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Wayward Mages #3
The Wayward Mage
The third book in this contemporary fantasy series returns to the life of Tessa Andrews as she balances the magical and mundane worlds.
When her father disappeared into limbo years ago, Tessa's world fell apart. It took her discovery of magic for her to begin to put things back together. But she hasn't been able to restore her father from his ghostly half-existence--and he is fading fast.
Magic has a price, and Tessa is learning that it is both steep and deadly. The phoenix wizard who could train her has deserted Tessa. She has friends among the Iron dwarves and harpies, even a lesser demon, and the mysterious Malender with his sinister whip of thorns and fire. But she is still faced with a delicate balancing act.
Then her mother incurs the wrath of the magical world when she writes a dissertation exposing its reality. That is the final straw, as Magic fights back and an assassin accepts a contract on their lives. Tessa must learn to master her new powers as a sorceress, or everyone and everything she loves is doomed.
When her father disappeared into limbo years ago, Tessa's world fell apart. It took her discovery of magic for her to begin to put things back together. But she hasn't been able to restore her father from his ghostly half-existence--and he is fading fast.
Magic has a price, and Tessa is learning that it is both steep and deadly. The phoenix wizard who could train her has deserted Tessa. She has friends among the Iron dwarves and harpies, even a lesser demon, and the mysterious Malender with his sinister whip of thorns and fire. But she is still faced with a delicate balancing act.
Then her mother incurs the wrath of the magical world when she writes a dissertation exposing its reality. That is the final straw, as Magic fights back and an assassin accepts a contract on their lives. Tessa must learn to master her new powers as a sorceress, or everyone and everything she loves is doomed.
336 pages, Paperback
Published June 8, 2021
1 person is currently reading
109 people want to read
About the author
Sara Hanover
3 books12 followersSara Hanover is a pen name. She lives with a hoard of books, rather like a dragon, and works on improving her imagination daily. She loves plot twists and cats, family and crispy autumn leaves, traveling and good food. She thanks her parents for supporting her first efforts in writing, and her husband for continuing to encourage her, along with the many good people at DAW Books.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
June 14, 2021
*Source* Publisher
*Genre* Urban Fantasy
*Rating* 3.5-4
*Thoughts*
The Wayward Mage, which is the third installment in author Sara Hanover's urban fantasy series, follows Tessa Andrews as she becomes embroiled in magical mysteries in her quest to help save her father who is an interdimensional ghost living in her basement. Once upon a time, Tessa's father vanished under suspicious circumstances and her old life was destroyed because almost everyone blamed Tessa and her mother for his disappearance. John Andrews disappeared after apparently draining the families money to pay off gambling debts, leaving Tessa and her mother pretty much at the mercy of a great-Aunt.
*Full Review @ Gizmos Reviews*
https://gizmosreviews.blogspot.com/20...
*Genre* Urban Fantasy
*Rating* 3.5-4
*Thoughts*
The Wayward Mage, which is the third installment in author Sara Hanover's urban fantasy series, follows Tessa Andrews as she becomes embroiled in magical mysteries in her quest to help save her father who is an interdimensional ghost living in her basement. Once upon a time, Tessa's father vanished under suspicious circumstances and her old life was destroyed because almost everyone blamed Tessa and her mother for his disappearance. John Andrews disappeared after apparently draining the families money to pay off gambling debts, leaving Tessa and her mother pretty much at the mercy of a great-Aunt.
*Full Review @ Gizmos Reviews*
https://gizmosreviews.blogspot.com/20...
October 23, 2021
Originally posted on my blog: Nonstop Reader.
The Wayward Mage is the third book in the YA/NA fantasy series by Sara Hanover. Released 8th June 2021 by Penguin Random House on their DAW imprint, it's 336 pages and is available in paperback and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links throughout. I've really become enamored of ebooks with interactive formats lately.
This is an epic coming of age adventure with an ensemble cast including a young female protagonist who is brash, sarcastic, independent, and self-sacrificing. Her support crew and found family include a battle harpy, a clan of taciturn dwarves, a not-quite-garden-variety golden retriever, and her mom, who is a would-be academic working on her doctoral dissertation. Her dad's a ghost, her mentor is missing in action, and her boyfriend is off working on a secret mission with the potential to get them all murdered or worse. She's also juggling classes at her local community college and training on the field hockey team in her spare time.
The plotting and action/romance balance is par for the genre and the narrative arc is better than average. There's a fair bit of angsty drama, but I never found Tessa overly whiny or helpless and her relationships are healthy, if often outside the normal human realm. The denouement and resolution are exciting and suitably gruesome, but not extremely graphic or too gore filled. Although it's the third book in the series, it works well enough as a standalone to pick up the necessary backstory during reading.
This would be a good choice for public or school library acquisition, as well as for fans of the genre. Eminently readable and engaging.
Three and a half stars.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.
The Wayward Mage is the third book in the YA/NA fantasy series by Sara Hanover. Released 8th June 2021 by Penguin Random House on their DAW imprint, it's 336 pages and is available in paperback and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links throughout. I've really become enamored of ebooks with interactive formats lately.
This is an epic coming of age adventure with an ensemble cast including a young female protagonist who is brash, sarcastic, independent, and self-sacrificing. Her support crew and found family include a battle harpy, a clan of taciturn dwarves, a not-quite-garden-variety golden retriever, and her mom, who is a would-be academic working on her doctoral dissertation. Her dad's a ghost, her mentor is missing in action, and her boyfriend is off working on a secret mission with the potential to get them all murdered or worse. She's also juggling classes at her local community college and training on the field hockey team in her spare time.
The plotting and action/romance balance is par for the genre and the narrative arc is better than average. There's a fair bit of angsty drama, but I never found Tessa overly whiny or helpless and her relationships are healthy, if often outside the normal human realm. The denouement and resolution are exciting and suitably gruesome, but not extremely graphic or too gore filled. Although it's the third book in the series, it works well enough as a standalone to pick up the necessary backstory during reading.
This would be a good choice for public or school library acquisition, as well as for fans of the genre. Eminently readable and engaging.
Three and a half stars.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.
March 6, 2023
Things are rapidly coming to a head for Tessa and her friends as it becomes obvious a completely evil presence is watching the house. With the Professor still MIA in any form and her father’s ghost fading rapidly there is little time to waste in learning how to uses the Maelstrom stone to rescue her father and protect herself and her friends from those who want it. When that evil presence starts tainting those around her the stakes become even higher as Tessa’s mother’s dissertation risks exposing the magically realm to the mundane world.
The action is fast in this entry in the series and the side of good suffers some heartbreaking losses. While there is a satisfying conclusion here the door is left cracked open for more follow-up entries as Tessa grows more into her powers. This is a highly recommended series
The action is fast in this entry in the series and the side of good suffers some heartbreaking losses. While there is a satisfying conclusion here the door is left cracked open for more follow-up entries as Tessa grows more into her powers. This is a highly recommended series
May 8, 2021
This has been a good series though you really wouldn’t get as much out of this book three if you haven’t read the first two. Tessa is a likable young woman who’s had a harder life with her father gambling away every last penny of the money she’d saved for school as a teen but she and her mother have survived and moved on with their lives. She’s become aware of and involved in the magic side of the world and has allies now to go with her enemies, More details than that would definitely be spoilers if you haven’t read the first two. If you haven’t read The Late Great Wizard give it a try. This is a great urban fantasy series if you prefer your fantasy heavier on the fantasy and lighter on the romance (though there is romance, it’s just not the center of her life).
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews