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4.26 AVERAGE
4.26 AVERAGE
adventurous
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
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A wonderful fantasy time-loop story that is greater than the sum of it's parts
Mother of Learning is a series that has come up quite frequently as a recommendation from fans of "progression fantasy" fans after I have thoroughly enjoyed Cradle and some lesser known works in the same genre. If you aren't familiar, progression fantasy is a subgenre of fantasy that features characters increasing in power and skill over time. For a very well known series that fits in this category, think Stormlight Archive.
This series started as a web-serial and was later converted into books, but unlike many web-serials it doesn't really read like one and if you didn't previously know this fact, you likely wouldn't pick up on it while reading.
I'm going to be somewhat critical of the book in my review as many of my review criteria get lower scores. However, this is a wonderful book that at the end of the day is just pure fun to read. And at the end of the day, isn't that really the most important thing when reading a book?
Story: 4/5
The story, without spoiling anything that isn't already on the back cover, is about a boy who is attending the first month of his third year in a mage academy. On the last day of the month, the academy is attacked by a foreign power and everyone dies. He suddenly finds himself right back where the first page of the book started and he is stuck in a time loop, where he has to live the same month over, and over, and over again. And each time he loops back, he keeps all his knowledge and powers from the previous books so he rather quickly becomes more powerful than everyone else his age.
The time loop is a story device that has been featured in several major movies, but not something I have personally read in literary form before. And as the time loops began I found myself thinking I was going to get rather bored of the constant repetition. But the author does a very good job of keeping things fresh and exciting. This is not just a book about the main character trying to figure out how to win this war, but it's about the mystery of why he is looping, how he can stop looping, and why this war is happening in the first place.
World Building: 3/5
The world building is fun and sucks you into the world, but it's extremely limited in scope with 95% of the book featuring the same location. And while I think it works for this specific story, it's definitely not a defining feature of this book like many other fantasy books.
Fantasy Elements: 5/5
The looping element in this book is very fun to read about and not something I have ever experienced in a fantasy novel. In addition, the cultivation of power throughout the loops is fun to watch, and the magic system utilized here - while not terribly unique - is a joy to read about. I think I'm a sucker for these progression fantasy type devices as a major fan of video games, but this book does a great job at exposing the reader to fun magical elements that are a joy to read about.
Characters: 4/5
For the first third of this book I would generously give the characters a 2/5 rating, as the main character is just an angsty teenager and his classmates don't get the necessary character development due to the plot device not allowing them to grow as people. But the main character takes a turn for the better as he learns more compassion throughout the story and he becomes quite likable. He also starts to develop deeper relationships with a large cast of characters and it's fun to read about these compelling back stories.
Writing Style: 3/5
The writing style here is not great, but is still passable from an enjoyable perspective. The author tends to write the adult characters rather poorly, and they all feel extremely similar to each other in terms of their demeanor and mannerisms.
However, the way he describes the magic - and the way he keeps things interesting with tight pacing is rather enjoyable.
Enjoyment: 4/5
I had a blast reading this book, and eagerly look forward to reading the next two books in this series. I would encourage any fantasy fan to give this book a try - but you need to read at least half the book in my opinion to really start to get a feel for what this story is trying to achieve.
A wonderful fantasy time-loop story that is greater than the sum of it's parts
Mother of Learning is a series that has come up quite frequently as a recommendation from fans of "progression fantasy" fans after I have thoroughly enjoyed Cradle and some lesser known works in the same genre. If you aren't familiar, progression fantasy is a subgenre of fantasy that features characters increasing in power and skill over time. For a very well known series that fits in this category, think Stormlight Archive.
This series started as a web-serial and was later converted into books, but unlike many web-serials it doesn't really read like one and if you didn't previously know this fact, you likely wouldn't pick up on it while reading.
I'm going to be somewhat critical of the book in my review as many of my review criteria get lower scores. However, this is a wonderful book that at the end of the day is just pure fun to read. And at the end of the day, isn't that really the most important thing when reading a book?
Story: 4/5
The story, without spoiling anything that isn't already on the back cover, is about a boy who is attending the first month of his third year in a mage academy. On the last day of the month, the academy is attacked by a foreign power and everyone dies. He suddenly finds himself right back where the first page of the book started and he is stuck in a time loop, where he has to live the same month over, and over, and over again. And each time he loops back, he keeps all his knowledge and powers from the previous books so he rather quickly becomes more powerful than everyone else his age.
The time loop is a story device that has been featured in several major movies, but not something I have personally read in literary form before. And as the time loops began I found myself thinking I was going to get rather bored of the constant repetition. But the author does a very good job of keeping things fresh and exciting. This is not just a book about the main character trying to figure out how to win this war, but it's about the mystery of why he is looping, how he can stop looping, and why this war is happening in the first place.
World Building: 3/5
The world building is fun and sucks you into the world, but it's extremely limited in scope with 95% of the book featuring the same location. And while I think it works for this specific story, it's definitely not a defining feature of this book like many other fantasy books.
Fantasy Elements: 5/5
The looping element in this book is very fun to read about and not something I have ever experienced in a fantasy novel. In addition, the cultivation of power throughout the loops is fun to watch, and the magic system utilized here - while not terribly unique - is a joy to read about. I think I'm a sucker for these progression fantasy type devices as a major fan of video games, but this book does a great job at exposing the reader to fun magical elements that are a joy to read about.
Characters: 4/5
For the first third of this book I would generously give the characters a 2/5 rating, as the main character is just an angsty teenager and his classmates don't get the necessary character development due to the plot device not allowing them to grow as people. But the main character takes a turn for the better as he learns more compassion throughout the story and he becomes quite likable. He also starts to develop deeper relationships with a large cast of characters and it's fun to read about these compelling back stories.
Writing Style: 3/5
The writing style here is not great, but is still passable from an enjoyable perspective. The author tends to write the adult characters rather poorly, and they all feel extremely similar to each other in terms of their demeanor and mannerisms.
However, the way he describes the magic - and the way he keeps things interesting with tight pacing is rather enjoyable.
Enjoyment: 4/5
I had a blast reading this book, and eagerly look forward to reading the next two books in this series. I would encourage any fantasy fan to give this book a try - but you need to read at least half the book in my opinion to really start to get a feel for what this story is trying to achieve.
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
medium-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:
Complicated
slow-paced
Took me two tries to really get into this and acclimate to the narrator. I like Zorian's personality and hope we start to see actual super-genius-talent as the story (and number of restarts) progresses. I also adored Novelty and hope this isn't all we end up hearing of her!
Poorly written female characters who are objectified by both the mc and most of the male cast.
This one has a special place in my heart. I don’t know when I first picked up on the web serial, but I remember keeping up on the chapters through college. It’ll always be a nostalgic reread for me. Great world. Interesting magic. Intriguing plot with mysteries to uncover. The way the MC slowly gains power reminds me of the best of lit rpg. Time travel done well.
The story starts just like any other start of Zorian’s loop, by his little sister pouncing on him. But this time, Zorian decides to get out of the city since he has no real reason to stay there anymore without the aranea. He also has a fear of Red Robe finding his family by tracking him to their home and killing them all permanently. Zorian assumes an adventurer role, working odd jobs to make a little cash and he grabs a firearm since like in the United States they are the easiest weapon to come by. It absolutely kills me how regular firearms have a fighting change against magic in this world, it brings amusement by being mundane and gives a scale of how powerful some abilities are. In these voyages he encounters the priest Alanic, who even though they have a moment where Zorian says ACAB Alanic scolds Zorian for not shooting innocent people in the back, he helps by finding out that Zorian has a marker stamped onto his soul. Zorian learns that this marker is what dragged him into the time loop, and acts as a tracking chip. With this part of his puzzle solved, Zorian goes on more adventures in strengthening his mind magic so he can open the memory packet from Spear of Resolve. This involves training with schoolmates and tracking down other aranea colonies. There’s really so much training that goes on in this book. Big training arc time. Finally after Zorian’s brain is big and juicy and wet he runs into Zach one more time and they learn the secret of the time loop, as well as some secrets that don’t bode well for their fates.