What do you think?
Rate this book
Guardian's Compact #1
The Last Mage Guardian
Her great-uncle, the mage Oron, bequeathed to her his oak-shaded chateau and a debt of magical honor. But in a world where women do not do magic, Miss Ardhuin Andrews must hide her magical talents. How can she repay the debt? When Oron's enemies attack, how can she survive? Political intrigue, duty, and echoes of an old war not truly ended combine to create a smoldering crisis in a world where magic and science coexist.
260 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 23, 2011
10 people are currently reading
449 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
July 24, 2021
A very high four stars for this well-written tale of a young woman who finds herself in charge of the magical defense of Europe, some years after a devastating war started by the French.
It's set in an alternate world, not fully steampunk but sufficiently steampunkish that Amazon suggested it to me because I'd read Lindsay Buroker. The date appears to be mid-to-late 19th century, from scattered clues. There are trains, but it's magic rather than technology that gets the emphasis. The North American continent appears to be called Atlantea, and the countries of Europe have different names, their cities have different spellings, and there are other geopolitical differences like the continuation of a separate country of Bretagne distinct from France (or Gaul). The most similar thing I've read is James Calbraith's The Shadow of Black Wings, though the history is closer to ours than it is in Calbraith.
Although there's a romance subplot between the two viewpoint characters, the emphasis is on the adventure and the magic, with a great boss battle at the end. Flooding cellar, explosions, collapsing masonry, levitation, it's all good stuff.
On first reading, I said: "The editing (and writing) is fully as good as you'll find from any big publisher (and better than you'll often get from HarperCollins)," but on second reading I picked up a number of misplaced apostrophes with plural nouns (very little else wrong with it, though). I'll have no hesitation in adding this to my Indie Books Worth Reading list on my website (http://csidemedia.com/gryphonclerks/i...).
There doesn't appear to be a sequel yet, but this was published in the middle of last year, so I have hopes. I liked both the main characters, enjoyed the world, and was happy to accept the more cinematic parts of the story in their own terms.
I'll be taking a look at the author's other work, which is mostly science fiction that claims to be in the tradition of Lois McMaster Bujold. I'm a huge Bujold fan, and I approach that claim with a little skepticism, but this author does seem to have the skills to pull off a good military space opera.
It's set in an alternate world, not fully steampunk but sufficiently steampunkish that Amazon suggested it to me because I'd read Lindsay Buroker. The date appears to be mid-to-late 19th century, from scattered clues. There are trains, but it's magic rather than technology that gets the emphasis. The North American continent appears to be called Atlantea, and the countries of Europe have different names, their cities have different spellings, and there are other geopolitical differences like the continuation of a separate country of Bretagne distinct from France (or Gaul). The most similar thing I've read is James Calbraith's The Shadow of Black Wings, though the history is closer to ours than it is in Calbraith.
Although there's a romance subplot between the two viewpoint characters, the emphasis is on the adventure and the magic, with a great boss battle at the end. Flooding cellar, explosions, collapsing masonry, levitation, it's all good stuff.
On first reading, I said: "The editing (and writing) is fully as good as you'll find from any big publisher (and better than you'll often get from HarperCollins)," but on second reading I picked up a number of misplaced apostrophes with plural nouns (very little else wrong with it, though). I'll have no hesitation in adding this to my Indie Books Worth Reading list on my website (http://csidemedia.com/gryphonclerks/i...).
There doesn't appear to be a sequel yet, but this was published in the middle of last year, so I have hopes. I liked both the main characters, enjoyed the world, and was happy to accept the more cinematic parts of the story in their own terms.
I'll be taking a look at the author's other work, which is mostly science fiction that claims to be in the tradition of Lois McMaster Bujold. I'm a huge Bujold fan, and I approach that claim with a little skepticism, but this author does seem to have the skills to pull off a good military space opera.
October 16, 2016
"The Last Mage Guardian" is a sort of steampunk world, plus magic. The situation is quasi-1920's -- one war recently finished, another potentially brewing amid racial tensions and economic crises. Mores are firmly Victorian; women are to be supported and not, under any circumstances, to do magic. Our main character, of course, is, it gradually appears, a very powerful mage indeed. This scenario did not play out quite as I expected it to, much to the author's credit. The mage neither pretends to be male, nor hides behind a male assistant (at least, not as a rule). I really enjoyed the story; the plot was twisty and inventive, the characters were engaging and believable (mostly), and the writing was good. The game of "guess which European country this is" was entertaining; I got Bretagne wrong for about 2/3 of the book. (I now think it's Brittany, and Atlantea is the British isles, but I may still be wrong...) I will look out for other books by this author.
October 12, 2016
Set in an alternate 19th-century Europe, this book's world is both colorful and fascinating. Ardhuin is a young woman who finds herself the unprepared heir of her mage great-uncle. Domenec is a recently graduated university student looking for work. The book gets off to a bit of a slow start, but sparks fly-literally-when these two finally meet up. Their adventure takes them across the continent and into a dangerous, high-stakes situation that Ardhuin feels ill-equipped for. With the help of Domenec and a few other friends she takes on a shadowy conspiracy which seeks to overthrow a shaky peace between the various countries of the continent. The story took a number of fascinating twists and turns, and just when you think you know where it's headed, it takes a different direction. Both viewpoint characters are unorthodox, yet appealing, and I enjoyed the romance, which was non-annoying. (always a plus for me) This is a series, but short one, with one book following this one.
May 31, 2020
Slow start but strong middle & finish.
Bit too reminiscent of post WWI Europe.... even though it's spelt differently.
Bit too reminiscent of post WWI Europe.... even though it's spelt differently.
August 23, 2021
An urban fantasy set in an alternate Victorian era Europe with vaguely familiar nations and areas, but with a magical twist. The story is about a mage and a guardian with a unique ability who grow to learn about each other.
This is a very well written and well crafted story that takes its time to draw you into the world in an organic and pleasing manner without being slow or dull. The characters are fresh and interesting, likable, and vulnerable while being capable and amazing in themselves.
This was my first Sabrina Chase novel, I am very much looking forward to more from her.
This is a very well written and well crafted story that takes its time to draw you into the world in an organic and pleasing manner without being slow or dull. The characters are fresh and interesting, likable, and vulnerable while being capable and amazing in themselves.
This was my first Sabrina Chase novel, I am very much looking forward to more from her.
November 30, 2011
Very engaging story of love, magic, intrigue, and the occasional pastry. Well worth a read.
Read
August 13, 2021The premise of this book sounded intriguing, and the storyline is interesting although straightforward. Going by the writing style, I rather suspect I'm not in its target readership. There was more angst and less subtlety/intrigue than I had hoped for.
The prose was tidy, and I didn't notice any obtrusive typos. I wasn't massively keen on the thinly disguised place names. In eg Moorcock's Hawkmoon books, the altered names fit in with his multiverse setting, but that wasn't the case here.
There are two main PoV characters. Especially in the middle, we seemed to hop between their heads so frequently that I wasn't always clear who was supposed to be thinking what. This wasn't helped by various conversations explaining things to each other, followed by internal musings going over the stuff and their angst yet again. That really bogged things down for me. The other characters don't have a lot of nuance: the hostile ones are up front about it, and the helpful ones remain supportive without any personal agendas.
The plot was easy to follow and made sense. It felt like there was more emphasis on Ardhuin and Dominic's relationship than the political/social shenanigans. Again, maybe some lack of nuance with how things were spelled out. I always remained aware of the author directing the story.
The prose was tidy, and I didn't notice any obtrusive typos. I wasn't massively keen on the thinly disguised place names. In eg Moorcock's Hawkmoon books, the altered names fit in with his multiverse setting, but that wasn't the case here.
There are two main PoV characters. Especially in the middle, we seemed to hop between their heads so frequently that I wasn't always clear who was supposed to be thinking what. This wasn't helped by various conversations explaining things to each other, followed by internal musings going over the stuff and their angst yet again. That really bogged things down for me. The other characters don't have a lot of nuance: the hostile ones are up front about it, and the helpful ones remain supportive without any personal agendas.
The plot was easy to follow and made sense. It felt like there was more emphasis on Ardhuin and Dominic's relationship than the political/social shenanigans. Again, maybe some lack of nuance with how things were spelled out. I always remained aware of the author directing the story.
February 26, 2017
Part of a boxed set "Light in the Darkness." Good fantasy. Magic, mayhem, and love. Five stars loved it. Implied sexual content, violence, no swearing. Five stars. Looking forward to more from this author.
October 20, 2014
I received a copy of the book from Goodreads First Reads program
The Last Mage is a book who's cover I adore. It looks really great and I had some..interesting expectations about the book because of it and the title. I was blown away by the book and I loved it when I read it.
The two main characters, Ardhuin and Dominic, are characters who grow a lot throughout the book in different ways. Ardhuin is a woman trying to escape from the life her mother wants her to have, when Ardhuin just wants to learn and perform magic like her uncle Oron taught her. Dominic is a man who tutors and writes to make a living, traveling to do both. Over the course of the book we learn more about both Ardhuin and Dominic, about how Ardhuin came to be the owner of the estate she lives and how she learned magic. Both characters are interesting and compelling in their own ways, and Ardhuin is a character who I definitely came to love with all her personality and quirks.
As far as the plot is concerned it started slow but picks up and towards the end is very suspenseful and interesting. The various aspects of magic and technology put into the book made it an interesting fantasy/steampunk book. I liked how the magic and technology could damage and prevent each other from working properly with some things, it gave it an nice twist. As far as the alternate reality portion goes, the lands are recognizable in what they are in our world but they do vary quite a bit and some of them are harder to pin down than others without the language.
Overall this book was a fantastic read with some small hitches, and I can not wait to read the second book!
The Last Mage is a book who's cover I adore. It looks really great and I had some..interesting expectations about the book because of it and the title. I was blown away by the book and I loved it when I read it.
The two main characters, Ardhuin and Dominic, are characters who grow a lot throughout the book in different ways. Ardhuin is a woman trying to escape from the life her mother wants her to have, when Ardhuin just wants to learn and perform magic like her uncle Oron taught her. Dominic is a man who tutors and writes to make a living, traveling to do both. Over the course of the book we learn more about both Ardhuin and Dominic, about how Ardhuin came to be the owner of the estate she lives and how she learned magic. Both characters are interesting and compelling in their own ways, and Ardhuin is a character who I definitely came to love with all her personality and quirks.
As far as the plot is concerned it started slow but picks up and towards the end is very suspenseful and interesting. The various aspects of magic and technology put into the book made it an interesting fantasy/steampunk book. I liked how the magic and technology could damage and prevent each other from working properly with some things, it gave it an nice twist. As far as the alternate reality portion goes, the lands are recognizable in what they are in our world but they do vary quite a bit and some of them are harder to pin down than others without the language.
Overall this book was a fantastic read with some small hitches, and I can not wait to read the second book!
December 13, 2011
This story of a young woman mage in a world where women don't do magic and the young man who falls for her grew on me. At first I felt the story was a bit slow going. It starts from the perspective of the young man, not the heroine. For the first couple of chapters I wasn't sure what was going on, or if I even liked the characters much. The male lead is not particularly talented, that we know, and the female lead is unsure of herself and hiding from the world in a state of partial ignorance.
However, once they met and began to interact, things started to happen and more clarity grew. While there were many opportunities for "I can see it coming" moments, the author did not take that easy way out. Instead, she would slightly twist the development of the story and we would learn a bit more about the characters. I really enjoyed the story more when the main characters were acting instead of worrying. That happened more as the tale progressed.
This book is safe for younger readers in that any romantic action beyond kissing is referred to pretty obliquely. And the worst swearing I recall is the word "blast." There are some nice examples of the challenges a woman faced in historical times when coming up against traditional gender roles. And this alternate Europe has some religious and racial prejudice as well. The book is in a world with growing technology, but which continues to have magic.
However, once they met and began to interact, things started to happen and more clarity grew. While there were many opportunities for "I can see it coming" moments, the author did not take that easy way out. Instead, she would slightly twist the development of the story and we would learn a bit more about the characters. I really enjoyed the story more when the main characters were acting instead of worrying. That happened more as the tale progressed.
This book is safe for younger readers in that any romantic action beyond kissing is referred to pretty obliquely. And the worst swearing I recall is the word "blast." There are some nice examples of the challenges a woman faced in historical times when coming up against traditional gender roles. And this alternate Europe has some religious and racial prejudice as well. The book is in a world with growing technology, but which continues to have magic.
August 12, 2014
I WON THIS BOOK FROM GOODREADS FIRST READS!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Okay I pride myself on my honesty so here it is. I really enjoyed this book. It was well written and flowed very naturally. The concepts were really packed in the book and I think this could have been a good starting point for a series. There were a couple questions unanswered but I loved that the budding relationship wasn't so in your face. Lately it seems every book has a love conflict to keep it moving along and to add suspense but this novel wasn't like that at all. Very refreshing.
Now on to what I didn't like. I didn't like the cover so much I thought it could have been a bit more fire and brimstone. And to me the text was too small I would have liked to seen the font a bit larger. Other than that I really hope to see a second book and I will buy the second if there is one.
Okay I pride myself on my honesty so here it is. I really enjoyed this book. It was well written and flowed very naturally. The concepts were really packed in the book and I think this could have been a good starting point for a series. There were a couple questions unanswered but I loved that the budding relationship wasn't so in your face. Lately it seems every book has a love conflict to keep it moving along and to add suspense but this novel wasn't like that at all. Very refreshing.
Now on to what I didn't like. I didn't like the cover so much I thought it could have been a bit more fire and brimstone. And to me the text was too small I would have liked to seen the font a bit larger. Other than that I really hope to see a second book and I will buy the second if there is one.
August 13, 2014
This was an enjoyable read! In a steampunky world where magical devices operate alongside mechanical ones (sometimes interfering with one another), a young woman inherits a magical estate that comes with a few more responsibilities than she expected.
It was fun to watch her grow up throughout the story, from simply wanting to escape her boarding school and mother's plans for her life, to taking on a heavy defense burden for all of the continent, essentially on her own. I also enjoyed the idea that, since all magicians in this society are men, no one in the story realizes that she's as powerful as she is.
It was fun to watch her grow up throughout the story, from simply wanting to escape her boarding school and mother's plans for her life, to taking on a heavy defense burden for all of the continent, essentially on her own. I also enjoyed the idea that, since all magicians in this society are men, no one in the story realizes that she's as powerful as she is.
January 27, 2012
The Last Mage Guardian was slow to start, but easily evolved to a quick pace that had me easily absorbed to the end. I had thought that, as this was one of her first works, Chase might have had a rougher time with it, but her writing style was true to form. A very strong novel that doesn’t disappoint.
...Read the rest of my review at the Akamai Reader...
...Read the rest of my review at the Akamai Reader...
November 25, 2012
A pretty good magic punk story set in a fantasy sort-of Europe. I enjoyed Chase's concept of magic and would have enjoyed even more detail about it. Not as good as her Sequoyah series, but worth reading.
January 3, 2016
Simply good fantasy with believable magic, likeable characters and a great story. I really liked Sabrina Chase's style in The Scent Of Metal (scifi), and found it here again. A good read through and through.
June 26, 2012
Very enjoyable fantasy, liked the characters and very good dialogue. Interesting world, hope we get more stories in it.
Read
October 26, 2016Slow start was right. I can't even remember the characters.
July 21, 2021
Very fun.
January 10, 2015
I want more in this series!
May 13, 2017
3.5 of 5
A delightful surprise in a Kindle ebook bundle. Set in an alternative magical Europe ("Aerope") in a time between WWI and WWII. A little too much "oh I am hideous" from the obviously beautiful protagonist and a slow start account for the 1.5 deduction.
A delightful surprise in a Kindle ebook bundle. Set in an alternative magical Europe ("Aerope") in a time between WWI and WWII. A little too much "oh I am hideous" from the obviously beautiful protagonist and a slow start account for the 1.5 deduction.
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews