What do you think?
Rate this book
The Halls of Magic #1
The Halls of Magic: Volume 1
I thought I was destined for an early grave. Apparently, fate had other plans for me.
My name is Jake. After twenty-three years of life, all I have to my name is a dead-end job and an undiagnosed metabolic disorder that has the doctors baffled.
Everything changed on my birthday when I found a magical key that followed me home. It led me to the Halls of Magic, a multiversal repository of arcane knowledge that will allow me the chance to cure my broken body and unlock arcane power.
However, the Halls are long abandoned and overrun with man-eating monsters. Also, my Spellbook looks like it's straight out of a video game. When I turned to the Aspects of Magic for help, they broke free of their crystalline prisons and then moved in with me back on Earth. To say they have a lot to learn about being human is an understatement.
Welcome to the Halls of Magic. You never know just what you'll learn.
My name is Jake. After twenty-three years of life, all I have to my name is a dead-end job and an undiagnosed metabolic disorder that has the doctors baffled.
Everything changed on my birthday when I found a magical key that followed me home. It led me to the Halls of Magic, a multiversal repository of arcane knowledge that will allow me the chance to cure my broken body and unlock arcane power.
However, the Halls are long abandoned and overrun with man-eating monsters. Also, my Spellbook looks like it's straight out of a video game. When I turned to the Aspects of Magic for help, they broke free of their crystalline prisons and then moved in with me back on Earth. To say they have a lot to learn about being human is an understatement.
Welcome to the Halls of Magic. You never know just what you'll learn.
424 pages, Kindle Edition
Published May 27, 2024
549 people are currently reading
136 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 - 30 of 36 reviews
November 19, 2024
The plot was a little bit *too* superficial, which is hard to manage when I was expecting junky fun, and it kind of felt like he was taking advantage of the women? I can’t really explain it, something to do with them all being trapped and he’s the first guy they see. Didn’t sit right. Yes, I know I’m overthinking it!
June 13, 2024
Disappointed and disjointed
I only made it through the first chapter because the MC annoyed me waaaaaayyyyyyy too much. At one point the character claimed that no one would ever claim that he complains but ALL he does throughout the first chapter is complain!!!! He's also apparently in terrible pain all the time but it must be some kind of mystery why because I didn't see any explanation given. Furthermore, all the MC's roommates move out in less than three months but again no explanation given. If I'm being shown a character that's a jerk then that's a mistake because in the first chapter you want your reader to like the MC and be on their side. I disliked this character way too much to continue the story so I'm out.
I only made it through the first chapter because the MC annoyed me waaaaaayyyyyyy too much. At one point the character claimed that no one would ever claim that he complains but ALL he does throughout the first chapter is complain!!!! He's also apparently in terrible pain all the time but it must be some kind of mystery why because I didn't see any explanation given. Furthermore, all the MC's roommates move out in less than three months but again no explanation given. If I'm being shown a character that's a jerk then that's a mistake because in the first chapter you want your reader to like the MC and be on their side. I disliked this character way too much to continue the story so I'm out.
June 8, 2024
This was a really good book, which wasn't a big surprise considering the two authors. I had a little trouble at the beginning, as the MC is a little challenging to get into with his physical limitations. But it's explained eventually, and the MC gets much better.
The MC is a good guy, with several competing things he hopes to accomplish in the book. Despite his physical limitations, he works very hard, and is driven. This comes through as the book moves on, which is much more believable than the loser who suddenly becomes a hero.
The harem is decent, with two members by the end of the lengthy book. They are decently fleshed out, but they were just magic with no form before they join the MC, and that makes for some awkward moments. Neither have anything to gauge the MC against, and fall for the MC easily.
The book was very well written and edited.
I very much look forward to a sequel.
The MC is a good guy, with several competing things he hopes to accomplish in the book. Despite his physical limitations, he works very hard, and is driven. This comes through as the book moves on, which is much more believable than the loser who suddenly becomes a hero.
The harem is decent, with two members by the end of the lengthy book. They are decently fleshed out, but they were just magic with no form before they join the MC, and that makes for some awkward moments. Neither have anything to gauge the MC against, and fall for the MC easily.
The book was very well written and edited.
I very much look forward to a sequel.
May 28, 2024
New series!
Alternate universe, LitRPG, magic, quest, survival post apocalypse
Jake starts out quite miserable and in a great deal of pain, until he finds a weird key on his twenty a third birthday, followed by a strange door appearing in his bedroom. Things take off from there.
I'm not familiar with Thorne or his writing, but I have read many books by the seriously talented Annabelle Hawthorne, and I'm a big fan of her Horny Monster series. This novel delivers action, pacing, characters, and often humorous dialog. Highly recommended.
Alternate universe, LitRPG, magic, quest, survival post apocalypse
Jake starts out quite miserable and in a great deal of pain, until he finds a weird key on his twenty a third birthday, followed by a strange door appearing in his bedroom. Things take off from there.
I'm not familiar with Thorne or his writing, but I have read many books by the seriously talented Annabelle Hawthorne, and I'm a big fan of her Horny Monster series. This novel delivers action, pacing, characters, and often humorous dialog. Highly recommended.
December 13, 2024
The author has created a unique world. Apparently the Halls of Magic is a place for those who can do magic to come from a variety of worlds scattered across the Universe. The MC (Jake) is a person that suffers a painful debilitating disease that limits him from doing hardly anything. However upon his 23rd birthday a key suddenly appears into his possession. A key that he can't get rid of. There also appears a door in his bedroom that is opened by the key.
The door goes to the Halls of Magic. Only something is wrong, the halls are a library in that seems to have a hurricane hit. When he first goes there he gets his guide, whom he names Dex. Dex takes the form of a cat, much to Dex's disappointment. The Halls of Magic are huge, according to Dex, they are bigger then earth. However there are no mages and the monsters have escaped from the books and are terrorizing the area. Jake also learns that his disease is Mana burn. He has this because when he started getting magical abilities there was no one their to teach him how to channel his inner mana and so the mana was poisoning his body. By unlocking each of the five aspects he'll be able to unlock all of his channels and remove the mana burn.
The door goes to the Halls of Magic. Only something is wrong, the halls are a library in that seems to have a hurricane hit. When he first goes there he gets his guide, whom he names Dex. Dex takes the form of a cat, much to Dex's disappointment. The Halls of Magic are huge, according to Dex, they are bigger then earth. However there are no mages and the monsters have escaped from the books and are terrorizing the area. Jake also learns that his disease is Mana burn. He has this because when he started getting magical abilities there was no one their to teach him how to channel his inner mana and so the mana was poisoning his body. By unlocking each of the five aspects he'll be able to unlock all of his channels and remove the mana burn.
August 10, 2025
A LitRPG with a hint of harem. Some good ideas like the mana-bleed and the necessity of working for the hero, but too many flaws to continue:
- An atypical, very spaced-out layout that makes the book difficult to read.
- Mysteries that are too artificial.
- I didn't understand Dex's abrasive personality, given that of its creator, who is much less incisive.
- World building too close to a poorly constructed video game in which the characters are remotely guided from point A to point B.
- A somewhat heavy-handed "teen fantasy" feel. With sex scenes that are too crude, at odds with the light tone of the story.
- A pacing and plot progression that are too slow for this type of story.
It's not bad, far from it, but there are too many competing series better constructed and more captivating than this one.
- An atypical, very spaced-out layout that makes the book difficult to read.
- Mysteries that are too artificial.
- I didn't understand Dex's abrasive personality, given that of its creator, who is much less incisive.
- World building too close to a poorly constructed video game in which the characters are remotely guided from point A to point B.
- A somewhat heavy-handed "teen fantasy" feel. With sex scenes that are too crude, at odds with the light tone of the story.
- A pacing and plot progression that are too slow for this type of story.
It's not bad, far from it, but there are too many competing series better constructed and more captivating than this one.
June 25, 2024
Overall not bad, but not Annabelle's best work, and I can see the obvious hand of M.E. Thorne in the exploration of a ruined [fill in blank here]. Minor spoilers follow.
I think the biggest weakness was the characters, including the villains. None were particularily deep, but there is time for that to develop, as this is just book 1. The MC starts off literally handicapped, so he has a fearsome power/learning curve to navigate. Some means for them to make money off of the Halls better be coming, as the novelty of them combing the discount bins will wear out quickly.
Bottom line: I'll give book 2 a shot. If it doesn't pick up from here it'll be a 3-star rating as I won't give that the benefit of the doubt as I did this one.
I think the biggest weakness was the characters, including the villains. None were particularily deep, but there is time for that to develop, as this is just book 1. The MC starts off literally handicapped, so he has a fearsome power/learning curve to navigate. Some means for them to make money off of the Halls better be coming, as the novelty of them combing the discount bins will wear out quickly.
Bottom line: I'll give book 2 a shot. If it doesn't pick up from here it'll be a 3-star rating as I won't give that the benefit of the doubt as I did this one.
December 4, 2024
It's likly closer to a three, the mc is a problem. The magic system was good and the mystery is compelling enough to keep reading. I can see how you need some mental gymnastics to to accept the way the fmc is depicted. She has the mentality of a child, but as a result of her limited experience through the lens of a human, it def has that lolibaba trope feel that you get from LN's...the character has lived for a long time, but had limited faculties, so while they 'lived' for centuries, it was in the form of an AI essentially.
June 4, 2024
Fantastic Beginnings
The storyline moved at a steady pace with very good character building. The struggle to find spells worked well, though the level building went a bit fast; at eleventh level, Jake should know several mid-level spells and at least one high-level spell. I am looking forward to finding out why the remaining messages are all humans from earth and not a collective from multiple realms.
The storyline moved at a steady pace with very good character building. The struggle to find spells worked well, though the level building went a bit fast; at eleventh level, Jake should know several mid-level spells and at least one high-level spell. I am looking forward to finding out why the remaining messages are all humans from earth and not a collective from multiple realms.
July 31, 2024
A harem of sorts is slowly building, with the women being incarnations of magic of different types.
This is my first foray into reading LitRPG. I find the format of the plot because of that rather jarring -- where the main character has a level chart, etc. I understand it is a genre, but it is likely one I will not explore much.
I will continue reading this series, since Annabelle Hawthorne is a great writer.
This is my first foray into reading LitRPG. I find the format of the plot because of that rather jarring -- where the main character has a level chart, etc. I understand it is a genre, but it is likely one I will not explore much.
I will continue reading this series, since Annabelle Hawthorne is a great writer.
September 12, 2024
Halls of Adventure and Danger.
The story has a very good premise and a very plausible Harem aspect. There is also very mild litrpg aspects. It is well written. The pace is somewhat slower but it does move along well. There is a nice blend of slice of life mixed with dungeon exploration in an urban/isekai Mashup. The MC is likable and character progression is logical.
This is a nice adventure and mystery novel. It is worth finding out what happens next.
The story has a very good premise and a very plausible Harem aspect. There is also very mild litrpg aspects. It is well written. The pace is somewhat slower but it does move along well. There is a nice blend of slice of life mixed with dungeon exploration in an urban/isekai Mashup. The MC is likable and character progression is logical.
This is a nice adventure and mystery novel. It is worth finding out what happens next.
June 5, 2024
Great story! I want more
I hope there will be a part 2, I was just getting into it and now I'm craving more. I would love to see all the aspects come together and take control of the magic so other wizards can't use it unless they get acknowledged by them. I hope that's where it's leading :)
I hope there will be a part 2, I was just getting into it and now I'm craving more. I would love to see all the aspects come together and take control of the magic so other wizards can't use it unless they get acknowledged by them. I hope that's where it's leading :)
October 2, 2024
So MC, a 23 year old virtual shut in, sniffs his hew girlfriend and says 'she smells like flowers, honeysuckle and heather' and i'm thinking, who the fuck knows what honeysuckle and heather smell like? So i polled my coworkers, 4 30something women and 1 30something man, and only one girl thought she might know what honeysuckle smells like, but no to all the rest. So it's not just me.
October 20, 2024
MC finds a key to a magic library and with the help of a cat familiar awakes aspects of magic to life. the aspects appear to be young women that join his harem.
a bit disappointing as the endless fights through the labyrinth do not really seem to have a purpose but to find the way to the next girl.
a bit disappointing as the endless fights through the labyrinth do not really seem to have a purpose but to find the way to the next girl.
January 23, 2025
Interesting beginning.
The mundane start of this book was a little misleading. Once it got going, though, it moved right along. Although there are currently two books in the series, I can tell that there will be at least one more if not two. I'll be following along enjoying the ride.
The mundane start of this book was a little misleading. Once it got going, though, it moved right along. Although there are currently two books in the series, I can tell that there will be at least one more if not two. I'll be following along enjoying the ride.
May 29, 2024
Not bad
Wasn't a bad novel. It was a bit confusing at times but, not bad. The storyline is interesting, the characters were funny as well. I'll definitely be reading more from this author and of this series when the next book comes out.
Wasn't a bad novel. It was a bit confusing at times but, not bad. The storyline is interesting, the characters were funny as well. I'll definitely be reading more from this author and of this series when the next book comes out.
May 31, 2024
Great new series
Take two already great authors and put them together and you get something even better. Absolutely loved this story and the MC and his co-MCs together are excellently written. Can’t wait for the next one.
Take two already great authors and put them together and you get something even better. Absolutely loved this story and the MC and his co-MCs together are excellently written. Can’t wait for the next one.
June 5, 2024
an awesome adventure begins
The story starts fast with the MC and builds with the addition of Dex and the girls and at the end more antagonists so now I can’t wait for the next book
The story starts fast with the MC and builds with the addition of Dex and the girls and at the end more antagonists so now I can’t wait for the next book
June 5, 2024
Great new series!
Characters are great, but I really love the world this takes place in. I'm really digging the post-apocalyptic magic vibe. It reminds me of Thorne's other series about the dungeon planet that I am also reading!
Characters are great, but I really love the world this takes place in. I'm really digging the post-apocalyptic magic vibe. It reminds me of Thorne's other series about the dungeon planet that I am also reading!
June 13, 2024
Loved it!
Cool magic, a main character who isn’t a jerk or an idiot and many laughs, with some spicy bits thrown into the mix, I could hardly stop reading and will eagerly be waiting for book 2
Cool magic, a main character who isn’t a jerk or an idiot and many laughs, with some spicy bits thrown into the mix, I could hardly stop reading and will eagerly be waiting for book 2
November 20, 2024
I found this a quirky, fun book to read. Having read other works by Annabelle Hawthorne, this was different while still being familiar. Lots of love and affection to go along with the explicitly sexual scenes. I am actually looking forward to reading the next book as a cozy little series.
February 18, 2025
A great deal of fun
Too often RPG based fiction just plunges ahead with the premise that "that's how the world works". Refreshing to see a diffe rent take. Fun, fast moving and sexy.
Too often RPG based fiction just plunges ahead with the premise that "that's how the world works". Refreshing to see a diffe rent take. Fun, fast moving and sexy.
May 29, 2025
Escaped!
Jake and his two aspects have escaped the level they happened to find! Many Mage's fought themselves and Jake's group. He is determined to find what has happened to his mother.
Jake and his two aspects have escaped the level they happened to find! Many Mage's fought themselves and Jake's group. He is determined to find what has happened to his mother.
May 30, 2024
Really, Really Good
Fun plot, good spicy scenes, good character development, it looks like this author pairing is a match made in heaven! I need book 2 to be out yesterday!
Fun plot, good spicy scenes, good character development, it looks like this author pairing is a match made in heaven! I need book 2 to be out yesterday!
June 2, 2024
Potentially a good plotline and story. But the writing style just couldn't hold my attention. Ce'st La Vie.
June 2, 2024
Surprisingly a good read
Took a chance and was greatly rewarded. Good story, good concept. I hope the writer doesn't write themselves into a corner. I can't wait for the next book
Took a chance and was greatly rewarded. Good story, good concept. I hope the writer doesn't write themselves into a corner. I can't wait for the next book
June 3, 2024
Fun and Original!
A very enjoyable read! I’m loving the world you’re creating and I’m really excited to read more! Keep it coming!
A very enjoyable read! I’m loving the world you’re creating and I’m really excited to read more! Keep it coming!
June 8, 2024
A fun read
This book was a lot of fun. It was rather standard harem lit, but that is not a bad thing. Give it a shot.
Highly recommended.
This book was a lot of fun. It was rather standard harem lit, but that is not a bad thing. Give it a shot.
Highly recommended.
June 9, 2024
Well worth a read
Very enjoyable read, interesting premise, engaging lead character, a good mix of engaging support characters and I cannot wait for the sequel.
Very enjoyable read, interesting premise, engaging lead character, a good mix of engaging support characters and I cannot wait for the sequel.
June 16, 2024
Harem adventure
Reasonable tale not exceptionally good but not bad the sex scenes are a bit overemphasised for my taste but your mileage may differ.
Reasonable tale not exceptionally good but not bad the sex scenes are a bit overemphasised for my taste but your mileage may differ.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 36 reviews