Mage Heart

The Chronicles of Dion Trilogy #1

by Jane Routley

Book 1 of the Dion Chronicles Provincial and naive-and the most powerful mage in the realm-young Dion is an innocent adrift in a world of intrigues and treacheries, with foul, hungry demons lurking just beyond its borders. And now she has been called upon to serve her Duke's favorite mistress: the extraordinary Kitten Avignon, Our Lady of Roses. For the mesmerizing courtesan is a woman in dire jeopardy, stalked by a fearsome necromancer who will not sleep until his beautiful prey suffers horribly and is destroyed. And with Evil's night approaching, shielding the Lady and herself from harm will require every ounce of a power Dion is only beginning to recognize and fear-a great gift suddenly imperiled by blossoming womanhood . . . and dangerous desire. "One of the genres bright new stars . . . Routley produces a fantasy that can be read for more than myth or pyrotechnics . . . While many fantasists simply add magic to political intrigue, Routley's are noteworthy for the natural and inevitable intertwining of the two. Well drawn backgrounds and characters add to the appeal." -Publishers Weekly "A highly original romatic fantasy" -Cherry Wilder, author of Signs of Life "A superb entry into the realm of magic and demons . . . a wonderful addition to the fantasy genre" -Affaire de Coeur "Blend of tragic, comic, nitty-gritty [and} glamorous" -Locus

Genres: Fantasy, Romance, Fiction, High Fantasy, Demons, Science Fiction Fantasy, Magic

351 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1996

About the author

I write fantasy with strong women characters.
I’ve published 7 books as me – Mage Heart and the Aurealis award winners Fire Angels and Aramaya, The Three Sisters and The Melded Child.
I have a queer time travel romance called A Shining Knight.
I've begun a new series in a new world called Shadow in the Empire of Light.
I am also publishing TTRPGs in Call of Cthulhu.
My short stories have been widely anthologized, appeared in Meanjin and read on the ABC.
My favourite writers are Jane Austen, Angela Carter, Sara Douglass, Janet Evanovich, and Gail Carriger.

My current life ambition is to see an erupting volcano.

Reviews

[Dee · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm quite ambivalent about this book. There's plenty about it that I enjoyed egregiously - the "women's politics" court-and-courtesan setting and trappings are precisely my cup of tea, and I loved loved loved Kitten Avignon, who was a complex and intriguing and charismatic lady of business (with a sword, but without the ability to read and write). But I find myself less-than-whelmed with the of-the-Book nature of the religious system, and especially the demons (and I'm not really sure why; this is something I'm quizzing myself on but it seems more subjective than objective, so let's not call that a fault with the book but rather with me). And an unfortunately large percentage of the second half of the book is given over to our heroine resisting the heavily-pressed suit of Virile Sexyman - which has significant story-importance, but was sadly quite tedious to read, especially since he was unpleasant for reasons both of his non-book context (he's quite a '90s love interest) and his behaviour (enough grab-assery, mister). I would note that the heroine's power caused an occasional nose-wrinkle, but overall worked pretty well in the story for me.

So, I really don't know. I feel like this might fit in nicely with those who enjoyed Anne Bishop's Black Jewels, or Kushiel's wossnames - it's very heavy on the magic/desire linkages, especially through sensuality and worldliness - and I found it more fun to read than I did either of those series.

[Lindley Walter-smith · Rating 2 out of 5]

An interesting premise and appealing start begins to fall apart by the second half of this book, until the fun magical protection plot is almost entirely overwhelmed by descriptions of the narrator's wet dreams (quite literally) and an unlikeable cast.

Part of the problem is the three main characters. Dion is badly motivated throughout and frequently proves herself too stupid to live, only to be saved by her super special magical powers. One of the worst examples of poor motivation is Dion becoming upset by seeing a mother and her newborn with their necks broken by a mob, only to be all smiling and flirty with her love interest five minutes of book time later - glad you didn't let little things like dead babies interfere with your sexy fun times, Dion. She constantly gets herself in bad situations through sheer stupidity. Said love interest, Andre, is almost incredibly offputting and unsexy, a manipulative, abusive and promiscuous stalker The third member of the trio, Kitten, is more of a Mary Sue than Dion - the book often stops dead to explain at great length how beautiful, intelligent, witty, charming, aristocratic, good at sword-fighting, perceptive, kind, and all-around classy (but deinfitely not a lesbian! She even explains so) this particular courtesan is.

The protection plot and the explanations of necromancy and demonology are really fascinating and promising, and there are wonderful low fantasy elements.The politics of the world are also interesting. I would have loved to see the White College explored further, and the other lands. It's just a pity that, in the end, the decision was made to neglect the worldbuilding and plot in favour of the bodice ripping.

[Oyceter · Rating 2 out of 5]

i don't remember this very well. the author tries to go for a sexy combination of djinn and magic worker, but i remember it being too bloody and not sexy for me.

[Meghana · Rating 2 out of 5]

(Warning: mild spoilers ahead)

This book could actually be published as 3 completely independent books in 3 unrelated genres: 1. A funny fiction-comedy (let's call it Part I), 2. An erotic romance-drama (Part II aka Part This-Has-Got-To-Be-Fanfiction), 3. A dark and grotesque fantasy (Part III aka Part I-Wish-I-Could-Unread).

The transition from one to the next is basically nonexistent, and the jumps jarring. More problematic is the fact that neither the blurb nor the prologue indicate that the story will evolve into more than Part I, beyond mentioning the words "dark desire." I might have enjoyed Part II or III on a different occasion, but I was not happy to be surprised by either of them.

In addition, the story failed to surprise me in a good way. The characters that I was told were evil turned out to be just that - evil, one-dimensional, boring. A notable exception is Kitten Avignon - the only character that seemed well-developed.

Overall, it was an unpleasant read beyond Part I, and I cannot recommend the rest to anyone.

[Elli · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ein wirklich schöner Fantasyroman mit schön beschriebener Magie und der richtigen Einstellung zu Dämonen! Ich selbst behaupte ja immer im Spiel so magisch zu sein wie ein Stück Brot, und so gering ist eigentlich mein Interesse an diesem Thema. Hier aber wurde es wirklich schön und leicht nachvollziehbar verarbeitet.
Phasenweise ist mir die Erzählung zu romantisch und auch der Plot ist sehr leicht nachvollziehbar, aufgrund der wirklich schönen Erzählkunst fällt dies aber kaum auf, besser gesagt man schaut darüber hinweg.

Für jeden der mal wieder etwas träumen und sich (mit) verlieben will eine angenehme Sommerlektüre!

[Megan Hook · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is so good! Wonderfully written, captivating characters, and a beautiful balance of romance, shocking, funny, adventure...

[Rebecca Huston]

Different cover than what you see here.

[♥ Unaeve ♥ · Rating 4 out of 5]

very enjoyable
looking forward to the next two parts

[Jane · Rating 1 out of 5]

Hard pass. Did NOT enjoy the opening scenes of our young super powerful mage lusting after a demon in her dreams only to wake up encased in slime and realizing it wasn’t a dream and why is she attracted to the demon? And when help comes in the form of the campus healer who overlooks her drug use and then tries to compassionately and subtly intervene, Dion calls her a “pompous bitch.” More applicable to Dion I think. So, no desire to spend time with this lead character or in this world. Next!
P.s. that’s ZERO for two with me and this author. Her heroines wind up making terrible decisions and the sex positivity just comes across as raunchy and explicit, as does the violence. Note to self: one to avoid in the future.

[Beth Rose · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was really enjoying this until about 2/3 of the way in. The clashes of philosophy and culture and religion and the growth of Dion from the bigoted, sheltered child to someone kind, wise and powerful were the best parts about the story, and it is such a shame that the Big Bads did indeed turn out to be a stereotypical necromancer and demon, doing stereotypical necromancer and demon things.

And of course the book ends on a horrific act of rape.

I don't know. I know it is a product of its time, but I was really hoping for more from this, since so many of the other books from this era gave me so much more. But I still enjoyed the setting. Don't think I'll check out the rest though.

[Anthea Wright · Rating 3 out of 5]

I remember reading this as a teenager and loving in but rereading it doesnt hold up as well. Enjoyable but not engaging. Kitten was far more interesting than Dion and you hope Dion evolves...and she does, but not by much and seems to be a very passive hero.

[Adi Greif · Rating 1 out of 5]

Don’t read this, just skip to the third book in the series, Aramaya. This was … girl who fantasizes about a love affair with an evil demon. (Rated PG).

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had read this series as a teenager and loved it -- and also remembered it as being tantalizingly smutty. I didn't much expect it to hold up, but I got the preview and felt drawn into the story immediately.

It was nowhere near as smutty as I remembered, but it was just as good a fantasy novel. I've been playing dragon age, and the mythology surrounding demons is remarkably similar -- I wonder if one of the game designers was a fan of the series.

Anyway, it was an interesting fantasy filled with fun action, a little bit of coming of age stuff, some feminism, political intrigue, and nifty magic.

I take a star off for the bad editing, silly names, and weird references to western fairy tales and mythology -- that neither the author nor the editor seemed to catch. Eh.

[Joni Asselmans · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the fourth time i've read this book I think??
I still love it. I know I will read it again in the future.
It takes you to a whole different world. It shows how women are being oppressed and how they try
to take care of themselves without losing their identity.
In fact the young women in this book is still looking for who she is. Her entire life people have been telling her how to act and behave and what to think about curtain matters.
Now she can make up her own mind about the things around her. Explore her feelings and her powers.

[Dion Cassidy · Rating 5 out of 5]

How can I resist when the MC has the same first name as me?

It is a beautifully written story about a young girl with fantastic powers coming of age.

Dion is likely to be one of the greatest mages, raised in an all male environment never had the chance to be young and female.

Along comes Kitten Avignon, needing a mages protection from what I cannot say without leaving a spoiler. But in Kitten greatest mistress of the age, beauty, sensuality and freedom. The epitome of grace and femininity.

If you want a slightly different read, then this is the book for you.

[Jessica Peveler · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought there were a couple of minor details omitted in character descriptions, but the story became so interesting I could not put this book down. Author has her own unique world that was intriguing--a blend of fantasy and real-world ideas. I'm eager to find out what happens in the next two books. I would say more about the story, but I can't without it being a spoiler....

[Firefly_1824]

Great series (Mage Heart, Fire Angels, and Aramaya). Definately a must read for fantasy/magic fans. For the serious readers. You can read them on their own without too much trouble, as well. However, they are out of print in America, and hard to get.

[Clodagh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hahaha I knew he was evil. Mwahaha

[Rafira · Rating 5 out of 5]

holy shit fucking a+ book favourite book series omg

[Jenn · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love the story. I’d forgotten about Dion’s self-loathing, prudishness, and the misogyny of this world.

[Yvonne Boag · Rating 5 out of 5]

First half much better than the second half

[Ticonderoga Publications · Rating 5 out of 5]

Standard Ticonderoga Disclaimer: We published this book because we loved it!