The Awakened Mage (Kingmaker, Kingbreaker) (edition 2007)

Oct11:

Characters: Only a couple additional characters fleshed out. Those are done well and the prior characters continue strongly.

Plot: Bleh. She really can't give me a satisfying conclusion. I'm done spending money on her books if this is how she keeps wrapping things up. Very close to deus ex machina with little logic.

Style: Again, all about "the sky is falling" and less about ingenuity and problem solving. Still, the characters were great. ( )

Now that the royal family is dead but for Gar, the prince who only recently gained his magic, our hero Asher has a lot more responsibility. This would be great if he wanted it, which he doesn't. But it serves the Circle's ends, the group of people who believe he will fulfill a 600 year old prophecy. And as evil things find their way through Barl's wall, old magics will be required or everything good will be lost.

I've read complaints that nothing happens in this book until the last 50 pages, but this isn't at all true. It starts slowly, but if you enjoyed the first book in the series you'll want to know how things progress, and time isn't wasted before much has changed. Asher continues to be his irritating self, as does the rest of the cast. This is a story about people and prophecy that seem very real. Every time I made an assumption it was either wrong, or dealt with so quickly it was irrelevant. Surprising and compelling, I had to read the last half in one sitting. Yes, nearly 400 pages in one sitting. Owch.

I will read the next series, too.

Small frustrations: the only two useful female characters are referred to as "bitches" too often, and (spoilers follow...) why must a young woman always end up pregnant? Anyway. ( )

WARNING: This review will contain spoilers for the first book in the series, The Innocent Mage. If you haven't read it yet, why are you even reading a review for the second book??

Let's talk about feelings first. It's hard to rate a book that leaves you satisfied, but strangely emotionally detached. Perhaps it was because of the way the story was structured. I read the last half of the book in one day, not an easy feat for a slow reader like me, but throughout that section of the book, my heart was pounding with suspense. I wanted to, no needed, to read what was going to happen next, when Asher was going to save the day.

Speaking of good and evil, the line between them is not as clear cut as it may sound in the novel. Sure, there is Morg, the absolute evil, and Barl, the supposed goddess. Sure, she saved a bunch of Doranen by migrating to and settling Lur, but she practically subjugated the already present Olken in the process. It stinks of the early English colonists and their quest for Native American lands... But I digress. Perhaps Miller wanted us to see that, perhaps not.

On to the storyline. If you enjoyed the way the first book centered around politics, then you will be happy to know that this book will have much of the same. Getting to see what Morg is scheming just makes the slow downfall that much more unbearable and dreadful. Morg just plays on human faults and expands upon them, it was somewhat frightening to watch it helplessly unfold.

All in all, it was an interesting series. I will be looking forward to putting my hands on the other books in the same universe, hoping against hope that they will contain more magic for my liking. It was an entertaining read, but it fell a little short for me. I don't regret reading it, but I'm glad to have satiated my curiosity and get it out of the way.

Hey, if I sound a little meh about this book, remember that I rated this 4 stars! That means it had something going for it that made this book good but not great. ( )

The second part was MUCH darker than the first. There was also a great deal of time spent where literally the only thing that happens is that things fall apart. For a 700-page epic fantasy, I was a little disappointed to find that the big ending battle took place in approximately the last 50 pages (and a massive number of gruesome deaths as well). Definitely worth plowing through if you enjoyed The Innocent Mage, but a rough second part. ( )

The 700+ pages of this book contain all the makings of a fantastic story. Daring adventures, intrigue, romance and excitement all mixed together with some great characters. The problem is, the good parts only take up about 350 pages. The remaining 350 are full of whining, self-indulgence, repetitive meanderings and other material that just screamed for editing.

I know I’m having an unusually strong reaction to this book. You’re probably wondering why I didn’t just call it quits instead of struggling for almost a whole week with this book (unheard of for me). The problem was that this book really had some excellent material. I wanted to know what was going to happen to these characters, how the story was going to work itself out. I just hated having to plough through all the sludge to get to the story.

I’m sorry to say this duology does not redeem itself in the second volume, as far as I’m concerned. Despite the bright spots, I can’t recommend it. ( )

This second novel is a deeper, darker turn into this fantasy adventure world. Friendships and relationships are tested, more good characters die, but the ending seems to be pretty good; maybe another book to look at Lur and old Dorana a few hundred years later. ( )

The review on the back says it's a stunning conclusion. I disagree - the good guys largely win, the bad guys get beaten, and whilst there are some deaths en route, this isn't enough to make it "stunning" in my opinion.

However, it is basically a good solid conclusion. There are twists and turns. There are places where you think the bad guys are going to win after all, and some of them occur in the last 50 pages.

There are nice conflicts that arise out of the characters as well as arising out of the plots, and all in all it is quite deftly handled.

Why only 4 stars then? Because too many stereotypes come through, you can probably guess who the characters that will die are without reading the book. Like a tragedy you can see the inevitable consequences of the characters' choices more clearly than they can, but they don't all get to pay the proper price that they would in a tragedy. It's side-steps the payment for the story form, and that's a shame because it could have made it truly stunning. ( )

Review on my blog - MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS ( )

This book follows in the style of it's companion, that makes you both want to keep reading, and to skip parts.
Yet, I can safely say that as the climax nears it becomes much more fast-paced and gripping. One word of caution though: I found the true climax rushed. What could, nay should, have had a sizeable chapter, was instead over in a few pages. Thus it felt like more of an anti-climax than a climax. ( )

The Awakened Mage, by Karen Miller, is the 2nd half of the Kingmaker, Kingbreaker duology.

Picking up where The Innocent Mage left off, Asher discovers the royal family has been in a tragic accident caused by the evil Morg. With the kingdom’s future on the line, Morg takes advantage of the ensuing chaos to further his plans. And Gar must rely on his friend Asher more than ever, if he hopes to continue the Weather Working which holds the kingdom’s wall secure and all of Morg’s immense power out. But Asher will need to fulfill prophecy and discover his true potential in order to defeat Morg and protect everything he holds dear.

As events culminate to devastating proportions, Asher slowly becomes confronted with his destiny and becomes the reluctant hero. Each character, good and evil, is so fleshed out over the course of these two books, that I feel as if I know each one personally. And I felt myself become emotional at times, especially at the end, when characters would make bad decisions or were killed. It’s been a while since I’ve found myself so wrapped up in a story!

The Kingmaker, Kingbreaker duology is an incredible epic fantasy that I would recommend to anyone. Adventure, magic, friendship, love, and a battle of good versus evil – I can see this tale becoming a classic. And Karen Miller has made her way to my list of favorite authors. ( )

Together with the first book these were a great read. You'll grow to love Asher and Gar, and everyone else involved. The ending was sad, and I hated to see it end, but I'm glad that I had a chance to read the book. I would strongly recommend these books to everyone who likes Fantasy. ( )

Whereas The Innocent Mage had a more lighthearted tone, The Awakened Mage is much darker. Things go from bad to worse; to even worse, and when redemption finally dawns, the reader will be glad of it. But this does make for some great reading as we wonder just how Gar and Asher will find their way out of this mess and ultimately defeat the evil magician Morg.

Miller continues to write in an engaging style. Relying almost completely on characterization (there are no fight scenes in this one folks) to move the narrative forward, she makes the characters so arresting that we just have to find out what happens to them next. Several surprising plot twists occur in this novel. Miller jerked left when I would have jerked right, and I think that the novel is the better for it.

Full review at Grasping for the Wind ( )

The Kingmaker, Kingbreaker Duology is probably my favorite overall series published this year. Highly recommended.

Mini review here: http://fantasybookreviewer.blogspot.com/2007/10/kingmaker-kingbreaker-duology-mi... ( )

Stunning climax to that rare fantasy beast a duology.

An ancient enemy has breached this guarded kingdom's defences, and unbeknown to all. However a profecy has lingered and a small number of people have gathered to help in times of trouble. Unfortunetly they are the underclass, nominally magicless, waiting for their Innocent Mage to save them. For the heros - Gar, Asher Matt and Daphne, it is a time of trouble and strife.

The superb writing and wonderful characters continue from the previous book Ash's brusque dialog continues to charm and the other characters are well crafted. The only slightly discordent note is the length of plot it takes for Ash to be revealed and the very fast conclusion which feels somewhat rushed. Other than that a flawless epic of how fantasy should be written. ( )