Jump to ratings and reviews
Rate this book

The Violet Mage

Rate this book
Ophelia Ivrea, the youngest princess of Maraleon, leads a life of little responsibility. Known throughout the nobility as having a mouth as sharp as her shooting, Ophelia spends her days shooting archery, riding her horse, and pushing the boundaries of her father’s patience.

However, Ophelia's quiet castle life is upended when an opponent at an archery tournament accuses her of using magic to cheat, and his claims are not refuted. Ophelia then learns of the secrets her father has hidden from her—she was born with great magic and is the one foretold to save mankind from its forthcoming annihilation.

Feeling terrified and inadequate, and armed only with the magical abilities she all too recently learned she possessed, Ophelia decides to uncover the truth of the past and find a way to save the ones she loves from imminent destruction before it’s too late.

495 pages, Kindle Edition

Published July 18, 2024

49 people are currently reading
468 people want to read

About the author

L.R. Powell

1 book24 followers
L. R. Powell is a Texas-native who’s obsessed with fantasy and romance books and drinks entirely too much coffee. She lives with her family in the Houston area and works in education. When she isn’t reading, writing, or working, you can find her chasing around her two small humans or catching up on her favorite anime or Star Wars shows with her husband.

Ratings & Reviews

What do you think?
Rate this book

Friends & Following

Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!

Community Reviews

5 stars
30 (37%)
4 stars
25 (30%)
3 stars
16 (19%)
2 stars
9 (11%)
1 star
1 (1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews
Profile Image for Book.Dragon.Page1.
283 reviews11 followers
June 25, 2024
This was an amazing read!
It had romance, finding yourself, great side characters,magic, fun banter and surprises!
I don't know if it's just me but I got a very fun but kickass fairytale vibe from this book. And I love the relationship between Ophelia and her father.
And then there is Elliot ♡. From the moment they met it was perfect!

Thanks to the author for providing me with this e-arc!
Profile Image for Bri Gates.
74 reviews4 followers
June 30, 2024
Such a fun read!

Thank you to the author for an advanced copy.
Profile Image for E.J. Lindell.
Author 13 books40 followers
November 10, 2024
The book was quite neat! It was done well and the age of the characters suited their conversations and mannerisms. I loved the magical system and how they worked as a triad. The ending however; GIRL! I am impatiently waiting for the next book in the series to see what happens.

I give massive kudos to people who are self-published authors.
Profile Image for Devin.
18 reviews1 follower
October 29, 2024
***2.5 stars***
I REALLY hate writing negative reviews but I felt like I needed to give an honest opinion on this book because I was influenced to give it a try based on the seemingly very high ratings it currently has.

1. I try to give a lot of grace with a self published work and overlook typos and misspellings because heck, you’re already doing better than me by putting your ideas on paper and having the guts to make it public, but with that being said… the amount of those mistakes was distracting and took me out of the story completely each time I noticed them. The writer also switches tenses from sentence to sentence several times and that again, was distracting.

2. Quite a few times I couldn’t tell who was speaking and had to go back and reread entire interactions just to figure it out. The paragraphs were choppy and ended in the middle of dialogue and it could be really confusing.

3. The feelings of Ophelia gave me whiplash. The MMC was full of toxic masculinity in the first few chapters and then we were expecting to just believe the FMC did a complete 180 on her opinion of him as well as pretend his behavior never happened? And it wasn’t even as if he was giving off a “morally gray” vibe… he was just unlikeable. And the mechanics of their spicy scenes left me baffled.

4. The interactions between royalty and their “handmaidens” or “assistants” was hard to believe. Was George royalty? Why was he being called a Lord? Not to mention the way people interacted with the King. This is fantasy but I couldn’t even begin to understand it.

5. Lastly, I was left feeling like nothing really happened. The FMC went in to battle with no real knowledge or experience with her powers and then just “fixed” the situation with the touch of her hand and a conversation? It was anticlimactic to say the very least.

I know this is probably very harsh sounding but again, I was persuaded to give this a shot based on how fun all the current reviews said it was and I needed to give my two cents. I read A LOT of fantasy and this just wasn’t it for me!
1 review1 follower
June 25, 2024
I'm an ARC reviewer

“The Violet Mage”, by L.R. Powell captivates the reader’s imagination from the very first page. The story centers around Ophelia, an ordinary princess struggling with haunting nightmares. However, when these dark scenes come to life, she discovers a secret her father concealed from her. This revelation propels Ophelia’s character through a riveting journey of self-discovery and destiny, where she must confront mysterious dark legends to save mankind. All along side her rival turned lover, Elliot.

Powell's storytelling paints a vivid world of danger and magic, where characters continually develop through the challenges they face. I absolutely adore Ophelia and Elliot’s relationship throughout the story. They hold each other together through tumultuous trials and life-threatening battles. I caught myself smiling and giggling when I read the dialogue between these two. Powell brings them to life and makes you fall in love with them as they fall in love with each other.

The overarching plot involving the Vilicus, a mysterious entity with profound implications for Ophelia's fate, intrigues the reader to the last page. Powell uncovers the secret just enough to keep you wanting more. I enjoyed the breadcrumbs. The payoff at the end does not disappoint!

A well-told tale, full of life, love, and laughter, that you don’t want to miss.
2 reviews1 follower
June 25, 2024
This story is full of heart and soul. The characters have depth and heart making the story that much richer. It was definitely a world I hated to leave when I got to the last chapter. And I am excited already for book two.
Profile Image for Kendra Gibson.
1 review
November 24, 2025
Been a hot minute since I read this book but it was amazing! Found it in a local book shop signed! Amazing for any Romantasy lovers. Was a bit slow in some parts but I couldn’t put it down at the end of the day. FMC was giving Merida vibes with some magic mixed in. Cant wait for the second book!
Profile Image for Jessica.
15 reviews
August 25, 2024
Fantasy isn’t my favorite, but omg I love this book! Ophelia is my spirit animal and she and Elliot are soooo presh. Can’t wait for the rest of this series!!!
Profile Image for Jennifer.
49 reviews1 follower
February 3, 2025
This was a fun fast moving book! I now can’t wait to read the second one.
Profile Image for Lisa Garry.
78 reviews4 followers
May 31, 2025
If you love fantasy, adventure & romance, this is the book with you. The characters are loveable & grabbed me from the beginning. The magic & fantasy building was breathtaking. Seriously can’t wait for book 2 to learn more of Ophelia’s story.
Profile Image for ADRIA.
46 reviews
November 23, 2024
It was an interesting story. I felt that there was too much written about how much Elliot and Ophilia loved each other. I felt that too much of the book was devoted to their sneaking around and being googley eyed for each other. I'm interested in the 2nd book due to the cliff hanger at the end. Maybe their love will become more relevant in further books.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Janaye.
14 reviews1 follower
July 3, 2024
The Violet Mage is an intriguing Fantasy journey with romance, action packed sequences, and magic interwoven throughout.
Princess Ophelia lived a fairly normal life until her nightmares of giant wolf and burning towns began. This would be the beginning of a prophecy that would change the course of her life and the world around her as she knew it!
I enjoyed this book so much, it was very well written, and the detail and vivid descriptions of the world were amazing. It is rivals to lovers but the rivals part is extremely short lived, and I would definitely describe it as insta-love after the rivalry. The romance felt very Bridgerton-esque to me in the best way! It was a longing and yearning type of romance, as well as dire situations that threw Ophelia and Elliot together. I enjoyed the magical component to it and Ophelia finding her magic and strength in a situation that seem highly unlikely for her to overcome.
Thank you so much to L.R. Powell for giving me the opportunity to read this as an ARC!
Profile Image for Beth.
12 reviews2 followers
June 25, 2024
This was a such a fun read! I flew through it because I just had to know what was going to happen.

Our main characters are Ophelia (Think: Merida from that Disney movie- a strong female who can shoot arrows and defy societal norms) and Elliot (Think: Flynn Rider- handsome, charming, a tad immature, but capable when he needs to be). We also have faithful sidekicks (Think: Knight’s Tale), haunting nightmares, magical beings, a secret prophesy, and of course some spicy romance. I need the author to publish the next book ASAP because I am dying to know what happens next.

I’d recommend The Violet Mage for fans of the SJM universe or The War of Lost Hearts series. This is a great debut by a new author.
Profile Image for Kara Babinec.
2 reviews
June 25, 2024
I really enjoyed this romantasy read! 💜🏹 Fiery FMC, rivals to lovers, discovered magic, plenty of spice, the most lovable sidekicks/best friends… what more could you ask for?! I don’t want to spoil anything, but I liked the underlying message of humans needing to be better stewards of the land and seeing the *beastly* turmoil (literally) that was caused when they abused the land. Ended on a cliffhanger - I am so excited for the rest of this series! I can’t wait to see where L.R. Powell takes these characters!
Profile Image for Geah Hanson.
1 review3 followers
October 3, 2024
I was captivated by this book from the start so don’t let the length of time it took to finish it fool you. (Adulting is hard and unfair sometimes). This book has fantasy, romance, action, adventure, suspense and leaves you wanting to know what happens next. Ophelia reminds me of Merida only a bit more in touch with her feminine aspects. She presents a strong female protagonist while allowing herself to also explore the unknown of romance while being faced with a daunting and seemingly impossible destiny. I cannot wait to read the next installment and see where Lindsey leads us next!
Profile Image for Nikie.
2 reviews
March 2, 2025
Fantastic debut novel!

This romantasy really has it all, friendships, love, magic, learning who you are, adventure and so much more! I really enjoyed reading this book, meeting the characters, watching them grow and learning all about the world the author created. There were moments I laughed, smiled, felt worried and gasped out loud. I highly recommended reading this one and cannot wait to see where the series goes!
Profile Image for Valerie Koinis.
7 reviews5 followers
June 24, 2024
An exciting romantasy that gives a an equal balance of romance and ass-kicking that makes this an enticing and page turning book that has me kicking my feet, giggling out loud, and gasping at the ending!!! Fantastic debut novel!!!!
2 reviews1 follower
June 25, 2024
A stunning debut novel! This story is full of heart and soul. The characters have depth and heart making the story that much richer. It was definitely a world I hated to leave when I got to the last chapter. And I am excited already for book two.
Profile Image for Zaylen.
58 reviews4 followers
May 31, 2025
L.R Powell's debut novel is an absolute triumph, delivering a "neat" and thoroughly enjoyable romantasy experience that will leave readers clamoring for the next installment. This book masterfully blends classic tropes with a fresh perspective, creating a captivating world brimming with magic, intrigue, and undeniable chemistry.
The characters are a true highlight, particularly the fiery, delightfully snarky, and reluctantly brave Princess Ophelia, the FMC. Her journey begins as she defies her father to enter an archery tournament, setting in motion a series of events that unravel a long-buried secret. The supporting cast, especially the lovable sidekicks/best friends, adds depth and humor, making the relationships feel genuine. While you might initially find yourself disliking the MMC, understanding the characters' youth helps contextualize their attitudes and actions, making their development and the unfolding plot all the more satisfying. The author skillfully portrays the nuances of young adults navigating powerful magic and complex relationships.
The magical system is incredibly well-crafted, especially the unique concept of a "triad" and how it functions within the story. Beyond the romance and magic, the book subtly weaves in a powerful message about humans needing to be better stewards of the land, showcasing the "beastly" turmoil caused by environmental abuse. This underlying theme adds a thoughtful layer to the adventure.
Powell excels at weaving a complex tale filled with mystery and suspense. The court intrigue, quests, adventures, and battles kept us on the edge of our seats, constantly wondering what secrets Ophelia and her father's head mage were hiding. This is also a deliciously spicy story, but the intimate moments never overshadow the intricate plot and beautiful writing.
Massive kudos to Lindsey Powell for this incredible self-published debut! Her talent for storytelling shines through every page, promising a bright future for this series. The ending is a true cliffhanger, leaving us impatiently waiting to see what happens next.
Profile Image for Prerna.
Author 3 books9 followers
July 11, 2024
I thoroughly enjoyed reading The Violet Mage - although it started off on a YA tone, the intricacies in the political system and romance developed quickly and read more like an adult romantic fantasy.

I love Ophelia’s character and the way she navigated the twists and turns in her life and prophecy about her role in the world independently. The romantic interest in Elliot was there for support and to encourage her, but ultimately she took it upon herself to fulfil the prophecy and journey to the far corners of the land with just another mage to help her.

The language and writing style plunged me into the realm from the first page with vivid descriptions and so much detail. There was so much insight into the characters, their thoughts and reactions that helped me connect with them.

The main story in this debut was wrapped up, but the cliffhanger ending indicates that there is a bigger story to be told and I cannot wait to read about how it all unfolds in the subsequent books.
Profile Image for Kenzley Ricklefs.
165 reviews
May 27, 2025
I have no words to describe how I feel about this book. I loved the characters and when I think of Ophelia I picture her as an older version of Merida from brave, the red hair and the courage and shooting in the competition to win a badge as her mother did. The relationship built between her and Elliot was simple and I enjoyed watching it grow the rule breaking for the time period the eyes in the wall made it all the better. My part of this book was when pyotr awaked and the way is was discribe and written provided a wonderful mental image. I also really enjoyed getting to see the balanced side of pyotr via Mira. And as with any fantasy read the last 100 pages or so are the most interesting, action filled part of the book. I want to devour book two and can not wait for it to as this book has a simple yet fascinating clif hanger and I really want this wedding to happen so I can watch Ophelia and Elliot’s relationship continue to grow.
Profile Image for Elsa.
131 reviews
January 22, 2025
I liked the storyline but I feel that there was just too much written about Eliot and Ophelia’s love and not enough of other important parts. I would have liked more world building.

I found some typos in the book and the author switched tenses throughout the book and sometimes hard to follow.

I also had issue with how quickly Ophelia was okay with Eliot. He was described as “morally gray” but then she went on to be head over heels within a few chapters. Eliot was also highly unlikeable. I didn’t feel a connection between the actual characters, I’m not sure how to explain it but I was not rooting for them or their love story. Maybe it was too rushed? I agreed with the king in some points of the book. Like girl, your world is crumbling about and you’re over there sucking face? Idk, maybe I just didn’t like the characters as much as other books in this genre.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for K. Iwancio.
Author 12 books202 followers
June 25, 2024
3.5 ⭐️!

Highly enjoyable read. I came to think of it as Avatar meets Brave. Such a unique storyline in that aspect. Head strong FMC meets a dreamy, supportive, green flag prince. And like any newfound love, they get into shenanigans. Spice is on the page but not vulgar so I’d say 1.5-2 🌶️ The ending was intense and I was literally on the edge of my seat!

If you’re looking for a romantasy that’s not heavy on the magic or world building or smexy times, then this read is for you! A great mind floss when you need it to clear some darkened air.

Bravo on the debut!
Profile Image for Amy and Rae Bookshelf.
539 reviews10 followers
June 25, 2024
Ophelia is the fiery, delightfully snarky and reluctantly brave princess of Maraleon. Against the wishes of her father, she enters an archery tournament in disguise and sets in motion a series of events that uncovers a secret long thought buried.

One of the things we love about this story is the mystery and suspense that surrounds Ophelia as she learns what her father and his head mage have been hiding. Powell has such an incredible talent for weaving this tale, and the court intrigue, quest, adventure and battles kept us on the edge of our seats.

This is a deliciously spicy story, but also such a well-written and beautiful one. Congratulations, Lindsey on an incredible debut - we can’t wait to see what you write next!
Profile Image for Debi.
281 reviews
January 21, 2025
I wasn’t sure what to expect with this book based on the synopsis but I enjoyed it more than I expected. Ophelia is a princess and discovers that she is at the center of a prophecy. She has to help save mankind.

It was a very slow start but once the background of the story was established and Ophelia started on her quest the story really picked up & I enjoyed that best.

I look forward to the continuation of the story.
Profile Image for Alia Hewitt.
Author 1 book4 followers
August 14, 2025
The foundational mythology of this world is rich and layered. It carried my interest throughout. I’m not usually a big fantasy reader, but there was enough politicking and cross kingdom cultural tension to keep the pages turning. I’m also a sucker for a couple who are totally obsessed with each other. Ophelia and Elliot definitely bring that to every scene they share. 🥰
Profile Image for Sarah Gray.
4 reviews6 followers
June 25, 2024
I love a good fantasy novel! I also loved the cute romance in this one! A bit of adventure, love, saving the world, finding oneself… Such a great mix! Can’t wait to read the rest!
Profile Image for Cassandra Davis.
Author 4 books54 followers
June 25, 2024
This debut novel from L.R. Powell hooks you from the first chapter and pulls you through a rich fantasy world built around complex, well-written characters. Of course it doesn't hurt that there's archery involved! I stayed up way too late so that I could read "just one more page".

This is an author to follow!
Profile Image for Liz Kaczmarek.
93 reviews1 follower
October 28, 2025
Really liked this book, the sweet romance is so good and I love the idea of the stewards of land, sea and mankind. Book ends with a cliffhanger that definitely makes me want to read the next book which isnt finished yet. So this trilogy isnt completed. Well done for this first time author!
Profile Image for Kimberly Close.
18 reviews3 followers
October 3, 2024
An engaging, immersive fantasy with a beautiful romance! Warning of possible minor spoilers below.
A huge thank you to L.R. Powell for allowing me to ARC read your novel!






From early on, the love between Ophelia and Elliot is obvious, and they don't dance around it for long before acting on it. It's a very sweet, young love. (10 out of 10 on the ooey-gooey factor.) On the other end of the spectrum, I found the love between Pyotr and Mira heartbreaking.
I adore the fact that Ophelia isn't a swooning princess, but rather faces what comes her way head-on. While worried, she doesn't shy away from her destiny, but prepares as best she can in the time she's allowed.
I'm ordering a hardcopy, this is a book I'll definitely find myself re-reading over and over.

Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews

Can't find what you're looking for?

Get help and learn more about the design.