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4.04 AVERAGE
4.04 AVERAGE
adventurous
funny
hopeful
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
mysterious
relaxing
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
relaxing
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Not overly complicated, basically a day in the life of a Wizard's butler. Very readable, even if it was a little slow at times. Looking forward to the next installment!
Honestly this was a great read, but I took an entire star off the rating for the terrible begining. There's no reason to have your main character be so gross that he's shown lavisciously checking out a woman five times in one scene. And then in the scene after that being a gross belching-after-beer dude-bro with his army pal. This is not just disgusting to read, but it also make this character growth feel very flat and one dimensional: before magic he's gross and mean but after finding his True Calling TM he's the most charming and caring man you'll ever meet. Don't give up on this one ladies! *Wink wink*
But aside from that terrible character choose most of this book is pretty great. It's a quiet Yale, full of making coffee, collecting laundry, and figuring out how to save an old man's life. It's lovely in it's simplicity. I am looking forward to the next installment.
But aside from that terrible character choose most of this book is pretty great. It's a quiet Yale, full of making coffee, collecting laundry, and figuring out how to save an old man's life. It's lovely in it's simplicity. I am looking forward to the next installment.
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
relaxing
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This is a great premise and the writing is good. The first half of the book is gripping. The conclusion was ok, but a bit of a letdown after a strong start. There appear to be some seasonal setting discrepancies starting about 2/3 of the way through... butler starts in the summer, hot weather is mentioned, then thanksgiving, but well after that there's a mention that leaves will be falling soon and the whole thing is supposed to take well under a year...? It is a positive ending but I kept waiting for a twist that never came.
Honestly, this was a 2 star read. I'm upping my stars to help authors out.
I read this cause it was recommended on r/cozy fantasy several times. Probably by the same person, LOL.
Very much a very, very low key slice-of-life book. IMO it needed a to be edited down to half its length. The installation of the computer/internet into the house took about 40-I-wish-I-was-kidding pages. We meet the system designer and the installer and they never show up again, so it was pointless detail which could have been covered in 2 pages, max.
And the many, many, many times we read about Mulligan getting coffee and snacks for guests was completely unnecessary.
Definitely low-key, low-stakes cozy with a fairly simple plot-line and obvious villain.
I got this book through California's Zip program, which is really cool! You can request any book older than a year. They order it from Amazon which delivers it to your house. You have 3 weeks to read it and must return it in its original package.
I read this cause it was recommended on r/cozy fantasy several times. Probably by the same person, LOL.
Very much a very, very low key slice-of-life book. IMO it needed a to be edited down to half its length. The installation of the computer/internet into the house took about 40-I-wish-I-was-kidding pages. We meet the system designer and the installer and they never show up again, so it was pointless detail which could have been covered in 2 pages, max.
And the many, many, many times we read about Mulligan getting coffee and snacks for guests was completely unnecessary.
Definitely low-key, low-stakes cozy with a fairly simple plot-line and obvious villain.
I got this book through California's Zip program, which is really cool! You can request any book older than a year. They order it from Amazon which delivers it to your house. You have 3 weeks to read it and must return it in its original package.
Felt like I was reading a list of chores. It tries to come off as cozy, but I've read instruction manuals with more heart than this story. It should also be a crime for a marketed as fantasy novel to have the word "wizard" in the title and have basically no magic besides quick mentions of people having vague "talents" and doors opening by themselves. The only character trait the main guy has is bringing up that he was "an EMT and military before that" like we didn't remember the first ten times he said it. The narrator was really solid though.
challenging
emotional
inspiring
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Roger Mulligan is a former combat medic with an EMT certification who wants a job without so much adrenaline. He’s looking for something with less drama. The employment agency sends him on an interview that meets his desire for a quieter life and requires his skills, knowledge and muscles. He is interviewed by the niece of an old man to be his butler—which means that he is a 24-7 live in caregiver, valet, chauffeur, cook, and generally runs his household. Joseph Shackleford has been accustomed to a previous person (deceased) who was called a butler so it would make it easy for the old man to adjust to someone new. The compensation package (room, board, use of cars, $5K per month and if he remains employed for one year, a $1M bonus) is too good to pass up. Besides how much trouble can an 80+ year old man be. They didn’t tell him that Shackleford believes he is a wizard, the gardeners are fairies and the housekeepers are pixies (you really don’t want to tick off the pixies). Add to that, his employers (the old man’s niece) is expecting Roger’s help to build a case for incompetence so that she can be named as his guardian and acquire control over his fortune. But Roger intends to make up his own mind about who is incompetent.
This is the first Nathan Lowell that I have read. It is also identified as the first of a new series titled “Wizard’s Butler.” This is a slow, slice of life urban fantasy with no violence or bloodshed on the page. The premise is interesting, the characters are likable and well developed and a fantasy without fireworks, danger or evil foes in sight. I was not sure what I was expecting with this one so I was surprised at how engaged I became with the characters, setting and plot lines of the book. I listened to the audiobook straight through and will be looking forward to other books in the series. Recommend to readers who enjoy urban fantasy, magic, cozy mystery, humor, paranormal and elderly protagonists.