Mage Prince

The Mage-Born Chronicles #3

by Kayleigh Nicol

Following the fall of the mistress mage and the untimely death of the old king, King Vanikolanestra and Mage Prince Jereshin work tirelessly to end the slavery of the mages of Zarapheth and restore magic to the realm. Old noble families are restored, the mage guild is revived and reparations are made against the old king’s crimes. All seems peaceful as Reshi seeks to set aside his crown in favor of Niko’s child and the upcoming heir ceremony.

But as ambassadors from foreign nations flock to the capital to witness the ceremony, latent foes begin to emerge. A band of rebel mages vow to wage war unless a monarch of magical blood sits on the Zaraphethan throne. A foreign delegation from a mysterious kingdom arrive with a hidden agenda of murder and magic. And ancient beings stir beneath the very stones, gaining strength from Laurana’s final bargain. Enemies within and without seek to set Niko and Reshi against each other as the rhythm of war threatens the kingdom once more.

Genres: Fantasy, LGBT, Fiction, Magic

501 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 30, 2020

About the author

Lifelong nerd and fangirl Kayleigh Nicol earned her Bachelor’s of Science in Animal Science at Cal Poly Pomona, California. After years of volunteering at zoos and aquariums in California, Kayleigh now works at a therapeutic horseback riding center in Long Island, NY. When not taking care of her own menagerie of rescued animals, she enjoys watching anime, playing video games and reading as many fantasy books as she can get her hands on.

Reviews

[Jennifer (bunnyreads) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mage Prince returns us to the kingdom of Zarapheth with all the fun, magic, and friendships, you expect from this series. Reshi, Niko and co. are working hard to rebuild a nation and make amends for the crimes of their parent but, the dead queen’s goals have had far reaching consequences that threaten to unravel everything they have accomplished thus far.

I couldn’t have been more pleased to find out there was a new book in the Mage-Born Chronicles. Reshi and Kestrel are two of my favourite characters in fantasy, and Sorcerous Rivalry was, and still is, one of my favourite reads, needless to say but I jumped on the opportunity to read this when Kayleigh offered ARC.

Mage Prince feels like Niko’s story to me, and I was OK with that because I think for this series to have growth, it needed to have another perspective outside of Reshi and Kestrel. (And it’s not like we don’t get them at all)

Niko, now king, is one of our main povs. Most of the focus in this book is centralized in the capital with Niko, as he tries to balance ruling, family, and visiting delegates, while trying to keep his Chief Ambassador to the Mage Guild from shirking his duties (any guesses who that might be?) all this on too little sleep.

Niko has become such a serious man, he’s the total opposite of Reshi; with his humorous tone and antics. You can feel the weight of the kingdom on Niko’s shoulders, and in every decision he makes, thankfully Niko is not alone in ruling as his partner Ammon, and his Queen Couressa, are there to support and share the burden.

I didn’t think anyone could fill the Kila-size hole in my heart but then came along Couressa. I loved her to pieces. Strong, decisive, and caring. She was probably my favourite character in this book. And I loved the relationship between the three of them (Niko, Ammon and Couressa) and how they made sharing the ruling, and each other, work so well, while respecting each other’s positions. It made for an interesting dynamic and I really enjoyed the three of them.

Reshi, of course, is our other main pov. He is still his charming rogue-self but he has definitely grown and matured, which is obvious from his attitude, actions, and especially his relationship with Kestrel (though he does still like to annoy the hell out of Ammon).

I also adored the young prince, Jiraiashin, from the Ravennan’s delegation. Though I did question his choice at the end after everything that went before, I did understand it. There is a lot grey area in this book with choices being made that maybe go against your heart but not your principles. It makes for tough moments for our characters.

We get a sense that the world is a bigger place in this story than the narrow focus implies as we deal with the delegates from Ravennan and other countries that have gathered for the appointing of an heir ceremonies. And like in the previous books Kayleigh Nicol hits on some touchy subjects- like slavery, etc, giving this a darker feel, more inline with the second book than the first.

Mage Prince is full of family, friends, and conversation- it’s noisy and brimming with life, letting you feel like you have a window into the world they are living. That ‘life noise’ goes along way in helping to temper that darker subject matter.

Other notes-

I sometimes felt very sorry for Niko and all the mother-henning he was getting from around him and also for having to deal with Ammon and Reshi, who are like a couple of thirteen-year old’s in the back seat of a very long car ride.

There were a few filler scenes that while I love seeing the characters interact and build, and get to care about what and whom they care about, they got a little long and started to feel somewhat repetitive in places. I found myself skimming a bit through these after awhile.

If you read Mage-Born anthology you will be happy with all the cameos and nods that tie-in here. This is completing or at least touching base, and giving closure to some of the sibling’s pasts, and characters in the first books. We also have some Easter eggs for those who have read the anthology though if you didn’t, no big deal, you’ll catch on easy enough to the relationships.

I received an arc in exchange for review, Thank you to Kayleigh Nicol for the copy.

[Jack Hill · Rating 5 out of 5]

I NEED THE NEXT BOOK NOW YOU CANT JUST LEAVE IT LIKE THAT IM SOBBING

[Andy Winkle · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was very happy to be wrong that Mistress Mage was the conclusion of the series. Mage Prince occurs three years after the previous book and you can see the character growth in both of the protagonists: Reshi and Nico. This book explores a lot more of Nico's life as the new king of Zarapheth. The introduction of the Queen and other new characters tell a story of how a kingdom, or any ruling body, can try and heal from past transgressions. Between the Nico chapters dealing with the threats to his kingdom, the banter between Reshi and Kestral is refreshing and adds some levity - exactly what I loved the most about the first book. Of course, Reshi and Kestral have their own battles to fight as they both learn more about their families and each other.

I really liked how Kayleigh wove together elements from the Anthology into the main story. Overall, I felt like this added a lot of depth to the world and I can't wait to see what happens in the next book. A fair warning: there is a cliff-hanger at the end if that's a deal breaker for you.

[Karen Winkle · Rating 5 out of 5]

I could not put Mage Prince down. Mage Prince was full of intrigue, suspense and wit! I loved how Kayleigh intertwined previous favorite characters like Reshi, Wix and Niko with the introduction of a variety of new favorites like Couressa, the Fomorans, Trina, Eriz and Omiro. The unpredictable, surprise entrance of Eriz, Omiro and the Fomorans was especially entertaining. I like how I became completely absorbed in Kayleigh's exciting plot only to unexpectedly laugh out loud at banter ("No nap!") or random thoughts of characters ("Was the drool really necessary?"). The build-up to the attack at the ball was thrilling, and her creative counter attacks in the invasions were thought provoking. Surprise twists such as how a little prank like hiding cherry trees in the hedgepaths somehow became integral to the success of a mission were captivating. I also have to mention that the artwork on the cover was superb!

[Malaraa · Rating 4 out of 5]

So, I loved the earlier books, really enjoyed re-visiting the characters. I don't like cliffhanger endings. Room for more at the end, sure, that's fine, leave some continuing plot hooks to be bring me back, that's ok. The balance between what i was expecting the story to cover and what it left was... not what i personally would have preferred? My enjoyment of them so far will carry me through to the next book in this instance, but if i didn't like it as well or if this had been the first in the series, this is exactly the sort of thing that makes me say "well, guess we'll never know" and not come back.

I did really enjoy it all the way until there though, we got a lot of fun enrichment of character's lives along the way. Do have some suspicions about what may be happening with some people who were suddenly not seen or heard from much, but that'll clearly have to be next book.

[Summer · Rating 3 out of 5]

An average rating. A lot of the book was great, good fun, fast paced, lots of great characters. But there were sizeable chunks that got boring, towards the start and middle. Every time the fairy started talking about being paid and in debt, for example. So I skipped over quite a few sections, but on the whole, really enjoyed it.

[Frog Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

4/5.
I just want to say, why is this still an unfinished work after f----five years?! One star angrily deducted. This will absolutely be rated as the most infuriating pitfall I've stumbled upon this year! o(｀ω´*)o

[Bekah Tribble · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great installment that leaves me ravenous for the next one!

[Tots · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just wanted to thank the author for creating such an amazing story which helped me go through tough times. Honestly the best book series I have ever read. I was hooked the entire time, whether it was this one or the second and first one. I love the characters and I will really miss them while waiting for the next book to come out ! I was always looking forward to take some time to read and dive in this wonderful world that the author have created.