The Magician's apprentice - Trudi Canavan

Taking place hundreds of years before the events of "The Magicians' Guild, The Magician's Apprentice "is the new novel set in the world of Trudi Canavan's Black Magician trilogy. 

In the remote village of Mandryn, Tessia serves as assistant to her father, the village Healer. Her mother would rather she found a husband. But her life is about to take a very unexpected turn. When the advances of a visiting Sachakan mage get violent, Tessia unconsciously taps unknown reserves of magic to defend herself. Lord Dakon, the local magician, takes Tessia under his wing as an apprentice. 

The hours are long and the work arduous, but soon an exciting new world opens up to her. There are fine clothes and servants and - to Tessia's delight - regular trips to the great city of Imardin.  However, Tessia is about to discover that her magical gifts bring with them a great deal of responsibility. For a storm is approaching that threatens to tear her world apart.

My thoughts:

So this is a prequel to the Black Magician books, but you can read it before, you can read it afterwards.

But yes it does remind me a bit of The Black Magician books. Character wise and story wise. It took the same path, but eh, I could still read it.

It's about Tessia who finds out she is a magician. She gets to learn magic and then the adventure really starts. Bad magicians on the move. War, death, loss. 

One thing I did not like was that suddenly after half the book (and this is a big book!) another POV showed up and I was all what? When did this happen? A half Sachakan (the bad guys) who shows us life there. Which was interesting, but even at the end I was all wtf is her point? There is no point to her story. Was is something I read in the BM series? God knows. 

Conclusion:

A good fantasy book. The story began and ended. That's rare so for once, yay, no more.

cover

eh

Paperback, 702 pages
Published April 1st 2010 by Orbit (first published 2009)
The Black Magician Trilogy 0.5
Fantasy
Library

The Novice / The High Lord - Trudi Canavan

Alone among all the novices in the Magicians' Guild, only Sonea comes from lowly beginnings. Yet she has won powerful allies—including Lord Dannyl, newly promoted to Guild Ambassador. But Dannyl must now depart for the Elyne court, leaving Sonea at the mercy of the lies and malicious rumors her enemies are busy spreading. .. until the High Lord Akkarin steps in. The price of Akkarin's support is dear, however, because Sonea, in turn, must protect his mysteries—and a secret that could lead a young novice mage deep into the darkness. Meanwhile, Dannyl's first order to resume High Lord Akkarin's long-abandoned research into ancient magical knowledge is setting him on an extraordinary journey fraught with unanticipated peril—as he moves ever-closer to a future both wondrous . .. and terrible.

My thoughts:

This book dealt with bullying and it was horrible reading at times. My heart really went out to Sonea. Kids can be so cruel! Taunting, physical abuse, they never stopped it just got worse. Oh how I wished she had thrown them off a roof. But anything she would have done would not have worked. Others believed the bully first. I hope he dies a fiery death.

Yes so the first year at the university for magic is hard. Not to mention that she must avoid the High Lord as she knows he likes black magic. Things will not be easy for her. 

Another character goes on a journey to look for hidden clues about the dark one, and here the book also addresses homosexuality. One country firmly opposed it, one country was not against it, but not for it either and a third he visits do not mind it. It was different. She sure brought forth some issues in this one.

Conclusion:

Still it was a light book that I could read fast.

Cover

Pretty sure that is a man, one would think Sonea could be on the cover

Paperback, 577 pages
Published July 1st 2004 by Orbit (first published 2002)
The Black Magician Trilogy #2
Fantasy
own

Sonea has learned much since she was but a penniless urchin possessing an awesome untapped ability. She has earned the grudging respect of her fellow novices and a place in the Magicians' Guild. But there is much she wishes she had never learned—what she witnessed, for example, in the underground chamber of the mysterious High Lord Akkarin . . . and the knowledge that the Guild is being observed closely by an ancient fearsome enemy.

Still, she dares not ignore the terrifying truths the High Lord would share with her, even though she fears it may be base trickery, a scheme to use her astonishing powers to accomplish his dark aims. For Sonea knows her future is in his hands—and that only in the shadows will she achieve true greatness . . . if she survives.

My thoughts:

How much can I say without spoiling it all? In this book we learn something big about Akkarin, Sonea's master. And something I did not see coming happened. I was all what?! Huh, ok I can deal with this. This is actually pretty good. Yes I went through some emotions here. And the end, that was the one part I did not like. It only made me sad.

Ok I am supposed to say anything? Something big happens...this is really hard. I can't say anything. Oh forget it all. I will try something else instead.

Characters: Sonea is good. I got surprised cos I started to like Akkarin.

Story. Like I said, big things are happening and there is quite the showdown.

Conclusion: I saw that there is another series about Sonea taking part like 20 years after this or something. I do want to read that one too. I'd like to see how Sonea fares :)

Conclusion

Good, light fantasy

Cover

In this one Sonea gets to be on the cover, but she is dressed like some kind of courtesan

Paperback, 531 pages
Published August 31st 2004 by Harper Voyager (first published December 18th 2002)
The Black Magician Trilogy #3
Fantasy
Own

Review: The Magicians' Guild - Trudi Canavan + new blog look

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.

My thoughts:

 I am not gonna say much, I have a fever (at the time when I wrote this, not now)  and I still want to finish this review.

It was a nice fantasy tale about a young girl on the run as she is discovered to be a magician. She is scared they will kill her. We do get to see the conflicts in society that way. Not all is well, actually some have it really crappy.

So we have a story about running for your life. I liked the main characters and after I finished I did want more. It seemed like a nice world and I wonder how it will turn out for Sonea.

cover

eh

The Black magican trilogy #1
Paperback, 467 pages
Published January 31st 2004 by Orbit (first published October 24th 2001)
Source: own

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You notice anything different? Take a look around, yes new blog look :D I have wanted a change for a while now but honestly I suuuuuuck at this kind of stuff, so I reached out to the angel who helped me in the beginning and several times afterwards and she listened to my ideas that were all over the place. So thank you Blog angel :)

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