What do you think?
Rate this book
The Black Magician Trilogy #2
The Novice
"Even if a magician's powers surface of their own accord, he will soon be dead if he does not gain the knowledge of how to control them." Alone among all the novices in the Magicians' Guild, only Sonea comes from lowly beginnings. Yet she has won powerful allies—including Lord Dannyl, newly promoted to Guild Ambassador. But Dannyl must now depart for the Elyne court, leaving Sonea at the mercy of the lies and malicious rumors her enemies are busy spreading ... until the High Lord Akkarin steps in. The price of Akkarin's support is dear, however, because Sonea, in turn, must protect his mysteries and a secret that could lead a young novice mage deep into the darkness. Meanwhile, Dannyl's first order to resume High Lord Akkarin's long abandoned research into ancient magical knowledge is setting him on an extraordinary journey fraught with unanticipated peril as he moves ever-closer to a future both wondrous ... and terrible.
577 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2002
About the author
Trudi Canavan
69 books6,491 followersTrudi Canavan was born in Kew, Melbourne, and grew up in Ferntree Gully, a suburb at the foothills of the Dandenongs.
In 1999 she won the Aurealis Award for Best Fantasy Short Story with “Whispers of the Mist Children”. In the same year she was granted a writers residency at Varuna Writers’ Centre in Katoomba, New South Wales.
In November 2001, The Magicians’ Guild was first published in Australia. The second book of the trilogy, The Novice, was published in June 2002 and was nominated for the Aurealis Award for Best Fantasy Novel. The third book The High Lord was released in January 2003 and was nominated for the Best Novel Ditmar category. All three books entered Australian top ten SF bestseller lists.
The Black Magician Trilogy reached the international market in 2004, published by HarperCollins’ EOS imprint in North America and Orbit Books in the UK. The trilogy is now rated by Nielsen BookScan as the most successful debut fantasy series of the last 10 years.
Trudi’s second trilogy, Age of the Five, has also enjoyed bestselling success. Priestess of the White reached No.3 in the Sunday Times hardback fiction bestseller list, staying in the top ten for six weeks.
In early 2006 Trudi signed a seven-figure contract with Orbit to write the prequel and sequel to the Black Magician Trilogy. The prequel, The Magician’s Apprentice was released in 2009 and won the Best Fantasy Novel category of the Aurealis Awards.
In 1999 she won the Aurealis Award for Best Fantasy Short Story with “Whispers of the Mist Children”. In the same year she was granted a writers residency at Varuna Writers’ Centre in Katoomba, New South Wales.
In November 2001, The Magicians’ Guild was first published in Australia. The second book of the trilogy, The Novice, was published in June 2002 and was nominated for the Aurealis Award for Best Fantasy Novel. The third book The High Lord was released in January 2003 and was nominated for the Best Novel Ditmar category. All three books entered Australian top ten SF bestseller lists.
The Black Magician Trilogy reached the international market in 2004, published by HarperCollins’ EOS imprint in North America and Orbit Books in the UK. The trilogy is now rated by Nielsen BookScan as the most successful debut fantasy series of the last 10 years.
Trudi’s second trilogy, Age of the Five, has also enjoyed bestselling success. Priestess of the White reached No.3 in the Sunday Times hardback fiction bestseller list, staying in the top ten for six weeks.
In early 2006 Trudi signed a seven-figure contract with Orbit to write the prequel and sequel to the Black Magician Trilogy. The prequel, The Magician’s Apprentice was released in 2009 and won the Best Fantasy Novel category of the Aurealis Awards.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,837 reviews
July 6, 2021
I now have a YouTube channel that I run with my brother, called 'The Brothers Gwynne'. Check it out - The Brothers Gwynne
“There's always a bit of truth in each rumour, the trouble is finding out which bit."
The Novice is the second book in the Black Magician Trilogy and it continued to be enjoyable like the first, presenting the protagonist with a whole new set of difficulties to overcome as they are placed in entirely new settings.
The Novice starts a while after the ending of book one in the series with an additional point of view. Most of the story unfolded in the Magician’s Guild that trains those who own the potential to pass the tests and trials that qualify them to become a magician. The storyline that was written in this location was interesting and pleasurable to read.
The other point of view was sent to different countries to uncover information about an ancient magic which may have been discovered. It sounds great but sadly this portion of the story was mostly boring due to many wasted travels and no introduction of new information.
The characters were once again well written and I thoroughly enjoyed the dynamics of each person that was presented though portraying the social hierarchy which is shown to be very important to both the magicians and novices who almost sum up to the entire cast.
So overall The Novice was an entertaining read that has ensured that I will continue onto the finale of the series despite the moments of boredom, but it appeared that those parts were purely to further plot, so hopefully the less interesting aspects will not be present at the conclusion of the series.
Find my first review on BookNest.Eu which is a more embellished version of my review of The Novice. Hope you enjoy https://booknest.eu/component/k2/william/1529-the-novice-black-magician-trilogy-2-by-trudy-canavan-book-review
“There's always a bit of truth in each rumour, the trouble is finding out which bit."
The Novice is the second book in the Black Magician Trilogy and it continued to be enjoyable like the first, presenting the protagonist with a whole new set of difficulties to overcome as they are placed in entirely new settings.
The Novice starts a while after the ending of book one in the series with an additional point of view. Most of the story unfolded in the Magician’s Guild that trains those who own the potential to pass the tests and trials that qualify them to become a magician. The storyline that was written in this location was interesting and pleasurable to read.
The other point of view was sent to different countries to uncover information about an ancient magic which may have been discovered. It sounds great but sadly this portion of the story was mostly boring due to many wasted travels and no introduction of new information.
The characters were once again well written and I thoroughly enjoyed the dynamics of each person that was presented though portraying the social hierarchy which is shown to be very important to both the magicians and novices who almost sum up to the entire cast.
So overall The Novice was an entertaining read that has ensured that I will continue onto the finale of the series despite the moments of boredom, but it appeared that those parts were purely to further plot, so hopefully the less interesting aspects will not be present at the conclusion of the series.
Find my first review on BookNest.Eu which is a more embellished version of my review of The Novice. Hope you enjoy https://booknest.eu/component/k2/william/1529-the-novice-black-magician-trilogy-2-by-trudy-canavan-book-review
March 13, 2020
The Novice (Black Magician Trilogy, #2), Trudi Canavan
Sonea begins studies at the Guild University as a Novice but her charismatic and influential classmate, Regin, sways the opinion of the other first-year Novices, turning them against her. Through various means (stealing a classmate's pen and putting it in Sonea's private box, setting out rumours of her having killed someone, among other things) he attempts to convince everyone, including the teachers, that she is little more than a thief and far below them in status.
Lorlen sends Dannyl, Rothen's former Novice, to Kyralia's neighbouring land Elyne as a second ambassador of Elyne, to follow the research Akkarin did as a young man, trying to discover where he learned black magic without letting Dannyl know what the research is for. High Lord Akkarin discovers that Lorlen knows of his secret (that Akkarin has used black magic), and by reading his mind finds that Sonea and Rothen also possess this knowledge.
Akarrin claims guardianship over Sonea in order to keep their silence and she reluctantly moves into the High Lord's Residence. Regin's bullying intensifies until finally Sonea follows an idea given to her by Lord Dorrien, Rothen's son, and challenges Regin to a duel in the Arena and wins. Sonea later witnesses Akkarin kill a Sachakan man, and he explains that the man was a spy sent from Sachaka to kill him, although Sonea doesn't know whether or not to believe him.
تاریخ نخستین خوانش نسخه اصلی: روز بیست و سوم ماه آگوست سال 2017 میلادی
عنوان: تازه کار؛ کتاب دوم سه گانه جادوگر سیاه، نویسنده: ترودی کاناوان؛
سونیا تحصیلاتش را در دانشگاه گیلد به عنوان یک تازه کار آغاز میکند، اما همکلاسی جذاب و تاثیرگذار او، رگین، نظر سایر سال اولیها را بدست میآورد و آنها را در برابر او قرار میدهد. این سری هنوز ترجمه نشده است. ا. شربیانی
Sonea begins studies at the Guild University as a Novice but her charismatic and influential classmate, Regin, sways the opinion of the other first-year Novices, turning them against her. Through various means (stealing a classmate's pen and putting it in Sonea's private box, setting out rumours of her having killed someone, among other things) he attempts to convince everyone, including the teachers, that she is little more than a thief and far below them in status.
Lorlen sends Dannyl, Rothen's former Novice, to Kyralia's neighbouring land Elyne as a second ambassador of Elyne, to follow the research Akkarin did as a young man, trying to discover where he learned black magic without letting Dannyl know what the research is for. High Lord Akkarin discovers that Lorlen knows of his secret (that Akkarin has used black magic), and by reading his mind finds that Sonea and Rothen also possess this knowledge.
Akarrin claims guardianship over Sonea in order to keep their silence and she reluctantly moves into the High Lord's Residence. Regin's bullying intensifies until finally Sonea follows an idea given to her by Lord Dorrien, Rothen's son, and challenges Regin to a duel in the Arena and wins. Sonea later witnesses Akkarin kill a Sachakan man, and he explains that the man was a spy sent from Sachaka to kill him, although Sonea doesn't know whether or not to believe him.
تاریخ نخستین خوانش نسخه اصلی: روز بیست و سوم ماه آگوست سال 2017 میلادی
عنوان: تازه کار؛ کتاب دوم سه گانه جادوگر سیاه، نویسنده: ترودی کاناوان؛
سونیا تحصیلاتش را در دانشگاه گیلد به عنوان یک تازه کار آغاز میکند، اما همکلاسی جذاب و تاثیرگذار او، رگین، نظر سایر سال اولیها را بدست میآورد و آنها را در برابر او قرار میدهد. این سری هنوز ترجمه نشده است. ا. شربیانی
December 21, 2015
The second book in this series and not quite as good as the first. I felt there was not enough content for the length of the book so it dragged a bit in places. As in the first one I enjoyed the characters although I did get a bit tired of waiting for Sonea to use her powers and turn Regin into the rat that he was. (Sadly she never does). Having said all that I read the whole book in record time so it must have had something going for it. And I still want to read the next one!
February 19, 2013
How PATHETIC did Sonea turn out to be in this book?
Again, the author drags part of the story, aka where Sonea gets bullied by some of the rich, spoilt novices, out for pretty much 2/3 of the book, needlessly I may add.
I only gave this two stars because throughout the whole book, whilst the style of writing is still appreciable, I found myself completely aghast at the pathetic, lacking in backbone and self-doubting creature that she turned Sonea into!
We are talking about a young, determined individual with a lot of potential for success, the HEROINE for goodness sake, who defiantly evaded the entire Guild of the best magicians in the world, during the first book....to be turned into this pathetic thing!
Pretty much the whole book was filled with passages followed by passages of self-doubting 'but if I did this then....on the other hand, why would it matter if they thought....what if I...'' questions and it just drove me nuts!
Cut out all this self thought passages for the characters crap please!
Again, the author drags part of the story, aka where Sonea gets bullied by some of the rich, spoilt novices, out for pretty much 2/3 of the book, needlessly I may add.
I only gave this two stars because throughout the whole book, whilst the style of writing is still appreciable, I found myself completely aghast at the pathetic, lacking in backbone and self-doubting creature that she turned Sonea into!
We are talking about a young, determined individual with a lot of potential for success, the HEROINE for goodness sake, who defiantly evaded the entire Guild of the best magicians in the world, during the first book....to be turned into this pathetic thing!
Pretty much the whole book was filled with passages followed by passages of self-doubting 'but if I did this then....on the other hand, why would it matter if they thought....what if I...'' questions and it just drove me nuts!
Cut out all this self thought passages for the characters crap please!
February 2, 2016
This read was okay. I'm literally on a fence as to what I'm actually feeling about it.
I like the characters in the book but found that the author drag out the storyline unnecessarily. I found myself getting bored frequently and that is a big No No when I read a book.
The heroine in this read also played the victim role way to long. I seriously reached a point that I didn't even care what happen to her as it was pointless.
My official rating is 3 Stars and I'll eventually finished the trilogy ( if only to see how it all ends )
I like the characters in the book but found that the author drag out the storyline unnecessarily. I found myself getting bored frequently and that is a big No No when I read a book.
The heroine in this read also played the victim role way to long. I seriously reached a point that I didn't even care what happen to her as it was pointless.
My official rating is 3 Stars and I'll eventually finished the trilogy ( if only to see how it all ends )
June 21, 2023
I don’t have any concrete proof for this, but I think that my “your-frontal-lobe-isn’t-fully-developed-yet-sweetie” 14/15-year-old-self rating this book 4 stars is the reason I now work in a mental institution.
They say nevermeet your heroes reread your childhood favourites, they were your CHILDHOOD favourites for a reason, but my oh my, must I have been starved, the way I ate this up as a teen. Now that I recently re-read the first book in the series (and rated it two stars) I reminded myself that this bitch isn’t a quitter, and I was curious whether the series would get any better because I remembered next to nothing from the sequel but somehow, this book was even worse???
And to think I was feeling benevolent when I first rated this two stars, only to remind myself a couple of hours later that I have to keep up my reputation as a stone-cold reviewer who is not so easily swayed and who will take serious convincing and a reason to overlook heaping piles of garbage, so 1 star it is. When they go low, we go lower. 🫶🏻💖
After the events of book #1, we find Sonea as a newly minted apprentice of the Guild and under the guardianship and guidance of her former mentor Rothen. The transition isn’t easy, however, since Sonea’s upbringing and her rapidly growing power make her an outsider from the get-go. So much so, that a group of especially nasty students under the leadership of Regin, one of Sonea’s classmates, make it their mission to bully Sonea day in, day out. All in the hopes of getting her to quit.
Besties, if you think that this doesn’t sound overly exciting, let me tell you, it isn’t. Another reviewer said to think of this as what a Harry Potter novel would look like if it was only about the Harry vs. Draco struggle. Except for the fact that, unlike Harry, Sonea is such a fucking push-over, you could tell this girl to go unalive herself, and she would probably rather do that than ask for help. This is no longer live, love, laugh - this is taunt, torment, tyrannize. I swear to the Lord, more than TWO-THIRDS of this book are entirely about Sonea being bullied by her classmates, accepting everything that is thrown at her without fighting back OR asking for help, literally TRANSFERRING classes, only to experience the same circus all over again.
Sonea was in a gang, girl lived in the slums and is an amazing pickpocket, and yet she bends BACKWARDS for whatever foggy reasons in trying to avoid fighting Regin back. And Regin is so one-dimensional, too. He is rich, spoiled, and a brat, like how many seconds did the author actually invest in creating this character? My iPhone’s charger is more complex in its open hostility towards me than Regin is.
It's giving high school jocks bullying the main character in a 2000 teen movie.
If there was a convention for cringiest writing, Trudi Canavan would have won the main prize.
When Sonea continues trying to keep Regin’s bullying a secret, and one of the Magicians finds out but doesn’t tell anyone, she thinks “so she guessed he had respected her request to keep silent. Unfortunately, this would only give Regin’s allies more confidence that they could harass her and get away with it.”
NO SHIT; GIRL, THAT’S WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU DON’T TELL ANYONE WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU NEED A BRAIN TRANSPLANT OH MY GOD.
When I tell you that the book’s grand finale is just a fight between Sonea and Regin that a different character even had to suggest to her because otherwise, she wouldn’t have thought of it herself, better believe me, I’m not joking. Finally, she can legally challenge Regin without going against the Guild’s rules! Because reacting to his bullying and attacks would have been illegal!! Once she’s challenged Regin to duel though, push-me!-bully-me! Sonea gets cold feet, thinking “if she put up with him long enough, he might grow bored with her.” Yeah, girl, you've been thinking that for the better part of a year, the fact this keeps going on should make you think some more.
Regardless of the message Sonea’s indifference to her being bullied sends, this shit was PATHETIC. Even the teachers who do know don’t do anything. Sonea’s friends, especially Rothen, don’t do anything. This is a book of willing victims and its worth couldn’t buy you a postage stamp.
There is another storyline (yes, I lied, there’s a tiny bit more to this book than Sonea rolling over every other minute) unfolding in parallel. Rothen’s former apprentice, Dannyl, whom we met in book 1, is named Ambassador of Kyralia and sent to a neighbouring country with a secret mission. During his travels, he gets to know Tayend, a ‘lad’ (he is, you know 💅🏼✨), and slowly begins to realise that he, too, is a G-A-Y, though a suppressed one.
The way homosexuality is handled in this book isn’t tone-deaf, but it’s old-fashioned in the “but at home they’re not as tolerant” “we just need to be more tolerant” “it’s sad lads are seen this way; if our society was only more tolerant” way. I enjoyed the slow-burn romance but AT WHAT COST? Of course I enjoyed it, it’s a queer romance but like the rest of the novel, it’s so utterly dry and devoid of any emotion or high stakes, I almost felt like I was reading about sandbags rather than people. And all THAT during Pride Month? 🏳️🌈 Homophobia is rampant indeed. 😮💨
The writing style hasn’t improved either. It’s still very simplistic; it reads as almost childish. Not a single scene that, if you described it to someone else, would have been exciting or suspenseful, represented those two words in any way. The characters come across as almost feeling nothing at all because the author just can’t manage writing realistic and engaging inner POVs. It’s almost funny if it wasn’t so pathetic.
All in all, this nearly 600-pages-long book was 550 pages too long. Abort, delete, yeet into space, put on a fire, pour petrol over it.
They say never
And to think I was feeling benevolent when I first rated this two stars, only to remind myself a couple of hours later that I have to keep up my reputation as a stone-cold reviewer who is not so easily swayed and who will take serious convincing and a reason to overlook heaping piles of garbage, so 1 star it is. When they go low, we go lower. 🫶🏻💖
After the events of book #1, we find Sonea as a newly minted apprentice of the Guild and under the guardianship and guidance of her former mentor Rothen. The transition isn’t easy, however, since Sonea’s upbringing and her rapidly growing power make her an outsider from the get-go. So much so, that a group of especially nasty students under the leadership of Regin, one of Sonea’s classmates, make it their mission to bully Sonea day in, day out. All in the hopes of getting her to quit.
Besties, if you think that this doesn’t sound overly exciting, let me tell you, it isn’t. Another reviewer said to think of this as what a Harry Potter novel would look like if it was only about the Harry vs. Draco struggle. Except for the fact that, unlike Harry, Sonea is such a fucking push-over, you could tell this girl to go unalive herself, and she would probably rather do that than ask for help. This is no longer live, love, laugh - this is taunt, torment, tyrannize. I swear to the Lord, more than TWO-THIRDS of this book are entirely about Sonea being bullied by her classmates, accepting everything that is thrown at her without fighting back OR asking for help, literally TRANSFERRING classes, only to experience the same circus all over again.
Sonea was in a gang, girl lived in the slums and is an amazing pickpocket, and yet she bends BACKWARDS for whatever foggy reasons in trying to avoid fighting Regin back. And Regin is so one-dimensional, too. He is rich, spoiled, and a brat, like how many seconds did the author actually invest in creating this character? My iPhone’s charger is more complex in its open hostility towards me than Regin is.
“Were you ignoring us, slum girl?” Regin asked. “That’s very rude, but I guess we can’t expect you to have any manners, can we?” They encircled her. She glanced around at the grinning faces. Hugging her books closer to her body, she stepped forward and pushed her shoulder between Issle and Alend to break free from the ring of bodies. Hands reached out, grabbed her shoulders, and yanked her back into the middle. Surprised, she felt growing dread.”
It's giving high school jocks bullying the main character in a 2000 teen movie.
“Did you hear that? She thinks we’re not worthy of the High Lord’s attention. The best of the Houses, and she a mere slum girl? So let’s show her who’s worthy. Come on.”
If there was a convention for cringiest writing, Trudi Canavan would have won the main prize.
When Sonea continues trying to keep Regin’s bullying a secret, and one of the Magicians finds out but doesn’t tell anyone, she thinks “so she guessed he had respected her request to keep silent. Unfortunately, this would only give Regin’s allies more confidence that they could harass her and get away with it.”
NO SHIT; GIRL, THAT’S WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU DON’T TELL ANYONE WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU NEED A BRAIN TRANSPLANT OH MY GOD.
When I tell you that the book’s grand finale is just a fight between Sonea and Regin that a different character even had to suggest to her because otherwise, she wouldn’t have thought of it herself, better believe me, I’m not joking. Finally, she can legally challenge Regin without going against the Guild’s rules! Because reacting to his bullying and attacks would have been illegal!! Once she’s challenged Regin to duel though, push-me!-bully-me! Sonea gets cold feet, thinking “if she put up with him long enough, he might grow bored with her.” Yeah, girl, you've been thinking that for the better part of a year, the fact this keeps going on should make you think some more.
Regardless of the message Sonea’s indifference to her being bullied sends, this shit was PATHETIC. Even the teachers who do know don’t do anything. Sonea’s friends, especially Rothen, don’t do anything. This is a book of willing victims and its worth couldn’t buy you a postage stamp.
There is another storyline (yes, I lied, there’s a tiny bit more to this book than Sonea rolling over every other minute) unfolding in parallel. Rothen’s former apprentice, Dannyl, whom we met in book 1, is named Ambassador of Kyralia and sent to a neighbouring country with a secret mission. During his travels, he gets to know Tayend, a ‘lad’ (he is, you know 💅🏼✨), and slowly begins to realise that he, too, is a G-A-Y, though a suppressed one.
The way homosexuality is handled in this book isn’t tone-deaf, but it’s old-fashioned in the “but at home they’re not as tolerant” “we just need to be more tolerant” “it’s sad lads are seen this way; if our society was only more tolerant” way. I enjoyed the slow-burn romance but AT WHAT COST? Of course I enjoyed it, it’s a queer romance but like the rest of the novel, it’s so utterly dry and devoid of any emotion or high stakes, I almost felt like I was reading about sandbags rather than people. And all THAT during Pride Month? 🏳️🌈 Homophobia is rampant indeed. 😮💨
The writing style hasn’t improved either. It’s still very simplistic; it reads as almost childish. Not a single scene that, if you described it to someone else, would have been exciting or suspenseful, represented those two words in any way. The characters come across as almost feeling nothing at all because the author just can’t manage writing realistic and engaging inner POVs. It’s almost funny if it wasn’t so pathetic.
All in all, this nearly 600-pages-long book was 550 pages too long. Abort, delete, yeet into space, put on a fire, pour petrol over it.
March 18, 2009
After reading this book, I'm really starting to love the series. The first book didn't really get interesting until Sonea got to the Guild. With this book, though, it remained interesting from beginning to end. I can relate to Sonea's goal to be a Healer. And I really approved of Trudi Canavan's view of homosexuality that she portrayed through two of her characters. I won't mention the names here to prevent spoilers. Seeing the progress of one of those characters, both in the journey and realization of his feelings, he quickly became one of my favorite characters.
And, of course, the plot thickens. I can't wait to read the next book.
And, of course, the plot thickens. I can't wait to read the next book.
September 27, 2022
This second book in the Black Magician trilogy had it's moments, but also sometimes dragged on.
Our heroine Sonea enters University as an abject outsider, pretty much vilified by the other novices, particularly by Ragin, a rather nasty entitled novice who has it out for Sonea. The constant bullying becomes tedious, especially as it goes on continually for the entire book.
But there are diversions, magic and mystery. A good supporting cast and of course the ominous High Lord, who looms over all and becomes Sonea's guardian, replacing the good Rothen.
On to the final book of the trilogy.
3.5 rounded up.
Our heroine Sonea enters University as an abject outsider, pretty much vilified by the other novices, particularly by Ragin, a rather nasty entitled novice who has it out for Sonea. The constant bullying becomes tedious, especially as it goes on continually for the entire book.
But there are diversions, magic and mystery. A good supporting cast and of course the ominous High Lord, who looms over all and becomes Sonea's guardian, replacing the good Rothen.
On to the final book of the trilogy.
3.5 rounded up.
May 8, 2010
Think of this book as what a Harry Potter novel would look like if it was only about Harry vs. Draco struggle. Except here it's Sonea vs Entire School all-out war with the protagonist being 1) a total victim, 2) accepting everything they throw at her, 3) not fighting back, 4) barely protecting herself, 5) barely accepting help from third parties. Antagonists consist of nearly all the students, most of the teachers, staff and a kitchen sink. Rare people who are on Sonea's side try to help her a little, but it doesn't really work because she's the Ultimate Victim and not cooperating. She doesn't even use all the resources available to her.
It was all very funny. I don't doubt it appeals a lot to young readers.
There's also a second thread, which contributes exactly nothing. A mage... magician is sent on a quest to find Important Stuff. Instead, he finds himself a lover. I was extremely curious as to how m/m slash looks in young-adult version, but was sorely disappointed. That part of the book was insanely, mind-numbingly boring and consisted of rambling and preaching about tolerance etc. Yawn. Primary school stuff.
Ah, the mage... magician found something Strange. Don't get your hopes high though, it's irrelevant to the story and not explained at all, either in the trilogy or in its prequel.
It was all very funny. I don't doubt it appeals a lot to young readers.
There's also a second thread, which contributes exactly nothing. A mage... magician is sent on a quest to find Important Stuff. Instead, he finds himself a lover. I was extremely curious as to how m/m slash looks in young-adult version, but was sorely disappointed. That part of the book was insanely, mind-numbingly boring and consisted of rambling and preaching about tolerance etc. Yawn. Primary school stuff.
Ah, the mage... magician found something Strange. Don't get your hopes high though, it's irrelevant to the story and not explained at all, either in the trilogy or in its prequel.
February 7, 2021
Normalde benim böyle olaysiz yavaş ilerleyen bir kurguda çok sıkılmam lazım helede pek aşk yokken ama bu seriyi okurken keyif alıyorum ve sıkılmadan okudum, birde tüm karakterleri çok sevdim( Rothen,Dorrien,Dannly ve Lorien favori dörtlüm) bazı şeyler yine havada kaldı hatta konusu bile geçmedi anlayamadığım şekilde 🤷♀️
July 25, 2019
Segundas partes nunca fueron buenas, dicen, pero aunque en este caso
La aprendiz
no destaque especialmente, os confirmo que estoy viciada a esta saga de fantasía como hacía tiempo que no lo estaba por otras sagas.
Es cierto que la historia no avanza mucho. A mi parecer, ése ha sido uno de sus puntos flojos: si bien el primer libro era introductorio, dejando pistas de futuras tramas, en esta ocasión no he visto un gran desarrollo de ninguna. La historia se desarrolla de forma pausada, más centrada en la evolución y el trasfondo de los personajes, que de los oscuros secretos y los asesinatos que se están produciendo. Sin embargo, no os voy a engañar: me ha gustado mucho. Como comentaba al principio, me he encontrado muy enganchada a la historia desde el primer libro, y no me he “desenganchado” en su segunda parte. Más bien al contrario. Y es que Trudi Canavan tiene el peculiar don de narrar lo más cotidiano, de una forma mágica. En todo el libro apenas acompañamos a Sonea en sus estudios, así como en las escenas de bullying que sufre a manos de sus compañeros, especial y esencialmente de Regin. Creo que ese toque más realista aporta una nueva dimensión a la novela. Es decir, tendemos a pensar que un libro de este género se va a centrar en esos lugares imaginarios, en esos sistemas nuevos de magia y personajes increíbles, cuestiones tan alejadas de la realidad, que nos llegamos a preguntar si acaso la literatura fantástica sirve para otra cosa que no sea entretener. Hasta que llegan novelas como ésta.
No sólo el tema del bullying, sino la inclusión de cuestiones LGTB en otra de las subtramas (cuidado con spoilers), en concreto en la que tiene que ver con la investigación de Dannyl y Taylend. Qué queréis que os diga, tenía mis dudas al principio sobre la relación de estos dos, y desconfiaba muchísimo de Taylend, pero a medida que avanzaba la novela e iba tomando consciencia de la buena combinación que eran, de cómo se iban desvelando los detalles del pasado de Dannyl y éste iba aceptando todo… Me ha parecido que se ha llevado muy bien el tema, con una transición bastante natural y que consigue mantener la tensión y la incertidumbre, al tiempo que va calando en el lector.
Por otro lado, me ha gustado también el crecimiento de Sonea. Cómo al principio reniega de la magia y, en parte gracias a Rothen y el afán por poder plantar cara a Regin, va desarrollándose en una verdadera devoción. No obstante, reconozco que me ha decepcionado un poco que la protagonista fuera tan calmada, permisiva y sumisa, especialmente al principio. Entiendo que su situación está dentro de contexto: realmente no quiere causar problemas y alimentar el odio y el rechazo que los magos y la clase alta, en general, declaran abiertamente contra las barriadas (los barrios bajos de los que ella procede). Pero, por otro lado, me hubiera gustado ver una versión más tipo Katniss en ella desde el principio, que le hubiesen dado igual los comentarios y que hubiese puesto los límites a Regin antes. Sin embargo, también habría afectado al desarrollo de su trama, a ese crecimiento lento y sutil que tiene, cómo va perfeccionando su magia sólo con el trabajo pequeño, pero constante. Y de cómo al final patea el trasero a Regin en el duelo, por supuesto que sí.
En definitiva, La aprendiz es una novela de transición que, a pesar de su ritmo pausado, me ha gustado. Creo que ha planteado, además, muchos interrogantes en lo que respecta a la subtrama que, desde mi punto de vista, es la más interesante: realmente, ¿qué papel está desempeñando Akkarin? ¿Es tan malo como parece, o es sólo un papel? ¿Qué intereses hay por ahí? ¿Es el autor de los crímenes?
Desde luego, tengo mis teorías, pero esas me las guardo y esperaré a leer la tercera parte. A ver si la autora me las confirma, desmiente o las desmorona por completo. ¡Ya os contaré!
Es cierto que la historia no avanza mucho. A mi parecer, ése ha sido uno de sus puntos flojos: si bien el primer libro era introductorio, dejando pistas de futuras tramas, en esta ocasión no he visto un gran desarrollo de ninguna. La historia se desarrolla de forma pausada, más centrada en la evolución y el trasfondo de los personajes, que de los oscuros secretos y los asesinatos que se están produciendo. Sin embargo, no os voy a engañar: me ha gustado mucho. Como comentaba al principio, me he encontrado muy enganchada a la historia desde el primer libro, y no me he “desenganchado” en su segunda parte. Más bien al contrario. Y es que Trudi Canavan tiene el peculiar don de narrar lo más cotidiano, de una forma mágica. En todo el libro apenas acompañamos a Sonea en sus estudios, así como en las escenas de bullying que sufre a manos de sus compañeros, especial y esencialmente de Regin. Creo que ese toque más realista aporta una nueva dimensión a la novela. Es decir, tendemos a pensar que un libro de este género se va a centrar en esos lugares imaginarios, en esos sistemas nuevos de magia y personajes increíbles, cuestiones tan alejadas de la realidad, que nos llegamos a preguntar si acaso la literatura fantástica sirve para otra cosa que no sea entretener. Hasta que llegan novelas como ésta.
No sólo el tema del bullying, sino la inclusión de cuestiones LGTB en otra de las subtramas (cuidado con spoilers), en concreto en la que tiene que ver con la investigación de Dannyl y Taylend. Qué queréis que os diga, tenía mis dudas al principio sobre la relación de estos dos, y desconfiaba muchísimo de Taylend, pero a medida que avanzaba la novela e iba tomando consciencia de la buena combinación que eran, de cómo se iban desvelando los detalles del pasado de Dannyl y éste iba aceptando todo… Me ha parecido que se ha llevado muy bien el tema, con una transición bastante natural y que consigue mantener la tensión y la incertidumbre, al tiempo que va calando en el lector.
Por otro lado, me ha gustado también el crecimiento de Sonea. Cómo al principio reniega de la magia y, en parte gracias a Rothen y el afán por poder plantar cara a Regin, va desarrollándose en una verdadera devoción. No obstante, reconozco que me ha decepcionado un poco que la protagonista fuera tan calmada, permisiva y sumisa, especialmente al principio. Entiendo que su situación está dentro de contexto: realmente no quiere causar problemas y alimentar el odio y el rechazo que los magos y la clase alta, en general, declaran abiertamente contra las barriadas (los barrios bajos de los que ella procede). Pero, por otro lado, me hubiera gustado ver una versión más tipo Katniss en ella desde el principio, que le hubiesen dado igual los comentarios y que hubiese puesto los límites a Regin antes. Sin embargo, también habría afectado al desarrollo de su trama, a ese crecimiento lento y sutil que tiene, cómo va perfeccionando su magia sólo con el trabajo pequeño, pero constante. Y de cómo al final patea el trasero a Regin en el duelo, por supuesto que sí.
En definitiva, La aprendiz es una novela de transición que, a pesar de su ritmo pausado, me ha gustado. Creo que ha planteado, además, muchos interrogantes en lo que respecta a la subtrama que, desde mi punto de vista, es la más interesante: realmente, ¿qué papel está desempeñando Akkarin? ¿Es tan malo como parece, o es sólo un papel? ¿Qué intereses hay por ahí? ¿Es el autor de los crímenes?
Desde luego, tengo mis teorías, pero esas me las guardo y esperaré a leer la tercera parte. A ver si la autora me las confirma, desmiente o las desmorona por completo. ¡Ya os contaré!
July 17, 2021
Was für ein Frauenbild hat Trudi Canavan da kreiert?
Was hat sie sich dabei gedacht?
"Hey, ich bin unterwürfig, darum mobbt mich alle?"
"Ich wehre mich dagegen, dass andere für ihr aggressives Verhalten mir gegenüber zur Verantwortung gezogen werden?"
Was soll das. Wie sehr Mittelalter ist das bitte?!?
Natürlich kommt dieser Malfoy-Verschnitt mit allem durch und Sonea, das arme Lämmchen ist nur am Leiden. Sie kann auch nicht um Hilfe rufen, nicht mal mental. Lieber lässt sie sich vermöbeln. Der klassische Showdown zum Schluss des Buches, in dem Sonea ihrem Widersacher endlich legal zeigen kann, was sie kann (nicht, dass das nicht sowieso jeden bereits mitbekommen hätte), darf natürlich nicht fehlen.
Das ist so extrem unausgewogen.
Keine Ahnung, wann ich mich jetzt an Band drei wage.
Was hat sie sich dabei gedacht?
"Hey, ich bin unterwürfig, darum mobbt mich alle?"
"Ich wehre mich dagegen, dass andere für ihr aggressives Verhalten mir gegenüber zur Verantwortung gezogen werden?"
Was soll das. Wie sehr Mittelalter ist das bitte?!?
Natürlich kommt dieser Malfoy-Verschnitt mit allem durch und Sonea, das arme Lämmchen ist nur am Leiden. Sie kann auch nicht um Hilfe rufen, nicht mal mental. Lieber lässt sie sich vermöbeln. Der klassische Showdown zum Schluss des Buches, in dem Sonea ihrem Widersacher endlich legal zeigen kann, was sie kann (nicht, dass das nicht sowieso jeden bereits mitbekommen hätte), darf natürlich nicht fehlen.
Das ist so extrem unausgewogen.
Keine Ahnung, wann ich mich jetzt an Band drei wage.
January 26, 2022
4 stars.
The Novice Follows our heroine Sonea as she navigates her way through the guilds university, her influential classmate Reign isn’t prepared to let Sonea study without torment. Through varying ways (rumours, stollen pens and constant belittling) Reign influences the other first-years and try’s to influence teacher that she is nothing but a thief and doesn’t belong.
Our other plot point is Lorlen sending one of my favourite character Dannyl to Kyralias neighbouring land of Elyne as second ambassador, to follow the research into black magic done by Arkkarin, without letting dannyl know this is the reason for the research.
Unlike the first novel I actually enjoyed this books pacing, it was so much more exciting and had something always happening which I couldn’t say the same for the first entry to this series.
I am so fascinated and charmed by this world, Canavan truly has mastered a way to keep you entertained even if the plot point is a bit predictable but it leaves you wanting more. I flew through this book, I ended up trying to pace myself as to not finishing it so fast that I couldn’t take it in.
The main characters are so real, the magic feels real and it’s a hard task to write something like that.
I am intrigued to see where the next book takes me, I’m only sad I didn’t take it with me to my parents house so I could read it sooner, it’s okay I can wait 4 days… surely. 👀
The Novice Follows our heroine Sonea as she navigates her way through the guilds university, her influential classmate Reign isn’t prepared to let Sonea study without torment. Through varying ways (rumours, stollen pens and constant belittling) Reign influences the other first-years and try’s to influence teacher that she is nothing but a thief and doesn’t belong.
Our other plot point is Lorlen sending one of my favourite character Dannyl to Kyralias neighbouring land of Elyne as second ambassador, to follow the research into black magic done by Arkkarin, without letting dannyl know this is the reason for the research.
Unlike the first novel I actually enjoyed this books pacing, it was so much more exciting and had something always happening which I couldn’t say the same for the first entry to this series.
I am so fascinated and charmed by this world, Canavan truly has mastered a way to keep you entertained even if the plot point is a bit predictable but it leaves you wanting more. I flew through this book, I ended up trying to pace myself as to not finishing it so fast that I couldn’t take it in.
The main characters are so real, the magic feels real and it’s a hard task to write something like that.
I am intrigued to see where the next book takes me, I’m only sad I didn’t take it with me to my parents house so I could read it sooner, it’s okay I can wait 4 days… surely. 👀
September 30, 2019
Spoiler alert
المراجعة تحوي حرق لمحتوى الرواية
هذا الجزء اجمل بكثير من سابقه
احداث متلاحقة، كل شخصية وعالمها، وصعوبات كثيرة جدا
ومواقف صادمة جدا جدا جدا
نتسائل كيف يمكن للبطلة سونيا مواصلة الحياة هناك؟
مع كل تلك القسوة والنبذ وصمت الجميع
المواقف التي تمر بها واقعية جدا حدثت ولازالت تحدث مؤلمة وقاهرة ومستمرة
، ظلم مشهود ومعروف المصدر
من اين يمكن للضحية ان تصبر؟
هل ستنتهي سلسلة المضايقات والشرور
هل يمكن ان يكون للمنبوذ كبرياء؟
هل يمكن له ان يغير مواقف الناس حوله؟
ماسر السحر الأسود؟
وما سر السحر القديم؟
وماسر الرحلات للبحث في آثار قديمة من آلاف السنين
وكيف سيتعامل الساحر الاعلى لنقابة السحرة مع كل ذلك
كتاب جميل و مثير والقاريء يقرأه بحماس وأمل ان تتحرر كل العقد المتشابكة
المراجعة تحوي حرق لمحتوى الرواية
هذا الجزء اجمل بكثير من سابقه
احداث متلاحقة، كل شخصية وعالمها، وصعوبات كثيرة جدا
ومواقف صادمة جدا جدا جدا
نتسائل كيف يمكن للبطلة سونيا مواصلة الحياة هناك؟
مع كل تلك القسوة والنبذ وصمت الجميع
المواقف التي تمر بها واقعية جدا حدثت ولازالت تحدث مؤلمة وقاهرة ومستمرة
، ظلم مشهود ومعروف المصدر
من اين يمكن للضحية ان تصبر؟
هل ستنتهي سلسلة المضايقات والشرور
هل يمكن ان يكون للمنبوذ كبرياء؟
هل يمكن له ان يغير مواقف الناس حوله؟
ماسر السحر الأسود؟
وما سر السحر القديم؟
وماسر الرحلات للبحث في آثار قديمة من آلاف السنين
وكيف سيتعامل الساحر الاعلى لنقابة السحرة مع كل ذلك
كتاب جميل و مثير والقاريء يقرأه بحماس وأمل ان تتحرر كل العقد المتشابكة
May 2, 2020
It's been a long time since I was this frustrated with a book.
There were so many moments of, "Why doesn't Sonea shield? Why doesn't she call for help? Why the f**k is she allowing this to keep happening?! And why ffs are the adults not doing a damn thing about all of this!?!" For a strong character, in this story she does the most illogical things, but then, how dare logical progression interfere with the plot the author wanted. >.< Seriously, Sonea gets into a huge amount of trouble because she was framed for stealing a pen. A pen. That's it. Other students sabotaging her, attacking her, torturing her, and nothing. At most a slap on the wrist that's quickly dismissed for the lead aggressor, but nothing for the others. Even when the teachers know this abuse is going on, they do nothing. Really? Ah, but this is a magical guild where the logical progression of events is subverted by the 'i-wanna-write-it-this-way' spell because reasons.
True, bullying in real life is an issue; however, it's one that flourishes with secrecy, but that's not the issue here. The adults know what's going on for the majority of the book. In rl, any teacher worth their credential would escort a student and provide safe harbor, and with current media pressure, administrators don't dismiss these issues. Certainly the parents are called in. In any school, Regin would be expelled.
Ahh, but this is a magic school in a fantasy setting, so obviously we can't expect the same standards. Except we see teachers who know and feel bad about what's going on. They could do something and don't. As an author, you need to write this more convincingly or not have teachers who are so weak.
And the villain? He's from a rich and influential family, so of course he can get away with whatevers. Except, isn't Sonea something special, someone the teachers would want to shield from bullies? Even if you did have teachers who turned a blind eye out of classist spite, Canavan also has teachers who hunch their shoulders in full knowledge yet complete impotence to do *anything* as simple as escorting a bullied child from class to class. Who's running the school here? You can't have Sonea as some dismissed guttersnipe and have the whole institution rallying against her like she's Sauron without setting up that conflict.
Regin is one of the most one dimensional villains I've ever seen. We don't get anything other than he's arrogant and has a cruel smile, and that's the extent of his character. Oh, and he is obsessed with Sonea for reasons unknown. Even if his family felt slighted by Sonea's presence at the school, that doesn't explain the extent this character goes through to ruin her life. And how in the hell is one little first year novice able to spread rumors that any adult would take seriously? The whole thing with Rothem being a letch was so beyond ridiculous. Where are the adults here? We have older people, but no actual adults acting like adults.
Lord Rothem, who I initially liked in the first novel, is just as helpless as Sonea in that he should have the ability and intelligence to act but doesn't. This is a book of willing victims, and that's no fun to read.
The storyline I actually liked was Dannyl's. The way homosexuality is treated in the novel is old fashioned by this age, but I enjoyed the slowly developing romance. While it may end in scandal and tears, I'm hoping for a HEA. The characters are well-matched and quite cute together.
Last but not least of many issues, this novel could use a lot of trimming. Thanks to Harry Potter and no thanks to crapfests like Divergent or (shudders) Twilight, young adult novels are topping over 500 pages. Just because you can write this much doesn't mean you should. Tighten your plot and actually use your overabundance of words to set up the society in such a way that the plot makes sense rather than having 'sh*t happens because the author likes these tropes'. At least then I have to suffer less from the ridiculousness.
Edit: FIve years later...
I barely remember the book at this point, but after a few comments, thought I should clarify my stance.
One, I'm kind of surprised anyone reads my reviews. I don't expect anyone to bother with my silly scribblings. Mainly, they're a way for me to remember what I read and/or to vent. So if you've read, thanks. If you've commented, thank you for that too. Even if it's to disagree, I appreciate the time you took to respond.
Two, as for bullying: I know bullying is a problem. I've worked in education, and boy, is it a huge problem. I wrote to one commenter that I've had teachers who were criminally abusive in today's climate. I've had teachers who ignored my abuse from other students as well.
In my experience, one thing about teachers, especially of young students, is that you rarely see them tearing each other down publically. As a teacher, if you have problems with a colleague, you air those behind closed doors. The reason: you ever show children that they can play teachers off one another, you're done. Children are remarkably manipulative, and it doesn't take much for them to see where the cracks are.
Three, a big issue I took was the helplessness of the characters involved. There were things Sonea could do and didn't. Again, from experience, bullying usually involves three or more people against one because you need numbers in your favor, otherwise, the odds of being successful aren't in your favor. Sonea's magic changes those odds so she shouldn't have the same vulnerabilities as any normal child.
When a character can do something to protect themselves and doesn't, what's the motivation? There's nothing to stop Sonea, not externally or internally. If the school had rules against protections like shielding, that might be something, but then there should also be fail-safes because bullying would be a big problem. Is she afraid to use her magic after having to hide it for so many years? Then we could have some character growth, but that's not the problem. Sonea just isn't.
Please don't take this as victim-blaming. There are reasons people stay in abusive relationships that make it super hard to get out of that cycle. From a writing perspective, THAT would have been a better story because there's an element of realism. The Kitty Norville series (though far from my fav because of weird plotting issues), has a character who starts off abused and repeated raped. Patricia Briggs has a number of characters like this as well. But there are reasons characters behave this way and these characters do grow to break out of these cycles.
To invoke one of the most referenced books, (groan if you will), Harry Potter does a good job of showing both teachers and students as bullies. You can also see how teachers disagree with each other but still have a united front and how terribly broken it feels with a rogue teacher.
So to the fourth and the main issue: it's just bad writing. There's no insight into the whys and hows bullying works. There's no depth of character despite the massive page load. Was Regin insecure, like Curley from Of Mice and Men? Was he classist, like Malfoy, or bitter like Snape, or entitled like James? Was he a spoiled rotten psychopath, like Prince Joffrey?
You can take the same elements and write a much more compelling, psychologically complex story. If you enjoyed, awesome. Don't let me spoil that for you. (Maybe I should have put that at the top of my review). If we shadows have offeneded, Think of this and all is mended, A different opinion is no threat, Especially from some jerk on the net.
There were so many moments of, "Why doesn't Sonea shield? Why doesn't she call for help? Why the f**k is she allowing this to keep happening?! And why ffs are the adults not doing a damn thing about all of this!?!" For a strong character, in this story she does the most illogical things, but then, how dare logical progression interfere with the plot the author wanted. >.< Seriously, Sonea gets into a huge amount of trouble because she was framed for stealing a pen. A pen. That's it. Other students sabotaging her, attacking her, torturing her, and nothing. At most a slap on the wrist that's quickly dismissed for the lead aggressor, but nothing for the others. Even when the teachers know this abuse is going on, they do nothing. Really? Ah, but this is a magical guild where the logical progression of events is subverted by the 'i-wanna-write-it-this-way' spell because reasons.
True, bullying in real life is an issue; however, it's one that flourishes with secrecy, but that's not the issue here. The adults know what's going on for the majority of the book. In rl, any teacher worth their credential would escort a student and provide safe harbor, and with current media pressure, administrators don't dismiss these issues. Certainly the parents are called in. In any school, Regin would be expelled.
Ahh, but this is a magic school in a fantasy setting, so obviously we can't expect the same standards. Except we see teachers who know and feel bad about what's going on. They could do something and don't. As an author, you need to write this more convincingly or not have teachers who are so weak.
And the villain? He's from a rich and influential family, so of course he can get away with whatevers. Except, isn't Sonea something special, someone the teachers would want to shield from bullies? Even if you did have teachers who turned a blind eye out of classist spite, Canavan also has teachers who hunch their shoulders in full knowledge yet complete impotence to do *anything* as simple as escorting a bullied child from class to class. Who's running the school here? You can't have Sonea as some dismissed guttersnipe and have the whole institution rallying against her like she's Sauron without setting up that conflict.
Regin is one of the most one dimensional villains I've ever seen. We don't get anything other than he's arrogant and has a cruel smile, and that's the extent of his character. Oh, and he is obsessed with Sonea for reasons unknown. Even if his family felt slighted by Sonea's presence at the school, that doesn't explain the extent this character goes through to ruin her life. And how in the hell is one little first year novice able to spread rumors that any adult would take seriously? The whole thing with Rothem being a letch was so beyond ridiculous. Where are the adults here? We have older people, but no actual adults acting like adults.
Lord Rothem, who I initially liked in the first novel, is just as helpless as Sonea in that he should have the ability and intelligence to act but doesn't. This is a book of willing victims, and that's no fun to read.
The storyline I actually liked was Dannyl's. The way homosexuality is treated in the novel is old fashioned by this age, but I enjoyed the slowly developing romance. While it may end in scandal and tears, I'm hoping for a HEA. The characters are well-matched and quite cute together.
Last but not least of many issues, this novel could use a lot of trimming. Thanks to Harry Potter and no thanks to crapfests like Divergent or (shudders) Twilight, young adult novels are topping over 500 pages. Just because you can write this much doesn't mean you should. Tighten your plot and actually use your overabundance of words to set up the society in such a way that the plot makes sense rather than having 'sh*t happens because the author likes these tropes'. At least then I have to suffer less from the ridiculousness.
Edit: FIve years later...
I barely remember the book at this point, but after a few comments, thought I should clarify my stance.
One, I'm kind of surprised anyone reads my reviews. I don't expect anyone to bother with my silly scribblings. Mainly, they're a way for me to remember what I read and/or to vent. So if you've read, thanks. If you've commented, thank you for that too. Even if it's to disagree, I appreciate the time you took to respond.
Two, as for bullying: I know bullying is a problem. I've worked in education, and boy, is it a huge problem. I wrote to one commenter that I've had teachers who were criminally abusive in today's climate. I've had teachers who ignored my abuse from other students as well.
In my experience, one thing about teachers, especially of young students, is that you rarely see them tearing each other down publically. As a teacher, if you have problems with a colleague, you air those behind closed doors. The reason: you ever show children that they can play teachers off one another, you're done. Children are remarkably manipulative, and it doesn't take much for them to see where the cracks are.
Three, a big issue I took was the helplessness of the characters involved. There were things Sonea could do and didn't. Again, from experience, bullying usually involves three or more people against one because you need numbers in your favor, otherwise, the odds of being successful aren't in your favor. Sonea's magic changes those odds so she shouldn't have the same vulnerabilities as any normal child.
When a character can do something to protect themselves and doesn't, what's the motivation? There's nothing to stop Sonea, not externally or internally. If the school had rules against protections like shielding, that might be something, but then there should also be fail-safes because bullying would be a big problem. Is she afraid to use her magic after having to hide it for so many years? Then we could have some character growth, but that's not the problem. Sonea just isn't.
Please don't take this as victim-blaming. There are reasons people stay in abusive relationships that make it super hard to get out of that cycle. From a writing perspective, THAT would have been a better story because there's an element of realism. The Kitty Norville series (though far from my fav because of weird plotting issues), has a character who starts off abused and repeated raped. Patricia Briggs has a number of characters like this as well. But there are reasons characters behave this way and these characters do grow to break out of these cycles.
To invoke one of the most referenced books, (groan if you will), Harry Potter does a good job of showing both teachers and students as bullies. You can also see how teachers disagree with each other but still have a united front and how terribly broken it feels with a rogue teacher.
So to the fourth and the main issue: it's just bad writing. There's no insight into the whys and hows bullying works. There's no depth of character despite the massive page load. Was Regin insecure, like Curley from Of Mice and Men? Was he classist, like Malfoy, or bitter like Snape, or entitled like James? Was he a spoiled rotten psychopath, like Prince Joffrey?
You can take the same elements and write a much more compelling, psychologically complex story. If you enjoyed, awesome. Don't let me spoil that for you. (Maybe I should have put that at the top of my review). If we shadows have offeneded, Think of this and all is mended, A different opinion is no threat, Especially from some jerk on the net.
March 15, 2016
Do you know that feeling, when you backpacks weights 10 kg after going to a library? And one single book contains 500+ pages and you have to cycle uphill and all the way you're mad on yourself that you took so many books, when you have other things to do? Your studies, your work, your crafts, etc? And when you start reading a book at 11 pm and finish it after 3 am. And you forget that it weighted tone, that you had something else to do, that it's already morning --- you're fascinated, charmed and totally out of this world.
Oh, you do know that feeling? Well, if you want to feel it again - take this book.
The story itself is not complicated and I could say that it's even a little bit predictable. But something in it - and it's so hard to say what exactly - makes you want more. The magic world in the book is very real, so are main characters. Sometimes it feels like some of them are only sketches, but they still feel real. I have no idea how this is possible. As I said, fascinating story.
Oh, you do know that feeling? Well, if you want to feel it again - take this book.
The story itself is not complicated and I could say that it's even a little bit predictable. But something in it - and it's so hard to say what exactly - makes you want more. The magic world in the book is very real, so are main characters. Sometimes it feels like some of them are only sketches, but they still feel real. I have no idea how this is possible. As I said, fascinating story.
October 2, 2020
This is the 2nd book in the Black Magician Trilogy and it picks up pretty much where book book 1 left off. Sonea is now a novice in The Magicians Guild University, living with her mentor and friend Rothen. Sonea is being tormented by the other Novices, lead by Regin her nemesis, for her lack of social standing in the world. Dannyl, Rothen's prior novice, has been sent as an ambassador to Elyne, where he begins researching the High Lords past.
This started out slow for me, and I was getting a bit bored, but Canavan pulled a fast one, mid book, and had my jaw dropping. I was thinking twice about finishing the series, that's not an issue any longer.
This started out slow for me, and I was getting a bit bored, but Canavan pulled a fast one, mid book, and had my jaw dropping. I was thinking twice about finishing the series, that's not an issue any longer.
June 6, 2021
Przede wszystkim ta część podobała mi się o wiele bardziej od poprzedniej. Wciągnęłam się już od pierwszej strony. Sonea momentami irytowała mnie swoją postawą, ale z drugiej strony mam wrażenie, że to zachowanie było jednak potrzebne. Trudno mówić o pewnych rzeczach bez spoilerowania :D
Dannyl, Rothen, nadal ich uwielbiam. Polubiłam bardzo Dorriena. Sonea też zyskała w tym tomie.
Jedna z trzech rzeczy, którą przewidywałam, spełniła się. Jestem ciekawa, czy w ostatnim tomie potwierdzą się moje pozostałe przypuszczenia.
Dannyl, Rothen, nadal ich uwielbiam. Polubiłam bardzo Dorriena. Sonea też zyskała w tym tomie.
Jedna z trzech rzeczy, którą przewidywałam, spełniła się. Jestem ciekawa, czy w ostatnim tomie potwierdzą się moje pozostałe przypuszczenia.
December 10, 2014
Had to quit half way through. Couldn't take anymore. Girl is tortured by classmates ... then girl is tortured by classmates ... then girl transfers to another class ... then girl is tortured by classmates ... yeah I got it already ... never ending. So painful.
May 16, 2011
It's entirely possible that I was just in the wrong mood to read this book. The first one in the series was ... okay, I guess. I thought of it as brain-dead yahoo-fair. Bathtub reading, if you know what I mean. Simplistic and derivitive but harmless. I thought I saw where the author was going and was willing to follow her to the next book, should the opertunity land in my path. Well, it did and I did and here we are. Unimpressed.
The simplicity continues (all poor people noble and good! all wealthy people closed-minded and bad!) and the main character continues her journey toward becoming the worlds biggest Mary Sue ever. She's not quite there yet. The author still has a chance to save her. Of course, I see by Goodreads that there are already several books in ther series after this, so the chances of the main character continuing to reveal that she's the Greatest. Wizard. E-var. are pretty high.
Yeah ... I'm probably taking this all the rong way. At least I admit it.
Where was I? Oh. Right. So, this book has less of the charming character interaction that saved the first one, and a great deal of repetitive story-telling intersperced with the "shocking" insertion of a homosexual character. Bless. Is that still shocking any more? Was this book written in 1987?
Sorry, sorry, sorry. I'm all foul today. I didn't hate this book. Really, I didn't. I just didn't much like it, apparently. I felt that it was lazy in all the wrong ways.
Not particularly recommended. Unless you either REALLY liked the first book or are into stock-and-tade fantasy palaber.
The simplicity continues (all poor people noble and good! all wealthy people closed-minded and bad!) and the main character continues her journey toward becoming the worlds biggest Mary Sue ever. She's not quite there yet. The author still has a chance to save her. Of course, I see by Goodreads that there are already several books in ther series after this, so the chances of the main character continuing to reveal that she's the Greatest. Wizard. E-var. are pretty high.
Yeah ... I'm probably taking this all the rong way. At least I admit it.
Where was I? Oh. Right. So, this book has less of the charming character interaction that saved the first one, and a great deal of repetitive story-telling intersperced with the "shocking" insertion of a homosexual character. Bless. Is that still shocking any more? Was this book written in 1987?
Sorry, sorry, sorry. I'm all foul today. I didn't hate this book. Really, I didn't. I just didn't much like it, apparently. I felt that it was lazy in all the wrong ways.
Not particularly recommended. Unless you either REALLY liked the first book or are into stock-and-tade fantasy palaber.
July 16, 2022
4,25 stars - English Ebook
All too often, second novels in a trilogy are soft and soggy or emphasizing the things one didn't like in the first, and ignoring the things one liked.
This book has none of those flaws. There is still an intriguing amount of information about the training of magicians. There is still an exploration of class and gender inequalities. Although with a new spin to keep them fresh. There are multiple mysteries hinted at and explored.
I was slightly concerned that splitting the story between multiple locations would weaken it, but it was handled beautifully, tying all the elements together so that the different story lines strengthened each other as well as providing a more comprehensive backdrop.
I am eager to read book 3, and delighted to see more beyond the initial trilogy.
All too often, second novels in a trilogy are soft and soggy or emphasizing the things one didn't like in the first, and ignoring the things one liked.
This book has none of those flaws. There is still an intriguing amount of information about the training of magicians. There is still an exploration of class and gender inequalities. Although with a new spin to keep them fresh. There are multiple mysteries hinted at and explored.
I was slightly concerned that splitting the story between multiple locations would weaken it, but it was handled beautifully, tying all the elements together so that the different story lines strengthened each other as well as providing a more comprehensive backdrop.
I am eager to read book 3, and delighted to see more beyond the initial trilogy.
January 27, 2021
Reconozco que no he podido dejar de leerlo y que los personajes principales son muy interesantes. Aún así todavía espero terminar la serie para dar una opinión mejor porque estoy con la mosca detrás de la oreja sobre algunos temas y detesto que un autor intente manipular en vez de ser claro. Ya veremos. Hecho de menos la frescura del primer libro
August 10, 2021
Hm...ich hab mich zwar gefreut, dass man nun endlich mehr von Soneas Leben in der Gilde erfährt (dem war auch so), aber irgendwie ist es mir noch immer nicht so recht gelungen, Verbindungen zu den Charakteren aufzubauen. Mir erscheint vieles noch ziemlich flach. Dasselbe Problem hatte ich auch mit Band 1 - vor allem, was Soneas geschilderte Gefühle betrifft. Ich bin gespannt, was der letzte Teil der Trilogie noch so mit sich bringt.
May 27, 2016
This was a spectacular continuation to the Black Magician series. After reading the first book in the series I wasn’t sure if I would continue it; but I am so glad I did. This book is much better than the first one and incredibly interesting and engaging.
I listened to this on audiobook and I really love the narrator of these books. He is a pleasure to listen to and does an awesome job with character voices and emotion. I would highly recommend listening to this series on audiobook.
There is so much tension throughout this book, it just about kills you. Sonea, Lord Robin, and the Administrator know a deadly secret about the High Lord Akkarin that they are desperately trying to keep secret. As if this isn’t enough stress Sonea’s fellow classmates have taken a strong dislike to her. Sonea remains admirable through the book; she is smart and resourceful but continues to get caught up in events that test her. I loved her character and my heart just broke for her throughout this book; there were a couple of times I just wanted to scream “Enough, give the girl a break and some happiness!”
Much of the story is also told from Dannyl’s perspective. I adored his parts of the book just as much as Sonea’s. Dannyl does a lot of traveling and ends up on a quest to trace Akkarin’s travels and find out more about the ancient history of magic. These parts of the book had a lot of adventure and history involved in them and I loved them. Both Sonea and Dannyl develope love interests in this book; much of that is in the background but it was nice for these characters to have some happiness in midst of all of their trials.
The only thing that really irked me throughout this book was everyone’s fear and assumption that The High Lord Akkarin was evil. Yes, Sonea saw him practicing black magic but did anyone ever try to figure out why Akkarin would do that? Throughout the book Akkarin remains alof, intimidating, and at times strict and even a bit cruel. However, he is never outright evil and I can’t help but believe he isn’t the problem in this book. It bothered me that all the magicians and novices that know his secret just assume that he is evil without finding out if maybe he has a greater ulterior motive. It made me disappointed in the intelligence of the surrounding characters and seemed short-sighted to me. I was especially disappointed in Robin and the Administrator.
The other thing I found frustrating was how all the magicians turned a blind eye to how Sonea was tormented by her classmates; at times this torment is so severe as to be torture. I found it disturbing that the adults in this book are okay with the students ganging up on and torturing one young girl.
Overall aside from the above two complaints I thoroughly enjoyed the story. The whole book is written in a fantasy style that feels a bit older to me (like 90’s epic fantasy) and I enjoyed it a lot. There is some excellent world-building in here along with a complex plot and characters that are easy to engage with and relate to. The book ends on a cliffhanger that will absolutely kill you; I want to read the third book immediately! I would recommend to fans of classic fantasy.
I listened to this on audiobook and I really love the narrator of these books. He is a pleasure to listen to and does an awesome job with character voices and emotion. I would highly recommend listening to this series on audiobook.
There is so much tension throughout this book, it just about kills you. Sonea, Lord Robin, and the Administrator know a deadly secret about the High Lord Akkarin that they are desperately trying to keep secret. As if this isn’t enough stress Sonea’s fellow classmates have taken a strong dislike to her. Sonea remains admirable through the book; she is smart and resourceful but continues to get caught up in events that test her. I loved her character and my heart just broke for her throughout this book; there were a couple of times I just wanted to scream “Enough, give the girl a break and some happiness!”
Much of the story is also told from Dannyl’s perspective. I adored his parts of the book just as much as Sonea’s. Dannyl does a lot of traveling and ends up on a quest to trace Akkarin’s travels and find out more about the ancient history of magic. These parts of the book had a lot of adventure and history involved in them and I loved them. Both Sonea and Dannyl develope love interests in this book; much of that is in the background but it was nice for these characters to have some happiness in midst of all of their trials.
The only thing that really irked me throughout this book was everyone’s fear and assumption that The High Lord Akkarin was evil. Yes, Sonea saw him practicing black magic but did anyone ever try to figure out why Akkarin would do that? Throughout the book Akkarin remains alof, intimidating, and at times strict and even a bit cruel. However, he is never outright evil and I can’t help but believe he isn’t the problem in this book. It bothered me that all the magicians and novices that know his secret just assume that he is evil without finding out if maybe he has a greater ulterior motive. It made me disappointed in the intelligence of the surrounding characters and seemed short-sighted to me. I was especially disappointed in Robin and the Administrator.
The other thing I found frustrating was how all the magicians turned a blind eye to how Sonea was tormented by her classmates; at times this torment is so severe as to be torture. I found it disturbing that the adults in this book are okay with the students ganging up on and torturing one young girl.
Overall aside from the above two complaints I thoroughly enjoyed the story. The whole book is written in a fantasy style that feels a bit older to me (like 90’s epic fantasy) and I enjoyed it a lot. There is some excellent world-building in here along with a complex plot and characters that are easy to engage with and relate to. The book ends on a cliffhanger that will absolutely kill you; I want to read the third book immediately! I would recommend to fans of classic fantasy.
March 13, 2012
Wow. Judging by the general rating (4,01!) and after over 500 pages-long intro that The Magicians' Guild was, I expected a bit of an action and a bit of a story. What I got was 600+ pages of another prologue. I'm a bit tired, when will we (ever?) get to some decent action?
I'm aware that's YA, but that's not an excuse to see it poorly written. The protagonist is a weak girl, constantly bullied, refuses help and when she finally stands up for herself, she's sure to fail the duel. This kind of a story could be put in less than 600 pages. But it's not a big deal, because despite the title Sonea's story is just a secondary one. To be honest, I'm not quite sure what exactly was the main plot. Dannyl's voyages added nothing to the book and his sexuality issues weren't interesting to read about. All of the characters were dull and flat which is sad, because first book of the series was at least intriguing me how the sequel would end up like. I'm already afraid to start reading the third part.
I'm aware that's YA, but that's not an excuse to see it poorly written. The protagonist is a weak girl, constantly bullied, refuses help and when she finally stands up for herself, she's sure to fail the duel. This kind of a story could be put in less than 600 pages. But it's not a big deal, because despite the title Sonea's story is just a secondary one. To be honest, I'm not quite sure what exactly was the main plot. Dannyl's voyages added nothing to the book and his sexuality issues weren't interesting to read about. All of the characters were dull and flat which is sad, because first book of the series was at least intriguing me how the sequel would end up like. I'm already afraid to start reading the third part.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 22, 2021
Tengo sentimientos encontrados con este libro.
Al principio, creía que lentitud era algo del primer libro. Y lo entendía, porque era el inicio del mundo, era el introductorio y la autora tenía que explicarnos cada detalle, llevarnos de la manita para que no nos perdiéramos. PERO NO. Es la forma en la que redacta Canavan. Porque se repitió en este libro y tengo la intuición que sucederá en el próximo.
Ella saborea muchísimo cada momento, cada escena, cada personaje. Me gustó muchísimo la forma en que, al narrar en tercera persona, nos encontramos con varias perspectivas e historias que se enlazan para un mismo fin. Porque, a diferencia con otros libros (te hablo a ti Aveyard) las personas que narran se han ganado mi corazón, por lo que leerlas no se me hace pesado. A veces, hasta espero algunas con ansias (sobre todo las de Dannyl)
En este libro contamos con cuatro perspectivas y, por los Dioses, eso no me incomoda de este libro, lo que odio es lo tremendamente lento de todo. Y EL FINAL PASA MALDITAMENTE RÁPIDO.
Y creo que a este punto, sí voy a terminar la trilogía. Nada pierdo y me ayuda a no pensar en la pila de tareas que tengo.
Al principio, creía que lentitud era algo del primer libro. Y lo entendía, porque era el inicio del mundo, era el introductorio y la autora tenía que explicarnos cada detalle, llevarnos de la manita para que no nos perdiéramos. PERO NO. Es la forma en la que redacta Canavan. Porque se repitió en este libro y tengo la intuición que sucederá en el próximo.
Ella saborea muchísimo cada momento, cada escena, cada personaje. Me gustó muchísimo la forma en que, al narrar en tercera persona, nos encontramos con varias perspectivas e historias que se enlazan para un mismo fin. Porque, a diferencia con otros libros (te hablo a ti Aveyard) las personas que narran se han ganado mi corazón, por lo que leerlas no se me hace pesado. A veces, hasta espero algunas con ansias (sobre todo las de Dannyl)
En este libro contamos con cuatro perspectivas y, por los Dioses, eso no me incomoda de este libro, lo que odio es lo tremendamente lento de todo. Y EL FINAL PASA MALDITAMENTE RÁPIDO.
Y creo que a este punto, sí voy a terminar la trilogía. Nada pierdo y me ayuda a no pensar en la pila de tareas que tengo.
December 3, 2017
“Believe me. There was nothing good in always being second place."
I liked the second book even better than the first one! Mainly because this one was set in the magical school, which is the best setting ever imo. I loved how Sonea was learning all the magical stuff and attended classes. And there was a couple of great antagonists! Overall, very satisfying read. Can´t wait to see where the story goes next!
5*
I liked the second book even better than the first one! Mainly because this one was set in the magical school, which is the best setting ever imo. I loved how Sonea was learning all the magical stuff and attended classes. And there was a couple of great antagonists! Overall, very satisfying read. Can´t wait to see where the story goes next!
5*
May 29, 2018
"There's always a bit of truth in each rumour, the trouble is finding out which bit."
The worldbuilding in this series really is exquisite.
On the other hand, I found more editing errors in the book, and they continue through book three, too (which I finished half of before remembering I was supposed to mark this one as read).
The worldbuilding in this series really is exquisite.
On the other hand, I found more editing errors in the book, and they continue through book three, too (which I finished half of before remembering I was supposed to mark this one as read).
June 5, 2019
Akkarın ❤ Sibel
Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,837 reviews