The Magicians' Guild (original 2001; edition 2001)

A good book with well-developed characters, but fairly slow-moving. ( )

I should say that I don't think this style of book is for everyone. It reads like a long epic tale; the smallest of details such as the temperature of the wind should be taken into account as should relationships and rules, etc. If you are looking for a light quick read, then this isn't for you.

With that said, I loved it! The plot twists and turns were unexpected and thoroughly enjoyable. I immediately bought book 2 after I finished this one...

So now, I need to go to read it... ( )

My full review of this trilogy will be posted on the last book, but I liked this. It drew me into the story, though I think there was perhaps a little too long spent in the same old rut in the slums. I got to caring about the characters that I was obviously meant to care about, and I hated the ones I was supposed to hate. Not groundbreaking, but enjoyable enough. ( )

I've had this trilogy sitting on my shelf for at least three years, just waiting for me to feel up to the commitment of 7 inches of book. Really, this series looks absolutely huge when on a shelf. In reality, it took me about a week to work my way through the trilogy. I'm glad I did, and I wish I had done it sooner. It was quick and quite enjoyable!

This first book is a standard introduction to the rules and characters in a new magic-based world. Canavan does work in some vague social commentary, but it starts as an adventure story and continues on in the tradition of what I would call young adult fantasy. These seem aimed toward the adult fantasy market, but the themes are simple enough that I think I would have greatly enjoyed these as a tween. (Though the romance aspect may be slightly underplayed for the current tween fantasy market.) This first book really works to establish the characters and relationships and begin a vague introduction to the overarching plot of the trilogy, but not much really happens. The main character is sympathetic, though not very complex. ( )

I don't think this book/series is marketed as young adult, but it does have that sort of feel to it. Everything is a bit simplistic; the main conflict between Sonea and the magicians is mainly that of misunderstanding and extreme differences of class. The characterization is rather simplistic as well with no real depth. The setting is the rich magician's guild complex and the poor slums.

There's lots of opposites in conflict, lots of black and white but very little in shades of grey. It's a relaxing read, especially considering the heavier books I read earlier this month, but I do hope that the rest of the series has a bit more depth to it. ( )