Book Review: The Black Mage - First Year

 

The Black Mage

First Year

by

Rachel E. Carter

 

 

 

Description

 

Before the age of seventeen the young men and women of Jerar are given a choice -follow tradition, or pursue a trial year in one of the realm's three war schools to study as a soldier, knight or mage...

For 15-year-old Ryiah the choice has always been easy. Become a warrior and leave the boring confines of her lowborn life behind. Set to enroll in the School of Knighthood on the eve of her next birthday, plans suddenly shift when her twin brother discovers powers. Hoping that hers will soon follow, she enrolls with Alex at the Academy instead -the realm's most notorious war school for those with magic. 

Yet when she arrives Ry finds herself competing against friend and foe for one of the exalted apprenticeships. Every "first-year" is given a trial year to prove their worth -and no amount of hard work and drive will guarantee them a spot. It seems like everyone is rooting for her to fail -and first and foremost among them Prince Darren, the school prod-igy who has done nothing but make life miserable since she arrived.

When an accidental encounter leads Ryiah and Darren to an unlikely friendship she is convinced nothing good will come of it. But the lines become blurred when she begins to improve -and soon she is a key competitor for the faction of Combat... Still, nothing is ever as it seems -and when the world comes crashing down around her, Ry is forced to place faith in the one thing she can believe in -herself. Will it be enough? 

Review

  

After reading a glowing review of the second installment in The Black Mage series on Kariny's Teen Boox Frenz, I decided to look into the first book, The Black Mage - First Year. The description hooked me, the kindle version was on sale, and the stars aligned. I bought the book. 

I have this weird thing for characters that just can't seem to get anything right. I love a protagonist that fails time and time again, but wipes the dirt off and gets back at it. Maybe I can relate, or maybe I feel like the world needs more people like this. Either way, Ryiah and I got along great. She's resilient, headstrong, and a loyal friend. Best of all, she's not just some dumb girl. She knows what she wants and doesn't let anything distract her from her dream. Even with odds stacked against her, you can't help but believe she just might get her cloak after all.

She and her twin brother, Alex, head off to a magic boot camp disguised as a school for aspiring mages. Seriously, this stuff is like Navy Seal training with a bit of magic. The only problem is...Ryiah hasn't actually developed her magic yet! The story draws you right in with conflict and the dangerous journey they navigate just to get to the school.The teachers/masters seem to be working against students as they weed the lot down to fifteen apprentices for the Restoration, Alchemy, and Combat factions. The world is one fantasy lovers can easily fall into. I was intrigued by the military like structure in a castle setting. I wondered if I could keep up with the crammed schedule each student kept on a daily basis. Carter gave us a great look at how the school runs and the rigorous training it's students endure.

The story's main characters are very well fleshed out. However, I wish a little more detail had gone into some of the side characters. Towards the end, some classmates come into play that didn't have enough time in the story for me to remember them when their big moment came up. Ruth, previously mentioned once or twice, shows up and we are led to believe she and Ryiah are close friends. Ryiah claims she's known all along that a boy has a crush on her, yet I could barely remember him in any other scene. I had missed something. There just wasn't enough exchange between the boy and Ryiah to make it believable. These characters felt like an after thought and their page time was rushed. A few scenes, along with the ending, was a little predicable, (I mean, the second book is called Apprentice for goodness sake.) but were exciting nonetheless.

Except for a few minor details, I really enjoyed this book. There was a healthy balance between romance and adventure that kept the pages turning. Rachel E. Carter definitely has a knack for story telling and a flowing narrative. Don't be surprised if you see me post a review of The Black Mage - Apprentice and the third book, which the author is currently working tirelessly on.

4 Stars

       ****