A review by theliteraryapothecary
Becoming a Druid by Mike Mollman

adventurous emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring lighthearted reflective tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

Book 1 in the Protectors of Pretanni series 

There was so much that I enjoyed in Becoming a Druid. Where do I begin? I loved the pacing, the tone, the characters, the world. I loved at least a little bit of everything. It was a fun time reading this and I'm glad that I have the other 2 books in the series to read as well. 

Spoiler Free Summary: (Taken from Goodreads) 

Grahme has wanted to be a druid for as long as he can remember. Talented but headstrong, he runs afoul of a despotic, mind-controlling mage during his initiation quest. The price of failure is death. Intrigue and distrust has turns his order against him. Haggard, hunted and without his magic, Grahme must make impossible sacrifices or lose everything, or worse, be banished. 

CAWPILE Breakdown: 

Characters: 8.5 - I loved almost all of the characters that we met along the way in Becoming a Druid. I wanted to follow all of them! (I was fortunate enough to help edit a few standalone companion novellas for Mollman in which we may follow one or two of the characters introduced here!) 

Atmosphere/Setting: 9.5 - Y'all I loved this Druid world so much! Every aspect of it I was in awe. 

Writing Style: 8 - I enjoyed Mollman's writing style. It was easy to follow; the pacing was good. Characters and setting were great (as already stated). There were high stakes but not too many. It was believable and also magical. Tense but also light hearted. 

Plot: 8 - I loved the idea of a student sent off an journey. One of my favorite tropes is the Teacher/Student trope. This book took that trope and turned it sideways. The student is sent on a journey to complete a trial (in a sense) to become a full fledged Druid. He must do this without his teacher, but while also remember what all his teachers have taught him. It was a great twist on the classic trope. 

Intrigue: 8 - There was so much intrigue in this. I had a feeling on the overall outcome in the end, and some things I had inclinations toward "what if this is happening..." type of things, but I never was 100% certain how anything would turn out and that kept me reading until the very end. 

Logic/Relationships: 8 - Everything made logical sense, even when it didn't at the moment - it was all revealed at the end and came to a logical conclusion. I loved seeing all of the different types of relationships that Grahme made along the way. 

Enjoyment: 8 - The more I read, the more I enjoyed Becoming a Druid and I look forward to reading more in this series to come. 

CAWPILE Total: 58/7 = 8.2 = 4.5 stars