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Magic Rune Academy #1

Magic Rune Academy

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Have you ever felt like you didn’t quite fit in?

My world flipped upside down when a chance visit to a magic shop run by a flirty catgirl unveiled a shocking I’m a sorcerer, gifted with the rare ability to wield rune, a mysterious and powerful energy. Soon, I’m invited to a magical academy to master my abilities, where I'm surrounded by stunning classmates and endless opportunities.

But life here isn’t all enchantments and charm. From fierce werewolves to pompous professors, every day is a new challenge. And at the heart of it all? A showdown with the formidable dean—a battle that will prove if I have what it takes to be the strongest in the Rune Realm.

No matter the obstacles, I’ll rise to the top—and have some fun along the way.

432 pages, Kindle Edition

Published December 19, 2024

410 people are currently reading
56 people want to read

About the author

Landon Scott

15 books2 followers

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5 stars
293 (53%)
4 stars
148 (27%)
3 stars
71 (13%)
2 stars
21 (3%)
1 star
10 (1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 36 reviews
Profile Image for Alfred.
134 reviews7 followers
August 11, 2025
Pretty Good Magical Romp

I recently read School of Magic by Dante King, and I'd say that this book is, in some ways, of an inversion of that one.

I praised the prose and grammar in School of Magic, as well as the general plot, but highlighted that it didn't actually introduce the School unto about two thirds into the book and also that it had a certain feeling of artificially to it (though that's certainly not to say I suspect it was written with any assistance from AI).

This book, on the other hand, has weaker prose and occasional grammatical and punctuation errors, but it has a lot of heart. Furthermore, we actually spend the majority of the book at the magical school and enjoy the semesters, and the breaks in between, with the characters.

Sure, I'll grant that it rips a bit off of Harry Potter, but I think it does it loosely enough to be excused. The primary plot definitely isn't a part of any Harry Potter book I've read, unless I've somehow missed one where .

Good, genuine (not so clean) fun.

4 out of 5
Profile Image for GrumpyOldMan.
450 reviews26 followers
January 4, 2025
It took me 4 full days to read 127 pages of this book, and I DNF'd it at that point. It just wasn't a very well thought out plot. Too many generic haremlit tropes for me.

The MC is a college student hanging out with his female childhood best friend and going to a playing card store. While there, he meets the "most amazing looking woman" (awful harem trope 1) who after initially ignoring him, is suddenly flirting heavily with him. Later that night, as the MC is about to be hassled by some thugs, a black panther shows up to scare them off, then turns into the woman from the shop. She explains how he's got some magic ability, and offers him two envelopes to let him and his female friend enroll in a magic school. And soon, the two join the woman in another world.

The new world has everything more amazing than Earth (awful harem trope 2). The two get evaluated for their magical ability, and naturally the MC is an "S" ranked sorcerer (awful harem trope 3). His friend, a D ranked healer. He of course reassures his friend that she'll be a kick butt healer, and they become a couple, though not intimate by that point. Oh, and S ranks tend to form harems, because the opposite sex are heavily drawn to them for purposes of breeding (awful harem trope 4). The MC has also noted that most of the people he sees are female (awful harem trope 5).

They go shopping for school stuff, and the MC pouts because sorcerers use staves and robes, and not swords, maces, shields, and armor. He even calls the robes sissy stuff (cringeworthy). The he finally gets a staff that will bond with him, a staff that's been gathering dust for centuries, and it's of course the coolest staff he's ever seen (awful harem trope 6).

On the first day of class, the MC is seated near a guy that shares some knowledge with him. The MC feels the guy is a know-it-all, but then acts like HE knows it all already and embarrasses himself, several times. There's not much worse than a person that complains about things that annoy them that they themselves are frequently guilty of.

Finally, the book skips from the first day of school to Halloween, so we miss out on all of their initial development as mages/healers. And then they are off to a Halloween party as a trio, with the two girls wearing revealing clothing with Peanut Butter written on one top, and Jelly written on the other, and the MC is wearing a loaf of bread costume. At that point, it had gotten too stupid to even force myself into reading more.
272 reviews3 followers
February 11, 2025
A book, a ripped off book.

So….

Yeah, it’s a book.

The authors did a great job of ripping off other authors.

The biggest and most egregious example is they lifted the majority of the wand shop scene from Harry Potter. Points for creativity boys!

The world building is beyond dumb, everything reads as a Gary Stu. The main character pontificated once on the fact that he’s got super pheromones and then basically said ‘is it bad? Nah, whatever’ then proceeds to go about his life.

This book is a pile of chekhovs guns. That never never get addressed. Maybe in book 2? Who knows.

Then there’s this-

“Because, just like all energy in this universe and the next, rune has a pure and a corrupt nature to it.”

What in the hell are they talking about. I must have missed that part of science class. It reads like they cribbed it straight from Star Wars.

TL;dr- meh. If you like the sloppiest of fantasy books, go for it.
996 reviews13 followers
January 11, 2025
Meh weak MC

I so wanted to like this book but nope. The MC is an idiot and a whimp. He has no fire. He coasts through life\school with no drive. Everyone and everything is handed to him even his powers and skills. He can't learn anything himself. The story was good and had promise but no substance. No stats, no description of abilities, and the only decent( such that it wasn't) battle was the end one. Let's not get into the Star Wars force knockoff with the dark side. Just a hard NO for me on book 2. What a waste of good ideas and characters (only saving grace). Author's need to put more effort into world framework like the characters.
108 reviews
March 1, 2025
well done boys!

Great job! I enjoyed this greatly! Great world building, amazing character development and nice on the spice! Can’t wait to read book 2.
69 reviews
February 25, 2025
A pleasant surprise

Very well written, an imaginative tale full of humor, interesting characters, and a plot that, while not necessarily deep, still holds your attention
Profile Image for Dp2k.
238 reviews3 followers
January 22, 2025
I kept expecting something to happen but it never does - nothing does. It's just straight slice-of-life with all the plot armor you could ever want where things happen exactly as they're "supposed" to - nothing ever complicates the plot. Couldn't finish out of boredom.
2,477 reviews17 followers
July 25, 2025
The main character felt like a bit of an edgelord. “This stuff might be good enough for everyone else but I’m someone special!” No thanks.
164 reviews4 followers
December 30, 2024
The power of the dark side!

This book was more of a slice of Iife than anything. The whole thing was cliche as can be. Boy finds out he has power, boy goes to magic school, boys deals with jerks, etc. ironically several of the jerks are sociopathic teachers but apparently that’s ok in this world.

There was nothing in this book that was special or truly interesting. It was a decent enough read; although, it really seemed to drag, but sadly it accomplished literally nothing. By the end of it I was just kinda like, ok why did I read all of that? Nothing happened, there was literally no point other than the every end where there is ominous foreshadowing to the next big douche, obviously going to be another s-tier something even though Nate is the first one in like 60 years but now there’s another one, who is going to be the douche teachers lackey and after the MC. Wait I probably just spoiled the entire plot of book 2!
7 reviews1 follower
January 25, 2025
very good story line

The story line is different from other styles very intriguing besides the erotic scenes,makes for a pleasant reading not overshadowed by sex scenes. Thanks for the good read
103 reviews2 followers
December 31, 2024
More of a comfy harem title

This book started off really interesting. From average Joe to mage in the span of 24 hrs. Didn’t really feel any sort of connection with any of the supporting characters, all while the MC is slow jogging his way through a magical academy. The MC learns 3 spells in one year, all while having the greatest natural advantage. I really believed we would see some cool magical powers or nice action sequences…..but this is more focused on the harem side of things. I won’t be tuning in for book 2
269 reviews7 followers
December 25, 2024
I love it

This book is fantastic. All the characters are great and feel real. Relationships are a great pace. I love the story. It might be a basic academy story, but it goes to show how some authors can still stand out by adding their spin on it. Also, usually any book with a childhood friend or past relationship getting together with an MC makes me feel all the feels. Look forward to the next one!
28 reviews1 follower
January 5, 2025
Unusual well written story

This first book was exceptional in it's storyline. Unique idea well written into an absorbing story that I enjoyed and had a hard time stopping at a chapter. The characters were well developed and fit the story perfectly. Book 2 is greatly anticipated and I was glad to see that it will be a trilogy. Thank you again for a well written, enjoyable story.
89 reviews2 followers
December 23, 2024
Awesome!

Really liked this one. However, the authors need to look up what 'ornery' means in the dictionary. The number of times that someone was 'ornery' when in reality they were cheerful or flirtatious or sarcastic was too high!
26 reviews3 followers
December 31, 2024
loved it

Good start to a series. I love magical academy books and this is right up my alley. Great story line. Great characters. A good amount of spice not too much and not too little. Love the dirty talk during. Can’t wait for the next.
455 reviews2 followers
January 8, 2025
Good Start

Character development was very good. Storyline was good. Background developed was very good and storytelling was excellent. All this turned a common college basis for the book to an uncommon success and a good read.
929 reviews2 followers
January 8, 2025
A good time.

I really enjoyed reading this book. It was fun and entertaining. The story and characters were incredibly interesting and engaging. I'm looking forward to seeing what happens next. This book is definitely worth checking out.
79 reviews2 followers
January 3, 2025
Good book

I liked the story from start to finish. The ending felt wide open for a few books if possible. Don't end the story. it kept me reading.
Profile Image for Nick Massey.
391 reviews8 followers
May 17, 2025
Fun Fun Fun

What a joy to read. It's just the kind of book I needed right now, Fun, light hearted, loveable characters, perfect.
14 reviews
June 28, 2025
A person from contemporary Earth finds out he possesses magic and is immediately introduced to a whole world of magic, myth, and bestiary, where magic essentially replaces science.

From that point, the MC becomes the best at everything he tries his hand at; in fact, he is the highest level of magic user imaginable and even the head of the school gushes about how wonderful and special he is (because of course that'll what she'll do). All the women attracted to him, the men, the few that have any presence either adore him or, in a couple of instances, hate him. In one of those instances, the hatred is used for purely plot reasons.

In literary terms, we call such a character in such a story a Mary Sue (or Gary Stu). A little Mary Sue-ness might be fun to read, and the harem aspects of the story do suggest that there will be some level of the story bending itself in the MC's favor. The problem is that there is little for the character outside of being that archetype.

Every challenge is manufactured, and most of the time the MC is given things for reasons that are never expanded upon; the magic university that he is now enrolled in, decides to also fund his various expenses. The author never bothers with any form of reasoning. He needs it and therefore he gets it.

Like most Harem stories, all the female participants accept that he needs a harem (because he's too awesome not to have a harem) and are excited about expanding that harem.
The story follows the usual Isekai trope. Man transferred to a new world. He just wakes up there; he never questions, he's excited to be there, and nothing in his life up until that point matters at all to him; not family, not friends, not any achievement in his life. All is forgotten. No matter if that's the harem aspect or the new world aspect, the MC never pause to consider abandoning his old life, and, similarly, the women never question the harem, never feel jealous about their significant other building a harem, don't care about their life before the story and their entire existence now revolves around the MC who is as interesting as a wet paper towel.

----

This book falls into the Slice of Life sub-genre, which could have been interesting if there was any character progression or if we learned something about them that changed anything in the dynamic. Apart from filling it will blushing women, random events that suggest sexuality, or those leading to sex scenes there is little substance. Not that there aren't any significant events and story points worth that label that expose who those characters are, but they are so remote and glazed over that I'm not sure if their inclusion is nothing more than padding.



There are some good bits here and there, and some surprising development and emotional weight, but, as mentioned earlier, they are so few and remote that the benefits never materialize (and they are dropped shortly after appearing).
Profile Image for Steve Naylor.
2,484 reviews127 followers
October 7, 2025
Rating 3.0 stars

Meh. This was just okay. It is a slice of life harem story that was lacking. Guy finds out he has magic or Rune and goes to a special academy in another dimension. His best friend also has magic, and she goes with him.
Profile Image for larry Mccauley.
415 reviews2 followers
May 25, 2025
Boring

The story started out.Interesting . The main character has a female.friend but no.over had made.either way as to closeness . They then find themselves in a different world with the main character magically powerful with all.kinds of female.attention yet the girl hen wants is made to have little.to no power as a healer . If o e NASA story that makes the hero strong why not make his selected girl.friend powerful.enough to stand by him which obviously his not the case this and the beginning of any story is what grabs the interest I findno.interest in watching his girlfriend be made fun of because she has no power . The story is written well but I have no understanding why anyone would have the main charactor so.strong that he is top tier powerful.with a girlfriend who barely registers as a healer .. Not.my cup.of tea
927 reviews6 followers
June 17, 2025
Two local students lives are changed forever by visiting unique local magical shop .

A trip to a magical shop changed two lives on a raining night on the town . Stopping inside to buy board game cards for a game they played . The female clerk wasn't a ordinary girl but a shifter a hybrid panther with feline senses an smell she was able to see that the two local college students were different they had mythosomes within their bodies that she was able to introduce them to a magical realm an to a magical academy . recommend reading excellent book .
Profile Image for Ron.
383 reviews4 followers
May 5, 2025
I’m a sorcerer, gifted with the rare ability to wield rune, a mysterious and powerful energy.


Words matter. The word "rune" refers to a letter from an alphabet. It should be used to describe inscriptions, inscribing, enchanting, that sort of thing. I think the author was going for something like "mana" or "qi." I didn't actually read this book, that sentence in the blurb was enough to make me not want to, and all the negative reviews that reinforced this impression.
37 reviews1 follower
December 22, 2024
Well, the writing was ok. The biggest issue is that the author decided to change the meaning of the word "rune" to mean something else totally. I originally selected the book based on the title. Imagine my surprise and dismay when it had absolutely nothing to do with runes. I ended up DNF-ing the book about 1/3 of the way through it due to this.
14 reviews
February 12, 2025
Good story, but would benefit from more depth in the storyline

The story is good, though some interactions seem too forced or simplistic. The main issue is that there could be more depth in it. More work/time spent on day to day activities to build character depth and explore development.
119 reviews1 follower
March 2, 2025
nothing special

The book is like going over someone’s vacation. Some adventure, some scenery, some action, some magic, some learning, some struggles, some relationship drama, and a whole lotta nothing special; especially if you weren’t there. Nothing really happens in this book. Now go ask someone about their vacation.
Profile Image for Dean Buzzell.
152 reviews
May 6, 2025
Good. REALLY Good

To my shame, when I chose this book I wasn’t expecting much. BOY was I wrong! I thoroughly enjoyed MRA and look forward to the second and subsequent installments. Good character development, though I got the most enjoyment out of the Dean. THAT character is a hoot. Well done, Authors Scott and Sage!
Profile Image for James Riley.
1,219 reviews15 followers
April 5, 2025
A very fun read

This book was a lot of fun to read. It's harem, so it has some spice. Still, it's pretty light-hearted and just fun to read. If you are looking for a nice way to unwind, this would be a good choice.

Highly recommended.
582 reviews4 followers
December 20, 2024
Good story you enjoy reading with enjoyable characters that you cheer for
Displaying 1 - 30 of 36 reviews

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