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Mage Guild #1
Unguilded
At sixteen Kara Fonti still has no magic. But Mage Guild, the most powerful of all the Guilds in Tregella, has a use for her – they will force her to bear children for men who do have magic. Arabella Fonti, to protect her own status within the guild, pushes her daughter to do the unthinkable – run away to live outside the guild system.
But unguilded are not welcome in Tregella, especially on the magical chain of islands of the capital Rillidi. In increasing danger of being arrested or killed, Kara finds refuge on Old Rillidi, the original island that was neither created by magic nor controlled by one of the guilds.
On Old Rillidi, Kara discovers true friends, makes a home for herself, and learns more about her strange ability to “see” magic. But the Mage Guild will not let her go, and it is here where she feels safest that Kara is betrayed . . .
But unguilded are not welcome in Tregella, especially on the magical chain of islands of the capital Rillidi. In increasing danger of being arrested or killed, Kara finds refuge on Old Rillidi, the original island that was neither created by magic nor controlled by one of the guilds.
On Old Rillidi, Kara discovers true friends, makes a home for herself, and learns more about her strange ability to “see” magic. But the Mage Guild will not let her go, and it is here where she feels safest that Kara is betrayed . . .
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First published May 18, 2015
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
April 22, 2018
This book was a pleasant and fun read. The authors use of magic in the book was really unique and nothing I've ever seen before. I feel like the book focuses on a small story within a much larger one. I would love to see maybe a prequel to this, to find out how all the separate guilds and titles came about and how the Mage Guild played their part in the world.
February 20, 2016
I really enjoyed this book. It wasn't a perfect book (ex: the villains were a little too mustache twirly), however, there were a lot of things to like. I found the world building interesting and I loved the main character.
May 5, 2016
I thought this book was OK but I gave it three stars since the rating system on this site skirts to higher numbers.
The world is standard fantasy stuff, consisting of a village, a mountain and a big city. The big city has an interesting structure of an archipelago of artificial islands. The author manages to bring color and atmosphere to the two islands where most of the story happens.
The social system is based on work division that's been featured in a lot of YA books since the success of Hunger Games. It's nothing to write home about. The author goes in depth about injustice of the system for about half of the book but then mostly ignores it in the second half in favour of action sequences.
The main character is a teenage girl who gets thrown out of her village and instead of whining about it to a hot grumpy guy, she takes initiative and goes on an adventure. She has some useful skills that she trades for help and knowledge required to survive. She's nice and friendly but doesn't take shit from anyone once she sees where the wind blows. There's not much place for growth but little by little she becomes experienced and does away with her insecurities. I think that makes her a good heroine for an action adventure book. The rest of the characters aren't very interesting. The mad sorcerer is disappointing, I think it's really high time for Master Elodin from Kingkiller Chronicles became the go-to copy-pasta for mad professor types. I suppose the sidekick guy being a normal cocky, upstart young assassin instead of some of more annoying YA character archetypes is a plus. And the evil mama was kind of a fun villain but I suppose that's not how most villains want to be percieved.
The writing style makes this book easy to read. Creeping around at night is a bit scary, child gang warfare makes you worry about our headstrong heroine for a little bit, fight scenes make you worry about her poor enemies. There's some juicy parts in here, nothing special, but it's a bit refreshing because the girl takes some initiative. Uhhhm, and I'll just pretend she's over 18, don't know how that flied past proof readers.
The magic isn't elaborately described, there's the normal kind and Kara's type, which triumphs over that other one.
All in all, I recommend it to people who want an easy to read action adventure with a teenager in the main role. If you want extensive worldbuilding, complex magic system, a lot of interesting characters or thoughtful social commentary, look elsewhere.
The world is standard fantasy stuff, consisting of a village, a mountain and a big city. The big city has an interesting structure of an archipelago of artificial islands. The author manages to bring color and atmosphere to the two islands where most of the story happens.
The social system is based on work division that's been featured in a lot of YA books since the success of Hunger Games. It's nothing to write home about. The author goes in depth about injustice of the system for about half of the book but then mostly ignores it in the second half in favour of action sequences.
The main character is a teenage girl who gets thrown out of her village and instead of whining about it to a hot grumpy guy, she takes initiative and goes on an adventure. She has some useful skills that she trades for help and knowledge required to survive. She's nice and friendly but doesn't take shit from anyone once she sees where the wind blows. There's not much place for growth but little by little she becomes experienced and does away with her insecurities. I think that makes her a good heroine for an action adventure book. The rest of the characters aren't very interesting. The mad sorcerer is disappointing, I think it's really high time for Master Elodin from Kingkiller Chronicles became the go-to copy-pasta for mad professor types. I suppose the sidekick guy being a normal cocky, upstart young assassin instead of some of more annoying YA character archetypes is a plus. And the evil mama was kind of a fun villain but I suppose that's not how most villains want to be percieved.
The writing style makes this book easy to read. Creeping around at night is a bit scary, child gang warfare makes you worry about our headstrong heroine for a little bit, fight scenes make you worry about her poor enemies. There's some juicy parts in here, nothing special, but it's a bit refreshing because the girl takes some initiative. Uhhhm, and I'll just pretend she's over 18, don't know how that flied past proof readers.
The magic isn't elaborately described, there's the normal kind and Kara's type, which triumphs over that other one.
All in all, I recommend it to people who want an easy to read action adventure with a teenager in the main role. If you want extensive worldbuilding, complex magic system, a lot of interesting characters or thoughtful social commentary, look elsewhere.
August 14, 2016
Very Good
This book was well written. My complaints on the whole of it were simp!y the speed of the book. The beginning is rushed and instead of guiding you into a story it instead forces you into it whether you wanted to go or not. The timeline seems compressed as well, from travel time to the amount of time it takes for the main character to start sleeping with the love interest, it all feels rushed.
This book was well written. My complaints on the whole of it were simp!y the speed of the book. The beginning is rushed and instead of guiding you into a story it instead forces you into it whether you wanted to go or not. The timeline seems compressed as well, from travel time to the amount of time it takes for the main character to start sleeping with the love interest, it all feels rushed.
May 18, 2022
https://wordnerdy.blogspot.com/2022/0...
I had the impression this was a cozy sort of fantasy based on the description, and while parts of it had that vibe, it was a little darker than that. It’s the story of a teen girl in a country ruled by powerful guilds; her birth mother is a mage and they’ve been waiting to see if the girl would develop magic. When it seems like she hasn’t, her birth mother helps her run away so she won’t be forced to breed future potential mages (there are a lot of references to rape/sexual abuse and some rape threats—sooooo not cozy). I will tell you that her birth mother only helps her for selfish reasons and is a horrible person. Anyway, the girl now has to make her own way in the world, finding friends and a new home and figuring out that actually, she can /see/ magic. Great characters here, the romance was fairly abrupt but I was on board by the end, good action. I did wish the back half was fleshed out a little bit more, but I still enjoyed this and am off to start the sequel. A-/B+.
I had the impression this was a cozy sort of fantasy based on the description, and while parts of it had that vibe, it was a little darker than that. It’s the story of a teen girl in a country ruled by powerful guilds; her birth mother is a mage and they’ve been waiting to see if the girl would develop magic. When it seems like she hasn’t, her birth mother helps her run away so she won’t be forced to breed future potential mages (there are a lot of references to rape/sexual abuse and some rape threats—sooooo not cozy). I will tell you that her birth mother only helps her for selfish reasons and is a horrible person. Anyway, the girl now has to make her own way in the world, finding friends and a new home and figuring out that actually, she can /see/ magic. Great characters here, the romance was fairly abrupt but I was on board by the end, good action. I did wish the back half was fleshed out a little bit more, but I still enjoyed this and am off to start the sequel. A-/B+.
January 8, 2017
This is a fantasy adventure novel that is based in a world where guilds have power and authority. Those who are not part of guilds lead a life of struggles and poverty. Kara, at sixteen, has failed to show any talent in magic to the displeasure of her mother, a powerful mage. The Mage Guild, still interested in Kara's potential, wants to force her into breeding to see if her children has any talent. Her mother forces Kara to runaway from the guild and from a life of breeding.
This novel is an easy read and is suited for teens and young adults. The Guild System is politically complex, but not too difficult to follow and understand what drives each character in the story. There are opportunities to dive deeper into the characters and their backgrounds, but it may be revealed in later instalments of the series. I would recommend this to those who are interested in a light hearted, fantasy adventure story where an unlucky hero discovers changes their fate.
This novel is an easy read and is suited for teens and young adults. The Guild System is politically complex, but not too difficult to follow and understand what drives each character in the story. There are opportunities to dive deeper into the characters and their backgrounds, but it may be revealed in later instalments of the series. I would recommend this to those who are interested in a light hearted, fantasy adventure story where an unlucky hero discovers changes their fate.
December 8, 2017
wanted to read something different, not knowing anything about the book.. random selection from a discussion and am glad I chose this one
pacing was good and right kinda emotion I like.. spotted some mistakes that should have been caught in edits, but nothing too glaring...
a nice visual addition to magic used, reminded me vaguely of Lightbringer series(only the colors, nothing common as such).. and it was refreshing with magic not being explained in detail, read too many Sanderson books recently :P
pacing was good and right kinda emotion I like.. spotted some mistakes that should have been caught in edits, but nothing too glaring...
a nice visual addition to magic used, reminded me vaguely of Lightbringer series(only the colors, nothing common as such).. and it was refreshing with magic not being explained in detail, read too many Sanderson books recently :P
February 1, 2017
I'm often a bit reluctant to pay for ebooks by authors I don't know, particularly if they don't have many reviews or ratings. At least with physical copies of books I can pass them on to other people or charity shops when I've read them or if I decide they're not for me. It's less of a financial dead end.
Anyway - before I go off on too many tangents- Unguilded came to my attention and clearly I was feeling self-indulgent and decided to cough up a whole £2.99. I'm glad I did. It's a great fantasy saga with a kind heroine and some interesting secondary characters, namely the mad mage and the assassin. The author doesn't stray away from unpleasantries which gives the story somewhat of a sense of realism lacking in many such books (although unfortunately this is a little detracted from by quite how easily problems are solved - e.g. finding the cabin, stocked with food and its own water source).
My only real complaint is the villains. Villains are rarely pure evil - they have backstories and doubts à la Maleficent - and Arabella could have been a perfect example of this. There's potential - she was forced into having a child at a young age to escape a kind of slavery by a man who put her in that position and it's implied that she's been repeatedly required to make herself sexually available to earn herself a life worth living. Of course this could turn a person cold - but so filled with hate for her child? Perhaps, but it seems too easy a choice to not develop her character further.
This isn't a major issue though and I'd still recommend Unguilded.
Anyway - before I go off on too many tangents- Unguilded came to my attention and clearly I was feeling self-indulgent and decided to cough up a whole £2.99. I'm glad I did. It's a great fantasy saga with a kind heroine and some interesting secondary characters, namely the mad mage and the assassin. The author doesn't stray away from unpleasantries which gives the story somewhat of a sense of realism lacking in many such books (although unfortunately this is a little detracted from by quite how easily problems are solved - e.g. finding the cabin, stocked with food and its own water source).
My only real complaint is the villains. Villains are rarely pure evil - they have backstories and doubts à la Maleficent - and Arabella could have been a perfect example of this. There's potential - she was forced into having a child at a young age to escape a kind of slavery by a man who put her in that position and it's implied that she's been repeatedly required to make herself sexually available to earn herself a life worth living. Of course this could turn a person cold - but so filled with hate for her child? Perhaps, but it seems too easy a choice to not develop her character further.
This isn't a major issue though and I'd still recommend Unguilded.
October 20, 2015
I used to read a lot of fantasy, and then for a while I got kind of weary...it seemed to be the same story over and over again. Lately, however, I've been happy to find some books by authors who bring something new to the fantasy table. Unguilded is just such a book. The author has imagined into being a fantasy world with an intriguing social order and a different way of dealing with magic, which is very refreshing. The story moves at a quick pace and the characters carry the plot well. Although the storyline is fairly straightforward, there are enough twists and turns to keep the reader guessing about how it will all turn out. Definitely a page-turner!
February 2, 2016
Different take on a magical realm. I really like the MC, Kara. When the guild determines her lacking in magical ability, she's forced out into the world by her own mother. But she is resourceful, and eventually engage others to help her find her place in the world.
The book could have been a little longer in developing some of the other characters in more depth. I felt that the conclusion came too quickly. This is a stand alone book, but the ending leaves a possibility for a future installment.
The book could have been a little longer in developing some of the other characters in more depth. I felt that the conclusion came too quickly. This is a stand alone book, but the ending leaves a possibility for a future installment.
February 14, 2016
Engaging From Beginning to End
This is the first book that I've read by this author. I absolutely was hooked from the first and kept reading...it was that good. The story also had a very satisfying HEA. Though a solid ending, it would be great to read more stories about this world. The world building was well done, and the best part was how well the characters were developed. This author brought characters to life that engaged my emotions and made me want to continue the story after the end. Great standalone book that I highly recommend.
This is the first book that I've read by this author. I absolutely was hooked from the first and kept reading...it was that good. The story also had a very satisfying HEA. Though a solid ending, it would be great to read more stories about this world. The world building was well done, and the best part was how well the characters were developed. This author brought characters to life that engaged my emotions and made me want to continue the story after the end. Great standalone book that I highly recommend.
September 18, 2016
Unmaking magic
In a world of guilds none is as powerful as the Mage Guild. Kara is the daughter of a very powerful female Mage and a normal father. But she has come of age and failed to display any magical abilities. Her Mother wishes to remove what she considers to be a embarrassment. So powerless Kara leaves in the night. Then again, is she truly powerless?
Great fantasy world with interesting characters. Kara is a strong caring heroine who gradually realizes her worth and strength. Looking forward to the next book in this series.
In a world of guilds none is as powerful as the Mage Guild. Kara is the daughter of a very powerful female Mage and a normal father. But she has come of age and failed to display any magical abilities. Her Mother wishes to remove what she considers to be a embarrassment. So powerless Kara leaves in the night. Then again, is she truly powerless?
Great fantasy world with interesting characters. Kara is a strong caring heroine who gradually realizes her worth and strength. Looking forward to the next book in this series.
December 14, 2016
I loved this book! The main character, Kara, is independent, resourceful and makes intelligent decisions throughout the book; it is nice to see well constructed female characters in fantasy books. The fantasy world is interesting, with its floating islands and visible magic. And burros, not donkeys, burros! I was not very keen on the villains, particularly Arabella, very unidimensionally evil.
June 26, 2015
Loved this book
Great story...check. Great plot..check. Engaging, well developed characters..check. I highly recommend this book. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.
Great story...check. Great plot..check. Engaging, well developed characters..check. I highly recommend this book. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.
July 29, 2015
Fun story
For a change a fun story to read and enjoy. For all ages that enjoy a little suspense and successful characters
For a change a fun story to read and enjoy. For all ages that enjoy a little suspense and successful characters
October 1, 2015
Soooooooooooo good
November 22, 2015
Great story
Great story, generally well written. No cliffhanger ending..thank goodness. Will be interested to see if there will be a second installment.
Great story, generally well written. No cliffhanger ending..thank goodness. Will be interested to see if there will be a second installment.
February 5, 2016
What a lovely story. I wish there was more! I feel like Kara could have developed a bit more, and the mad Mage had some real potential so a sequel would be be perfect. :)
July 14, 2016
Interesting beginning to what good be a good story line. There was some good characters in this book, but I would like to see some of the guids get into the story some more.
January 11, 2017
An entertaining fantasy novel (enough so that I read the sequel). There was no complexity to the characters - they were pure good or pure evil. The writing wasn't bad but wasn't anything special.
April 8, 2025
I enjoyed the novel and found the characters engaging. What I'd like to know is how a talent of "un-magic" could be missed by the guilds and that was not addressed in the novel.
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews