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majabwds's review against another edition
2.0
Sort of like Harry Potter set in the World of Warcraft universe with Pokemon-like creatures. But lamer. The whole time I was reading this I felt like I was being talked down to. The main character has world experience of a girl trapped in a tower. So when he goes to this school to learn how to be a battlemage he sees the injustice of the world i.e. the humans treating everybody non-human like they are trash. He's reactions are so cliched. Oh how horrible!! That can't be!! The whole book is so cliched and the moral of it is as subtle as a rock to the head. It feels like it was written for 9 year-olds. I think the only reason the story ended on a cliff-hanger was so that we would read the sequel. Which I will not. Because if I have to read one more super cliched bad guy line like "I am amazing. Everybody is beneath me. The dwarfs are trash! The Elfs are trash! Sub-humans!!! Fake nobles!! Look father!! A bastard!! How dare you speak to me?!?! I am so much better than you!" UGH!!!!
queenoferebor's review against another edition
4.0
When Harry Potter meets Pokémon and Dragon Age.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. So much that I'm already half-way through the second part. It is a bit on the younger side of the young-adult bracket, but it has a very interesting worldbuilding, and the magic system is particular enough to keep you engaged.
My only issue with this series (because the second book seems to be going down the same road) is that the characters are flat. They're either good or bad. Black or white, and there is no middle-ground. Don't get me wrong, it is refreshing to read a main character who is "special" without being pretentious, and who is genuinely a good person, but the antagonists...Oh, God. One of my biggest pet peeves are villains who are not fleshed-out, who do not seem to have any motivation behind ther villanousness except, well, being the bad guys. And in this book THEY ARE EVERYWHERE, right from the very beggining.
In a way, they highlight how wrong it is to be racist and a bigot. And they further serve as a criticism for how social classes work (hint: bad, very bad). However, they are superpainful to read because they are the archetypical bad guys, they are almost caricatures. You want to punch them in the face everytime they appear on the page.
Other than that, I recommend this book to anyone who likes fantasy and Pókemon, especially to those of younger age.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. So much that I'm already half-way through the second part. It is a bit on the younger side of the young-adult bracket, but it has a very interesting worldbuilding, and the magic system is particular enough to keep you engaged.
My only issue with this series (because the second book seems to be going down the same road) is that the characters are flat. They're either good or bad. Black or white, and there is no middle-ground. Don't get me wrong, it is refreshing to read a main character who is "special" without being pretentious, and who is genuinely a good person, but the antagonists...Oh, God. One of my biggest pet peeves are villains who are not fleshed-out, who do not seem to have any motivation behind ther villanousness except, well, being the bad guys. And in this book THEY ARE EVERYWHERE, right from the very beggining.
In a way, they highlight how wrong it is to be racist and a bigot. And they further serve as a criticism for how social classes work (hint: bad, very bad). However, they are superpainful to read because they are the archetypical bad guys, they are almost caricatures. You want to punch them in the face everytime they appear on the page.
Other than that, I recommend this book to anyone who likes fantasy and Pókemon, especially to those of younger age.
crosswarrior7's review against another edition
3.0
This book very much reads as a product of its time, if not earlier since I believe it was written much earlier and then published in part because of its internet popularity (don't quote me on that). It's not a bad book so much as very basic, both in its plot and in its writing. Nothing shocking, nothing that breaks the mold. Very typical YA Fantasy male protagonist who stands up to the bullies and is adored by the outcasts + has special circumstances. It's very telly, it's very fast paced, it's very surface level, so overall probably lower young adult target range.
All of this said, though, it's a fun enough book. It's a fun typical fantasy book. The magic system is well implemented, I liked the monster collecting sort of aspect (I'm a Pokemon/Digimon fan, and this tickled that fancy), I liked the demons. Was this book extremely formulaic? Sure. But that formula became a formula because it's a fun one, and Matharu executed it pretty well.
I'd read on, likely just because I really like the demon companion system (darn you, Pokemon fan side of me!) as well as the fact that this is one of the only book reads I will have in common with a friend of mine. It's a low 3 star though, probably a 2.5 rounded up. Nothing painfully wrong with it, though. It's just painfully YA Fantasy formulaic instead.
All of this said, though, it's a fun enough book. It's a fun typical fantasy book. The magic system is well implemented, I liked the monster collecting sort of aspect (I'm a Pokemon/Digimon fan, and this tickled that fancy), I liked the demons. Was this book extremely formulaic? Sure. But that formula became a formula because it's a fun one, and Matharu executed it pretty well.
I'd read on, likely just because I really like the demon companion system (darn you, Pokemon fan side of me!) as well as the fact that this is one of the only book reads I will have in common with a friend of mine. It's a low 3 star though, probably a 2.5 rounded up. Nothing painfully wrong with it, though. It's just painfully YA Fantasy formulaic instead.
booktallie's review against another edition
4.0
Taran Matharu creates an amazing adventure of magic, excitement, and imagination with his debut novel, The Novice (Summoner Book 1). Matharu started this crazy adventure participating in “Nanowrimo 2013” and creating Origins (Summoner 0.5) a prequel to the Novice and due to its popularity (over 3 million reads in less than six months) Matharu found himself publishing his novel with great anticipation. Little Tip you can download Origins from Amazon Kindle for free.
The Novice is about a boy named Fletcher who flees the village he calls home after an incident that would land him in prison, or worse, get him killed, but really it was self-defense. With what happens, he discovers that he has the talent to summon demons as familiars and ultimately lands up in Vocans Academy by choice; a school dedicated in training future battle mages for the centuries long war against the orcs.
Matharu does a remarkable job at world-building. He delves into issues regarding race and the subjugation of the lower class, both of which reflect on today’s society. People always disregard fantasy as pleasure reading, forgetting that you can enjoy a book and also learn something from it. Fantasy provides a range of space to conquer all sorts of issues, predominantly to provide social commentary, and I believe Matharu does a magnificent job in presenting the possibilities that fantasy has. The world-building doesn’t stop there though. It’s woven into the vivid and descriptive writing. You can envision the story in your mind with ease by how much description he provides. There was a sense of continuity, though out the book, flowing from one event to the next, one challenge to another more pressing one, making it so that the plot develops nicely as you continue reading.
However, the only thing I had a problem with was the sudden leap near the end. There’s a tournament that happens, but the chapter before it takes place several months before. I thought there could have been maybe a chapter or two to ease it in, but it’s not that big of a deal. What is, is the cliff hanger Matharu left us all with. I personally can’t wait for the sequel to this book.
*** Note to the Author –“ I just wanted to take the time a said Thank you so much for my signed copy of your amazing novel… You are truly a wonderful author!”
The Novice is about a boy named Fletcher who flees the village he calls home after an incident that would land him in prison, or worse, get him killed, but really it was self-defense. With what happens, he discovers that he has the talent to summon demons as familiars and ultimately lands up in Vocans Academy by choice; a school dedicated in training future battle mages for the centuries long war against the orcs.
Matharu does a remarkable job at world-building. He delves into issues regarding race and the subjugation of the lower class, both of which reflect on today’s society. People always disregard fantasy as pleasure reading, forgetting that you can enjoy a book and also learn something from it. Fantasy provides a range of space to conquer all sorts of issues, predominantly to provide social commentary, and I believe Matharu does a magnificent job in presenting the possibilities that fantasy has. The world-building doesn’t stop there though. It’s woven into the vivid and descriptive writing. You can envision the story in your mind with ease by how much description he provides. There was a sense of continuity, though out the book, flowing from one event to the next, one challenge to another more pressing one, making it so that the plot develops nicely as you continue reading.
However, the only thing I had a problem with was the sudden leap near the end. There’s a tournament that happens, but the chapter before it takes place several months before. I thought there could have been maybe a chapter or two to ease it in, but it’s not that big of a deal. What is, is the cliff hanger Matharu left us all with. I personally can’t wait for the sequel to this book.
*** Note to the Author –“ I just wanted to take the time a said Thank you so much for my signed copy of your amazing novel… You are truly a wonderful author!”
lenaoknihach's review against another edition
5.0
http://imoox.blogspot.cz/2015/07/ucednik-valecny-mag-spolu-s-demonem.html
kdailey86's review against another edition
4.0
4.5 stars. I love the group of characters in this story, Fletcher is now one of my favorite protagonists in a YA series. This book kind of gives a Harry Potter meets Pokemon vibe. I'm not a Pokemon fan, but I loved the idea of being able to summon a demon, and have it be more like a pet. The story is well written and I easily got lost in the world created between the pages. It was the ending that threw me! I literally shouted "WHAT!?", and that doesn't happen often! A very clever ruse to get me to buy the next book in the series...oh well, on to book 2!
snakeboba's review
5.0
Can I say this book took me by surprise? This has been on my TBR for a bit and was going to be an ebook purchase until I came across the paperback copy at B&N. What became a read out of interest with no real expectation has become my new favorite.
Full review can be found here:
http://daughterofinkandcoffee.blogspot.com/2018/09/more-lies-within.html
Full review can be found here:
http://daughterofinkandcoffee.blogspot.com/2018/09/more-lies-within.html
d3vilxl3gacy's review against another edition
3.0
Disclaimer that I'm an avid pokemon/digimon fan. This book simply had bad writing in my opinion. I really enjoyed the story and even though the world was cookie cutter fantasy it was decent enough for the story.
How to train your demon starts off way too slow for my taste but that's like 90% of YA fantasy nowadays as it is. Then it gets good, the Harry Potter vibes of the classes and making friends with the non humans were nice, too bad its bogged down typical human angst that always happens with nobility characters in these books. Then it just ends, abruptly, right after being "months" away from the finale with Ash Potter having that YA fantasy trickiness that nobody has ever thought of apparently. But then it doesn't end, but the books leaves off with a cliffhanger that isn't actually one since it's a trilogy and we all know nothing actually bad will happen to the main character.
Premise is my cup of tea but bland writing and horrendous pacing just ruined the book for me. I do plan of picking up the second as having stated, I enjoy the story and just hope the writing improves.
How to train your demon starts off way too slow for my taste but that's like 90% of YA fantasy nowadays as it is. Then it gets good, the Harry Potter vibes of the classes and making friends with the non humans were nice, too bad its bogged down typical human angst that always happens with nobility characters in these books. Then it just ends, abruptly, right after being "months" away from the finale with Ash Potter having that YA fantasy trickiness that nobody has ever thought of apparently. But then it doesn't end, but the books leaves off with a cliffhanger that isn't actually one since it's a trilogy and we all know nothing actually bad will happen to the main character.
Premise is my cup of tea but bland writing and horrendous pacing just ruined the book for me. I do plan of picking up the second as having stated, I enjoy the story and just hope the writing improves.
degroot_maartje's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.25
strawhatgucci's review against another edition
4.0
Just picked up this book on a whim because it was on the Barnes & Noble buy one get one 50% off and there was a book there a really wanted and didn’t want to waste a discount.
I was pleasantly surprised at the quality of this book. It is a really, really fun read. It obviously has it flaws. It isn’t a vast, epic tale that throws you around in every direction. It’s a fairly simplistic, linear plot that doesn’t take too many chances. However, I loved the “power system” of magic/demons, the characters were lovable and relatable, and I thought the dialogue between the characters was well written.
Overall, what you see is what you get with this book. It won’t blow you away but the story kind of sneaks up on you and I found myself just flying through the pages, smiling and giggling as I went along.
Definitely recommend to any fans of Pokémon (yes, Pokémon), Assassin’s Apprentice, and Harry Potter.
4/5 ⭐️
I was pleasantly surprised at the quality of this book. It is a really, really fun read. It obviously has it flaws. It isn’t a vast, epic tale that throws you around in every direction. It’s a fairly simplistic, linear plot that doesn’t take too many chances. However, I loved the “power system” of magic/demons, the characters were lovable and relatable, and I thought the dialogue between the characters was well written.
Overall, what you see is what you get with this book. It won’t blow you away but the story kind of sneaks up on you and I found myself just flying through the pages, smiling and giggling as I went along.
Definitely recommend to any fans of Pokémon (yes, Pokémon), Assassin’s Apprentice, and Harry Potter.
4/5 ⭐️