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liketheverb's review against another edition
4.0
The Tethered Mage is an adventurous tale filled with memorable, complex characters, an engaging plot, witty dialogue, and the drama of courtly intrigue. Featuring an abundance of strong female characters, it is a breath of fresh air and a rallying cry in the current political climate. Caruso's writing is clear, concise, demonstrative, and poignant with an immersive and captivating plot to boot. A lesson in treachery, The Tethered Mage reminds you to trust your instincts and to keep your friends close and your enemies closer.
See my full review here: https://lesbookreviews.wordpress.com/2017/12/29/the-tethered-mage-my-review/
See my full review here: https://lesbookreviews.wordpress.com/2017/12/29/the-tethered-mage-my-review/
sashapasha's review against another edition
3.0
I really liked the politics and plotting in this book. The intrigue and world building reminded me a little of some of Tamora Pierce's later works.
Where Tethered went wrong for me was the characters, all of whom I found off-putting and as a result had difficulty getting into the book.
Particularly at the start, my impression of the characters was unfavorable:
Amalia: bland and deferent
Zaira: bratty and abrasive, a raging bitch most of the time
Marcello: subservient and too quickly enamored with Amalia
Domenic: meh
Ruven: ugh
Amalia's mother: interesting
Amalia grew on me a little as her character grew, but I never really warmed to the others.
Considering the rave reviews for the series I am considering picking up the sequel, but I'm also feeling pretty ambivalent about it so we'll see.
Where Tethered went wrong for me was the characters, all of whom I found off-putting and as a result had difficulty getting into the book.
Particularly at the start, my impression of the characters was unfavorable:
Amalia: bland and deferent
Zaira: bratty and abrasive, a raging bitch most of the time
Marcello: subservient and too quickly enamored with Amalia
Domenic: meh
Ruven: ugh
Amalia's mother: interesting
Amalia grew on me a little as her character grew, but I never really warmed to the others.
Considering the rave reviews for the series I am considering picking up the sequel, but I'm also feeling pretty ambivalent about it so we'll see.
corfie's review against another edition
adventurous
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? Yes
3.75
mommybookwyrmm's review against another edition
adventurous
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? No
5.0
beachybookstack's review against another edition
4.0
I picked up this book based on the cover & the construction of magic within the world. Mages controlled at childhood? Sounds interesting. For some reason, I didn't expect the sheer amount if political intrigue involved in the story. But hey, for reading the first 3 pages and purchasing? It was a solid positive experience.
Amalia isn't overpowered or unfortunately shy, she's essentially in training to take over what seems to be much like a Game of Thrones ish family. Being the Cornaro heir is something she is not yet ready for, or maybe she doesn't truly want, but it's her duty to pick up where her mother leaves off. La Contessa (her mother) is an illusive figure, I'm glad she wasn't the star of the show. She slipped in and out of the story like a good spy and mentor. Zaira is another story, she's clearly the counterweight to the elitism that runs their country. And yet she could burn it all down if she was not controlled by the jess on her wrist. She's salty, aggressive, roguesque.
There are a lot of great characters, but one thing bugged me. The author didn't let anything happen until I hit 80%. There were moments of "something is about to happen"/"explosion perhaps?"/"JUST KISS HIM YOU IDIOT"......Yeah, not a fan of having all that wait until the last 20%. But once things got rolling, they caught fire. So that's the end of that without spoiling anything.
I'm definitely going to read the next book.
Amalia isn't overpowered or unfortunately shy, she's essentially in training to take over what seems to be much like a Game of Thrones ish family. Being the Cornaro heir is something she is not yet ready for, or maybe she doesn't truly want, but it's her duty to pick up where her mother leaves off. La Contessa (her mother) is an illusive figure, I'm glad she wasn't the star of the show. She slipped in and out of the story like a good spy and mentor. Zaira is another story, she's clearly the counterweight to the elitism that runs their country. And yet she could burn it all down if she was not controlled by the jess on her wrist. She's salty, aggressive, roguesque.
There are a lot of great characters, but one thing bugged me. The author didn't let anything happen until I hit 80%. There were moments of "something is about to happen"/"explosion perhaps?"/"JUST KISS HIM YOU IDIOT"......Yeah, not a fan of having all that wait until the last 20%. But once things got rolling, they caught fire. So that's the end of that without spoiling anything.
I'm definitely going to read the next book.
readlikeitsmyjob's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
tvandoren's review against another edition
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
hebberelle's review against another edition
4.0
Definitely excited about this world the author has built. I really loved the way the society worked and hope the characters interact within it. Very unique!!
florishimself's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-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? No
4.0