Servant Mage

Some time in the past, a revolution toppled the last dragon queen and magic users are now considered a problem to be handled - by indenturing them as slaves and teaching them to hate themselves (unless they come from noble houses of course).

Fellian is one of these mages - taken away from her family after her parents were executed for treason, she is slaving away and still finding time to secretly teach people to read. Until a group of monarchists who want to topple the current regime and bring back the old one abduct her so she can help them save a baby. And off they all go on an adventure.

We know only what Fellian knows so Elliott gets to tell her story slowly and we learn about the world as Fellian does (except for one conversation show more that looked like a slip - Fellian could not have heard it and never acted on it (and she would have)). Of course nothing of what she had been taught in the asylum turns out to be true - not that the people telling her the new story are always credible narrators either.

The end surprised me - I was all ready for the happily ever after that was almost telegraphed through the book and then the story took a turn. Not an unexpected one - the story led to it but I did not expect us to get there considering the lightheartedness of the whole novella/novel. And it left an opening for a sequel one day without actually making this unreadable on its own - which is not easy to pull off.

A mage with great powers who does not know what she/he has is a tired trope in the genre and some parts here sounded cliched enough. But the world-building carries the story - even when the characters feel a bit too thin. My only regret is that the world is fascinating enough to support a much longer novel (even a series) but then I often feel like that with novellas. And this specific story is at its perfect length.

If you enjoy fantasy and need something light and silly in places, that may be a great story to get into. show less

There is a reason that there is a distant feeling for the characters in this adventure in which a young servant mage, a person bound into service by the Liberationists who a couple of generations earlier ousted the Monarchists, is taken by a small group of Monarchists who require her specific ability to rescue some of their trapped forces. But the result of the distancing is to remove immediacy from the telling. The same adventure could have been told as a better read, but this is a better story than going the default route.

Pros: interesting politics, fascinating magic system, fun characters

Cons: too short

Fellian is rescued from her indentured servitude by a group of Monarchists who need her help as a Lamp - a fire mage. But are the Monarchists really any better than the liberationists that overthrew them years ago?

This is a novella so you’re not getting the in dept world-building you might be hoping for. It’s a bit of a shame as the world is interesting and I’d have loved to learn more about the politics and magic. I loved the idea that human magic is caused by demon-wraiths nesting in their bones. The politics were complicated and messy as expected when a revolution has recently occurred.

Fellian asks a lot of questions, annoying her companions but show more giving the reader vital information. She’s clever and resourceful. Her team is an interesting mix and I enjoyed their dynamic.

The book is fast paced and compelling.

This is a quick, enjoyable read. show less

There's a lot of positive to be found in this book. The main character is sympathetic, and the story is nice. I like the ending, and the overall message. Somehow, though, I don't really feel it. The world building had details that I wasn't interested in. The side characters seem to have been placed there for a purpose instead of feeling like an intrinsic part of the story. And the whole thing feels contrived, as if someone set up the elements of the story like chess pieces on a board. It had a lot of potential, but it didn't quite follow through.

Elliott is known for writing big, dense books. This one is much shorter, novella length or only slightly longer. The worldbuilding is dense, and fascinating. Characterizations are good, and the plot moves along. It could easily be the start of a long series, but it also stands alone well.

Excellent musing on and subversion of The Chosen One trope. I’d gladly read more stories set In this world.

I have read well over a thousand fantasy and sci/fy novels over the years and this is one of the worst. I noticed that the author has published over twenty novels in the genre in the past so I was expecting something good. It seems that Ms. Elliott is just going through the motions rushing to get to the end to get to the next book in a series. The characters and settings are not well developed and the plot is very sketchy. ( a young girl with powers is kidnaped to help rescue a baby in an ill defined revolution).. Don't waste you time on this one.