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Blood Mage Chronicles #1
Anais of Brightshire
Anais, the eleven-year-old daughter of a fishmonger, enters the Great House of Brightshire as a scullery maid. Isolated from her peers, she fears a life of solitude and menial chores. The only person who shows her any kindness is a scribe, who offers to teach her how to read in exchange for her help in acquiring goods at fair prices in the market. When she discovers a manuscript describing the art of magic on a routine trip to the market, she can't help but feel tempted to try it, even though magic is strictly prohibited. Giving in to temptation, she starts spending her hours practicing simple spells for her own amusement, but when one of the girls from the kitchens goes missing - amidst rumors of monsters rising in the south and devouring townspeople - Anais decides to use her new skills to find the missing girl. In her search, she befriends the Lord of Brightshire's youngest son, Cedric, and his cousin Mediera. Finally having friends she cares for is great, but practicing illegal magic and fraternizing with those above her station puts Anais in more danger than she can handle.
91 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 5, 2012
106 people are currently reading
591 people want to read
About the author
Jamie Wilson
7 books107 followersJamie Wilson lives in Massachusetts with her husband and son. They enjoy swimming and playing at local parks during the summer, apple picking in the fall, smelling the new flowers and splashing in puddles in the spring, and sledding and making snowmen in the winter. During naptime, Jamie loves reading and writing fantasy novels.
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Want to keep up-to-date with Jamie’s books?
Check our her website: http://www.jamiewilsonbooks.com
Join her mailing list:
http://eepurl.com/bvt11L
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews
October 22, 2015
This was a really good short book.
This book has to do with magic and mages and is set in a historical period where scullery maids were still employed, which I know is a vast areas of history but the book does not specify where it takes place or in what year. The book takes place in one of seven shires that each have a lord that runs it and no king that rules all of them.
Our heroine is Anais, a young girl of 11 who is taken in the Great House of Brightshire as first a scullery maid. Her position changes many times and she end up as an apprentice to a scribe while secretly practicing magic. The story also goes into the friendships she makes with people in the house, her elevation of status and the different jobs she holds in each of her positions which I found to be very interesting.
I liked Anais, who dreams of being more than a maid in life. She prefers to wear trousers to skirts and wants to do something in life that she likes. She is outspoken and opinionated, for a girl of her station is society and that's what I like about her. She still has opinions and voices them even when society calls for her to NOT have an opinion. She is also daring and brave to being to practice magic which is banned in Brightshire, where she lives. I like how we see Anais start out in the beginning of the book as a 11 year old girl who rather go to the market than takes on extra work in the house, to a 14 year old girl who does a lot of work and who is thinking about her future and what will happen to her.
I also liked Cedric, Lord Seve's son who acts like he's not, well, a lords son. He befriends Anais and they spend lots of time together, teaching each other things like horseback riding, fishing, fencing, swimming and lots of other things. They bond together and I can see a future romance between them in the coming books. Cedric is fun loving, a great friend, loyal and has big dreams of becoming a solider.
I also liked Thellium, who is the scribe of the house and who also befriends Anais. They make bargains together and he bails her out of a tough situation. He is very nice and friendly, who has her work for him but doesn't mind that she spends a lot of time with Cedric. He also has a few secrets about himself that are revealed in the book.
The writing style is simple and straight forward which I like. I don't have to guess whats going on or get confused at the plot. The only I guess you would say problem I had with the book was that it was too short and the ending was kind of abrupt. I was getting all into it and all of a sudden it was like, the end! I feel like this is a book that I wish could be longer. I'm very excited to continue with the next book in the series to she what happens!
This review is also posted on The Book Owl Extraordinaire
This book has to do with magic and mages and is set in a historical period where scullery maids were still employed, which I know is a vast areas of history but the book does not specify where it takes place or in what year. The book takes place in one of seven shires that each have a lord that runs it and no king that rules all of them.
Our heroine is Anais, a young girl of 11 who is taken in the Great House of Brightshire as first a scullery maid. Her position changes many times and she end up as an apprentice to a scribe while secretly practicing magic. The story also goes into the friendships she makes with people in the house, her elevation of status and the different jobs she holds in each of her positions which I found to be very interesting.
I liked Anais, who dreams of being more than a maid in life. She prefers to wear trousers to skirts and wants to do something in life that she likes. She is outspoken and opinionated, for a girl of her station is society and that's what I like about her. She still has opinions and voices them even when society calls for her to NOT have an opinion. She is also daring and brave to being to practice magic which is banned in Brightshire, where she lives. I like how we see Anais start out in the beginning of the book as a 11 year old girl who rather go to the market than takes on extra work in the house, to a 14 year old girl who does a lot of work and who is thinking about her future and what will happen to her.
I also liked Cedric, Lord Seve's son who acts like he's not, well, a lords son. He befriends Anais and they spend lots of time together, teaching each other things like horseback riding, fishing, fencing, swimming and lots of other things. They bond together and I can see a future romance between them in the coming books. Cedric is fun loving, a great friend, loyal and has big dreams of becoming a solider.
I also liked Thellium, who is the scribe of the house and who also befriends Anais. They make bargains together and he bails her out of a tough situation. He is very nice and friendly, who has her work for him but doesn't mind that she spends a lot of time with Cedric. He also has a few secrets about himself that are revealed in the book.
The writing style is simple and straight forward which I like. I don't have to guess whats going on or get confused at the plot. The only I guess you would say problem I had with the book was that it was too short and the ending was kind of abrupt. I was getting all into it and all of a sudden it was like, the end! I feel like this is a book that I wish could be longer. I'm very excited to continue with the next book in the series to she what happens!
This review is also posted on The Book Owl Extraordinaire
August 9, 2013
As I said in my opening review of The Gate Thief, my current-read, I have returned to a favorite genre I think of as "Mage fantasy". Jamie Wilson's "Blood Mage Chronicles" concerns the young hero Anais, whose innate magical talent allows her to heal herself and others, regenerate with ever more power, and overcome mythical monsters. I read the first two ebooks, free promotions for Amazon Kindle. I had to buy the third in the series, because the stories are cliffhangers, and I wanted the next one right away.
Without spoiling it, remember that magic can be used for good or evil. Anyone who practice's magic may succumb to the desire for power and to control others. There are plenty of controlling characters in these stories, not only Arthurian magicians.
Without spoiling it, remember that magic can be used for good or evil. Anyone who practice's magic may succumb to the desire for power and to control others. There are plenty of controlling characters in these stories, not only Arthurian magicians.
November 8, 2016
My 13 year old daughter and I read this book together, doing a couple of chapters a night. It's a rather simple read but surprisingly very interesting. My daughter has fallen in love with Anais and I must say I have as well. Now we are definitely going to finish this series. I hope the other books continue to be as good.
September 1, 2015
I really enjoyed this book. It was a quick read, I read it last night before bed.
One thing I would like to point out is that the woman on the cover seems grown but the main character is eleven years old to start. I was expecting something oriented for older people based on the cover but still thoroughly enjoyed the story.
It was fast-paced, easy to read, and definitely well-written. I was immersed in the story the entire time, which, for such a short and fast story, could have easily not been the case. The author is highly talented and managed to create a vibrant, detailed and emotionally engaging story in very few words. I actually think it could have easily been a bit longer and more fleshed out if the author had wanted, but it by no means needed any more than it offered, it is an excellent story as is.
I will be purchasing the next book as soon as possible to continue reading. I need to find out where Anais ends up in this dark, medieval world full of blood magic, monsters, and mysterious deaths.
One thing I would like to point out is that the woman on the cover seems grown but the main character is eleven years old to start. I was expecting something oriented for older people based on the cover but still thoroughly enjoyed the story.
It was fast-paced, easy to read, and definitely well-written. I was immersed in the story the entire time, which, for such a short and fast story, could have easily not been the case. The author is highly talented and managed to create a vibrant, detailed and emotionally engaging story in very few words. I actually think it could have easily been a bit longer and more fleshed out if the author had wanted, but it by no means needed any more than it offered, it is an excellent story as is.
I will be purchasing the next book as soon as possible to continue reading. I need to find out where Anais ends up in this dark, medieval world full of blood magic, monsters, and mysterious deaths.
June 26, 2014
Well, I at first thought this book might be little....ah, boring?
But once again, Queeniejo has found herself wrong and pleasantly surprised (don't you just love it when that happens? People, sometimes it's okay to be wrong!). Although it was a very short read and I read it in one evening, I still managed to feel as if I had been on a great adventure like any other large book. I enjoyed it and am now reading the second book PRONTO!!
But once again, Queeniejo has found herself wrong and pleasantly surprised (don't you just love it when that happens? People, sometimes it's okay to be wrong!). Although it was a very short read and I read it in one evening, I still managed to feel as if I had been on a great adventure like any other large book. I enjoyed it and am now reading the second book PRONTO!!
October 2, 2015
For a YA it was a very well thought out book series. I would recommend it to as an uncomplicated read to anyone. On that note there was some violence and cursing, but overall it was pleasant with pleasant company. The heroine, 11 years old, not whiny, major plus points to the author for that.
November 9, 2016
I love this book... I think their might be part Anais in me Adventurous lol. Hope the other series are as great as this one.. READ THIS BOOK AND ENTER A LAND OF AWESOMENEsssssssss
November 25, 2016
Reading and reviewing books
Good book. Wished it could go on and on. Now I will have to get the rest of the books in the series to read to find out exactly what happens.
Good book. Wished it could go on and on. Now I will have to get the rest of the books in the series to read to find out exactly what happens.
November 2, 2022
This book made me feel nostalgic for the first fantasy novels I read when I was younger. The heroine is ages 11-14 in the book (the cover is definitely misleading!), and she is thrust into service with no support or friends and has to figure out a way to be herself.
Sweet but very short! I don't remember when I purchased this book, and wasn't tracking the percent done on my kindle... I thought I was finishing the first act of the story, but it turned out the book was over. The story is simple but enjoyable.
Sweet but very short! I don't remember when I purchased this book, and wasn't tracking the percent done on my kindle... I thought I was finishing the first act of the story, but it turned out the book was over. The story is simple but enjoyable.
November 20, 2016
Ugh. When are writers going to realize the difference between a *book in a series* and *sections of a book*??
Another failed indie author!
Another failed indie author!
January 26, 2019
Good YA
Or young at heart.
Timing of events was an issue so if wrong dates, days, weeks, months, and years bothers you, well...
Good characters though and an interesting story line.
Or young at heart.
Timing of events was an issue so if wrong dates, days, weeks, months, and years bothers you, well...
Good characters though and an interesting story line.
April 11, 2019
This book is well written and an interesting read.
October 27, 2016
Effects of Magic
I rated this book 5 because I loved it. It is an awesome book. Anais is a girl who likes to have fun and go on adventures. In the beginning of the book she is 11 yes old . She is at least 12 yrs old at the end of the book, I don't fully know because I know is that at least an yr has passed and her birthday wasn't celebrated do to the fact she was a servant. She got an early apprenticeship with a scribe that was teaching how to read and write. She also would go to the market for him because she learned how to haggle the prices. Even though magic is forbidden in the Seven Shires she buys a mage-craft book from one of the stalls. During her free time she starts practicing magic . She uses one of the spells to locate an apprentice that went missing. She later finds out that the scribe used to be a mage. He scolds her for using magic. I recommend this book to anyone that loves magic and that loves to read book from an older time period.
I rated this book 5 because I loved it. It is an awesome book. Anais is a girl who likes to have fun and go on adventures. In the beginning of the book she is 11 yes old . She is at least 12 yrs old at the end of the book, I don't fully know because I know is that at least an yr has passed and her birthday wasn't celebrated do to the fact she was a servant. She got an early apprenticeship with a scribe that was teaching how to read and write. She also would go to the market for him because she learned how to haggle the prices. Even though magic is forbidden in the Seven Shires she buys a mage-craft book from one of the stalls. During her free time she starts practicing magic . She uses one of the spells to locate an apprentice that went missing. She later finds out that the scribe used to be a mage. He scolds her for using magic. I recommend this book to anyone that loves magic and that loves to read book from an older time period.
February 10, 2017
Anais is the 11 year old daughter of a fishmonger. Her family hopes she can soon find a job as a handmaid in the Great House of Brightshire. Eventually Anais does get a job in the Great House but as a scullery maid not a handmaid.
When Anais is befriended by the man who teaches the Great House children she finds herself learning to read and then learning about magic which is totally illegal. That magic leads to a friendship with the youngest child of the House, Cedric.
As the adventure begins Anais finds herself drawn more and more into a world of magic.
A fun read for those who like fantasy but want it to be fairly simple and not so epic as many of the fantasies are.
When Anais is befriended by the man who teaches the Great House children she finds herself learning to read and then learning about magic which is totally illegal. That magic leads to a friendship with the youngest child of the House, Cedric.
As the adventure begins Anais finds herself drawn more and more into a world of magic.
A fun read for those who like fantasy but want it to be fairly simple and not so epic as many of the fantasies are.
April 3, 2016
This is the first book of a series. Though this is probably more of a YA novel, I enjoyed the story of a young girl who is sent to work as a scullery maid in the Great House. She finds a book on casting spells and tries using it, even though magic has been outlawed.
I like the time period it's written in and the depictions of life in the Great House, as well as in the village. There is a bit of adventure in this story, and I'm hoping for more in book two. I liked this story well enough to purchase the series in order to read the continuing story of Anais.
I like the time period it's written in and the depictions of life in the Great House, as well as in the village. There is a bit of adventure in this story, and I'm hoping for more in book two. I liked this story well enough to purchase the series in order to read the continuing story of Anais.
November 22, 2014
Only 3 stars because this is barely the beginning of the book.
Part one is only 7 chapters but as it was free I won't complain.
The story however is compelling enough for me to purchase the next two instalments.
I love free books as a good way to test a new writer and so far I have bought more of 90% where the first book is free.
Part one is only 7 chapters but as it was free I won't complain.
The story however is compelling enough for me to purchase the next two instalments.
I love free books as a good way to test a new writer and so far I have bought more of 90% where the first book is free.
March 17, 2016
I might have given this a higher rating had it not been the ending. The book itself was okay but not enough to really hold my attention. Maybe for a younger reader it might have been rated higher. The characters are okay but never really developed. People are in and out of the story with no real connection.
June 8, 2016
This is more Part I rather than Book I, but does introduce some interesting characters while rushing through four years of Anais' young life as a scull and then apprentice in the Great House of Brightshire, during which she gets into a rather large amount of trouble and meets her first real friends.
November 30, 2016
This story is set in a somewhat medieval society. Our heroine is a young girl at the start, going to the castle to work in a menial position. The story spans a little more than 3 years and is clearly just the start of a longer story. In this world there is magic, which is outlawed, and there are evil creatures that attack humans. Somehow, the evil creatures need to be defeated.
May 27, 2014
Great tale of magic and mystery
I really enjoyed this tale.I've always been interested in magic and mages and creatures of a lost time.I can't wait to continue this series.Great job of writing and character development.
I really enjoyed this tale.I've always been interested in magic and mages and creatures of a lost time.I can't wait to continue this series.Great job of writing and character development.
February 22, 2016
An enjoyable story
This story didn't have anything that left me screaming, but it was engaging enough to pull me along. Anais is an interesting character, and she even surprised me at times.
Clean read.
This story didn't have anything that left me screaming, but it was engaging enough to pull me along. Anais is an interesting character, and she even surprised me at times.
Clean read.
March 12, 2016
Enjoying this new world.
I refuse to post spoilers, but I am thoroughly enjoying this new world. The characters are someone you'd enjoy meeting, and the plot has enough originality to keep you glued until the end.
I refuse to post spoilers, but I am thoroughly enjoying this new world. The characters are someone you'd enjoy meeting, and the plot has enough originality to keep you glued until the end.
March 19, 2016
It was a very nice book and held my interest. I would have given it 5 stars but I was very disappointed in the ending. It was just so abrupt. I will probably read the next one because I want to find out what happens next to the characters.
August 4, 2014
Great story,fast pace & easy read: can't wait for the next one.
April 8, 2015
Really enjoyed it, good intro to the characters and the aspects of this world. Would have rated higher (I give it a 3.5 really) but for some errors that editing would have caught.
Want to read
April 20, 2015kindle
June 22, 2015
1.5 stars.
Free download from Amazon. It started as a very promising book but slowly it faded away. There were also a few typos ("you're" instead of "your"). I am not going to continue the series.
Free download from Amazon. It started as a very promising book but slowly it faded away. There were also a few typos ("you're" instead of "your"). I am not going to continue the series.
July 22, 2015
Well written but a cliffhanger!
I was really getting into the swing of things, the book leading me forward , getting more and more interesting . Then it ended
I was really getting into the swing of things, the book leading me forward , getting more and more interesting . Then it ended
August 21, 2015
3.5 stars
December 29, 2015
The adventures Anais gets into while trying to maintain the status quo is rather entertaining. This world is lacking in magic but that's certainly not from a lack of trying.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews