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3.56 AVERAGE
3.56 AVERAGE
Whilst I still enjoyed this book, it really did feel too long. I feel like there could have been 150 pages less and we would have had the complete story.
The middle dragged, but I enjoyed the ending. I really appreciated the amount of hatred that Asher had, and that he wasn't willing to immediately forgive the betrayal that came to him. As much as I love it when everyone just gets along, it isn't realistic.
Essentially, I would say ignore the mixed reviews on this, and try it out!
The middle dragged, but I enjoyed the ending. I really appreciated the amount of hatred that Asher had, and that he wasn't willing to immediately forgive the betrayal that came to him. As much as I love it when everyone just gets along, it isn't realistic.
Essentially, I would say ignore the mixed reviews on this, and try it out!
Stopped at p. 213 and just couldn't start again.
It's hard to explain how much the meandering plot and putative protagonist's lack of agency have been driving me nuts with this duology. I got through the first volume, but I just can't take it any more. The timing is just all off and there have got to be books out there that don't feel like a slog to get through.
It's hard to explain how much the meandering plot and putative protagonist's lack of agency have been driving me nuts with this duology. I got through the first volume, but I just can't take it any more. The timing is just all off and there have got to be books out there that don't feel like a slog to get through.
Much better than the first part, but still felt like Karen Miller was finding her stride.
started off a bit slow and the end was fairly anti-climatic. enjoyable.
http://louiser89.com/2015/09/10/review-karen-miller-the-awakened-mage/
Completely mind numbing fantasy. The only thing I didn't like was the build to the final battle got repetitive and by the time the lack luster final battle happened I thought it didn't live up to the hype.
This book. Ah, what to say about Awakened Mage. I have so many mixed emotions with this story. So let’s start at the beginning with a brief summary:
Now that the Royal family is dead, Gar is the only one left, King by default and left with sputtering limited magic that was given to him by the Weather Master Durm who is currently possessed by Morg. Not that Gar knows his magic is limited or was given to him—instead he ‘s convinced he’s a late bloomer and all is somewhat well—or as well as can be, until the magic fades and then the meat of the story begins. (and there will be massive spoilers so, be warned)
First the good:
Asher: He’s a wonderful lead. I love how he has an accent and uses words like nowt and scumbling which really adds to his sort of backwoods nature. Even though he’s not the most well-educated, he’s hard working and does his best to support Gar doing his various duties as Olken Administrator. He is also realistically selfish in the beginning, not wanting to get in trouble for first seeing Gar preform magic and later performing the Weatherworking himself—since he has a great deal more to lose should things go wahooney shaped. I really loved to read about his interactions with most of the other characters, namely Gar, Matt and Pellen. Though, I don’t think his relationship with Gar is as strong as it was in the last book, which is understandable given the circumstances.
Gar: Gar is the one I enjoyed reading all the way to the end. Ultimately he was doing his best, for his people and for the Olken people. He wanted to continue his father’s legacy for others, not just for himself and was willing to bear the pain. Even when forcing Asher to do the Weatherworking, it was only because there was no other choice. Even betraying Asher in the end, it was for the good of the many Olken. His back was against the wall and he made the hard decisions and suffered for it. This is what makes him a strong king in my eyes. Yes, some things were regrettable, but he did what he did for the majority of the Olken who would have suffered greatly from Jarrault/Morg’s purge.
Matt: Matt was really enjoyable to read. He was the sensible one, much beleaguered and in the middle of things too big for him. I really appreciated his levelheadedness about things even when hurtful things were happening. Though I can’t exactly say I loved him. But I appreciated his character. I also really loved his interactions with Asher. Scant as they were you can really tell these men like and respect each other.
As for the story itself, for the most part it was enjoyable up to a certain point. The grieving was realistic and even when there were some moments of character stupidity in order to get the plot rolling (both on the heroes and the villains part) it was easy to look around and enjoy. And then we come to the bad. And when I say bad, I mean it made me want to throw the book against the wall. Of course this is all your mileage may vary, but, this is my mileage and my god, was it hard to sit through these parts.
Dathne: Oh lord this woman. This is going to be a rant in two parts. The first part reflects her characterization—which is not necessarily a mistake. That is to say, it’s okay to have supremely annoying characters and not everyone will like the same thing. But she was annoying as hell. She was manipulative, harsh, and in some cases just blatantly a dumbass. Also she was a know-it-all, letting her title as Jevalt’s Heir go to her head. She was okay to read in the first book but in the second every scene got harder and harder to read. But yes, she was annoying, fine. I could stand that. . .
If not for the romance subplot.
Oh my god. The romance subplot. Dear readers, I hated it. I loathed it. First and foremost, their great love came right the hell out of nowhere. There was no build-up. It was just love. Which can work, except that I didn’t see any reason that they should be in love. They didn’t have anything in common. They don’t talk about anything other than business or how much they love each other. They’re somewhat attracted to one another. I suppose because mostly they had zero chemistry and I felt like I was hit over the head constantly with:
They’re in love! Omg epic romance! Believe in their love! How tragic! How beautiful!
No. Just no. Sometimes I had to outright skim those parts. And some of the problem stems from that, again, all they talked about was plot related stuff or love. Also… and remember you’re under a spoiler cut—and this is either a big spoiler or a stupid spoiler or a little bit of both…
But one morning, Dathne feels sick to her stomach.
Guess what? She’s pregnant!
Oh man was I pissed. I don’t even know why. Other than it’s such a trope and cliché that it set my teeth on edge. But, you know, if the baby had some impact or purpose in the story—no…no none. Nothing at all. Dathnae stayed behind on the first foray into the city to rescue Asher. I thought, okay, fine. She’s pregnant. So wouldn’t want to get into a situation where she could get caught/tortured…
Except that she goes with Asher into the city when all freaking hell breaks loose and there are demons and shit. There was no reason for this pregnancy now. None at all. I don’t mind if it would have happened later but—just, it bothered me.
Though, on the flip side, one scene I really did like with them as a couple, was after Dathnae and Asher had made love (not their first time) Asher is sleeping and Dathnae wakes up and it’s snowing indoors because of some kind of subconscious power from Asher. That was beautiful. I really loved that scene and I almost, almost could buy them as a couple.
The relationship aspect was really the only thing that really really bothered me. The rest was tolerable and/or disappointing.
Morg: Not much to say here. He was conniving and failed sometimes which was interesting and a neat take. But in the end he was just a flat one dimensional villain, most of them were. Also there was this huge buildup where it would take time to tear down Barl’s wall but no—no it happened pretty easily. He was evil but just being evil especially for someone once human, doesn’t really cut it for me. I wished he had something else.
Asher’s Magic: Yeah I knew he was the Innocent Mage. I mean you knew from the first book. But I never felt that he was all that integrated with it. Except for the Weatherworking. I really love that scene with Gar in the tower where he’s Weatherworking with him. Or rather for him. Knowing all the symbols. That seemed really peaceful and natural. But then all of a sudden in the end he was calling up demons and warfire it’s just too abrupt and too easy and we never see really how that feels or how he feels about it.
Asher himself: He got really annoying by the end. It was one thing to be irritated with Dathnae because how do you discern between what is love and what is meddling because of the prophecy? But his loathing of Gar was just really annoying. Actually most of his yelling at Gar and wanting to pass the crown tosomeone else was really irritating. It was as if he didn’t understand there were other lives on the line than his own. Like it wasn’t his responsibility. I mean, yeah I get that he was afraid and he just wanted his boat but he never seemed to want to help others.
The entire end of the book where Asher is preparing to face and facing the big bad is way too rushed. People are killed for no good reason other than to…I don’t know inspire drama I guess. I don’t think it was really necessary and also I think it was told from the wrong POV. Asher is the one who has the power and responsibility for this. We should have seen it through his eyes, not Dathnae’s who shouldn’t have even been there if she was pregnant. I mean, I’m all for women going wherever they want and doing whatever they want within reason while pregnant but come on. You want to get the both of you killed? Even if Asher does save the day hes’ going to be devastated if you died.
I’m also really conflicted on Gar’s death. I think he blamed himself too much and reorganized things so that he would die as he should rather than Asher as he was meant to. But in the end, there is no need for a Weatherworker, so why can’t Gar be king? Why kill him needlessly? I guess Asher can’t die because he’s the hero but really I felt like Gar was the strongest character out of them all.
In the end, I would recommend this book. It’s not a good ending , but it’s a decent ending and the character relationships, for the most part, are fun. But I think it could have been so much better than it was.
A great ending to a two book series. I was very attached to many of the characters; I hated some, loved others, and like with all good books I find myself forgetting that the story was not the history of my own world. There were scenes where I wished more could have been written, but overall I rate it a 5/5. Karen Miller has never disappointed me yet. I will be reading her sequel series "Fishermen's Children" but not until I have both books in hand. If they're anything like the rest of Miller's books, then I'll want--and need--to read them back to back.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I’ve mentioned, once in a while, how David Eddings’ Belgariad was my gateway into fantasy. I read Papa Tolkien first, but it was the impressive heft of the first three Belgariad books in a single omnibus that ignited my Grade 7 mind with a thirst for more tales of wizards and magic and intrigue. I soon after started reading A Song of Ice and Fire. (I developed some nice upper body strength from lifting those tomes.)
The thing is, it’s marvellous that fantasy like Eddings’ books exists, because it’s exactly the sort of thing that switched on my pre-adolescent brain. But as I read more fantasy and start to become more familiar with its tropes, I look back and realize that his novels aren’t exactly the best that fantasy has to offer. Indeed, he admits it: he writes to a formula. And there’s nothing wrong with that, just as there’s nothing wrong with enjoying his novels. The same goes for L.E. Modesitt, Jr., whose Recluce novels kept me company on many a rainy day as a teen, but now that I’m re-reading them, I’m finding more to criticize. The books haven’t changed. I have.
It’s difficult if nigh impossible to read books in isolation from other texts. Indeed, I wouldn’t recommend it—we’ve cultivated a careful shorthand of allusions, Biblical and Shakespearean and otherwise, that to attempt to sever a book from other texts would leave it a mangled mess. So when I read a book, I’m reading it in the context of a journey—in this case, a journey in my understanding of fantasy as genre and what I, personally, want from fantasy novels. When I was younger, what I wanted was the adventure and the conflict: the terrible stakes in which a hero (who tended be a simple farm boy, or, you know, a fisherman), was forced to confront the forces of evil, who kind of wanted to take over the world.
As I’ve changed as a person, what I want from fantasy has changed as well. I’m not looking so much any more for megalomaniacal bad guys versus simple protagonists. I want fantasy that blurs the lines a bit more. In my review of The Mammoth Book of Short Science Fiction Novels, I wrote about how “this is an exciting time for science fiction and fantasy” with the diversity of new types of stories coming from a wider range of writers and voices. I’m really excited to dive into these diverse representations and discover aspects to fantasy that I heretofore couldn’t have conceived of as existing, let alone thought I would have enjoyed.
I’m blathering on like this instead of talking about The Awakened Mage for two reasons. Firstly, most of what I have to say about this would echo what I said of The Innocent Mage, and my first draft of this review was a sad set of disconnected ideas. Secondly, I feel like Karen Miller falls into the Eddings/Modesitt camp of fantasy. Again, I’m not trying to set up a false dilemma between that camp and the new wave fantasy … I’m just trying to explore why one used to satisfy and now I find myself drawn more towards the other.
I don’t know why this is split into two books. The obvious answer is that each book, individually, is too long—but as a story, it doesn’t need to be that long. I didn’t like how The Innocent Mage was long for how much seems to happen (or not happen) in it. These could easily have been condensed in a single, intense 600-page story about Asher’s awakening. Indeed, I’m having trouble regarding this as distinct from the first book, hence my difficulty compiling cogent thoughts on just this volume.
So let’s try to focus on differences. The Awakened Mage is definitely an improvement over The Innocent Mage. It’s snappier, with higher stakes and far more believable plotting. Miller’s characters finally know they have an antagonist to fight, and Morg manages to get them right up against the ropes before they are in a position to bring him down. Asher and Gar end up in a situation where they quite literally have nothing to lose and the kingdom’s survival depends on their willingness to fight to the bitter end. I’m somewhat disappointed we didn’t see Barl in the end. After Gar reads of her intention to transmute herself to immortality so that she could be around when Morg does return, I was sure that Miller was foreshadowing her presence at the climax. Nevertheless, she gives Asher and Gar plenty of things to do.
In the end, it is a little underwhelming how the confrontation between Asher and Morg plays out. Miller makes sure his role as the innocent mage is deserved. The people of Lur need someone who is not a part of the Doranen magical hierarchy, who is not blinded by its limitations and biases, to take on this impressive foe. Nevertheless, after spending some thousand pages all told on getting Asher into this position, she spends little enough time on the sorts of training montages that are customary at this point. As with the first book, the actual mechanics of the magic are far less specific than their presentation in A Blight of Mages. This is regrettable, since the system of magic that Miller has created for this world is among one of the best things about this series.
I like the continuing evolution of Darran. Asher and Gar’s hysterics continue to rankle, but Darran’s depiction deepens as he comes to appreciate the role that Asher plays as a trusted advisor. Similarly, Conroyd Jarralt is a little bit over-the-top as a villain, but he’s a good complement to Morg. I think to get the most out of Miller’s writing, you need to be willing to ignore the spikes of melodrama scattered throughout the story and simply enjoy the emotional highs that they leave behind.
I wish I could be more enthusiastic about these books. It’s always regretful when one doesn’t share in the enthusiasm for a series a friend recommends. But as much as Miller seems intent on employing some interesting types of magic and several useful fantasy tropes, The Awakened Mage doesn’t quite manage to awe me. Her stories can be enjoyable, but they lack that certain spark to intrigue or entrance. And this is very much a personal judgement on my part, based on where I am in my journey through the vast and winding landscape of fantasy. For others, this series might satisfy, but for me it echoes of stories gone by, and it leaves me wanting more beyond what it can offer.
My reviews of the Kingmaker, Kingbreaker series:
← The Innocent Mage
The thing is, it’s marvellous that fantasy like Eddings’ books exists, because it’s exactly the sort of thing that switched on my pre-adolescent brain. But as I read more fantasy and start to become more familiar with its tropes, I look back and realize that his novels aren’t exactly the best that fantasy has to offer. Indeed, he admits it: he writes to a formula. And there’s nothing wrong with that, just as there’s nothing wrong with enjoying his novels. The same goes for L.E. Modesitt, Jr., whose Recluce novels kept me company on many a rainy day as a teen, but now that I’m re-reading them, I’m finding more to criticize. The books haven’t changed. I have.
It’s difficult if nigh impossible to read books in isolation from other texts. Indeed, I wouldn’t recommend it—we’ve cultivated a careful shorthand of allusions, Biblical and Shakespearean and otherwise, that to attempt to sever a book from other texts would leave it a mangled mess. So when I read a book, I’m reading it in the context of a journey—in this case, a journey in my understanding of fantasy as genre and what I, personally, want from fantasy novels. When I was younger, what I wanted was the adventure and the conflict: the terrible stakes in which a hero (who tended be a simple farm boy, or, you know, a fisherman), was forced to confront the forces of evil, who kind of wanted to take over the world.
As I’ve changed as a person, what I want from fantasy has changed as well. I’m not looking so much any more for megalomaniacal bad guys versus simple protagonists. I want fantasy that blurs the lines a bit more. In my review of The Mammoth Book of Short Science Fiction Novels, I wrote about how “this is an exciting time for science fiction and fantasy” with the diversity of new types of stories coming from a wider range of writers and voices. I’m really excited to dive into these diverse representations and discover aspects to fantasy that I heretofore couldn’t have conceived of as existing, let alone thought I would have enjoyed.
I’m blathering on like this instead of talking about The Awakened Mage for two reasons. Firstly, most of what I have to say about this would echo what I said of The Innocent Mage, and my first draft of this review was a sad set of disconnected ideas. Secondly, I feel like Karen Miller falls into the Eddings/Modesitt camp of fantasy. Again, I’m not trying to set up a false dilemma between that camp and the new wave fantasy … I’m just trying to explore why one used to satisfy and now I find myself drawn more towards the other.
I don’t know why this is split into two books. The obvious answer is that each book, individually, is too long—but as a story, it doesn’t need to be that long. I didn’t like how The Innocent Mage was long for how much seems to happen (or not happen) in it. These could easily have been condensed in a single, intense 600-page story about Asher’s awakening. Indeed, I’m having trouble regarding this as distinct from the first book, hence my difficulty compiling cogent thoughts on just this volume.
So let’s try to focus on differences. The Awakened Mage is definitely an improvement over The Innocent Mage. It’s snappier, with higher stakes and far more believable plotting. Miller’s characters finally know they have an antagonist to fight, and Morg manages to get them right up against the ropes before they are in a position to bring him down. Asher and Gar end up in a situation where they quite literally have nothing to lose and the kingdom’s survival depends on their willingness to fight to the bitter end. I’m somewhat disappointed we didn’t see Barl in the end. After Gar reads of her intention to transmute herself to immortality so that she could be around when Morg does return, I was sure that Miller was foreshadowing her presence at the climax. Nevertheless, she gives Asher and Gar plenty of things to do.
In the end, it is a little underwhelming how the confrontation between Asher and Morg plays out. Miller makes sure his role as the innocent mage is deserved. The people of Lur need someone who is not a part of the Doranen magical hierarchy, who is not blinded by its limitations and biases, to take on this impressive foe. Nevertheless, after spending some thousand pages all told on getting Asher into this position, she spends little enough time on the sorts of training montages that are customary at this point. As with the first book, the actual mechanics of the magic are far less specific than their presentation in A Blight of Mages. This is regrettable, since the system of magic that Miller has created for this world is among one of the best things about this series.
I like the continuing evolution of Darran. Asher and Gar’s hysterics continue to rankle, but Darran’s depiction deepens as he comes to appreciate the role that Asher plays as a trusted advisor. Similarly, Conroyd Jarralt is a little bit over-the-top as a villain, but he’s a good complement to Morg. I think to get the most out of Miller’s writing, you need to be willing to ignore the spikes of melodrama scattered throughout the story and simply enjoy the emotional highs that they leave behind.
I wish I could be more enthusiastic about these books. It’s always regretful when one doesn’t share in the enthusiasm for a series a friend recommends. But as much as Miller seems intent on employing some interesting types of magic and several useful fantasy tropes, The Awakened Mage doesn’t quite manage to awe me. Her stories can be enjoyable, but they lack that certain spark to intrigue or entrance. And this is very much a personal judgement on my part, based on where I am in my journey through the vast and winding landscape of fantasy. For others, this series might satisfy, but for me it echoes of stories gone by, and it leaves me wanting more beyond what it can offer.
My reviews of the Kingmaker, Kingbreaker series:
← The Innocent Mage