There are a couple of things I really loved about this book. First is the fact that Friedman never withholds information about her world just for the sake of creating suspense or avoiding exposition or whatever other excuse too many fantasy writers use to keep their readers in a state of complete befuddlement. Friedman tells us right off the bat that Magister power is derived by draining the lifeforce from other human beings. Any other author would have dragged that out for chapters and chapters, dropping tantalizing hints and ominous foreshadowing. But Friedman is more interested in examining the way that the source of their power affects Magisters, and how they differ from witches, who must drain their own life force to use magic. It's a fascinating system, and one that sets up complex moral and ethical issues, which are explored sympathetically and in depth.

The second thing I loved is that there is no "hero" in this story. No starry-eyed youth coming of age; no hard-bitten veteran called back to fight a final battle; no hidden prince discovering his destiny. There is a protagonist, sure. There are victims and opportunists, bad people who do good things and good people who do bad things. Perhaps unfortunately, there is an easily identifiable bad guy, complete with a requisite army of minions set to Take Over the World. But who will stand against him, who will sit this one out, and who will throw their hat into the ring of eeeevil? For that matter, given that a fairly important character dies in this book, who will still be left to even fight the final battle? I don't know, and I love it.
This is fantasy at its best. Friedman asks you to think, to withhold judgment, to put yourself in her characters' shoes and ask yourself honestly what you would do. There's a point to be made here, and she does it elegantly, subtly, and with a razor-sharp edge. I can't wait for the rest of this series. ( )

The story seems to be reasonably interesting, but this book is not pulling me in. I read in one of the other reviews that the reviewer had problems connecting to the main character, and I have the same thing. It shouldn't have been so hard; despite the fact that she doesn't care that using her power kills someone I think there should be enough to like. She is determined, strong and she does care about people (despite the spoiler). But I can't really care anyway, and I don't feel like spending more time on it, so I stopped halfway through. ( )

Strong finish but the first half was painfully slow. Doubt I'll read the sequels, but I don't regret reading it ( )

Previous to reading this book I have read all of Friedmann’s other novels (aside from the Magister series) and really enjoyed them. I ended up really enjoying this book first novel in the Magister series as well. This is a beautifully written epic fantasy series with engaging characters, an interesting magic system, and an intricate plot.

I listened to this on audiobook and it was very well done. I thoroughly enjoyed this as an audiobook and plan on listening to the rest of the series on audiobook as well. I would definitely recommend if you enjoy audiobooks.

The story follow a number of different characters. The first of these is Kamala, a young woman who is determined to become a Magister when previously only men have become Magisters. The second is Andovan, a young prince who is suffering from a wasting disease and decides to strike out on his own to find the cause of this illness. We also hear from a number of Magisters, the mad king Danton, and the king’s wife Gwen.

I love the magic system in this book. It is intriguing and interesting to learn about. All the characters are very engaging and easy to read about, even the evil ones. The story is complex but easy to follow and has themes of good vs evil. I also love all the thoughts and questions around how magic is used and if the Magisters lives are really worth more than anyone else's.

Overall this was an excellent epic fantasy read. I would recommend to those who enjoy epic fantasies with interesting magic systems and classic themes of good vs evil. ( )

In the world of Feast of Souls it is thought that women cannot become sorcerers. Women can become witches, draining their own life energy to fuel magic, but not sorcerers. Witches are generally fate to die young, burning through their life energy at a faster rate than normal as they delve and conjure. Most witches use their powers sparingly, selling seconds and minutes of their life at great cost.

By contrast a sorcerer does not burn his own life’s energy; instead he has access to another source, one that has seemingly infinite potential. Their magic is colder, without fear of burning ones own life away. Sorcerers use their abilities for frivolous pursuits, such as conjuring trinkets or warming tea… no sane witch would give up minutes of her life for something as trivial.

Men and women both have the potential to become witches; only men can become sorcerers. Many women have tried to learn the secrets of sorcery, some have been apprenticed to sorcerers in an attempt to make the transition, but all have failed… until, of course, this book. Predominately, Feast of Souls is about a woman named Kamala who discovers how to become a sorcerer.

The story itself is pretty dark, and not gentle reading. Kamala’s early life is fraught with abuse. Her own mother, who loved her children enough to beg for her son’s life in the prologue, sold Kamala’s virginity off to the highest bidder. Though not discussed in detail, it is clear that, until she began apprenticed to a Magister, Kamala spent her young adult life as a sex worker.

Once she attains her first transition and begins stealing life energy from someone else –a stranger, and unknown person, somewhere in the world– Kamala struggles to figure out her place. She is a Magister, but she cannot reveal her true nature to others of her kind just yet. She has to gain experience, get a foothold in the world, before announcing her existence to the other Magisters.

Since Magisters can effectively live forever and they have infinite power, they have almost no rules. The only exception to this is the Law; Magisters may not kill each other. Naturally, one of the first things Kamala does upon leaving her master is accidentally kill another Magister. The only thing that saves her from immediate judgement is that the other Magisters have no idea who or what she is.

Much of the story touches on the moral ambiguity of surviving by slowly, but actively, killing another human. This is a bit disturbing, especially as Kamala not only meets her consort, the person whose life she is draining, they form a friendship and even become lovers. It’s definitely an iffy situation that made me feel a little yucky while at the same time drawing me in to read more. The death of Kamala’s consort was inevitable, and it was handled in a way that let me be a little ok with it, despite still wigging out about how the main character could be such a cold killer.

Of course there is a lot more going on in the background of this story. Monsters that should be held back in the frozen north by a mystical wall, constructed years and years ago by the sacrifice of a thousand witches, have been sighted. The monsters are called beasts called Souleaters and, like Magisters, they steal away the life essence of their victims. There isn’t much information on the exact nature of these creatures but it is clear that there is a connection between them and Magisters.

In the end, the story was so morally ambiguous I’m not sure what to think of it. I remember liking it a lot more when I first read it years ago. But now… well, after reading more about and trying to become more aware of feminist issues, part of me feels like Kamala is an unfortunate poster child for the “Rape Creates Strong Female Characters” trope. On the other hand it seems from the acknowledgements that Friedman did her research and drew extensively on the personal experiences of a sex worker for Kamala’s background and personality. I liked the book, but it definitely left me a bit uncomfortable. And, for this story, maybe that’s a good thing. Either way, I’m looking forward to more information, more answers, and more squickiness from the second book. ( )