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The Magician's Brother #3
Archon's Hope
Archons, Fanatics, Fairies, Black Magic, Shadowborn...
As if my life wasn't already complicated enough, now the Archons are back, and they're searching for their lost brother.
My school is overrun by a new crop of Magicians who can't keep a civil tongue in their heads, an ancient group of Shadowborn-hating fanatics has crawled out of the woodwork with a bag of powerful toys and the ruthlessness required to use them, and to top it all off, I've managed to draw the attention of the Fae.
If you thought the attentions of a Succubus could be a pain, wait and see what an obsessed Unseelie Princess with a penchant for kidnapping and dirty tricks gets up to.
Fanatics to the left, Fairies to the right and Black Magic creeping up the middle, tempting me and repulsing me in equal measure, drawing the attention of enemies I could never have anticipated.
Oh, and my brother tries to kill me. Again.
I knew I should have made a break for a different continent when I had the chance...
As if my life wasn't already complicated enough, now the Archons are back, and they're searching for their lost brother.
My school is overrun by a new crop of Magicians who can't keep a civil tongue in their heads, an ancient group of Shadowborn-hating fanatics has crawled out of the woodwork with a bag of powerful toys and the ruthlessness required to use them, and to top it all off, I've managed to draw the attention of the Fae.
If you thought the attentions of a Succubus could be a pain, wait and see what an obsessed Unseelie Princess with a penchant for kidnapping and dirty tricks gets up to.
Fanatics to the left, Fairies to the right and Black Magic creeping up the middle, tempting me and repulsing me in equal measure, drawing the attention of enemies I could never have anticipated.
Oh, and my brother tries to kill me. Again.
I knew I should have made a break for a different continent when I had the chance...
406 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 19, 2018
246 people are currently reading
87 people want to read
About the author
H.D.A. Roberts
9 books180 followershttps://www.facebook.com/The-Magician...
hdaroberts@gmail.com
hdaroberts@gmail.com
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 48 reviews
October 1, 2018
Take books 1 and 2 of the trilogy and add fairies and a few other new creatures. Add allusions to current day pop music, such as characters listening to a song by Taylor Swift, and you have the changes in the established characters, most of the old favorites returning in book 3. Archon's Hope is as enjoyable as the first two books in the trilogy with some added evils. All in all, it's a trip into a variation of our world, a complexity that Roberts does relatively well with a few questionable references. The author manages to keep the humor and suspense flowing successfully mixing the new with the old.
October 8, 2018
I usually don't reread books frequently, and when I do, it's with enough time between readings, years normally but I have read twice each book of this series in something more than a month, and all I can say is that i like it, has an entertaining story, well spun and with good rhythm, a protagonist with whom I empathize and I want to know more, witty situations, something spicy and fun.
I don't consider myself a fantasy or hard science fiction reader, I prefer stories that begin more or less in the normal world and little by little, you are presented a more complex and fantastic world, and this series works well this way, if I would had to place it in some gender or category (which I don't care at all) it would be urban fantasy.
Now for the author, please keep writing, otherwise Cassandra will pay you a visit :-), on the other hand, be careful with the breadth of the world and the plots that you are creating, until now everything has been very well fitted, but there may come a point that be too broad, please be careful and keep it up.
English is not my language, so I apologize for mistakes
I don't consider myself a fantasy or hard science fiction reader, I prefer stories that begin more or less in the normal world and little by little, you are presented a more complex and fantastic world, and this series works well this way, if I would had to place it in some gender or category (which I don't care at all) it would be urban fantasy.
Now for the author, please keep writing, otherwise Cassandra will pay you a visit :-), on the other hand, be careful with the breadth of the world and the plots that you are creating, until now everything has been very well fitted, but there may come a point that be too broad, please be careful and keep it up.
English is not my language, so I apologize for mistakes
January 10, 2021
Another easy 5-stars! I’m having a hard time trying to live normally when there’s a book this good within reach. I can’t stop reading! Especially, because I coldn’t wait for Matthew to discover the secret that wasn’t too secretive. I mean, I sure figured it out long before he did. It’s fun seeing him discover it for himself though. Still so sad for Des. Hope he gets better sometime real soon; I’m missing that familial love. There’s some really nice touch on fairies in this book, although not too deep. I like how the author played it though. Like, this Seelie Unseelie thing is such a mysterious and commonly-approached topic that the lack of real depth in this book is refreshing. It is, after all, not a book on fae, so that is not surprising. But there is very little explained on the fae that I so clearly understood that the main character would like little to no involvement with them.
Another thing that spoils me here is that this book has one more of my favourite tropes; a powerful, cowardly guy doing what he thinks is right and is actually a decent person. He doesn’t cuss constantly, he doesn’t describe the really intimate things he does in his narration, he’s polite to people until proven unworthy of politeness; he’s a kid raised right. And sometimes it’s so hard to find a character like that in a ya book that I just have to appreciate him. Especially as it’s also hard to find a kid raised right in the real world, makes me appreciate him all the more.
And finally, we have the romance! Finally, because it has been building since the first book (since he’s fourteen actually, but who’s counting?) and it’s just sooo the way I like it. Maybe not the way I like it on books but definitely the way I’d like it to happen to me. And oh, was I surprised at what a girlfriend Cathy turns out to be! And even though this part’s not too romance-y, I have to let world know that I AM SO FOND OF THAT WARPED CHESHIRE CAT! Cats for life!!
Another thing that spoils me here is that this book has one more of my favourite tropes; a powerful, cowardly guy doing what he thinks is right and is actually a decent person. He doesn’t cuss constantly, he doesn’t describe the really intimate things he does in his narration, he’s polite to people until proven unworthy of politeness; he’s a kid raised right. And sometimes it’s so hard to find a character like that in a ya book that I just have to appreciate him. Especially as it’s also hard to find a kid raised right in the real world, makes me appreciate him all the more.
And finally, we have the romance! Finally, because it has been building since the first book (since he’s fourteen actually, but who’s counting?) and it’s just sooo the way I like it. Maybe not the way I like it on books but definitely the way I’d like it to happen to me. And oh, was I surprised at what a girlfriend Cathy turns out to be! And even though this part’s not too romance-y, I have to let world know that I AM SO FOND OF THAT WARPED CHESHIRE CAT! Cats for life!!
February 19, 2022
Here's the thing. I finished this first book and realized that it was problematic, but had potential to get better. I gave it the benefit of the doubt, because I enjoy magic school settings. It's a cliche I enjoy. So I read the next books hoping it would mature and improve. It didn't. It got worse.
I made it to book 3 and I'm not even sure how I managed to hang on that long. I guess I liked the idea of it and the magic. The characters, though? My god, lol. SO BAD. And they got worse with each book. The females were, all of them, madly in love with the main character. He had the stupidest, least believable harem. All these "super badass" women and they spend 99% of their time just fussing over him. The first book had hints of this, but the next 2 just bathed in it. I can't think of a single healthy relationship that existed in this series. Every interaction, I swear to you every one of them, had some kind of sexual inuendo inserted into it. Even conversations with his parents! His one male friend was an imbecile. Basically just an offensive libido that played video games off screen. His girl friend just cried and hit people and yelled at them. That's it. That was her whole personality. His brother was an abusive psycho, even before there was a plot device to make him that way. I mean... it was not good. I wouldn't be writing a review this long or angry if I wasn't so mad about the potential for it not being terrible. It took what could have been a fun little coming-of- age adventure between friends and made it into some 13 year old edgelord, "nice" guy's wet dream. Pass. Fucking hard pass.
I made it to book 3 and I'm not even sure how I managed to hang on that long. I guess I liked the idea of it and the magic. The characters, though? My god, lol. SO BAD. And they got worse with each book. The females were, all of them, madly in love with the main character. He had the stupidest, least believable harem. All these "super badass" women and they spend 99% of their time just fussing over him. The first book had hints of this, but the next 2 just bathed in it. I can't think of a single healthy relationship that existed in this series. Every interaction, I swear to you every one of them, had some kind of sexual inuendo inserted into it. Even conversations with his parents! His one male friend was an imbecile. Basically just an offensive libido that played video games off screen. His girl friend just cried and hit people and yelled at them. That's it. That was her whole personality. His brother was an abusive psycho, even before there was a plot device to make him that way. I mean... it was not good. I wouldn't be writing a review this long or angry if I wasn't so mad about the potential for it not being terrible. It took what could have been a fun little coming-of- age adventure between friends and made it into some 13 year old edgelord, "nice" guy's wet dream. Pass. Fucking hard pass.
January 12, 2019
Excellent series, BUT...
I debated several days after finishing the third book in this series before deciding to leave a review because it triggered one of my pet peeves.
One of the things I love about a physical book is the ability to easily refer back to earlier sections to refresh memory (or other reasons). That is also easy to do when an ebook has a table of contents (which is 'required' by Amazon and can get a book pulled if Zon discovers the omission).
If an author/publisher is too lazy to tap the three or four keystrokes it takes to include the 'required' table of contents, I'm usually not going to waste several minutes bothering to leave a review no matter how good the book is.
I'm making an exception for this book because the series was so good and won't 'bother' reviewing books one and two, but I'm not giving it the five stars I would have given. Subtract one star for author/publisher formatting laziness.
I debated several days after finishing the third book in this series before deciding to leave a review because it triggered one of my pet peeves.
One of the things I love about a physical book is the ability to easily refer back to earlier sections to refresh memory (or other reasons). That is also easy to do when an ebook has a table of contents (which is 'required' by Amazon and can get a book pulled if Zon discovers the omission).
If an author/publisher is too lazy to tap the three or four keystrokes it takes to include the 'required' table of contents, I'm usually not going to waste several minutes bothering to leave a review no matter how good the book is.
I'm making an exception for this book because the series was so good and won't 'bother' reviewing books one and two, but I'm not giving it the five stars I would have given. Subtract one star for author/publisher formatting laziness.
December 6, 2020
I do love your story
But just to hammer you a bit. Acting like a little girl. Is so unfair. There are plenty tough little girls and at that age often tougher than little boys. But let's diminish women's power. Like men have done for centuries. Culturally we say such things without being disrespectful. The just are. As you know power is not based solely on strength. I get it's a euphemism. So you are off the hook. You do respect your female characters even if they are fairly stereotypical. The succubus, the shy brainy girl, the bitchy girl. Ok enjoying the book. Even people with masters degrees read fantasy. It's great. And should not be cast as a subwriting, lessor. It's only those who have no imagination and inflated sense of there what they think is superiority. Is just hype of fake aggrandizement.
But just to hammer you a bit. Acting like a little girl. Is so unfair. There are plenty tough little girls and at that age often tougher than little boys. But let's diminish women's power. Like men have done for centuries. Culturally we say such things without being disrespectful. The just are. As you know power is not based solely on strength. I get it's a euphemism. So you are off the hook. You do respect your female characters even if they are fairly stereotypical. The succubus, the shy brainy girl, the bitchy girl. Ok enjoying the book. Even people with masters degrees read fantasy. It's great. And should not be cast as a subwriting, lessor. It's only those who have no imagination and inflated sense of there what they think is superiority. Is just hype of fake aggrandizement.
March 15, 2019
Sometimes more is just more.
This is the book that really kicks out the jams. The author says it completes the "first trilogy". There's the good: warp cats, fairy settlements, pixies, girlfriend, school friends, Christmas holiday weeks, determined anti-harem resistance, Mira moments, and more. Then there's the bad: bullying, Hellstrom family & siblings, shadowborn students, Black attacks, personal betrayals, hate crimes, political corruption, show trial, duels... And there's the downright ugly: Zombie revenants?!?!?! The shadowborn archon finally steps up. I'm sure I've left stuff out; this book is loaded.
I have started getting really tired of Matty bashing (figurative and literal) and the certain dire doom impending fall to the dark side. But... Still really into the series.
This is the book that really kicks out the jams. The author says it completes the "first trilogy". There's the good: warp cats, fairy settlements, pixies, girlfriend, school friends, Christmas holiday weeks, determined anti-harem resistance, Mira moments, and more. Then there's the bad: bullying, Hellstrom family & siblings, shadowborn students, Black attacks, personal betrayals, hate crimes, political corruption, show trial, duels... And there's the downright ugly: Zombie revenants?!?!?! The shadowborn archon finally steps up. I'm sure I've left stuff out; this book is loaded.
I have started getting really tired of Matty bashing (figurative and literal) and the certain dire doom impending fall to the dark side. But... Still really into the series.
March 23, 2024
The Magician's brother. lol. Why in the hell did the author decided to call the book that I have no idea. Technically, sure it is true, but it is like calling Donald Trump the golfer. It is such an unimportant part of the book, story-wise that as the book goes on, that part of the story is basically useless.
In book 1, Desmond, the "brother" at least can be considered a "supporting Character," but by the 2nd or 3rd book, he is more of a "Background character."
Besides that, the story continues to entertain. I am not a fan of the childish harem but the action and the continuous power progression are just right that his gradual power increase is rather impressive and therefore interesting.
In book 1, Desmond, the "brother" at least can be considered a "supporting Character," but by the 2nd or 3rd book, he is more of a "Background character."
Besides that, the story continues to entertain. I am not a fan of the childish harem but the action and the continuous power progression are just right that his gradual power increase is rather impressive and therefore interesting.
November 12, 2020
Entertaining, but a couple glaring flaws.
The magic system is cool and different, if I little convoluted. The action scenes do a pretty good job of keeping you interested. However, it’s very poorly edited, but we can let that slide since I’m pretty sure this is just a hobbyist author. The main character will flip flop chapter to chapter, from being a genius prodigy, to a bumbling moron, based on whatever the story needs to keep moving. The absolute worst part l, though, is that every single female character is a love interest at some level. It’s downright cringy. Not bad enough to ruin the series, but definitely makes it less enjoyable.
The magic system is cool and different, if I little convoluted. The action scenes do a pretty good job of keeping you interested. However, it’s very poorly edited, but we can let that slide since I’m pretty sure this is just a hobbyist author. The main character will flip flop chapter to chapter, from being a genius prodigy, to a bumbling moron, based on whatever the story needs to keep moving. The absolute worst part l, though, is that every single female character is a love interest at some level. It’s downright cringy. Not bad enough to ruin the series, but definitely makes it less enjoyable.
October 14, 2023
Great read. Fast paced and just great story telling!
It's rare when a series can keep the enjoyment and quality of reading past the first book. This series does. All three books today have been exceptional. I find some grammatical mistakes that make me lose my reading pace the only negative issue. Well, maybe also some cringe dialogue here and there with the relationships. However as I've said with the other two books in this series The world building is outstanding, the dialogue is fresh fast-paced and fun ( minus a few cringe scenes). Overall a great series in the first three books creating the trilogy that I will most likely read several times! Highly recommend!
It's rare when a series can keep the enjoyment and quality of reading past the first book. This series does. All three books today have been exceptional. I find some grammatical mistakes that make me lose my reading pace the only negative issue. Well, maybe also some cringe dialogue here and there with the relationships. However as I've said with the other two books in this series The world building is outstanding, the dialogue is fresh fast-paced and fun ( minus a few cringe scenes). Overall a great series in the first three books creating the trilogy that I will most likely read several times! Highly recommend!
October 29, 2023
Okay look.
I love this series, I really do, but there are times when certain aspects get under my skin very suddenly. I love the writing and the characters so no qualms with that but…. Every single woman in this series is OBSESSED with Mathew to the point where it’s kinda ridiculous. And I mean EVERY woman. Like we get it, he’s powerful but jeez. Even his enemies seem hell bent on picking fights with him for…,kinda no reason? Like don’t get me wrong, it’s entertaining as HELL but there are definitely times when I find myself going “oh come on now!” Audibly and with spite.
I love this series, I really do, but there are times when certain aspects get under my skin very suddenly. I love the writing and the characters so no qualms with that but…. Every single woman in this series is OBSESSED with Mathew to the point where it’s kinda ridiculous. And I mean EVERY woman. Like we get it, he’s powerful but jeez. Even his enemies seem hell bent on picking fights with him for…,kinda no reason? Like don’t get me wrong, it’s entertaining as HELL but there are definitely times when I find myself going “oh come on now!” Audibly and with spite.
October 11, 2018
Admiring cute pixies, friendly fae creatures and more...
Love how Matty’s character grows throughout this book. He gets new followers and a group of fae who will do anything for him, plus he gets a not so wanted admirer in the unseelie princess. I’m curious as to how that’s going to finally play out. And finally he confesses his love to the girl he’s been waiting for. Yay! All in all a great read. Can’t wait for the next one.
Love how Matty’s character grows throughout this book. He gets new followers and a group of fae who will do anything for him, plus he gets a not so wanted admirer in the unseelie princess. I’m curious as to how that’s going to finally play out. And finally he confesses his love to the girl he’s been waiting for. Yay! All in all a great read. Can’t wait for the next one.
December 8, 2020
Rip roaring trilogy with a neat on ramp
First off I really like the essential goodness of the protagonist; it is so irritating to see how many people in the urban fantasy genre of writing about tortured souls. Matthew is a good guy and the various women and friends in his life love him for that and that is part of what makes adventure so compelling. Really enjoying the adventures
First off I really like the essential goodness of the protagonist; it is so irritating to see how many people in the urban fantasy genre of writing about tortured souls. Matthew is a good guy and the various women and friends in his life love him for that and that is part of what makes adventure so compelling. Really enjoying the adventures
September 28, 2021
Okay... I definitely love Matty. But hate everyone else around him (with the exception of few). He is just so kind and good, I can't hate him. And I want to be the bad guy who will get rid of anyone who wants him harm. Like serious harm. The boy is doing nothing wrong. (forgve my language) but *fcking conclave and stuck-up b*tches from old families, and m*rons. I wanna dive inside the book and be the bad bad guy. Ill protect you Matty. You're too kind. you need someone doing bad works for you.
October 19, 2018
Great conclusion
Minor spelling errors but nothing that takes the reader out of the story. This series is one of the few that I have/wanted to finish as quickly as possible(2 days). The author creates interesting plots that the main character doesn't always realize. Also, the MC is powerful but not godlike which is a nice change from most authors.
Minor spelling errors but nothing that takes the reader out of the story. This series is one of the few that I have/wanted to finish as quickly as possible(2 days). The author creates interesting plots that the main character doesn't always realize. Also, the MC is powerful but not godlike which is a nice change from most authors.
March 2, 2019
A must read. Final book in the first trilogy.
Well, started this series as a desperate attempt to cleanse my mind of the repetitive plots and rehashed character lines. Surprise! It worked. Yes, I know, this is a timeless story of good versus evil. What the author brings is the escape, peering into a fresh window of his mind. Thank you for sharing your imagination and vision.
Well, started this series as a desperate attempt to cleanse my mind of the repetitive plots and rehashed character lines. Surprise! It worked. Yes, I know, this is a timeless story of good versus evil. What the author brings is the escape, peering into a fresh window of his mind. Thank you for sharing your imagination and vision.
August 23, 2020
On one hand this series is kinda fun and easy to read. On the other hand, this book is literally the same as two before. Random characters appear, our hero fights them and wins. Characters are empty, world building non-existent, mc becomes overpowered faster than Naruto. Basically this book is a collection of small 'duel' stories, all in the same few settings and with the same scenario.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 2, 2024
I'll admit that the number of fights to the death is ridiculous but I'm having so much fun.
You know how jugglers build the tension each time they add a ball to the cascade? That's how I feel about each of the beautiful, strong women added to Matty's circle. When will this series turn into a "harem" story?... oh the suspense
You know how jugglers build the tension each time they add a ball to the cascade? That's how I feel about each of the beautiful, strong women added to Matty's circle. When will this series turn into a "harem" story?... oh the suspense
March 31, 2019
Action start to finish
Really enjoyed this trilogy. It was funny and had so much action, I could not put it down. I rarely give a book five stars, but this trilogy earned it. More please.....
Really enjoyed this trilogy. It was funny and had so much action, I could not put it down. I rarely give a book five stars, but this trilogy earned it. More please.....
May 27, 2019
Great Fun
Another excellent expedition into the life of a shadow mage who is unlike any other. Filled with action, magic, drama, humor, and various shenanigans, this particular book fulfills a number of plots, and brings the story to a grander scale. Definitely recommended.
Another excellent expedition into the life of a shadow mage who is unlike any other. Filled with action, magic, drama, humor, and various shenanigans, this particular book fulfills a number of plots, and brings the story to a grander scale. Definitely recommended.
August 12, 2019
Great series
Love the character development and the overall story lines. This book wraps up the initial introduction trilogy nicely, giving more detail and really advancing things to a nice point.
Love the character development and the overall story lines. This book wraps up the initial introduction trilogy nicely, giving more detail and really advancing things to a nice point.
March 5, 2020
I was a little nervous about the first book, but after I finished it, I went ahead and bought the other four in the series. I have yet to be disappointed. The world keeps getting bigger and so do the problems. I'm looking forward to the next book.
January 18, 2021
Great trilogy... Magic with a heart.
Too often the hero becomes powerful and then it becomes battle after battle... Boring. This series does with humanity, temptation and growth. Well written.
Too often the hero becomes powerful and then it becomes battle after battle... Boring. This series does with humanity, temptation and growth. Well written.
March 3, 2021
Great final book in trilogy
This was a fine ending to the first trilogy. I’m looking forward to the next set of books. Keep up the good work. Maybe just have someone proofread for a few interesting grammatical errors.
This was a fine ending to the first trilogy. I’m looking forward to the next set of books. Keep up the good work. Maybe just have someone proofread for a few interesting grammatical errors.
March 29, 2021
Great book
Absolutely loved it great character development amazing magic system and of course a terrific plot would highly suggest
:WARNING there is a bit of mature parts nothing too bad but still be careful
Absolutely loved it great character development amazing magic system and of course a terrific plot would highly suggest
:WARNING there is a bit of mature parts nothing too bad but still be careful
March 20, 2022
Good book
Really like the mc and his interactions with all of his friends. Good humor and lots of action make this one of my favorite in the series. Nice to see the plot move forward with the archons.
Really like the mc and his interactions with all of his friends. Good humor and lots of action make this one of my favorite in the series. Nice to see the plot move forward with the archons.
June 18, 2022
3.5 stars
How, exactly, did Matt stop the Black from infecting his shadows? We never got an indication that he mastered the ability to use them as a pure power source, and I’m sure that he had many Black spells hit him enough to sneak past his defenses.
How, exactly, did Matt stop the Black from infecting his shadows? We never got an indication that he mastered the ability to use them as a pure power source, and I’m sure that he had many Black spells hit him enough to sneak past his defenses.
November 15, 2023
Just can't put it down
Thoroughly enjoyable. Fast paced action. Inventive /creative and witty. The plot moves rapidly and unexpectedly and for those of us who just love magic, this doesn't disapoint.
Thoroughly enjoyable. Fast paced action. Inventive /creative and witty. The plot moves rapidly and unexpectedly and for those of us who just love magic, this doesn't disapoint.
September 28, 2018
amazing series best new urban fantasy of 2018
November 8, 2018
Great action
It’s very Witty and exciting! Great action like a non- stop Roller Coaster ride. I really hope the series continues. Very unusual story.
It’s very Witty and exciting! Great action like a non- stop Roller Coaster ride. I really hope the series continues. Very unusual story.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 48 reviews