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icecheeseplease's review against another edition
3.0
Overall good read, although I would have liked to see some better character development for the lead characters.
unapologetic_reviews's review against another edition
4.0
This is the first book I managed to get to the end of in a while. I’ve been in quite the funk. This novel is not perfect, but it kept me reading, so that’s a gold star.
This book is about two young women caught up in the intrigues and mysteries of a fantasy version of 16th century Italy.
The magic I really liked. Basically, there are people who as kids have these “mage marks” in their eyes, which is like central heterochromia. That is when around the pupil you have a ring of different colour. I actually have this. Why I hate surveys with eye colour. So I guess I’d be a mage in this world. Mages can have active powers like being able to command elements, or make plants grow, and then there are kind of scientists that can mix magic with machines, and people who make potions. So according to the author the basis of the story is this magic system, since obviously these powers manifest in little kids, and what do you do with them? Raverra – Venice – decided to bind their magic and make them live on an island with people they’re bound to. Their families can come too. Of course this situation may be good for some people, maybe not. If you’re a poor washerwoman and your kid is a mage, jackpot! You move into the fortress and you’ll never have money problems, your kid will have a job. For other people this may not be such a good thing. Especially because Raverra is in control of a whole Empire and everyone in the Empire has to take their kids to this one island in a foreign city. Yeah, major conflict.
So that’s pretty much the set-up. Now for the characters. They’re all pretty good and distinguishable. No one annoyed me too much. I DNF-ed a lot of books recently, because the lead just made me want to do stuff to her… and none of them good.
The story itself had a mystery, politics and romance. I really enjoyed the mystery, even though I figured it out before the reveal, and the politics was smartly written. The problem I had was with the romance. I know that’s kind of mandatory in most books, but I could have done without. Partly I wasn’t that well-written, the weakest part of the story, and it was kind of insta-love. Luckily it’s not that dominant in the story. In a way that part felt to me like the writer had as much enthusiasm for it as I do. Like someone said “you have to have a romance”. The writing itself is pretty good, though sometimes a bit lacking in details. I don’t mind much, because my ADHD brain can’t do long dress descriptions, but I felt like I was doing a lot of filling in. I felt it got better towards the end, so perhaps that evolved as the story went along.
I also have to make a note on the corset thing. Again, we have another story where whenever the heroine puts on a corset, she’s gasping and can’t breathe or eat. Please watch videos on YouTube from experts on this. This is totally a modern idea of corsets facilitated by several people in history. People who are experts on corsets, who made corsets and worn them can testify that the myth is untrue. Modern spandex is worse. Not that I ever wear them.
Overall, I’m going to go on with the series. I enjoyed this book and recommend it to people who like a fantasy story with strong female characters that are actually powerful.
This book is about two young women caught up in the intrigues and mysteries of a fantasy version of 16th century Italy.
The magic I really liked. Basically, there are people who as kids have these “mage marks” in their eyes, which is like central heterochromia. That is when around the pupil you have a ring of different colour. I actually have this. Why I hate surveys with eye colour. So I guess I’d be a mage in this world. Mages can have active powers like being able to command elements, or make plants grow, and then there are kind of scientists that can mix magic with machines, and people who make potions. So according to the author the basis of the story is this magic system, since obviously these powers manifest in little kids, and what do you do with them? Raverra – Venice – decided to bind their magic and make them live on an island with people they’re bound to. Their families can come too. Of course this situation may be good for some people, maybe not. If you’re a poor washerwoman and your kid is a mage, jackpot! You move into the fortress and you’ll never have money problems, your kid will have a job. For other people this may not be such a good thing. Especially because Raverra is in control of a whole Empire and everyone in the Empire has to take their kids to this one island in a foreign city. Yeah, major conflict.
So that’s pretty much the set-up. Now for the characters. They’re all pretty good and distinguishable. No one annoyed me too much. I DNF-ed a lot of books recently, because the lead just made me want to do stuff to her… and none of them good.
The story itself had a mystery, politics and romance. I really enjoyed the mystery, even though I figured it out before the reveal, and the politics was smartly written. The problem I had was with the romance. I know that’s kind of mandatory in most books, but I could have done without. Partly I wasn’t that well-written, the weakest part of the story, and it was kind of insta-love. Luckily it’s not that dominant in the story. In a way that part felt to me like the writer had as much enthusiasm for it as I do. Like someone said “you have to have a romance”. The writing itself is pretty good, though sometimes a bit lacking in details. I don’t mind much, because my ADHD brain can’t do long dress descriptions, but I felt like I was doing a lot of filling in. I felt it got better towards the end, so perhaps that evolved as the story went along.
I also have to make a note on the corset thing. Again, we have another story where whenever the heroine puts on a corset, she’s gasping and can’t breathe or eat. Please watch videos on YouTube from experts on this. This is totally a modern idea of corsets facilitated by several people in history. People who are experts on corsets, who made corsets and worn them can testify that the myth is untrue. Modern spandex is worse. Not that I ever wear them.
Overall, I’m going to go on with the series. I enjoyed this book and recommend it to people who like a fantasy story with strong female characters that are actually powerful.
huescolorsoflife3's review against another edition
4.0
Lady Amalia Cornaro is daughter to the most prestigious woman on the Council of Nine for the Serene Empire. An empire that has placed the mage-marked in a group called the Falcons to use their abilities to help the empire. Zaira is mage-marked but has been lucky enough to avoid being hooked into the Falcons until a fateful event leaves her and Amalia tethered to each other for life. Now the pair find themselves at the whims of the Empire as they try to figure out who is the traitor trying to start a war.
This book was amazing! It was everything I had hoped it would be and more. Zaira is portrayed amazingly. Her sassy mouth gets me every time. And Amalia shows the struggles of what it's like to be an adult. Being pulled in a million different directions and yet all you want to do is be happy, even though you technically can't afford or have that happiness.
Speaking of happiness. I wanted so bad to yell at the book multiple times. "Just kiss him already!" may have slipped out of my mouth a few times when it came to moments with Amalia and Marcello. This book was absolutely incredible and I guarantee that you won't be disappointed if you're into adventures and fantasy and magic and a little bit of romance!
*I received a copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*
This book was amazing! It was everything I had hoped it would be and more. Zaira is portrayed amazingly. Her sassy mouth gets me every time. And Amalia shows the struggles of what it's like to be an adult. Being pulled in a million different directions and yet all you want to do is be happy, even though you technically can't afford or have that happiness.
Speaking of happiness. I wanted so bad to yell at the book multiple times. "Just kiss him already!" may have slipped out of my mouth a few times when it came to moments with Amalia and Marcello. This book was absolutely incredible and I guarantee that you won't be disappointed if you're into adventures and fantasy and magic and a little bit of romance!
*I received a copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*
shalea's review against another edition
5.0
I looked at the blurb for this book and had originally passed it by because I'm really pretty done with yet another generic fantasy (even the twist of the falcon-falconer relationship wasn't enough to catch my interest). But I read Obsidian Tower on a whim, loved it, recommended it to a friend, and he came back and told me to read these books too.
And wow, this is so good.
People with power and people with none, people with good intentions and people with bad intentions, and the simple truth that there are very, very few simple truths in human interactions. Plus politics layered thickly over the top.
And wow, this is so good.
People with power and people with none, people with good intentions and people with bad intentions, and the simple truth that there are very, very few simple truths in human interactions. Plus politics layered thickly over the top.
tenaciousreader's review against another edition
4.0
Review from Tenacious Reader: http://www.tenaciousreader.com/2017/10/19/review-the-tethered-mage-by-melissa-caruso/#comment-13717
4.5/5 stars
The Tethered Mage was a very enjoyable read with an interesting magic system.
Individuals in this world develop a tell tale mage-mark (a ring on their iris) as they develop their magical ability. There are different types of abilities that may manifest and some display at a younger age than others. But regardless of ability, if a child displays the mage-mark, they must be enlisted as a Falcon. A “jess” is put on their arm to control their magic. The person who places the jess on the Falcon becomes their Falconer with the ability to turn on or suppress their magical abilities with a word. While the intent is to help the Falcons maintain control (because once they lose control, there is no turning back, they become consumed in their magic), it can also be seen as a way to control those with magical abilities and use them for the empire’s purposes. They become tools for the military. Naturally, this will create some dissent.
The story focuses on a pair of women joined together in an unlikely Falconer/Falcon relationship, something neither of them wanted or expected in their life.
Zaira is a fire warlock, one of the most dangerous and destructive types of mage. She is also unusual in that her mage mark was more subtle and she managed to go undetected until adulthood. The drama around integrating her as a Falcon, where she has to submit to certain rules and expectations is too much for a woman who has lived on her own, accountable to no one but herself. She takes “fiercely independent” to an all new level, and will not be “tamed” easily.
Amalia was raised as the heir to the most powerful woman in the empire and has lived a life of luxury. She has her own set of challenges after she by chance happened to be the one person who could place a jess on Zaira before her fire could threaten lives. Due to who her mother is, and her position as heir, she has the challenge of not appearing to belong or report to the Falcons, but also do her part as Falconer to Zaira.
The two women are quite different in so many ways, with starkly different backgrounds. Zaira has been a loner, lived on the streets and speaks her mind with no concern about appearances or etiquette. Amalia has been raised to be a master politician and has lived a life of luxury. One thing they do have in common is determination and strength of character. I enjoyed them both quite a bit.
There is definitely a romance in this, while at times it may have gotten a bit more wistful than I might have liked, overall, I did enjoy it. There is also a good bit of intrigue. Arden is on the verge of rebellion and determining who is pulling the strings and why is part of the fun of the book. Amalia has to figure out who can be trusted and what the motivations are for some of the events that are threatening to trigger a civil war, especially at a time when a hostile country is moving troops to their border.
Overall, I really enjoyed this one. Enough that if the next book was available, I would have wanted it right away. It had a great balance of characters, intrigue and magic and just left me wanting to read more.
4.5/5 stars
The Tethered Mage was a very enjoyable read with an interesting magic system.
Individuals in this world develop a tell tale mage-mark (a ring on their iris) as they develop their magical ability. There are different types of abilities that may manifest and some display at a younger age than others. But regardless of ability, if a child displays the mage-mark, they must be enlisted as a Falcon. A “jess” is put on their arm to control their magic. The person who places the jess on the Falcon becomes their Falconer with the ability to turn on or suppress their magical abilities with a word. While the intent is to help the Falcons maintain control (because once they lose control, there is no turning back, they become consumed in their magic), it can also be seen as a way to control those with magical abilities and use them for the empire’s purposes. They become tools for the military. Naturally, this will create some dissent.
The story focuses on a pair of women joined together in an unlikely Falconer/Falcon relationship, something neither of them wanted or expected in their life.
Zaira is a fire warlock, one of the most dangerous and destructive types of mage. She is also unusual in that her mage mark was more subtle and she managed to go undetected until adulthood. The drama around integrating her as a Falcon, where she has to submit to certain rules and expectations is too much for a woman who has lived on her own, accountable to no one but herself. She takes “fiercely independent” to an all new level, and will not be “tamed” easily.
Amalia was raised as the heir to the most powerful woman in the empire and has lived a life of luxury. She has her own set of challenges after she by chance happened to be the one person who could place a jess on Zaira before her fire could threaten lives. Due to who her mother is, and her position as heir, she has the challenge of not appearing to belong or report to the Falcons, but also do her part as Falconer to Zaira.
The two women are quite different in so many ways, with starkly different backgrounds. Zaira has been a loner, lived on the streets and speaks her mind with no concern about appearances or etiquette. Amalia has been raised to be a master politician and has lived a life of luxury. One thing they do have in common is determination and strength of character. I enjoyed them both quite a bit.
There is definitely a romance in this, while at times it may have gotten a bit more wistful than I might have liked, overall, I did enjoy it. There is also a good bit of intrigue. Arden is on the verge of rebellion and determining who is pulling the strings and why is part of the fun of the book. Amalia has to figure out who can be trusted and what the motivations are for some of the events that are threatening to trigger a civil war, especially at a time when a hostile country is moving troops to their border.
Overall, I really enjoyed this one. Enough that if the next book was available, I would have wanted it right away. It had a great balance of characters, intrigue and magic and just left me wanting to read more.
zsinjapropos's review against another edition
4.0
Amalia Cornaro is heir to a great family name, wealth, and untold political influence within the Raverran Empire. However, she has been content to leave most of the political machinations to her brilliant and ruthless mother, and concentrate on her studies of arcane magic. However, when a powerful fire warlock threatens the city of Raverra, Amalia finds herself drafted into containing the warlock's magic, and in so doing inadvertently becomes a "Falconer", tethered to the fire warlock and responsible for controlling her powers. Thrown into the middle of a political firestorm (couldn't help myself), Amalia must use everything her mother ever taught her to prevent a civil war within the empire she loves.
This was an enormously fun fantasy novel, and is the first in the new series. Surprisingly, this is also Melissa Caruso's debut novel. The story, while ostensibly YA, manages to avoid the pitfalls so common in the genre, and delivers an entertaining and suspenseful read. Caruso has built up an interesting and complex world, and her characters are lovingly crafted and more complex than one usually sees in the Young Adult genre. The book reminded me very much of Dragon Age, the Bioware RPG game (which from me is a huge compliment). I especially enjoyed the way magic is dealt with in Caruso's world, and the push and pull between Amalia, and her "Falcon", Zaira.
Fans of YA or the fantasy genre looking for a bright new talent should definitely pick up this book.
An advance copy of this book was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
This was an enormously fun fantasy novel, and is the first in the new series. Surprisingly, this is also Melissa Caruso's debut novel. The story, while ostensibly YA, manages to avoid the pitfalls so common in the genre, and delivers an entertaining and suspenseful read. Caruso has built up an interesting and complex world, and her characters are lovingly crafted and more complex than one usually sees in the Young Adult genre. The book reminded me very much of Dragon Age, the Bioware RPG game (which from me is a huge compliment). I especially enjoyed the way magic is dealt with in Caruso's world, and the push and pull between Amalia, and her "Falcon", Zaira.
Fans of YA or the fantasy genre looking for a bright new talent should definitely pick up this book.
An advance copy of this book was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
amybee's review against another edition
2.0
Maybe more of 2.5? The writing is consistent and it hits the YA fantasy beats well enough, but the entire concept of enslaved mages is hard to swallow...especially when it’s all from the perspective of the privileged owner.
erin_penn's review against another edition
4.0
I'm about half-way through so I thought I would write the review, that way I can't post spoilers.
I've been doing a lot of editing recently and while reading my mind keeps drifting off into editing mode to find something to correct, and there isn't anything. Good verbs, good nouns, nice flow of sentences and transitions. So pleasant.
A tad too much Chekhov's Gun - if something is introduced, you know it will be used. While the gold standard for short stories and plays, which need to be trimmed to the basics, novels should wander a bit, introducing non-essential side stories as red herrings, especially if the main plotline is a mystery. So far every little side bit glaringly is the Gun on the wall.
Plus side means everything you read and see in the story is propelling the story forward full-steam. Even side trips feed into the main plot.
And the story reads like an urban-fantasy/thriller with a dash of steampunk instead of what I expected which was a standard-fantasy/political-mystery. Every chapter ends on a note making your turn the page. Scenes are charged with action and tension, yet tease at the intellect with the mystery. Very nice balance.
Overall a very good story. I look forward to more in the series.
Finished reading the book.
So I am not really feeling the "theme" / "moral" of the story which is people should be given choices because the moral is only being applied to one person in the book.
I've been doing a lot of editing recently and while reading my mind keeps drifting off into editing mode to find something to correct, and there isn't anything. Good verbs, good nouns, nice flow of sentences and transitions. So pleasant.
A tad too much Chekhov's Gun - if something is introduced, you know it will be used. While the gold standard for short stories and plays, which need to be trimmed to the basics, novels should wander a bit, introducing non-essential side stories as red herrings, especially if the main plotline is a mystery. So far every little side bit glaringly is the Gun on the wall.
Plus side means everything you read and see in the story is propelling the story forward full-steam. Even side trips feed into the main plot.
And the story reads like an urban-fantasy/thriller with a dash of steampunk instead of what I expected which was a standard-fantasy/political-mystery. Every chapter ends on a note making your turn the page. Scenes are charged with action and tension, yet tease at the intellect with the mystery. Very nice balance.
Overall a very good story. I look forward to more in the series.
Finished reading the book.
Spoiler
And there is one thing which bothers me on a sociological level. Everyone is angry at how the Falcons don't have a choice in their lives once they are detected as mages. My problem is this society does not give ANYONE a choice. Our MC was declared the heir BEFORE SHE WAS BORN. Dominic dragged into politics because of his birth. The Falcon had an indentured servant contract when we first find her - and the Mews investigates to see if they need to reimburse the "owner". I interpret this as contracts like these do exist ON CHILDREN, even in a country without slavery. The technology and society being presented in the Italian Renaissance (a refreshing change from the Proto-Generic-Medieval of most fantasy) which rocked things away from the Feudal, everyone is things tied to one political entity (true person), but hadn't fully reached industrial age of people as individuals have value.So I am not really feeling the "theme" / "moral" of the story which is people should be given choices because the moral is only being applied to one person in the book.
pauline_mad's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
4.0