Stealing Sorcery

The War of Broken Mirrors #2

by Andrew Rowe

The immortal sorcerers – three legendary figures that toppled the empire of Xixis. Each has lived for over a hundred years, leaving a powerful legacy in their wake. But their children do not share their renowned immortality – and when the firstborn son of Edrick Theas is killed, the sorceress Lydia Hastings is called to investigate the murder. When she discovers a sorcerous trail left by a creature of unfathomable power, she quickly realizes she needs outside help. And while Jonan Kestrian – a spy for a rival military power – might not be Lydia’s first choice for an ally, she knows that he has the knowledge and skills that she needs. While Lydia and Jonan trace the assassin’s trail, Taelien undergoes the Trials of Unyielding Steel, a series of tests to ensure his entry into the Paladins of Tae’os. As he trains for his trials, Taelien faces his fiercest rival yet – Velas Jaldin, a former member of Orlyn’s Queensguard with the power to manipulate motion at her whim. With skills far beyond those of an ordinary soldier, the former Queensguard might be the killer that Lydia seeks – or the assassin’s next victim.

Genres: Fantasy, Audiobook, Science Fiction Fantasy, Magic, Fiction, Epic Fantasy, High Fantasy

621 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 31, 2015

Reviews

[Gavin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This second book in Andrew Rowe's The War of Broken Mirrors series was just as enjoyable as the first book in the series. This series is fantasy in the Sanderson and Jordan mould in terms of style and tone though the story does lack the epic scope of those guys best series. The story in this series is more intimate in scope but still pretty good. The fantasy world is interesting and the magic system is fun. Outside of the cool magic and fun characters the focus is on a mix of action, intrigue, adventure, and a bit of mystery!

The first book took place in the city of Orlyn but this setting changed in this second book to Lydia's home country of Velthryn. She has returned home in the wake of the events at the end of this first book to resume her regular role as a Paladin of Tae'os. Taelien goes with her as did, Velas Jaldin and Landin, two ex-members of the Orlyn Queensguard. The trio were interested in taking the Trials that would gain them entry to the Paladins of Tae'os Order. Before long Lydia found herself embroiled in a murder investigation with severe political ramifications as a son of one of the cities three Immortal Sorcerers was murdered. It was Lydia's job to find out who did it and stop an all out political and civil war exploding between the powerful families of Velthryn! She called in the help of her old friend and rival Jonan. Jonan jumped at the chance to help as he had a mission of his own set by his Goddess to complete in the city.

It ended up being a fun tale. Both Jonan and Lydia had POV's and that let us get a glimpse into the murder investigation from different perspective as both characters had their own expectations and agendas. I enjoyed this part of the story as it helped us learn a lot more about both Jonan and Lydia as characters and also helped us get a lot more familiar with the people and organisations they were bound to serve. The murder mystery and political intrigue story arc was pretty fun in its own right and provided a fun mix of mystery and action.

Taelien was taking the Paladin trials so his part of the story was more in line with the traditional magic school/challenges style story arcs. It was interesting enough and we got plenty of excitement and fun new characters in this story arc. Velas Jaldin was the fourth POV character for this instalment and she proved a decent addition. She had a few secrets of her own and was able to give a different perspective to Taelien on the happenings. I ended up quite liking her character and that of her old Queensguard friend Landon. Their banter and friendship with Taelien was both amusing and enjoyable!

This second book helped expand the world Rowe had created a bit more and let us meet a fun bunch of brand new characters. I felt like it was a good instalment. It held my attention from start to finish and I'm definitely eager to see what is next for the cast of characters we follow in this series. I'm also fairly sure by this point that Taelien is Keras from Rowe's Arcane Ascension series so it will be interesting to see how he got from here to that bit of the world and to learn just how much time has passed between the start of both series. Perhaps we will get some answers in Six Sacred Swords!

All in all I enjoyed this. It was an engaging and solid fantasy tale with some enjoyable action/intrigue and a fun cast of characters.

Rating: 4 stars.

Audio Note: As always Nick Podehl was fantastic with the audio!

[Bradley · Rating 5 out of 5]

I personally think that this second book is better than the first. Or at least, I'm now comfortable enough with the main character that I really enjoyed the part mystery, part tournament, part training, part gorgeous magical bloodshed better than before.

I liked the team building, the discovery of skills, the hints of greater things.

In other words, this was a fine and good fantasy that I admire.

Now, while I won't quite rate these two as some of the finest fantasies I've read, I did have a lot of good, clean, fun. And that's what we're looking for with ancient godlike blades and abilities, no?

[Vintagebooklvr · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another enjoyable addition to this fantasy series. Rowe introduces the reader to another city, different organizations and new characters as well as new sides to established characters. Secrets abound but not many are answered as new questions soon follow. It has the feel of an epic fantasy series while the scope hasn't gotten there yet but hints indicate that is where it is heading. The adventure is definitely there for a grand fantasy epic.

[S.L. Vaden · Rating 5 out of 5]

Can't wait for the third book in this series.

[Perfektionaise · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5/5☆ for me.

[Josh Angel · Rating 3 out of 5]

(No Spoilers) I'm reading this trilogy because it seems to be required backstory for the Arcane Ascension series, which I enjoyed immensely. However, these are proving to be something of a chore to get through.

First of all, even though I am 2/3 of the way through the series, I still don't know what this series is actually about. There are people doing things, but it just seems to be semi-random stories thrown together with a little connecting tissue. Is this about the guy with the magic sword? Is this about politics? Why does everyone suddenly want to be a Paladin? I don't really know.

At least in the second volume I am beginning to see the connections to the Arcane Ascension series. There are some crossover characters, and we are getting to see Dominion magic from the viewpoint of the sorcerers that use it, but otherwise there doesn't seem to be much here that is "must-know" if you are an Arcane Ascension fan. Perhaps that will change in the final volume.

There are some fun characters here, specifically Jonan, but the rest either have similar personalities or are just not particularly well characterized IMHO. For instance, Lydia is a total badass and is all business all the time, but also giggles a lot, which is just a little odd. Is she all business or does she giggle a lot? Because it's kind of hard for both to be true.

I'm hoping things come together in book 3, because right now I'm kind of wishing I'd watched a YouTube recap of the trilogy to get me up to date on the lore for Arcane Ascension.

Here's hoping Defying Destiny makes the time I've spent on this series worthwhile.

[Dan · Rating 2 out of 5]

I had some disagreements with the plot.

Look. Last book they were battling a god-pretender for control of the city, and Taelien was kind of an overconfident idiot but that was okay. This book they're all going to paladin school, to find out if one of the major figures of the paladins' religion will be allowed to serve as a paladin. I have a hard time swallowing this.

But it didn't really start to go bad until we started messing with prophecy. Any time someone justifies their actions with "well I have to do this or something even worse will happen but I won't say what", the term we use for that is "lazy plotting".

I'm also unhappy that the paladins literally have a bunch of knowledge sorcerors, and there's a point in the plot where everyone gets interviewed and they say "we'll know if you lie". But apparently nobody bothered to ask: "Hey, yes or no, is everyone genuinely here because you want to be a paladin? Does anyone have any secret motives we should know about, like maybe you want to murder our students or nobility, or you're secretly a war elemental from the Elemental Plane Of War, or something like that?"

[Roman Santoro · Rating 5 out of 5]

What can I say about the second book of a universe that has me completely hooked...?
This book was amazing, I really enjoyed the stories (I use plural because Taelien, Jonan and Lydia remain on three separate paths for most of the story) and the amazing ending the book had.
As usual I try to see both sides when reviewing:

The "things that really worked" list:
-Solid worldbuilding and storytelling.
-Really "believable" characters (this may have to do with the fact that these characters are played by real life people in a pen&paper rpg)
-The humor of some characters is good to the point of making me chuckle out loud while reading.

The "things to work on" list:
-Although I understand the need to separate the characters on different paths, sometimes the stories felt completely disconnected.
-Some situations may be a little weird or illogical (not mentioning to avoid spoilers).

Overall this book was great! It trapped me from beginning to end and I would definitely recommend it to anyone that enjoys the genre!

[A.R · Rating 3 out of 5]

Better than the first. But there are too many characters to track, the plot is convoluted, and a lot of the characters come off bland. The trials are interesting and combat fun, but still just decent in the end.

[Andrey Lukyanenko · Rating 5 out of 5]

I liked this book even more than the first one!

[HeyT · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was good in large part because I still liked the characters enough to follow them for more of their adventures. There was a little bit of progress on the overarching storyline regarding Taelien's origins but mostly there was a murder and training school arc that the book focused on. I will say the ending seemed a fair bit abrupt and ended with the larger overarching plot with threads dangling all over the place but I still am interested in the world enough to see what will happen next. Overall, nothing too deep but escapist enough to be a good time.

[Oscar Mendez · Rating 2 out of 5]

o.o
Man this was a rough read for me. It didn't really feel like a second book, but more like book 1.5. The story didn't feel linear, and the goals from the previous book didn't really pan out to much in this one. This felt equivalent to a filler episode in anime. I still will say though that their are great moments in this book for some characters, so that helped moved things along. I can't wait to get to the third book in this series. I hope I will get to experience the best that Andrew Rowe can provide, just as I felt when reaching the Arcane Ascension series.

[Tzurky · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful, once again. Several great new characters are added and characters from the previous book are developed better, as is the world itself and the magic system. The character interactions are the best part but the mystery is nothing to scoff at, either. Very excited to see where this is going!

[bibliophile · Rating 3 out of 5]

Andrew Rowe has become one of my favorite authors however I am grateful I did not start with this series first, it has been painfully drawn out & dry. I am finishing these because it was recommended before I finish the other 2 series I absolutely love.

[Melenia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this audio book

[Pegs Hampton · Rating 5 out of 5]

I very much enjoyed this second book written by Andrew Rowe. A very much detective style story I felt but was very cleverly written and had an abundance of unique characters. I did feel lost as to who some of the characters were at certain stages of the book and had to glance further back to regain my awareness of who it was.

The book focuses quite heavily on thought patterns and idea's that the characters is running through their minds, which I personally feel looses it's edge after some time, but it kept the story flowing well and made a nice match with the detective style story.

I enjoyed the development of Taelien's progress with his sword and I hope to find out just what's going on with that! I felt the other two main characters Jonan and Lydia were portrayed slightly different to the first, but thus made them more vulnerable and more believable as a character.

On a personal note, A particular part of this book did bring some raw emotion, which I haven't felt (and rarely get when reading) since read my very first trilogy of books almost ten years ago. Either way, I was almost unable to put this down (becoming late for work on a couple of occasions) and was a brilliant read.

I would highly suggest this book to anyone with a liking of detective / mythical / sorcery style writing and I can't wait for the next in the set.

[Kristen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a great read, much like the first book in the series. I seem to remember thinking that the first book needed more editing, and I'm glad to say that this one was much much better in that regard. Hooray!

The magic system was once again well thought out, made sense, and was used well. The characters were developed well, didn't all take themselves too seriously, swore a lot (fucking yay!), and I cared what happened to them. Most of them at least. I had a bit of trouble remembering who was who from the first book, aside from Lydia and Taelien (and to a lesser extent Jonan). It's been over a year since I read it, and while I do have a pretty good idea what went down for the most part, the addition of a short summary of the previous book could be helpful for those of us who aren't always inclined to reread previous books in the series. Then again, I could have skimmed at least, but alas, that's not really my thing.

The ending was a bit abrupt, but the main plot was wrapped up by the end of the book, so I suppose I can forgive that just this once. >.>

Anyways, to sum this up with less ramble, this was a fun read and I enjoyed it. After being given the first book for free and really liking it, I was happy to buy the second book (once I realized it existed, my bad for not paying attention). I really liked it, and so will definitely buy the third (and more!).

[Matthew · Rating 5 out of 5]

A thoroughly enjoyable read. A second book that can stand alone but gains much from the first book. Greatly enjoyed the magic system and the expansion / discovery of more depth to the magic system. A wider array of characters utilizing skills in rather unique ways also lends a richness to a story when done well, and Mr. Rowe does it well. The general plot of the book is one that could easily become trite or tropey and yet, in Stealing Sorcery, it was handled well and becomes intriguing, captivating. I enjoyed watching the characters grow both maturing as adults and expanding their skill sets. A good mix of interplay among characters without becoming politics for politics' sake. I think he did an excellent job of balancing the parts of the story and presenting a well crafted tale.For an escapist reader as I tend to be, it was pure enjoyment. The only thing I didn't care for about the book was when it ended. Now, I'm impatiently waiting for book 3.

[Bart Robbins · Rating 2 out of 5]

I enjoyed the first book and was hoping this book would be similar. The shift to a magic school plot was a surprise but it did allow the characters to be flushed out more. Overall the stories come together in an adequate way. My major complaint is that somewhere in the second half of the book the characters start cursing in English. I was confused at first because they obviously had their own cursing vocabulary that was suddenly abandoned. Jonan didn't curse the entire last book and suddenly his dialogue is full of f-words? It felt lazy, jarring, and confusing when the author is trying to build a coherent complicated world. The series has some great elements but this book kind of ruined the series for me. Hopefully, Rowe will revise this book to make it better and a better reflection of the world he is trying to establish.

[Gallus · Rating 2 out of 5]

Same thoughts as book 1 though the ending was very strong. Dialogue in these books tries too hard and misses the mark on good banter, a problem I've noticed in Arcane Ascension as well but it's less irritating there because the characters are supposed to come off as awkward.

[Donna · Rating 4 out of 5]

A solid second book by Andrew Rowe. This book focuses mostly on Taelien becoming a Paladin (and trying to discover more about who he really is) He is joined by Landen and Velas in the trials along with a host of interesting applicants. Meanwhile Lydia and Jonan investigate some high profile murders. All have their own agendas to follow whilst doing their best to help each other.
There are other forces at work that I am sure will be revealed in the next book, especially who the Shrouded One is.

[Tony Hinde · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not quite up to the standard of the other books:-
- Jonan now has a Dominion mark but it is not mentioned again or evidenced in abilities
- No explanation for how Sal can suddenly light up all seven runes.
- The book just ends... presumably, the hunt for the demi-god will be the core of the next book?

[Alex · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought Stealing Sorcery was much better than the first book in the series, the pacing was on point and the storyline flowed much better than Forging Divinity. If you were on the fence after the first book, I'd suggest continuing.

[Miles · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5☆

[Kashii · Rating 4 out of 5]

I cannot wait for book 3
***update***
Finally gonna start book 3 7.7.20

[Fred Wagner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very tempted to give this one 5 stars. 2 things though. One starts out great well into the book during the Pallidin Trials. Well, first a question. What in the heck actually inspired these 3 (Taelien, Velas, and Landon) to seek this goal? Seriously. I can come up with tolerable conjecture for each doing so. Note this is with me presently a couple or so hours into the Audible edition of book 3 already. Still, it just doesn't sit well with me as a realistic venture on behalf of ALL THREE. One. Maybe two. Not three however. Nope. Back to the scene which really drew me into this novel, no longer more of a casual observer to say the least. Wish not to dish any spoilers. So will just mention the scene where just 4 of them: the seemingly inseparable trio according to this book as well as Asphodel... the 4 of them awakening in a strange place with 2 "attackers" plus more holding them back to deal with and having not the faintest notion how this came to be (though we discover Taelien was awake for the entire transfer). I got seriously sucked into the novel amidst this chapter as I had not nearly been so as yet in the series. It was truly a great scene in that fashion. And they come out into the light but we don't yet discover the reality of what happened until later. And THEN the next chapter, a Jonan one, started out all mysterious and engrossing and I was like "Wow! Amazing!". But that sensation quickly had its feet swept out from under it. Oh, well. So the series... it appears to me that Andrew, our illustrious author, when working in video game design, likely wished he could have spent much, much more time designing within those games a far more complex magical structure than would even be remotely possible. And so I believe he lets out that pent up frustration with such by building a world and a system notably of magic as he deep down longed and still longs to do. That this is the heart of his deepest desires to contribute to the fantasy (almost litrpg but without stats) genre like perhaps no other author has attempted so deeply prior. Hmmm. Now I wish to give this 5 stars. I don't know quite yet as I am writing this as a message to myself via my tablet before I soon copy-paste it into a review block. One with the stars rating system. Oh, here is something which DOES bother me. Book 2 obviously did not end with some semblence of an actual ending to the series. It obviously was not... or should not (!!)... have been the end of the series. Some minor cliffhangers even. Yet he made his audience wait a minimum of over 2 years for book 3. Probably closer to 3 years. I understand things get in the way of the writing process. Like starting another series which he has cast aside for now to work on yet another series (albeit supposedly helpful background... but still!!). So I am annoyed that Arcane Ascension is so totally back-burnered for no. Seems the 7 books it is meant to be as I have heard will probably take a dozen years to conclude. I'll be coming a bit too close to my 60's when I find out what happens to our teen MC. This series here, The War Of Broken Mirrors, well, I am SOOOOO grateful I found it after Arcane Ascension or else I'd have been in serious limbo with it too. As it is I just started the series within the week knowing that book 3 would release on Audible on the 31st. But this surely won't be the end I strongly suspect. So will I have to wait 2 or 3 years for book 4 like others waited for book 3? And how long will I wait for Arcane Ascension? Will I be receiving my first socialmsecurity check at that point? Note that I am only laying on a reasonable amount of hyperbole here. What can I say?! 4 stars? 5 stars? What will follow Diamantine and will we return to Arcane Ascension after that. Beginning to suspect Andrew of some sort of focus issues (not necessarily ADHD) different than my own. Probably some bipolar as well to flippity flop the entire menagerie. Hey. I get it. My own bipolar is beyond that of anyone who's managed to survive past 40. Even 30. And focus issues are primarily what has led me to audiobooks as the visual word just gets lost with me along with all sensory details and names. Perhaps at some point including my own. Well, maybe after the combined 36 treatments of electroshock it was inevitable. And then to be thrown a panic disorder in the form of agoraphobia: a "gift" of having the empath within me come fully out of my inner child's shame closet in my early 40's.

Okay. Enough. Anyone actually read this far. Are you scarred for life now? I am but that is not the point. Well, it was meant to be anyway. So let us end this with 5 stars and Andrew's favorite word (mostly evidenced in book 1 of Arcane Ascension) ::: disconcerted.

Hehe

)O(

[William P. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Making LARP Look Cool

I freely admit, I enjoy all of Andrew Rowe’s books. They’re a lot of fun, one and all. Admittedly, I’m a sucker for multiple interconnected plot lines (if you don’t know, this series ties in with at least two others to date by the same author) and world-threatening spooky weirdness.

Let’s take a sec and talk about my one issue here: Names. First off, there’s a whole mess of side characters, of varying importance (which is actually good in a mystery, so points there, in addition to multiple perspective characters. Add in the general paranoia and secretiveness of all the characters, and everyone is going by AT LEAST two names, some have three, maybe more. It’s like the Romance of Three Kingdoms had a baby with an online Fantasy Name Generator. And those apostrophes...

That said, this is a fun fantasy mystery mixed with a lot of great fight scenes. The mystery kind of smacks into its conclusion at the end of the narrative, but it all adds up and is satisfying at its conclusion, mostly. A lot is left hanging at the end of the book, but that’s more because this is a continuing narrative rather than a completely standalone story (in keeping with the LARP-inspired origins). All-in-all, it’s not the most amazing plot, but I liked the novelty of the problems and their solutions. Everything fantasy-power-related tied in remarkably well with the action side and made it all feel more cohesive than it might otherwise have done.

This series, and Rowe’s others, are closely adjacent to (or maybe in) the Lit-RPG genre, though I would argue they’re more “gaming-inspired” rather than “game-styled” as that genre tends to be. I mention this because there is a tendency towards HOLY HELL HUGE powers in that genre and Rowe is excellent at managing and mixing the scales. It says a lot that people who can do scary powerful stuff seem like relative lightweights in their world even at top form. The powers on display manage to feel organic and real, too, which isn’t always true in these sorts of stories.

Those powers are at the center of a staggering array of action scenes which are the tastiest bits of the whole book. They all add up, plot-wise, and are beautifully handled as the characters use their various skills in clever ways to defeat whatever challenge has beset them. Much of this applies to Andrew Rowe’s entire body of work, by the way. Good actions scenes are why I got into these series and Stealing Sorcery didn’t disappoint.

Honestly though, I kind of hate the author for making me want to LARP. If you’re not familiar, Live Action Role-Playing is a kind of mashup of Dungeons & Dragons and Improv acting (i know that’s reductive, bear with). Those bones are visible throughout the narrative, if you know where to look, though it’s hard to point to any one element and say “that’s LARP”. Maybe the excess of gods and demigods, reflecting how powerful LARP characters often “retire” but stick around and become part of the narrative rather than continuing to act as main characters. That does contribute to the whole “way too many names” thing, too.

That said, you can see in those bones how effective LARPing is as a cooperative story generator and how it can be translated to something outside of that type of gaming. As a result, I find myself thinking up characters I’d love to play and wanting to see what kinds of stories I could come up with from that same source. At the end of the day, I love a book that inspires me to make my own stories.

So I hope you read this book, and anything else with the name Andrew Rowe on it, because it’ll be pretty damn good and may get even better with time. I think this book may be better written than its predecessor, and that’s a really good sign.

[Kiba Snowpaw · Rating 5 out of 5]

STEALING SORCERY 
The War of Broken Mirrors #2 

Author: Andrew Rowe 
Genre: Epic Fantasy / High Fantasy / Magic / Audiobook 
First Published: December 31, 2015 
Audiobook Publisher: Podium Publishing 
Narrator: Nick Podehl 
Length: Long-form epic audiobook 

Reviewer: Kiba Snowpaw 
Age: 38 winters 
Role: Ice Alpha Wolf of HowlStrom, veteran fantasy reader, long-haul audiobook listener 

────────────────────────────────────────
INTRODUCTION – Hook & Thesis
────────────────────────────────────────
Stealing Sorcery is the kind of audiobook I should have loved.

On paper? 
This is my territory. Deep magic systems. Political intrigue. Murder mystery. Training arcs. Gods, paladins, trials, conspiracies. All the ingredients that usually make my tail wag.

And yet… this was my second full listen, years after the first, and the verdict didn’t change.

I didn’t hate it. 
I didn’t quit it. 
But I never truly sank my claws into it either.

This audiobook left me more confused than compelled, more mentally taxed than emotionally invested. It felt grindy, fragmented, and oddly distant — like watching a blizzard through fogged glass.

────────────────────────────────────────
BASIC PLOT SUMMARY (No Spoilers)
────────────────────────────────────────
The story expands directly from Forging Divinity, shifting the focus from a single city into a broader political and religious landscape.

At its core, the book follows three parallel narrative threads:

• Lydia Hastings investigating a politically explosive murder tied to immortal sorcerers 
• Jonan Kestrian operating as a spy with hidden loyalties and divine complications 
• Taelien entering the Trials of Unyielding Steel in pursuit of becoming a Paladin 

Each storyline unfolds mostly independently, occasionally brushing against the others, while hinting at a much larger, slower-burning meta-plot involving gods, relics, and unseen forces.

Conceptually, it’s ambitious. Structurally, it’s demanding. In audiobook form, it becomes mentally exhausting.

────────────────────────────────────────
THE AUTHOR – Context & Craft
────────────────────────────────────────
Andrew Rowe is now widely respected for later works like Arcane Ascension, where his strengths are far more refined: cleaner structure, stronger hooks, tighter pacing.

Stealing Sorcery sits in that early-middle phase of his career. The ambition is enormous, but restraint hasn’t fully kicked in yet.

Rowe loves:
• Systems 
• Rules 
• Internal logic 
• Layered conspiracies 

And here, he leans hard into all of it — sometimes at the cost of clarity and momentum.

This book feels like an author still proving how smart his world is, rather than letting the story breathe.

────────────────────────────────────────
CHARACTERS – Strong Concepts, Weak Anchors
────────────────────────────────────────
Lydia Hastings 
Competent. Intelligent. Hyper-focused. 
But emotionally distant. Her internal monologue dominates large stretches, which works on the page but feels overbearing in audio.

Jonan Kestrian 
Arguably the most engaging perspective. A spy with layered motives and divine baggage. Still, his constant secrecy adds to the overall confusion rather than relieving it.

Taelien 
The physical core of the story — trials, combat, growth. His arc should be the adrenaline line. Instead, it often feels siloed from the rest of the narrative.

The problem isn’t the characters themselves. 
It’s that none of them feel like a stable emotional anchor for the listener.

────────────────────────────────────────
STRUCTURE – The Audiobook’s Biggest Enemy
────────────────────────────────────────
This book lives and dies on its structure — and for audiobooks, it’s mostly a death sentence.

• Constant POV switching 
• Long internal monologues 
• Multiple names, titles, aliases 
• Parallel plots with minimal immediate payoff 

Every time momentum starts to build, the story jumps tracks. In print, you can flip back. In audio, you just… drift.

This is the biggest reason I struggled both times.

It’s not that the story is bad. 
It’s that it is hard to follow without visual reinforcement.

────────────────────────────────────────
THEMES & ANALYSIS
────────────────────────────────────────
The book explores:
• Power inherited versus earned 
• Faith as a political weapon 
• Identity shaped by institutions 
• The cost of belonging 

All solid themes. All thoughtfully handled. 
But again — they’re presented intellectually, not viscerally.

I understood what the book was saying. 
I rarely felt it.

────────────────────────────────────────
SCENES – Action, Trials, and Restraint
────────────────────────────────────────
There is action here. Training. Combat. Trials.

But it’s spread thin and often interrupted. The Paladin trials should feel brutal and consuming — instead they feel procedural.

No romance focus. No erotica. No emotional intimacy that grounds the chaos.

The result is a story that feels busy without feeling intense.

────────────────────────────────────────
WORLD-BUILDING – Deep but Overloaded
────────────────────────────────────────
Rowe’s world is deep. Very deep.

• Religious hierarchies 
• Magic dominions 
• Political factions 
• Gods and demi-gods 

The issue isn’t quality — it’s density.

Compared to Arcane Ascension, where the world unfolds through lived experience, Stealing Sorcery often feels like a lore briefing.

Immersive? Yes. 
Comfortable? No.

────────────────────────────────────────
PRAISE & CRITIQUE
────────────────────────────────────────
What Works:
• Intelligent magic systems 
• Strong long-term setup 
• Excellent narration by Nick Podehl 
• Clear improvement over Book 1 in technical writing 

What Doesn’t:
• Overly fragmented POV structure 
• Too many characters to track in audio 
• Low emotional pull 
• Feels like a “Book 1.5” or filler arc 

────────────────────────────────────────
COMPARISON
────────────────────────────────────────
Compared to Forging Divinity, this book is more polished but still structurally awkward.

Compared to Rowe’s later works, it feels like a prototype — ambitious but unrefined.

Compared to genre peers like Sanderson or Will Wight, the systems are comparable, but the pacing and accessibility lag behind.

────────────────────────────────────────
PERSONAL EVALUATION – The Wolf’s Honest Take
────────────────────────────────────────
As Kiba — as an Ice Alpha who values clarity, flow, and earned impact — this audiobook left me frustrated.

I wanted to like it. 
I expected to like it. 
But instead, I found myself mentally checking out more often than leaning in.

Too much was going on. 
Too many threads. 
Too little payoff per hour listened.

────────────────────────────────────────
CONCLUSION & RATING
────────────────────────────────────────
Stealing Sorcery is a smart, ambitious, lore-heavy fantasy audiobook that rewards patience — but punishes listeners who struggle with fragmented narratives.

Recommended for:
• Dedicated fans of Andrew Rowe 
• Readers (not listeners) who enjoy dense structure 

Not recommended for:
• Casual audiobook listeners 
• Anyone sensitive to POV overload 

Rating: 3 / 5 

A book I respect. 
A story I acknowledge. 
An audiobook I probably won’t revisit a third time.

[Todd Ross · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It was a ton of fun and I'm really enjoying the writing style from Andrew Rowe.

I did have some criticisms though which is why its getting 3 stars.

1. After the last novel, it felt really weird how this one basically became a magical school novel. That was unexpected and felt like a step backwards or at least like a treading of water compared to the progress made in book 1.

2. There are essentially 2 plots for this novel. The magical school / paladin bootcamp / Combat ACTs plotline, and the guard duty / murder mystery in the city. The way these two plotlines combine near the end of the book wasn't as successful as I would have liked.

3. I sometimes feel like the "voice" of the characters is all the same. they all seem to talk very similarly and somehow every character is in their early 20s? They all act and talk really young even with a ton of life experience, training...


But, the book has a lot going for it as well. its a super breezy enjoyable read. The magic/god system is super cool reminiscent of video games / classic DragonLance / DnD novels. I'm a sucker for magic school plotlines that show competition and power growth. And some basic drip fed mysteries that make me hungry to know more.

Sadly, I probably wouldn't recommend this series to anyone though because the author is currently writing another series and probably won't come back to this one for a few years (if ever), although I really hope he does.

[Lindsay Aries · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. Better than the first book, but still not as good as Arcane Ascension.

This book split the party into Lydia and Jonen trying to solve a murder mystery and Velas and Talien trying to become paladins.

I found the paladin trials to be a bit of a return to form. They were sufficiently difficult and there was quite a bit of backstabbing and betrayal. That sort of is the running theme of the whole series. You really can't trust anyone or back anyone without finding out later that they are in some way aiding the bad guys. In that way, I feel really disconnected from the characters.

I didn't really enjoy the murder mystery quite as much. There are SO many characters, and titles and fake names in this world. I found myself getting lost a bit on who is who.

The magic also feels a bit less defined. There is a character with a neat ability I won't disclose to avoid spoilers, and she was one of the only characters that I felt had understandable magic. Velas is also pretty cool and I enjoy her motion sorcery. Talien's sword remains ???? Likewise, the heartlance kind of disappeared until we talked about it again at the end.

I'm enjoying the story, but it's not altering my brain chemistry if that makes sense. This is a net gain overall, but it isn't getting onto the list of best fantasy series of all time.