoy, not too complicated, a very enjoyable read which you will be drawn into right from the start, the story line is intriguing, the characters very well written and likeable. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and am now starting the second book in the Trilogy Show Less
LibraryThing member lithicbee
For me, this book was an average fantasy read. It was a small amount of story (girl discovers magic powers, hides from magicians, decides whether or not to join Magician's Guild) decompressed into a novel-sized book. Much of the extra text went to descriptions of the setting and the back story of
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this universe, sometimes explained by the characters in a very exposition-y manner. The main character, Sonea, reminded me of a less proactive Lyra from the Golden Compass. She has potential to be interesting but mostly reacted to everything around her in this first book, or sat passively by while events beyond her control played out. I liked the characters and there is at least one major plot line that will probably be the backbone of the next two books, so I will at least check out the second book in the trilogy to see if the pace of this story picks up a bit. Show Less
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
2001-11
Physical description
480 p.; 5.35 inches
ISBN
190423366X / 9781904233664