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The Apprentice
No one ever approached Shayna's tower, for the plainsman feared the sorceress -- until Corwyn came, seeking apprenticeship.
Jaimah, Shayna's servant girl, feared Corwyn. He had hidden powers that were far beyond those of a mere apprentice. But he was kind, and she found herself strangely attracted to him.
Far more terrifying was Shayna's obsession with an evil and uncontrollable spell to bind the Master Magician Morgus to her own will. She had failed once already. Now she sought the mountain peak, to try at the place where magic was strongest.
Jaimah knew that she planned to draw Corwyn's own magic into herself to aid her spell. And she knew that Corwyn held secrets about himself from the sorceress. She knew that there would be an inevitable confrontation between sorceress and apprentice -- with her the helpless pawn!
Jaimah, Shayna's servant girl, feared Corwyn. He had hidden powers that were far beyond those of a mere apprentice. But he was kind, and she found herself strangely attracted to him.
Far more terrifying was Shayna's obsession with an evil and uncontrollable spell to bind the Master Magician Morgus to her own will. She had failed once already. Now she sought the mountain peak, to try at the place where magic was strongest.
Jaimah knew that she planned to draw Corwyn's own magic into herself to aid her spell. And she knew that Corwyn held secrets about himself from the sorceress. She knew that there would be an inevitable confrontation between sorceress and apprentice -- with her the helpless pawn!
- GenresFantasyFantasy Romance
272 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published December 13, 1989
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
November 10, 2023
After three chapters, I'm dnf'ing this one. It's slow paced, the main character is an annoying wimp of a girl, and it's feeling like a tired evil must be defeated as we have an intimate pitifully written romance where she doesn't understand why she falls for the main male character, Corwyn. No thanks. 2.5 ⭐.
February 13, 2016
I stumbled across this book years ago, and have been haunted by the story ever since. They story is lyrical, almost poetic, and unlike many other fantasy novels focuses almost exclusively on the human element, with the adventure as a backdrop for the people.
Jaimah is the quintessential abusee--belittled and even tortured at the hand of her mistress and reluctant mother Shayna, still she clings tenaciously to the only life she has ever known. Unlike many other authors, DTB does not demean her characters by ignoring their traumas in favor of a stronger character. Instead, she lovingly shows Jaimah as she truly is, with all the flaws of an uncertain, wounded, and almost painfully innocent young woman. At the same time, again and again she also showcases Jaimah's hidden strengths and potential, things even Jaimah does not yet see.
Shayna sometimes comes close to a caricature as the evil mistress, but just when you are ready to dismiss this character, you suddenly turn a corner and find yourself understanding and even sympathizing with her. While evil is very clearly laid out in the book, none of the characters are ever truly evil, or completely good, and therein lies the magic of the tale.
Speaking of characters, including secondary characters, she manages to weave the tale with only about eight of them, which has always amazed me. Rarely have I seen a book use so few.
The author has a poetic turn of phrase, and the entire book vibrates with the beauty of a song. This makes some sense since the book's concept was based in one, as the author states in her dedication on the very first page. This is one of those authors whom chance, not lack of talent took from the writing scene, and we are poorer because of it.
Also, as a quick side note--the "evil wizard" done to death thing? This was published back before it had been overdone and ground into the dirt. It hardly seems a fair thing to say about a book published 22 YEARS ago. It was also one of the first--and for a long time ONLY--fantasy novels that made the characters as central or MORE central than the adventure element. Her novel would fit in cozily now, but back when it was published it was highly unusual for the day.
Jaimah is the quintessential abusee--belittled and even tortured at the hand of her mistress and reluctant mother Shayna, still she clings tenaciously to the only life she has ever known. Unlike many other authors, DTB does not demean her characters by ignoring their traumas in favor of a stronger character. Instead, she lovingly shows Jaimah as she truly is, with all the flaws of an uncertain, wounded, and almost painfully innocent young woman. At the same time, again and again she also showcases Jaimah's hidden strengths and potential, things even Jaimah does not yet see.
Shayna sometimes comes close to a caricature as the evil mistress, but just when you are ready to dismiss this character, you suddenly turn a corner and find yourself understanding and even sympathizing with her. While evil is very clearly laid out in the book, none of the characters are ever truly evil, or completely good, and therein lies the magic of the tale.
Speaking of characters, including secondary characters, she manages to weave the tale with only about eight of them, which has always amazed me. Rarely have I seen a book use so few.
The author has a poetic turn of phrase, and the entire book vibrates with the beauty of a song. This makes some sense since the book's concept was based in one, as the author states in her dedication on the very first page. This is one of those authors whom chance, not lack of talent took from the writing scene, and we are poorer because of it.
Also, as a quick side note--the "evil wizard" done to death thing? This was published back before it had been overdone and ground into the dirt. It hardly seems a fair thing to say about a book published 22 YEARS ago. It was also one of the first--and for a long time ONLY--fantasy novels that made the characters as central or MORE central than the adventure element. Her novel would fit in cozily now, but back when it was published it was highly unusual for the day.
May 5, 2014
Oh, where to begin... This books was a fast read and mildly entertaining. I’d be hard pressed not to like a book centered around magic. Mages have always been my favorite characters in books, so when I saw an inviting cover (which is different on Amazon), I snagged it right up.
First, I liked the mysteriousness of Corwyn... in the beginning, that is. I liked his character. He was confident and his actions hinted towards something interesting, something more than what we were seeing through Jaimah’s eyes. I was intrigued by him, which is the only reason I kept reading.
Jaimah started off interesting. She was uncertain of who to trust, torn between the two, in the dark, and frightened. I didn’t mind her being weak, cause I held out hope that she’d end up being a strong character. However, less than half way through, I was ready for her to stop her internal, repetitive ramblings. It got on my nerves and slowed the story. It was the same feelings, the same uncertainties, rehashed over and over. I skimmed. A lot. I won’t tell you what happens to her, if she becomes all I’d hoped. I don’t want to spoil anything.
The ending (the last quarter or so), dragged for me and it was the most action packed part of the book (which is surprising since I adore action). I was ready for it end and for resolution to be found. If the entire book would have been shorter, I would have enjoyed it more. As it was, it just seemed full of awkward interactions between all three characters, and then a drawn out conclusion in the end.
Some of Bickmore’s descriptions were quite lovely, and several times I was impressed with her ability to describe sensations.
Overall, a fast read, one to waste away a few hours. It wasn’t great, but it wasn’t horrible.
First, I liked the mysteriousness of Corwyn... in the beginning, that is. I liked his character. He was confident and his actions hinted towards something interesting, something more than what we were seeing through Jaimah’s eyes. I was intrigued by him, which is the only reason I kept reading.
Jaimah started off interesting. She was uncertain of who to trust, torn between the two, in the dark, and frightened. I didn’t mind her being weak, cause I held out hope that she’d end up being a strong character. However, less than half way through, I was ready for her to stop her internal, repetitive ramblings. It got on my nerves and slowed the story. It was the same feelings, the same uncertainties, rehashed over and over. I skimmed. A lot. I won’t tell you what happens to her, if she becomes all I’d hoped. I don’t want to spoil anything.
The ending (the last quarter or so), dragged for me and it was the most action packed part of the book (which is surprising since I adore action). I was ready for it end and for resolution to be found. If the entire book would have been shorter, I would have enjoyed it more. As it was, it just seemed full of awkward interactions between all three characters, and then a drawn out conclusion in the end.
Some of Bickmore’s descriptions were quite lovely, and several times I was impressed with her ability to describe sensations.
Overall, a fast read, one to waste away a few hours. It wasn’t great, but it wasn’t horrible.
October 16, 2011
I'm so tired of evil, insane wizards as the antagonist. And the protagonist is a passive girl who needs saving every step of the way. I can't help but think that the story would have been more interesting from the apprentices point of view, at least then the protagonist would have proactive, but I'm not sure it would really have helped. The balance of power was so obviously in favor of the apprentice, the reader has to wonder why he was playing such a silly game with the insane antagonist.
The author kept covering the same ground over and over until I wanted to scream. If you're wondering why I kept reading, well, for the most part I did start skimming about 2/3s of the way through, I was so tired of hearing the girl wondering about who she should trust, "remembering" things the reader already knew, whining to herself about how she "just couldn't," resisting the things that would save her, and vacillating all over the place.
The author kept covering the same ground over and over until I wanted to scream. If you're wondering why I kept reading, well, for the most part I did start skimming about 2/3s of the way through, I was so tired of hearing the girl wondering about who she should trust, "remembering" things the reader already knew, whining to herself about how she "just couldn't," resisting the things that would save her, and vacillating all over the place.
January 15, 2015
I read this book many, many years ago and a couple years ago bits and pieces were taunting me and I wanted to re-read. But I didn't remember the title or author. Thank goodness for the What's the Name of That Book group here which after a year or so finally found it for me.
This is an unusual fantasy book in that there are few characters and they never leave the mountain. Jaimah has had a difficult life as the servant to Shayna (whose craving for power has caused her to be rash). Then Corwyn shows up asking to be her apprentice and everything changes.
I was much younger when I originally read this book and I find Jaimah a lot more annoying in her passivity this time around and Corwyn a bit too secretive and authoritative. But it was great to re-connect with something I had enjoyed so much in the past.
This is an unusual fantasy book in that there are few characters and they never leave the mountain. Jaimah has had a difficult life as the servant to Shayna (whose craving for power has caused her to be rash). Then Corwyn shows up asking to be her apprentice and everything changes.
I was much younger when I originally read this book and I find Jaimah a lot more annoying in her passivity this time around and Corwyn a bit too secretive and authoritative. But it was great to re-connect with something I had enjoyed so much in the past.
July 29, 2014
Holy cow, I never thought I'd find this book again!
(Disclaimer: I read this years and years ago while my teen self was waiting for a decision from a group of grown-ups who couldn't seem to agree on anything. But it says something about this book that I remember the story so frickin' well.)
Yeah, so this is the first book that showed me fantasy and romance could exist together. The ending is a bit anti-climactic, and the plot twists were obvious, even to my younger self. However, I remember the romance between the two main characters as being very sweet and fun to read. I would recommend this to my daughters, and might even read it again for nostalgia's sake, though I'm not sure I would enjoy it now as much as I once did.
Sum-up? Definitely worth a try, especially if you're a teenage girl who needs to escape for a while.
(Disclaimer: I read this years and years ago while my teen self was waiting for a decision from a group of grown-ups who couldn't seem to agree on anything. But it says something about this book that I remember the story so frickin' well.)
Yeah, so this is the first book that showed me fantasy and romance could exist together. The ending is a bit anti-climactic, and the plot twists were obvious, even to my younger self. However, I remember the romance between the two main characters as being very sweet and fun to read. I would recommend this to my daughters, and might even read it again for nostalgia's sake, though I'm not sure I would enjoy it now as much as I once did.
Sum-up? Definitely worth a try, especially if you're a teenage girl who needs to escape for a while.
November 3, 2008
After convincing my wife to read this book, I asked her with much anticipation about what she thought. She liked it, but she wasn't as excited about it as I remember being when I read it in my teenage years.
I read it again and decided that my memories of it were better than how I like it now, so that's where I try to keep this book, in the past.
In general, this book represented the experience of living isolated in an awesome castle with magic and adventure. Ahh, a good escape to remember for a teenager who was having a difficult time with reality. After reading it in my late 20's, it lacked the depth I need for a fulfilling reading experience.
I read it again and decided that my memories of it were better than how I like it now, so that's where I try to keep this book, in the past.
In general, this book represented the experience of living isolated in an awesome castle with magic and adventure. Ahh, a good escape to remember for a teenager who was having a difficult time with reality. After reading it in my late 20's, it lacked the depth I need for a fulfilling reading experience.
March 22, 2013
A charming romantic fantasy, the kind of book I love to read but have trouble finding: primarily fantasy with a strong romantic subplot, rather than a romance placed in a fantasy setting. Jaimah, the servant girl, is vulnerable but stronger than she knows, and Corwyn is wonderfully dreamy and mysterious. One of my all-time favorite books.
March 25, 2012
I also stumbled across this years ago and loved it. I kept waiting for a sequel to come out.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews