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A review by cspoe
The Mage on the Hill by Angel Martinez
5.0
I adore Angel Martinez, both as a person and author. Her writing is full of mythology and lore, humor, and heavy doses of humanity that inspires the reader to learn more and love more. Her books always leave me with a warm spot in my chest and an impressive hangover! The Mage on the Hill, though? I think it's the best Martinez title I've read to date.
The story is about a young man whose inability to control his magic is killing him. Tobias "Toby" Jones cannot find where he is meant to reside on the magic web of Arcana, which makes him a dangerous and unstable mage. At any moment he may literally explode with magic, and if the power he releases is strong enough, people will get hurt. A lot of people. Maybe even the entire city of Pittsburgh! Every guild has given up on helping Toby, leaving him to reside in hospice, drugged and unable to cast magic, until his body starves and dies.
The only hope Toby has of rescue resides within himself. He is unwilling to lie down, to give up, to let himself be killed humanely because the guilds are too afraid to deter from the rules and come up with an unconventional way to save his life. So Toby escapes the latest hospital he's ended up in and goes in search of a mysterious mage who was once known to help the "unplaceables." Darius Valstad has had his status with the guilds revoked after a terrible magical disaster that nearly destroyed Pittsburgh and left him disfigured. His reclusive behavior is interrupted when Toby shows up at his doorstep begging for help. He says Darius is the only man with the ability and knowledge and courage to help him find his Arcana before it's too late.
This story is full of self-exploration, both for Toby and Darius. The men each complement one another so well. Where one has a hole in their heart, having lost joy or belief after life beat them down, the other is there to help them rediscover the positive trait. There is a gentleness between them that begins as a teacher and student, blossoms to a friendship, and eventually blooms into a long-lasting, powerful love. The healing that these men discover, especially Darius, is beautiful. Darius is definitely on my list of Characters I'll Never Forget. He is complex and three-dimensional, and the way that Martinez built his personality, from the cocky, sure-fire professor, to a man who lost faith in life, to his second chance at happiness without belittling his trauma, makes him the sort of lead character authors should strive to create.
Everything about this book I recommend. The world building, side characters, May/December romance, and adventure will leave you aching for the next story in The Web of Arcana series. I do hope Darius and Toby return in the next book, even as cameos, simply because I selfishly love them. Brilliant urban fantasy and a hell of a read!
The story is about a young man whose inability to control his magic is killing him. Tobias "Toby" Jones cannot find where he is meant to reside on the magic web of Arcana, which makes him a dangerous and unstable mage. At any moment he may literally explode with magic, and if the power he releases is strong enough, people will get hurt. A lot of people. Maybe even the entire city of Pittsburgh! Every guild has given up on helping Toby, leaving him to reside in hospice, drugged and unable to cast magic, until his body starves and dies.
The only hope Toby has of rescue resides within himself. He is unwilling to lie down, to give up, to let himself be killed humanely because the guilds are too afraid to deter from the rules and come up with an unconventional way to save his life. So Toby escapes the latest hospital he's ended up in and goes in search of a mysterious mage who was once known to help the "unplaceables." Darius Valstad has had his status with the guilds revoked after a terrible magical disaster that nearly destroyed Pittsburgh and left him disfigured. His reclusive behavior is interrupted when Toby shows up at his doorstep begging for help. He says Darius is the only man with the ability and knowledge and courage to help him find his Arcana before it's too late.
This story is full of self-exploration, both for Toby and Darius. The men each complement one another so well. Where one has a hole in their heart, having lost joy or belief after life beat them down, the other is there to help them rediscover the positive trait. There is a gentleness between them that begins as a teacher and student, blossoms to a friendship, and eventually blooms into a long-lasting, powerful love. The healing that these men discover, especially Darius, is beautiful. Darius is definitely on my list of Characters I'll Never Forget. He is complex and three-dimensional, and the way that Martinez built his personality, from the cocky, sure-fire professor, to a man who lost faith in life, to his second chance at happiness without belittling his trauma, makes him the sort of lead character authors should strive to create.
Everything about this book I recommend. The world building, side characters, May/December romance, and adventure will leave you aching for the next story in The Web of Arcana series. I do hope Darius and Toby return in the next book, even as cameos, simply because I selfishly love them. Brilliant urban fantasy and a hell of a read!