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Schooled in Magic #16
The Broken Throne
The Kingdom of Zangaria has fallen into civil war. On one side, King Randor and his forces, determined to impose his rule over the entire kingdom; on another, the noblemen who want to crush the king; on a third, Princess Alassa and the Levellers.
Caught in the middle, Emily must steer a course between her loyalty to her friend, her duty to people who put their faith in her and her fears for the future.
But King Randor has unleashed forces even he may be unable to control...
Caught in the middle, Emily must steer a course between her loyalty to her friend, her duty to people who put their faith in her and her fears for the future.
But King Randor has unleashed forces even he may be unable to control...
327 pages, Kindle Edition
Published November 4, 2018
465 people are currently reading
264 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 44 reviews
November 29, 2018
The main character, Emily, suddenly became a moron. Not only did she forget every lesson from every previous book, she also lost abilities from previous books.
Not two books ago, Emily had so much magic that she had to spend extra time every day in training rooms or she would actually explode. Yet, in this book and the previous she is constantly out of power. This was just sloppy writing.
Add to that, she seems to have lost everything learned from previous books. She invents nothing, she uses no interesting tactics, her one attempted plan is utterly moronic and botched. Emily literally spends weeks in downtime between chapters failing to stockpile batteries, failing to invent new spells and essentially doing nothing.
The only character development here is that she seems to have become even more indecisive than usual.
Boooooooooooooo.
Not two books ago, Emily had so much magic that she had to spend extra time every day in training rooms or she would actually explode. Yet, in this book and the previous she is constantly out of power. This was just sloppy writing.
Add to that, she seems to have lost everything learned from previous books. She invents nothing, she uses no interesting tactics, her one attempted plan is utterly moronic and botched. Emily literally spends weeks in downtime between chapters failing to stockpile batteries, failing to invent new spells and essentially doing nothing.
The only character development here is that she seems to have become even more indecisive than usual.
Boooooooooooooo.
November 16, 2018
I liked it, it's more a filler book though. Nuttall said in the afterword himself that he initially had in mind to write some kind of small trilogy here and we only know 2/3 of the small story so far. It feels weirdly unsatisfying since the reading experience was a little like "oh ok I'm at 90% now the story is finally getting on, yeah I like it - the fuck... how will he end all this with only 30 or so pages left?" Well he didn't - that's why I wish he'd hold this one and the one before back and write a 1000 page book or something like that. One of those books where you think "well I wish I'd have waited for the next instalment before reading it" - sadly you almost never know that before finishing :P
Also the reason I only give 3 stars, not because it was bad or something - just not the book that told enough of the story to earn more, sorry.
I love this series like none other, and hope nuttall gets well soon so he can write many more books - also 3 bucks on kindle? You should really up the price Chris, selling yourself short here - because this ladies and gentlemen is the real deal! ;)
(the series not this book in particular)
Also the reason I only give 3 stars, not because it was bad or something - just not the book that told enough of the story to earn more, sorry.
I love this series like none other, and hope nuttall gets well soon so he can write many more books - also 3 bucks on kindle? You should really up the price Chris, selling yourself short here - because this ladies and gentlemen is the real deal! ;)
(the series not this book in particular)
December 8, 2018
I’ve been hating on the last few books in the series, but this is probably the worst.
I loved the first few books but the series has been going downhill for a while. I HATE Zangaria, ever since Emily got mixed up in that country and it politics I have been skipping pages and then chapters. I don’t want to be a martyr and keep going with this series but I do want you to know how it ends.
This series has so much potential but it got bogged down in polatics and war.
A similar book/series Akarnae has the same-ish premise with girl ending up in another world and going to a gifted school, that one is four books in with the last one out in February and it’s still going strong unlike this train wreck. Check it out if your giving up like me...
I loved the first few books but the series has been going downhill for a while. I HATE Zangaria, ever since Emily got mixed up in that country and it politics I have been skipping pages and then chapters. I don’t want to be a martyr and keep going with this series but I do want you to know how it ends.
This series has so much potential but it got bogged down in polatics and war.
A similar book/series Akarnae has the same-ish premise with girl ending up in another world and going to a gifted school, that one is four books in with the last one out in February and it’s still going strong unlike this train wreck. Check it out if your giving up like me...
November 13, 2018
Slow, hopefully the next book is redeeming
Compared to the normal books this one seemed even slower paced then normal, with a decent amount of repeat and almost too much logic at times. I was already going to give it a 4 because of this, but I dropped my rating due to the ending. No spoilers but I hope the next book, Cursed, redeems this set of books in the series. I really did not like the way this ended. If Emily comes out of the next book any weaker than she went into this one, I will consider it a loss
Compared to the normal books this one seemed even slower paced then normal, with a decent amount of repeat and almost too much logic at times. I was already going to give it a 4 because of this, but I dropped my rating due to the ending. No spoilers but I hope the next book, Cursed, redeems this set of books in the series. I really did not like the way this ended. If Emily comes out of the next book any weaker than she went into this one, I will consider it a loss
May 18, 2021
The way this author handles magic use is both unrealistic and untenable.
These characters conveniently forget that they are sorcerers half the time and the other half they cast the same ten spells like a video game character and not a thinking individual with hundreds (thousands) of spells at their disposal.
I guess we are establishing Emily as a moron with the way she blithely skips through these scenes wringing her hands, throw another fireball and then congratulating herself for being an all powerful sorceress. The idea that she would go in to combat without a pocket full of batteries, let alone one, is preposterous. She doesn't think anything through and for somebody who is so allegedly studious and cerebral she hasn't spent two seconds to consider how to use magic to solve any situation. And why is it she constantly wrings her hands about how the enemy will detect her spells the second she casts them but she never sees ANYTHING coming? Apparently she can't blow her nose without some amorphous magician seeing her do it but fireballs explode next to her face and she never sees it coming?
Of course, it isn't her fault. It is the author's fault. I get that he can't create tension well if Emily solves every mundane situation with the wave of her hand but that is too bad. If you can't write an effective book within the confines you've created for yourself then you have failed. These characters are on a sliding ratio between power and competence and we have finally hit the blithering idiot level of competence.
These characters conveniently forget that they are sorcerers half the time and the other half they cast the same ten spells like a video game character and not a thinking individual with hundreds (thousands) of spells at their disposal.
I guess we are establishing Emily as a moron with the way she blithely skips through these scenes wringing her hands, throw another fireball and then congratulating herself for being an all powerful sorceress. The idea that she would go in to combat without a pocket full of batteries, let alone one, is preposterous. She doesn't think anything through and for somebody who is so allegedly studious and cerebral she hasn't spent two seconds to consider how to use magic to solve any situation. And why is it she constantly wrings her hands about how the enemy will detect her spells the second she casts them but she never sees ANYTHING coming? Apparently she can't blow her nose without some amorphous magician seeing her do it but fireballs explode next to her face and she never sees it coming?
Of course, it isn't her fault. It is the author's fault. I get that he can't create tension well if Emily solves every mundane situation with the wave of her hand but that is too bad. If you can't write an effective book within the confines you've created for yourself then you have failed. These characters are on a sliding ratio between power and competence and we have finally hit the blithering idiot level of competence.
April 22, 2019
The series is mostly great, so others probably rated this book higher than I did out of habit. Seriously, this book is written with Christopher's obvious great talent, but it fails terribly twice.
First, and most important, it has a terribly ending. It totally ends like Christopher just wanted to end the series and took the most convenient way out that would also keep people from pestering him too much once they read it, because they are too disappointed, disillusioned, or maybe even depressed. The Bookworm series ended unfulfilling and a bit depressing, but I think The Broken Throne ends worse. It actually makes more sense if some of the last sentences and the epilogue are just deleted and it lacks a concluding statement.
Second, as with some other books in this series Emily is made more incomprehensible with injected story lines of her having sex for fun and nothing else. You'll have to read it for more details than that. I think it sufficient to say that she supposedly has strong emotional reactions to various kinds of unjust and immoral behavior, especially people forcing their will on others, and has a history of being afraid of relational complications with men, and yet her behavior with some possibly randomly picked man is so unnatural and impossible to relate with these limitations that it seems to be added by Christopher for his own purposes or possibly some assumed purposes of his readers, even if it destroys the protagonist. I saw similar failure in the last two books of The Bookworm, leading me to suppose that all or most of Christopher's books follow the same course of deconstructive nonsense regarding human sexuality.
As a result of reading this final book in the series, I decided that when I have the time (possibly never) I will edit (via delete) my own copy of this book series so that I have only the good parts. That way I can appreciate Christopher's good work without having to suffer a mental contusion. I also decided that his other book series that I have not yet read are likely not worth reading. Just a sample of one of them, plus my read of The Bookworm series and the Schooled in Magic series is enough for me to see a pattern, that he writes long books with great entertainment potential, but he seems to lack the fundamental undestanding of human sexuality that I possess. This is not very unique among magic/fantasy books; many are similarly twisted around beliefs demonstrating ignorance of human sexuality, but I miss the effect that understanding brings more with the Schooled in Magic series, because of Christopher G. Nuttall's excellent writing ability.
First, and most important, it has a terribly ending. It totally ends like Christopher just wanted to end the series and took the most convenient way out that would also keep people from pestering him too much once they read it, because they are too disappointed, disillusioned, or maybe even depressed. The Bookworm series ended unfulfilling and a bit depressing, but I think The Broken Throne ends worse. It actually makes more sense if some of the last sentences and the epilogue are just deleted and it lacks a concluding statement.
Second, as with some other books in this series Emily is made more incomprehensible with injected story lines of her having sex for fun and nothing else. You'll have to read it for more details than that. I think it sufficient to say that she supposedly has strong emotional reactions to various kinds of unjust and immoral behavior, especially people forcing their will on others, and has a history of being afraid of relational complications with men, and yet her behavior with some possibly randomly picked man is so unnatural and impossible to relate with these limitations that it seems to be added by Christopher for his own purposes or possibly some assumed purposes of his readers, even if it destroys the protagonist. I saw similar failure in the last two books of The Bookworm, leading me to suppose that all or most of Christopher's books follow the same course of deconstructive nonsense regarding human sexuality.
As a result of reading this final book in the series, I decided that when I have the time (possibly never) I will edit (via delete) my own copy of this book series so that I have only the good parts. That way I can appreciate Christopher's good work without having to suffer a mental contusion. I also decided that his other book series that I have not yet read are likely not worth reading. Just a sample of one of them, plus my read of The Bookworm series and the Schooled in Magic series is enough for me to see a pattern, that he writes long books with great entertainment potential, but he seems to lack the fundamental undestanding of human sexuality that I possess. This is not very unique among magic/fantasy books; many are similarly twisted around beliefs demonstrating ignorance of human sexuality, but I miss the effect that understanding brings more with the Schooled in Magic series, because of Christopher G. Nuttall's excellent writing ability.
September 9, 2022
Christopher. Please grow as a writer.
I am a sucker for fantasy and magic and you have an interesting world here so I keep reading, but you're starting to piss me off and I'm not alone
Problem 1: You can't seem to construct a main story line and stick with it. If you want to write side stories then clearly define them and set them apart from the main story.
Problem 2: Your protagonists don't grow in a normal way and their logic is completely idiotic too often. It's really frustrating and tiresome to read over and over and over again. "oh my step father gave me bad looks and now I'm so scarred it takes me 15 books to get over myself". It's such a disingenuous way of portraying vulnerability
This book should have been about her going with void and learning to become stronger so that she doesn't become a shitty milksop useless tag along again. Last book she saved her friends and then failed so spectacularly that she was caught, AGAIN, drugged, AGAIN, made to feel helpless, AGAIN... Again and again and again the same BS insecurities and lack of maturity, lack of development.
The same can be said of your recent books too. You pick a female protagonist and you keep them as this immature, emotionally stunted fool that doesn't seem to ever grow up or respond realistically.
Please go and read some books on post traumatic stress, post traumatic recovery, emotional resilience and start developing characters with more depth.
Also, you're a dude right? Women are typically more emotionally resilient than us guys. You might want to think about that too if you're only going to write books with female protagonists
You do most other things well but these few details have become so frustrating to read that I'm almost at the cusp of refusing to buy anymore of your books for a while. You make me want to scream with frustration
I am a sucker for fantasy and magic and you have an interesting world here so I keep reading, but you're starting to piss me off and I'm not alone
Problem 1: You can't seem to construct a main story line and stick with it. If you want to write side stories then clearly define them and set them apart from the main story.
Problem 2: Your protagonists don't grow in a normal way and their logic is completely idiotic too often. It's really frustrating and tiresome to read over and over and over again. "oh my step father gave me bad looks and now I'm so scarred it takes me 15 books to get over myself". It's such a disingenuous way of portraying vulnerability
This book should have been about her going with void and learning to become stronger so that she doesn't become a shitty milksop useless tag along again. Last book she saved her friends and then failed so spectacularly that she was caught, AGAIN, drugged, AGAIN, made to feel helpless, AGAIN... Again and again and again the same BS insecurities and lack of maturity, lack of development.
The same can be said of your recent books too. You pick a female protagonist and you keep them as this immature, emotionally stunted fool that doesn't seem to ever grow up or respond realistically.
Please go and read some books on post traumatic stress, post traumatic recovery, emotional resilience and start developing characters with more depth.
Also, you're a dude right? Women are typically more emotionally resilient than us guys. You might want to think about that too if you're only going to write books with female protagonists
You do most other things well but these few details have become so frustrating to read that I'm almost at the cusp of refusing to buy anymore of your books for a while. You make me want to scream with frustration
November 13, 2018
I continue to love this series, and I'm grateful for this most recent installment. It was not as gripping, exciting, or interesting as many of the other books to this point, but it wasn't the worst, either. Some significant developments occurred, setting things up for what comes next, although the cliffhanger ending of this book is going to drive me crazy while I wait for the next book to become available. Aside from the fact that I'm already more than tired of the whole "friends with benefits" business between two of the main characters (enough is enough), my one criticism of The Broken Throne is that it felt a bit plodding and tedious, and at times rather choppy, rather than moving forward with steady progress. That has happened with a couple of the earlier books, which served as transition "hinges" in the overall story arc of the series, so I suppose that was the case here, as well. Even so, it's not as though the book was a disappointment, and it does offer an important "chapter" in the series.
April 27, 2019
Good but not the best
27.4.2019 - 3*
I love this world. Magic system, plotlines. But this book just didn’t do it for me. I was reading it practically from the moment it went up the stores (so - few months) and I had to make myself to finish it just so I can finally put it down.
And Emily. She is who she is and it would go against her character to act, well, too much out of character. But I feel she is more and more just figure without some real depth and it irritates me. She is clever. She is strong. So why, why is she such a pushover and crybaby? There were so many scenes when they could lose so much and she... *le sigh* Where is that brilliant girl from before?
At this point, I am marching on just for Void. But I am not sure how long it'll keep me going on.
27.4.2019 - 3*
I love this world. Magic system, plotlines. But this book just didn’t do it for me. I was reading it practically from the moment it went up the stores (so - few months) and I had to make myself to finish it just so I can finally put it down.
And Emily. She is who she is and it would go against her character to act, well, too much out of character. But I feel she is more and more just figure without some real depth and it irritates me. She is clever. She is strong. So why, why is she such a pushover and crybaby? There were so many scenes when they could lose so much and she... *le sigh* Where is that brilliant girl from before?
At this point, I am marching on just for Void. But I am not sure how long it'll keep me going on.
August 5, 2019
I really wanted to give this a 5 as i love the series, but it was just a bit lacklustre. When Emily was at the school she seemed almost too powerful, but here sometimes you wonder if shes been downgraded a bit.nAt this stage in the series id like her to have a serious love partner, shes still like on her own fighting the bad villians on her own it seems. Id read book 15 soo long ago that i cant remember how it ended, and the beginning of this i couldnt work out how the heck it created the situation Emily and King Randor are in, maybe some backlog in the beginning to remind us what the previous book had said. Also would have loved more learning spells and more about magic like the old days, but still as i love thevseries il still get the next book.
July 11, 2019
Not as strong as some others in the series, but I still liked it. I’m a little confused about her power levels. She doesn’t want to charge batteries (I think she was concerned about the secret getting out?) yet was she using enough magic all the time? Didn’t she used to have to burn through magic? Yet she did charge some anyway, and she had enough power at the end. A military campaign was a change-up, but made the plot and character interactions a little simplistic. Some good details, though. It’s not Basilisk Station, but it’s also not the poor novels I started and DNF recently.
Nice hook into the next book.
Nice hook into the next book.
December 3, 2018
This second half of a duology in the series is good.
The conflict set up in the Princess in the Tower (book 15) is resolved here, with Emily juggling personal issues, fear of the Leveller's potential revolutionary potential and straight up military ops. It has enough surprises to keep things interesting, even if the story slows down some of the time.
The author's note indicate that book 17 was intended to come straight after that one, but health issues have intervened. Hopefully, M. Nuttall will be ok, and we'll see how Emily deals with the... cliffhanger.
The conflict set up in the Princess in the Tower (book 15) is resolved here, with Emily juggling personal issues, fear of the Leveller's potential revolutionary potential and straight up military ops. It has enough surprises to keep things interesting, even if the story slows down some of the time.
The author's note indicate that book 17 was intended to come straight after that one, but health issues have intervened. Hopefully, M. Nuttall will be ok, and we'll see how Emily deals with the... cliffhanger.
April 11, 2021
The turning point in SIM universe. The novel where PC and stupidity gets over self preservation and real life. From here on all the other novels in series repeat themselves and continue in the same not. Don't use what you can use because you don't want to kill the one that is killing you. Don't use what is easy to use when you can lose all your power in stupid maneuvers.
I love the serie but it changed to somthing againt the rational.
I love the serie but it changed to somthing againt the rational.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 31, 2018
A great read.
I've been reading these books for what seems like forever now. While I feel like there were more editing mistakes than usual with this one, I'm still looking forward to the next one. Best wishes to the author with his health. I hope he has a speedy and complete recovery.
I've been reading these books for what seems like forever now. While I feel like there were more editing mistakes than usual with this one, I'm still looking forward to the next one. Best wishes to the author with his health. I hope he has a speedy and complete recovery.
April 24, 2019
LOVE the series...not in love with the wars. This is mostly warfare...Still, I was absorbed. The ending let me know to expect more, which made me happy. I know the author has had to cope with serious illness, so I am especially grateful he is still writing this and the Zero Enigma books (which are even better!).
April 26, 2020
Love the series but this book is a little too military for my taste, I actually want to read fantasy, if I wanted or liked military fiction there are plenty of authors who specialize in this. Also I wish the author would cut the crap with Cat - it just pisses me.
That said, great finale, well worth waiting for it.
That said, great finale, well worth waiting for it.
November 7, 2018
I loved this continuation. But DAMN... WHY MUST THERE BE A CLIFF HANGER (T.T). I mean Mr. Nuttall you can't just leave us with that kind of ending that is pure evil XD. Well I can't wait to see how the next book turns out but that ending was pure evil.
November 16, 2018
A great return to form
A strong entry in the series that finally feels like it's tying up the plot of the last several book. The characters as always are compelling and the plot feels well thought out. (Unrelated to the book I wish the author the best with his battle with cancer.)
A strong entry in the series that finally feels like it's tying up the plot of the last several book. The characters as always are compelling and the plot feels well thought out. (Unrelated to the book I wish the author the best with his battle with cancer.)
November 27, 2018
Love and Hate
That describes the plot and my feelings at the surprise ending. But Wow at how it moves. Tense and then worse and then a sort of pause... But at such a cost... How I hope we'll see the next Book soon, for several reasons.
That describes the plot and my feelings at the surprise ending. But Wow at how it moves. Tense and then worse and then a sort of pause... But at such a cost... How I hope we'll see the next Book soon, for several reasons.
December 13, 2018
Great
Definitely another great read and a great addition to the series. I thoroughly enjoyed reading through the story and I am excited for book 17. I also hope the author gets well soon.
Definitely another great read and a great addition to the series. I thoroughly enjoyed reading through the story and I am excited for book 17. I also hope the author gets well soon.
December 17, 2018
Great!
I enjoyed this next adventure in this series. It's wonderful to see the main heroine coming into her own. I look forward to the next book! And on a personal note, I hope Mr. Nuttall finds remission very soon. Healing thoughts sent his way.
I enjoyed this next adventure in this series. It's wonderful to see the main heroine coming into her own. I look forward to the next book! And on a personal note, I hope Mr. Nuttall finds remission very soon. Healing thoughts sent his way.
December 29, 2018
Wow
This one had so much going on, but I loved it. Emily, Alassa and Imequa are back with Jade and Cat. I don’t think it’s over, I think Randor did something that can be fixed if found. We will see.
This one had so much going on, but I loved it. Emily, Alassa and Imequa are back with Jade and Cat. I don’t think it’s over, I think Randor did something that can be fixed if found. We will see.
May 13, 2019
Brilliant
This author will never let you down, his sheer talent for storytelling and character creation is utterly brilliant and this book is no exception. Cannot reccommend highly enough!!!!! If you love fantasy, paranormal, paranormal romance or YA? You will adore this series!!!
This author will never let you down, his sheer talent for storytelling and character creation is utterly brilliant and this book is no exception. Cannot reccommend highly enough!!!!! If you love fantasy, paranormal, paranormal romance or YA? You will adore this series!!!
October 12, 2019
Heartwrenching
I'm now on pins and needles to read the next book and see what happens to Emily. I've read these books since they first came out and have wondered what next? It will kill me till she's okay. So let me begin...
I'm now on pins and needles to read the next book and see what happens to Emily. I've read these books since they first came out and have wondered what next? It will kill me till she's okay. So let me begin...
November 24, 2018
This series is truly amazing
Nuttall is a genius in my book. Whenever he releases a book I am temporarily incapacitated until I can finish it. I love his work so much.
Nuttall is a genius in my book. Whenever he releases a book I am temporarily incapacitated until I can finish it. I love his work so much.
November 24, 2018
Excellent read
As always, I am delighted by the Schooled in Magic series and I hope it never ends. I wish the author a speedy recovery so this awesome series can continue.
As always, I am delighted by the Schooled in Magic series and I hope it never ends. I wish the author a speedy recovery so this awesome series can continue.
November 28, 2018
Pretty good but they left with some questions unanswered like who was trying to kill Emily.
December 10, 2018
Great read
Have read all of these books and most of Nuttall's works. Have enjoyed them all. Must read these. Great stories.
Have read all of these books and most of Nuttall's works. Have enjoyed them all. Must read these. Great stories.
December 11, 2018
Another great read
This book moves the story along. However, after the final fight Emily is badly injured and is having trouble with her magic
This book moves the story along. However, after the final fight Emily is badly injured and is having trouble with her magic
December 16, 2018
Always something unknown with Emily
Nothing is ever predictable in this magical world and as our author battles a health crisis. We wish him the best and a speedy recovery!
Nothing is ever predictable in this magical world and as our author battles a health crisis. We wish him the best and a speedy recovery!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 44 reviews