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Collegia Magica #1
The Spirit Lens
Reduced to tending the library at Sabria's last collegia magica, Portier de Savin-Duplais, failed student of magic, fights off despair with scholarship. But when the King of Sabria charges him to investigate an attempted murder that has disturbing magical resonances, Portier believes his dreams of a greater destiny might at last be fulfilled.
464 pages, Paperback
First published December 5, 2009
110 people are currently reading
3002 people want to read
About the author
Carol Berg
33 books1,128 followersCarol Berg is the author of the epic fantasy
The Books of the Rai-kirah, The Bridge of D'Arnath Quartet, the Mythopoeic Fantasy Award winning Lighthouse Duet - Flesh and Spirit and Breath and Bone - the standalone novel Song of the Beast , and the three novels of the Collegia Magica.
Berg holds a degree in mathematics from Rice University, and a degree in computer science from the University of Colorado. Before writing full-time, she worked as a software engineer. She lives in Colorado at the foot of the Rocky Mountains, and is the mother of three mostly grown sons.
The Books of the Rai-kirah, The Bridge of D'Arnath Quartet, the Mythopoeic Fantasy Award winning Lighthouse Duet - Flesh and Spirit and Breath and Bone - the standalone novel Song of the Beast , and the three novels of the Collegia Magica.
Berg holds a degree in mathematics from Rice University, and a degree in computer science from the University of Colorado. Before writing full-time, she worked as a software engineer. She lives in Colorado at the foot of the Rocky Mountains, and is the mother of three mostly grown sons.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 243 reviews
February 11, 2015
This was not your typical fantasy read. It was more of a mystery/detective story set in a high magic fantasy world that was a bit reminiscent of Renaissance France.
Portier de Savin-Duplais, a failed student of magic and distant cousin to the king, is called upon by his royal cousin to covertly investigate a failed plot to assassinate the king and the disappearance of the previous investigator, the kings best friend Michel. He was assisted by court fop Ilario and the mysterious and short tempered mage Dante.
The plot was slow paced, but still interesting enough to hold my attention. The characters were flawed but interesting and/or likable. The story was full of intrigue and the mystery lasted until the final stages. To be honest some of it was not even solved!
The fascinating thing about this fantasy world of Berg's was that magic was in decline and many, including the king, favored the new wave of scientific advancements being made.
I'm a fan of Berg's books, she is a dependable author, but this was not one of her more exciting ones. Despite that I still enjoyed reading it and will definitely be reading the sequels.
Rating: 3.5 stars.
Audio Note: I was not a big fan of David DeVries. He was well spoken and his character voices were fine, but unfortunately he did not seem to have any talent for performing the story! That said, I've certainly heard a lot worse in my time.
Portier de Savin-Duplais, a failed student of magic and distant cousin to the king, is called upon by his royal cousin to covertly investigate a failed plot to assassinate the king and the disappearance of the previous investigator, the kings best friend Michel. He was assisted by court fop Ilario and the mysterious and short tempered mage Dante.
The plot was slow paced, but still interesting enough to hold my attention. The characters were flawed but interesting and/or likable. The story was full of intrigue and the mystery lasted until the final stages. To be honest some of it was not even solved!
The fascinating thing about this fantasy world of Berg's was that magic was in decline and many, including the king, favored the new wave of scientific advancements being made.
I'm a fan of Berg's books, she is a dependable author, but this was not one of her more exciting ones. Despite that I still enjoyed reading it and will definitely be reading the sequels.
Rating: 3.5 stars.
Audio Note: I was not a big fan of David DeVries. He was well spoken and his character voices were fine, but unfortunately he did not seem to have any talent for performing the story! That said, I've certainly heard a lot worse in my time.
February 24, 2012
4 Stars
This was a 3 star book at times and 5 stars at other times. I had a difficult time with this one as I found myself frequently putting it down, skipping full sentences and paragraphs, and my mind was often wandering. Yes, this could have been my fault and a reread may be in the future for this one, but I really believe that there was something missing in this story that kept it from being better. I really enjoyed the main characters, Portier, Ilario, and the angry mage Dante. There were moments of greatness in this story and the magic system is fascinating and exciting.
I think that the problems I had in this book center around me needing more from it. It read to me as a second novel would, it seems to me that we should have know more about Portier, more about the world, the king, and even the magic within. Hmmm, maybe I am wrong but a prequel would definitely help.
I recommend this novel as it does set up for more to come. Carol Berg writes with great flare and her prose is top notch. The Spirit Lens started out reminding me of Jonathan Strange and Dr Norell but the more I read the more I felt that it shared similarities to that of many great politically charged Melanie Rawn fantasy novels. I will surely read more from Carol Berg, as should all readers that love well written fantasy.
*******************************************
One year later and a fast reread, much of my feelings remain the same. This is an extremely well written novel, that is much more a mystery of the moment then it is an epic book one of a fantasy series. I loved the characters in it and feel that Berg is exceptional at making them seem real. I am like most men in that I am normally drawn to action oriented, take no holds, and downright bad ass heroes and villains. This book is not that at all, although clearly Dante fits the bill. This is a book about subtleties. It is penned with a historical fiction type feel to it, a Victorian Romance. I just felt that this book would have been so much the better if Berg gave us more back-story on our heroes and our villains. The development of this book is extremely focused on the plot itself, never taking any side trips to meander and expand elsewhere.
I loved the magic in this book. The way that Dante explained it to Portier gave it a sense of realism and imagination:
“A particle can be glamoured—disguised with light to fool the eye—but the other senses would reveal its unchanged state. Or the particle, as any other object, can be used as a receptacle, linked to the spell so the enchantment can be transported. But magic itself is ephemera. Dust is naught but dust. Stone is stone. A thistle is a thistle. The Pantokrator has rendered nature immutable.”
The darker form of magic, the sorcery is well thought out even if we have seen it before. I love the dark implications of blood magic and mules.
“It was an unfortunate fact that the actual blood of someone like me could so dramatically enhance another sorcerer’s spellmaking, when it could not provide me enough power to work magic of my own. Transference, the direct infusion of magical blood into a sorcerer’s veins, had been practiced since the awakening of magic. A few practitioners bled themselves, distilled the product, and reinfused their own strengthened ichor. But as this led determinedly to self-destruction, most incidents of transference involved an unwilling victim, leeched to provide magical sustenance for the unscrupulous…”
I am a huge fan of Carol Berg and look forward to reading more in this series as well as her older works. After finishing this reread, I told my wife how much I thought that she, as a historical fiction junkie would love this book.
This was a 3 star book at times and 5 stars at other times. I had a difficult time with this one as I found myself frequently putting it down, skipping full sentences and paragraphs, and my mind was often wandering. Yes, this could have been my fault and a reread may be in the future for this one, but I really believe that there was something missing in this story that kept it from being better. I really enjoyed the main characters, Portier, Ilario, and the angry mage Dante. There were moments of greatness in this story and the magic system is fascinating and exciting.
I think that the problems I had in this book center around me needing more from it. It read to me as a second novel would, it seems to me that we should have know more about Portier, more about the world, the king, and even the magic within. Hmmm, maybe I am wrong but a prequel would definitely help.
I recommend this novel as it does set up for more to come. Carol Berg writes with great flare and her prose is top notch. The Spirit Lens started out reminding me of Jonathan Strange and Dr Norell but the more I read the more I felt that it shared similarities to that of many great politically charged Melanie Rawn fantasy novels. I will surely read more from Carol Berg, as should all readers that love well written fantasy.
*******************************************
One year later and a fast reread, much of my feelings remain the same. This is an extremely well written novel, that is much more a mystery of the moment then it is an epic book one of a fantasy series. I loved the characters in it and feel that Berg is exceptional at making them seem real. I am like most men in that I am normally drawn to action oriented, take no holds, and downright bad ass heroes and villains. This book is not that at all, although clearly Dante fits the bill. This is a book about subtleties. It is penned with a historical fiction type feel to it, a Victorian Romance. I just felt that this book would have been so much the better if Berg gave us more back-story on our heroes and our villains. The development of this book is extremely focused on the plot itself, never taking any side trips to meander and expand elsewhere.
I loved the magic in this book. The way that Dante explained it to Portier gave it a sense of realism and imagination:
“A particle can be glamoured—disguised with light to fool the eye—but the other senses would reveal its unchanged state. Or the particle, as any other object, can be used as a receptacle, linked to the spell so the enchantment can be transported. But magic itself is ephemera. Dust is naught but dust. Stone is stone. A thistle is a thistle. The Pantokrator has rendered nature immutable.”
The darker form of magic, the sorcery is well thought out even if we have seen it before. I love the dark implications of blood magic and mules.
“It was an unfortunate fact that the actual blood of someone like me could so dramatically enhance another sorcerer’s spellmaking, when it could not provide me enough power to work magic of my own. Transference, the direct infusion of magical blood into a sorcerer’s veins, had been practiced since the awakening of magic. A few practitioners bled themselves, distilled the product, and reinfused their own strengthened ichor. But as this led determinedly to self-destruction, most incidents of transference involved an unwilling victim, leeched to provide magical sustenance for the unscrupulous…”
I am a huge fan of Carol Berg and look forward to reading more in this series as well as her older works. After finishing this reread, I told my wife how much I thought that she, as a historical fiction junkie would love this book.
October 27, 2023
One of the best books I've read this year.
This was downright fabulous!
🕯Cool magic,
🕯a brilliant mystery,
🕯strong character development and an intriguing plot,
🕯a trio of unlikely heroes complete with a very likeable idiot and a brooding arrogant scoundrel, 😃
🕯quirky humor and edge of the seat action...
🕯This book here has it all and more!
A failed student of magic turned meek librarian, an arrogant magician turned outcast and hermit, and a foolish popinjay become unlikely allies when charged to investigate an attempted murder that has disturbing magical resonances. In an ever-shifting landscape of murders, betrayals, old secrets, and unholy sorcery, the three agentes will be forced to test the boundaries of magic, nature, and the divine...
Vile practices and unspeakable necromancy aimed at King and Crown in this first book of the Collegia Magica are only a few of the dangers the trio needs to face.
Peppered with quirky humor, and full of intriguing twists and turns, this first installment of the Collegia Magica series will give you a brilliant magical mystery complete with edge of the seat action, daring escapes, plots and counterplots, fabulous character development and an astonishingly vivid world.
🕯If you're a fan of magical mysteries, underdogs and unlikely allies, you have got to give this a try. 😍
I kid you not people!
You will NOT regret it!
It's really THAT GOOD!!🖤
Find this review and more over at The Magic Book Corner
This was downright fabulous!
🕯Cool magic,
🕯a brilliant mystery,
🕯strong character development and an intriguing plot,
🕯a trio of unlikely heroes complete with a very likeable idiot and a brooding arrogant scoundrel, 😃
🕯quirky humor and edge of the seat action...
🕯This book here has it all and more!
A failed student of magic turned meek librarian, an arrogant magician turned outcast and hermit, and a foolish popinjay become unlikely allies when charged to investigate an attempted murder that has disturbing magical resonances. In an ever-shifting landscape of murders, betrayals, old secrets, and unholy sorcery, the three agentes will be forced to test the boundaries of magic, nature, and the divine...
Vile practices and unspeakable necromancy aimed at King and Crown in this first book of the Collegia Magica are only a few of the dangers the trio needs to face.
Peppered with quirky humor, and full of intriguing twists and turns, this first installment of the Collegia Magica series will give you a brilliant magical mystery complete with edge of the seat action, daring escapes, plots and counterplots, fabulous character development and an astonishingly vivid world.
🕯If you're a fan of magical mysteries, underdogs and unlikely allies, you have got to give this a try. 😍
I kid you not people!
You will NOT regret it!
It's really THAT GOOD!!🖤
Find this review and more over at The Magic Book Corner
June 29, 2012
Like a rocky coast during a hurricane, I was pummeled by similes in every paragraph. They sprung up like unwanted daisies in my yard. They teemed like vermin. They swarmed like bees. They were like ants at a picnic, knots in a discount lumber pile, seagulls at a bait shack , and snakes in that Indiana Jones movie.
Also? This book is as interesting as watching paint dry. And that paint is beige.
Also? This book is as interesting as watching paint dry. And that paint is beige.
December 4, 2013
I found this book to be too slow paced, the main character doubted himself thoughout which began to grate on me over time, and as a librarian, I was very irritated with the treatment of my profession. Aside from that, it was interesting and the world-building was clear and good. I wouldn't reread it, but I wouldn't warn people not to buy it.
My main problem with the book: librarianship is often used in fiction as shorthand for a personality type (cautious and timid), or as an example of a situation the main character needs to break free from (oh, dear, it just must be so boring!). Both of these were used here. It's very frusterating because although I'm the first to admit that this job isn't for everyone, it's certainly not for the cautious and timid - you need to interact with people all day long, and have the confidence to help people find information that's very important to them. And it's a great job! Why would anyone feel stifled when they're surrounded by all the world's knowledge, and they get to help organize it, and help others find it?
I was pleased to see that research played a pretty big role in this fantasy/mystery, but overall, this book was a disappointment.
My main problem with the book: librarianship is often used in fiction as shorthand for a personality type (cautious and timid), or as an example of a situation the main character needs to break free from (oh, dear, it just must be so boring!). Both of these were used here. It's very frusterating because although I'm the first to admit that this job isn't for everyone, it's certainly not for the cautious and timid - you need to interact with people all day long, and have the confidence to help people find information that's very important to them. And it's a great job! Why would anyone feel stifled when they're surrounded by all the world's knowledge, and they get to help organize it, and help others find it?
I was pleased to see that research played a pretty big role in this fantasy/mystery, but overall, this book was a disappointment.
July 23, 2014
I bought this one on its release day (Jan 5th) with high hopes, but though it intrigued me, i felt that it was too dependent on its quirky humor and light gags for its enjoyment so I kept putting it down; however I still planned to decide soon either to immerse into it or fast read and drop and after a while the novel drops its lighter pretense, picks up considerably and it gets extremely good; though fully concluding its main thread, it sets up a very, very interesting sequel
A solid A and highly recommended, keep going since after 100 pages or so it will start gripping you and then from about 1/2 in it will be not possible to put it down
FBC Rv:
INTRODUCTION: I have browsed several of Ms. Berg' novels before and I actually started on Flesh and Spirit at some point and I plan to finish it sooner rather than later, but they never had that "read me now" quality to get into them seriously when I have a "reading pile" of several hundred books leaving aside the new ones that are released all the time.
The main reason for the above was that while the writing style was intriguing, the subjects of all the books I browsed by the author were of moderate interest at best for me. However "The Spirit Lens" had a very intriguing blurb, so I decided to include it in my 2010 Anticipated List ; out of 90+ books, it was the only one from an established author I have not read before.
I bought the book on its release day in early January and after several false starts, when I kept putting The Spirit Lens down and reading something else though advancing a little bit each time, I started truly getting into the novel at about the 150th page and from then on it was a non-stop ride to a superb ending that left my appetite whetted for the next installment.
FORMAT/CLASSIFICATION: The Spirit Lens stands at about 450 pages divided in 34 chronological chapters headed by their date and it ends with an epilogue. The novel is a first person narration by early 30's Portier de Savin-Duplais, a failed magician from an outside line of a powerful noble family, so distant cousin to the current king Philippe de Savin-Jurnia of Sabria. Student at the famous countryside Collegia Magica of Seravain, Portier has been disabused of any hopes for real magical ability by age 16, but through the intercession of his mentor, family friend and lead magician of the Camarilla Magica, Kajetan, Portier stayed on as archivist for some 16 years now until he is secretly summoned to investigate an assassination attempt against the king that may involve magicians, powerful Court members and even the estranged and seemingly unworldly Queen Eugenie herself.
Partly a mystery, partly an exploration of a somewhat familiar but also quite different society on the verge of an age of reason, partly the beginning of an epic as far as the big picture goes, The Spirit Lens is packed with events and it has many twists and turns, of which some are quite unpredictable and made me appreciate it quite a lot at the end.
The style takes a while to get adjusted to since the novel starts on a very light note despite its grim underlying events, Portier being a very self-deprecating and wry narrator, while his two companions in the investigation, Chevalier Ilario and sorcerer Dante start as the overdone cliches of "fop" and "brilliant but moody outsider sorcerer".
OVERVIEW/ANALYSIS: Sabria is a pseudo-Renaissance kingdom with mostly French/Italian naming conventions that is poised to enter an "Age of Reason" under the leadership of King Philippe. Wracked by the terrible "Blood Wars" some hundred years ago, the nobility and magicians of Sabria formed a compact in which all study and use of magic comes under the aegis of the Camarilla Magica under strict rules and regulations. As magical ability seems to be diminishing among the lines of Sabria' sorcerers, many people including the king himself consider it no more than a stage trick at best or con game at worst and Philippe is promoting the study of science and the advancement of technology.
However not all is rosy since Philippe though now standing on the throne for a good number of years is an "outsider king", being only a distant heir of the previous king who died childless; his high-nobility wife Queen Eugenie was the bride of the former king too, with Philippe marrying her to consolidate his fragile hold on power. Queen Eugenie, while somewhat otherworldly - some saying she "became unbalanced" when her and Philippe's only son died - is a strong believer in magic and has two powerful sorcerers as her own Camarilla.
When an assassination was attempted against Philippe involving the worst kind of "blood magic" and with the scant evidence pointing to the Queen's court, if not the Queen herself, Philippe put his most trusted councilor, right hand man and childhood friend that he raised to the highest estates from a commoner birth, Michel de Vernase, Conte Ruggiere to investigate. However after a promising beginning, Michel has disappeared, Philippe is starting to fear the worst about his friend and time may be running out since soon there will be a symbolic anniversary where the mysterious forces of the "dark" may attack again and finish the job this time.
Desperate and not knowing whom else to trust, the king summons Portier in secret to investigate and prevent the feared next attack, though he saddles him with Ilario, the half-brother of Queen Eugenie and reputed half-wit and fop at the court as a representative of the "Queen's party", while for magical help Portier goes to Dante, the only known "outsider" sorcerer who got licensed by the Camarilla as the law requires but then retired to the countryside.
And from here the fun starts and we follow Portier trying to get a grip on events, manage his two companions as well as keeping a low profile as a secretary to one or the other.
There were several reasons that I kept reading even if it took me a while to get used with the style. The naming conventions worked extremely well for me and while seemingly a minor point, many recent fantasies I tried and were ok but not gripping to start with, lost me badly on that and off they went to a "fast read and forget" or an outright drop.
While the world of Spirit Lens is only slowly unfolding, I never lost the suspension of disbelief necessary to immerse in it. Whenever magicians are involved and especially in the context of a "cultural fight" for supremacy between magic and science/reason, I am always asking why the magicians are not in charge since as all human history teaches any "competitive advantage" (big warriors, literate priesthood, divine right...) is leveraged into domination and entrenched in societal structures and anyone who can demonstrably do magic automatically has such an advantage. Various books answer this in various ways, some more credible for me, some less, but here the whole setup with the Camarilla and the sorcerers slowly losing magical power as a class fits very well with my worldview.
After I got into the style of the novel and its happenings started hooking me, its main attraction were the twists and turns and the characters about whom slowly we start having quite different impressions than at the start. Revelations from the past coupled to traits that come at fore only after a while mean that what we believe at the beginning will be quite changed by the end. This unpredictability raised Spirit Lens most in my estimation since in so many genre books the characters are marked: "the destined one, the sidekick, the love interest, the villain, the noble but doomed one", while here there is much more subtlety and even at the end when we seemingly know a lot more, there is a lot of uncertainty at least with regard to the big picture.
And of course there is a lot of action, daring escapes, plots and counter plots so The Spirit Lens does not lag at all once it gets going, while its main thread is wrapped up so there is completion before the next installment. Highly recommended and a solid A, I will give it a re-read at some point later and may even raise my estimation of it now that I am comfortable with its style.
A solid A and highly recommended, keep going since after 100 pages or so it will start gripping you and then from about 1/2 in it will be not possible to put it down
FBC Rv:
INTRODUCTION: I have browsed several of Ms. Berg' novels before and I actually started on Flesh and Spirit at some point and I plan to finish it sooner rather than later, but they never had that "read me now" quality to get into them seriously when I have a "reading pile" of several hundred books leaving aside the new ones that are released all the time.
The main reason for the above was that while the writing style was intriguing, the subjects of all the books I browsed by the author were of moderate interest at best for me. However "The Spirit Lens" had a very intriguing blurb, so I decided to include it in my 2010 Anticipated List ; out of 90+ books, it was the only one from an established author I have not read before.
I bought the book on its release day in early January and after several false starts, when I kept putting The Spirit Lens down and reading something else though advancing a little bit each time, I started truly getting into the novel at about the 150th page and from then on it was a non-stop ride to a superb ending that left my appetite whetted for the next installment.
FORMAT/CLASSIFICATION: The Spirit Lens stands at about 450 pages divided in 34 chronological chapters headed by their date and it ends with an epilogue. The novel is a first person narration by early 30's Portier de Savin-Duplais, a failed magician from an outside line of a powerful noble family, so distant cousin to the current king Philippe de Savin-Jurnia of Sabria. Student at the famous countryside Collegia Magica of Seravain, Portier has been disabused of any hopes for real magical ability by age 16, but through the intercession of his mentor, family friend and lead magician of the Camarilla Magica, Kajetan, Portier stayed on as archivist for some 16 years now until he is secretly summoned to investigate an assassination attempt against the king that may involve magicians, powerful Court members and even the estranged and seemingly unworldly Queen Eugenie herself.
Partly a mystery, partly an exploration of a somewhat familiar but also quite different society on the verge of an age of reason, partly the beginning of an epic as far as the big picture goes, The Spirit Lens is packed with events and it has many twists and turns, of which some are quite unpredictable and made me appreciate it quite a lot at the end.
The style takes a while to get adjusted to since the novel starts on a very light note despite its grim underlying events, Portier being a very self-deprecating and wry narrator, while his two companions in the investigation, Chevalier Ilario and sorcerer Dante start as the overdone cliches of "fop" and "brilliant but moody outsider sorcerer".
OVERVIEW/ANALYSIS: Sabria is a pseudo-Renaissance kingdom with mostly French/Italian naming conventions that is poised to enter an "Age of Reason" under the leadership of King Philippe. Wracked by the terrible "Blood Wars" some hundred years ago, the nobility and magicians of Sabria formed a compact in which all study and use of magic comes under the aegis of the Camarilla Magica under strict rules and regulations. As magical ability seems to be diminishing among the lines of Sabria' sorcerers, many people including the king himself consider it no more than a stage trick at best or con game at worst and Philippe is promoting the study of science and the advancement of technology.
However not all is rosy since Philippe though now standing on the throne for a good number of years is an "outsider king", being only a distant heir of the previous king who died childless; his high-nobility wife Queen Eugenie was the bride of the former king too, with Philippe marrying her to consolidate his fragile hold on power. Queen Eugenie, while somewhat otherworldly - some saying she "became unbalanced" when her and Philippe's only son died - is a strong believer in magic and has two powerful sorcerers as her own Camarilla.
When an assassination was attempted against Philippe involving the worst kind of "blood magic" and with the scant evidence pointing to the Queen's court, if not the Queen herself, Philippe put his most trusted councilor, right hand man and childhood friend that he raised to the highest estates from a commoner birth, Michel de Vernase, Conte Ruggiere to investigate. However after a promising beginning, Michel has disappeared, Philippe is starting to fear the worst about his friend and time may be running out since soon there will be a symbolic anniversary where the mysterious forces of the "dark" may attack again and finish the job this time.
Desperate and not knowing whom else to trust, the king summons Portier in secret to investigate and prevent the feared next attack, though he saddles him with Ilario, the half-brother of Queen Eugenie and reputed half-wit and fop at the court as a representative of the "Queen's party", while for magical help Portier goes to Dante, the only known "outsider" sorcerer who got licensed by the Camarilla as the law requires but then retired to the countryside.
And from here the fun starts and we follow Portier trying to get a grip on events, manage his two companions as well as keeping a low profile as a secretary to one or the other.
There were several reasons that I kept reading even if it took me a while to get used with the style. The naming conventions worked extremely well for me and while seemingly a minor point, many recent fantasies I tried and were ok but not gripping to start with, lost me badly on that and off they went to a "fast read and forget" or an outright drop.
While the world of Spirit Lens is only slowly unfolding, I never lost the suspension of disbelief necessary to immerse in it. Whenever magicians are involved and especially in the context of a "cultural fight" for supremacy between magic and science/reason, I am always asking why the magicians are not in charge since as all human history teaches any "competitive advantage" (big warriors, literate priesthood, divine right...) is leveraged into domination and entrenched in societal structures and anyone who can demonstrably do magic automatically has such an advantage. Various books answer this in various ways, some more credible for me, some less, but here the whole setup with the Camarilla and the sorcerers slowly losing magical power as a class fits very well with my worldview.
After I got into the style of the novel and its happenings started hooking me, its main attraction were the twists and turns and the characters about whom slowly we start having quite different impressions than at the start. Revelations from the past coupled to traits that come at fore only after a while mean that what we believe at the beginning will be quite changed by the end. This unpredictability raised Spirit Lens most in my estimation since in so many genre books the characters are marked: "the destined one, the sidekick, the love interest, the villain, the noble but doomed one", while here there is much more subtlety and even at the end when we seemingly know a lot more, there is a lot of uncertainty at least with regard to the big picture.
And of course there is a lot of action, daring escapes, plots and counter plots so The Spirit Lens does not lag at all once it gets going, while its main thread is wrapped up so there is completion before the next installment. Highly recommended and a solid A, I will give it a re-read at some point later and may even raise my estimation of it now that I am comfortable with its style.
March 27, 2010
I have always been a fan of Carol Berg's books - ever since I picked up a copy of her Rai'kirah saga, in a used bookstore many years ago.
This book, is a perfect illustration of why.
Her ability to build believable worlds and characters is unparalleled in the writing world. From the first word to the last, her worlds live and breathe, their magic is alive, the characters suck you in and won't let you go.
With that said - this book continues all of those traditions and really begins to add on further dimensions. The characters speak and react to things in much the same way that anyone in the world might. Kings are affected by anger and rage, they refuse to doubt the loyalty of those that they believe in. When provided unarguable evidence against a friend or a loved one, people STILL refuse to believe.
It's true to life, in a way that few authors can manage.
The main characters in this particular series are a trio of exasperatingly likable fellows. Portier, the main character is a distant, distant relation to the King, who gets drawn in to a world of politics and protocols and magic that is far beyond his ability to grasp. The King charges him to investigate an attempts on his life.
In order to accomplish this, Portier is assigned a partner. A man that the King calls trustworthy, but the entire world, Portier included, sees as a buffoon. Illario is a surprisingly enjoyable idiot. I oft found myself shaking my head and wondering and what purpose he might eventually serve.
The last of the trio is a brooding, arrogant, unkempt scoundrel of a sorcerer named Dante. He is brash, and believes (rightly so) that his brand of magic is superior to all others. What's more, he is unrepentant of all these qualities!
And still, she makes him likable.
Unfortunately, I can't say anything more without giving things away, but for anyone looking for a book to read, I highly recommend this book. It is the first in a new series, entitled the 'Collegia Magicka'.
This book, is a perfect illustration of why.
Her ability to build believable worlds and characters is unparalleled in the writing world. From the first word to the last, her worlds live and breathe, their magic is alive, the characters suck you in and won't let you go.
With that said - this book continues all of those traditions and really begins to add on further dimensions. The characters speak and react to things in much the same way that anyone in the world might. Kings are affected by anger and rage, they refuse to doubt the loyalty of those that they believe in. When provided unarguable evidence against a friend or a loved one, people STILL refuse to believe.
It's true to life, in a way that few authors can manage.
The main characters in this particular series are a trio of exasperatingly likable fellows. Portier, the main character is a distant, distant relation to the King, who gets drawn in to a world of politics and protocols and magic that is far beyond his ability to grasp. The King charges him to investigate an attempts on his life.
In order to accomplish this, Portier is assigned a partner. A man that the King calls trustworthy, but the entire world, Portier included, sees as a buffoon. Illario is a surprisingly enjoyable idiot. I oft found myself shaking my head and wondering and what purpose he might eventually serve.
The last of the trio is a brooding, arrogant, unkempt scoundrel of a sorcerer named Dante. He is brash, and believes (rightly so) that his brand of magic is superior to all others. What's more, he is unrepentant of all these qualities!
And still, she makes him likable.
Unfortunately, I can't say anything more without giving things away, but for anyone looking for a book to read, I highly recommend this book. It is the first in a new series, entitled the 'Collegia Magicka'.
February 10, 2015
This was a weird detective fantasy book. I've hardly ever read anything of the kind, if at all. It was probably closer to The Name of the Rose than to any of the fantasy books I've read. There were several interesting characters, including the main POV character and his two sidekicks as well as some secondary ones. The story was not the most exciting one and I'd have been very happy if the ending hadn't fizzled out. It was still a worthy read.
I can't decide whether this is a 3 or a 3.5 star read so I'm going for the lower rating.
I can't decide whether this is a 3 or a 3.5 star read so I'm going for the lower rating.
February 25, 2011
Portier de Savin Duplais, the 14th or 15th cousin of the King is tasked to investigate an attempted murder of the King by ambush, where a secret telescope is left behind at the murder scene by the killer, who bears evidence that he was a mule. A mule is a person who is bespelled by a magician. The King requires that Portier use the services of Ilaro de Sylvae, the bastard brother of the Queen, who acts like a flamboyant fop and fool. The King believes that Ilaro will open doors to the Queen's court. The Queen, who employs the services of two magicians, is suspected by the populous of being involved in the attempted murder. The King also reveals that a close friend and advisor of his has disappeared as well.
Portier enlists the services of Dante, a renowned magician, who is not affiliated with the dominant College Magica, and he joins the Queens court under cover.
Berg stylistic novel shows how Portier with the aid of his fellow agents confide shrewdly investigate the Queen's magical advisors and other plotters and figures out who is involved in the plot. At the same time, Portier and Ilaro are revealed as much more than they seem, and the Magician Dante is revealed as a powerful magician.
There is a lot of intrigue and the plot is engrossing.
This is a dense novel and there are no short pages or short chapters ala James Patterson, so it reads a lot longer than its 465 trade pages.
Its a winner.
Portier enlists the services of Dante, a renowned magician, who is not affiliated with the dominant College Magica, and he joins the Queens court under cover.
Berg stylistic novel shows how Portier with the aid of his fellow agents confide shrewdly investigate the Queen's magical advisors and other plotters and figures out who is involved in the plot. At the same time, Portier and Ilaro are revealed as much more than they seem, and the Magician Dante is revealed as a powerful magician.
There is a lot of intrigue and the plot is engrossing.
This is a dense novel and there are no short pages or short chapters ala James Patterson, so it reads a lot longer than its 465 trade pages.
Its a winner.
March 15, 2013
4.5 stars - Another beautiful book by Carol Berg. I enjoyed her Lighthouse Duet immensely and was equally thrilled with this book. There are certainly similar themes – family, blood, betrayal, societal strictures and competing core values – but The Spirit Lens weaves them in a new and interesting way.
In this Renaissance-type fantasy we see the practitioners of magic and science opposed to one another creating civil unrest. Science is moving ahead and magic is clearly falling out of favor. However, there is at least one or more sorcerers seeking revive the darkest practices of magic and bring down society as a whole. It may sound cliché but the story is told in an original and engaging manner with strong characters driving it. Wonderful and unexpected plot & character twists – this seems to be Berg’s signature- and a satisfying conclusion that leads nicely into the next book.
I especially enjoy Berg’s prose. It is fluid and poetic without being verbose or overreaching. She directs the plot nicely. The book is well-paced – it may seem slow if you are more of a mystery-thriller reader but I think it’s appropriate for this book. I would classify this book as a fantasy / gothic romance / mystery – think Rebecca or The Thirteenth Tale but with magic and science ;-)
FYI I'm only withholding that last 1/2 star because I think some of the characters developed too abruptly. I felt the character development in Flesh and Spirit and Breath and Bone was better.
In this Renaissance-type fantasy we see the practitioners of magic and science opposed to one another creating civil unrest. Science is moving ahead and magic is clearly falling out of favor. However, there is at least one or more sorcerers seeking revive the darkest practices of magic and bring down society as a whole. It may sound cliché but the story is told in an original and engaging manner with strong characters driving it. Wonderful and unexpected plot & character twists – this seems to be Berg’s signature- and a satisfying conclusion that leads nicely into the next book.
I especially enjoy Berg’s prose. It is fluid and poetic without being verbose or overreaching. She directs the plot nicely. The book is well-paced – it may seem slow if you are more of a mystery-thriller reader but I think it’s appropriate for this book. I would classify this book as a fantasy / gothic romance / mystery – think Rebecca or The Thirteenth Tale but with magic and science ;-)
FYI I'm only withholding that last 1/2 star because I think some of the characters developed too abruptly. I felt the character development in Flesh and Spirit and Breath and Bone was better.
May 3, 2010
A failed magic student turned meek librarian, a crude, rude magician turned outcast and hermit, and a foolish fop become unlikely allies in attempting to uncover vile practices and unspeakable necromancy aimed at King and Crown in this first book of the Collegia Magica. All have murky issues in their pasts, and none of them are what they seem. NOTHING is what it seems in this fantasy of illusion. Set in a world just beginning to discover the physical sciences and still feeling the scars from a history of savage sorcerous wars, this taut adventure twists and turns and teases the reader. The author shows impressive skills at revealing information while still concealing her mysterious villains. Our heroes stumble in and out of danger, distrusting one another, fearing for their own lives and the security of their kingdom. This is a GOOD one and I can't wait to read the next one in this series.
September 29, 2018
Mini-Review:
- 1st Listen -
Great start to a new series and loaded with information on several layers: plot, characters, motives, history, magic & connections. I like how the story seemed to morph as more information was dropped. Not sure if I love Portier. In some ways, he's too straight laced. I think he'll grow on me though.
Adding the series to my TBR! And keeping the audiobook in my current rotation to listen to between other stories.
- 1st Listen -
Great start to a new series and loaded with information on several layers: plot, characters, motives, history, magic & connections. I like how the story seemed to morph as more information was dropped. Not sure if I love Portier. In some ways, he's too straight laced. I think he'll grow on me though.
Adding the series to my TBR! And keeping the audiobook in my current rotation to listen to between other stories.
January 7, 2012
I kept flipping between liking this a lot and being quite involved in the events, and being rather bored with the lot of them. There were some nice twists, and I liked the tension between the world's science and its magic, but the characters weren't close to being my favourites. I will read/listen to the second at least, because Anne seems likely to be a more interesting POV character.
September 8, 2012
Basically reading anything by Carol Berg makes me despair of ever writing anything actually worth reading in my entire life. THE SPIRIT LENS is no different. Go forth, read it.
May 16, 2024
4.25/5 stars for now but may change.
I really enjoyed reading this book. It is a fantasy mystery/investigation novel with a setting similar to late medieval France. A librarian from the collegia magica is tasked by the king to investigate an assassination attempt that appears to involve blood transference (a type of blood magic). As usual, Berg's character are really well written in this one and the prose is awesome. Magic and the way it's described was also very cool. Definitely not a hyper detailed hard magic system, but Berg does get into describing the piece by piece "construction" of spells, mental training and close examinations of the physical world and object history required. I thought it was pretty interesting.
I really enjoyed reading this book. It is a fantasy mystery/investigation novel with a setting similar to late medieval France. A librarian from the collegia magica is tasked by the king to investigate an assassination attempt that appears to involve blood transference (a type of blood magic). As usual, Berg's character are really well written in this one and the prose is awesome. Magic and the way it's described was also very cool. Definitely not a hyper detailed hard magic system, but Berg does get into describing the piece by piece "construction" of spells, mental training and close examinations of the physical world and object history required. I thought it was pretty interesting.
July 25, 2011
I’ve decided to read this book after reading a few good critics praising the freshness and the marvellous world built by Carol Berg where magic and science were pitied against each other. Indeed it seemed like a refreshing topic, a universe where both fields exist in a flimsy balance.
The book starts with Portier Savin-Duplais, a failed student of sorcery and reserved librarian being asked by his distant cousin Phillipe (who also happens to be the King of Sabria) to investigate a strange murder attempt on his life. To do this, the king lends him Illario, the queen’s knight and brother (also know for being one of the biggest fools in the realm) and since the murder attempt was of a magic nature, Portier recruits also Dante, a rogue master mage with powers no other sorcerer in the land can match and a short temper to go with it.
Despite having a good premise I cannot give this book more than 2.5 stars.
I did like the story on the whole but was left with the feeling this book could be so much more than what it actually gives us. First of all the writing was stuffy and meandering. The author seemed to want to show how well she could use her writing skills. This is the first book by Berg that I’ve read and people do say it’s not her best (which I tend to believe), but after braving chapter after chapter of intricate descriptions and paragraphs that only seem to be there just to show us her prowess with a dictionary, I really don’t feel like reading anything else by her. This was written in a very roundabout fashion, which mainly hinted at mysteries and answers and seemed to never give you a straight answer about the simplest of plot points.
Then, I didn’t like most of the characters. Portier was too self pitying, Illario was so big of a fool that I couldn’t help to feel from the start that it was all for show. And I was right. Dante was just too disagreeable, Maura was half a character, Michel de Vernasse was a too obvious villain and in the end not even the mystery of “who dunnit” worked that well, mainly because after 400 pages we still don’t know who did it…not for sure. The only thing that still intrigues me is what the hell is wrong with Dante, but since that question was left unanswered in this first book I think I’ll never know as I’m left with no energy to finish this trilogy.
The stars I give this book are mainly because I acknowledge that Berg does have a way with words and it was a good effort to create a mystery novel with interesting characters. Alas, for me it failed short.
The book starts with Portier Savin-Duplais, a failed student of sorcery and reserved librarian being asked by his distant cousin Phillipe (who also happens to be the King of Sabria) to investigate a strange murder attempt on his life. To do this, the king lends him Illario, the queen’s knight and brother (also know for being one of the biggest fools in the realm) and since the murder attempt was of a magic nature, Portier recruits also Dante, a rogue master mage with powers no other sorcerer in the land can match and a short temper to go with it.
Despite having a good premise I cannot give this book more than 2.5 stars.
I did like the story on the whole but was left with the feeling this book could be so much more than what it actually gives us. First of all the writing was stuffy and meandering. The author seemed to want to show how well she could use her writing skills. This is the first book by Berg that I’ve read and people do say it’s not her best (which I tend to believe), but after braving chapter after chapter of intricate descriptions and paragraphs that only seem to be there just to show us her prowess with a dictionary, I really don’t feel like reading anything else by her. This was written in a very roundabout fashion, which mainly hinted at mysteries and answers and seemed to never give you a straight answer about the simplest of plot points.
Then, I didn’t like most of the characters. Portier was too self pitying, Illario was so big of a fool that I couldn’t help to feel from the start that it was all for show. And I was right. Dante was just too disagreeable, Maura was half a character, Michel de Vernasse was a too obvious villain and in the end not even the mystery of “who dunnit” worked that well, mainly because after 400 pages we still don’t know who did it…not for sure. The only thing that still intrigues me is what the hell is wrong with Dante, but since that question was left unanswered in this first book I think I’ll never know as I’m left with no energy to finish this trilogy.
The stars I give this book are mainly because I acknowledge that Berg does have a way with words and it was a good effort to create a mystery novel with interesting characters. Alas, for me it failed short.
December 26, 2012
In this fantasy Renaissance kingdom, magic falters as scientific discoveries begin to be made. Portier's only dream was to be a sorcerer, but although he can sense magic he cannot perform it himself. Instead, he becomes the magical college's librarian. After long years spent among dusty books, he is summoned to the king's side to investigate repeated attempts on the king's life. Every piece of evidence points at the queen, but the king refuses to believe the worst of her without definitive proof. Portier enlists the help of the queen's foppish brother Ilario and a hedge-mage, Dante, in his quest for answers.
This is basically the most boring, anti-climictic, unengaging book I have read in a long time. The world building is pretty good (Blood Wars! exposing the blood line sigil on your hand at every meeting! secret heirs!) but the plot is sooooooooooooo slow, and the characters haphazard. Even worse, the few bits of plot Berg does grant the reader are either buried and given no emphasis, or are so obvious that every reader knew it from page 1. It takes nearly 300 pages to discover that It's hard to buy that Portier is an intelligent man--or even conscious--when he misses such incredibly obvious clues. And to add insult to injury, after slogging through ~500 pages of Portier stumbling upon clues and witnesses randomly blurting out the truth, there is no ending to the plot! Berg abruptly seems to have realized that her book is about to end, has an OFF SCREEN climactic trial, then drops a half dozen hamfisted clues and foreshadowing about .
Reading this book was an exercise in frustration. I do not recommend it, and I do not intend to read anything else by this author.
This is basically the most boring, anti-climictic, unengaging book I have read in a long time. The world building is pretty good (Blood Wars! exposing the blood line sigil on your hand at every meeting! secret heirs!) but the plot is sooooooooooooo slow, and the characters haphazard. Even worse, the few bits of plot Berg does grant the reader are either buried and given no emphasis, or are so obvious that every reader knew it from page 1. It takes nearly 300 pages to discover that It's hard to buy that Portier is an intelligent man--or even conscious--when he misses such incredibly obvious clues. And to add insult to injury, after slogging through ~500 pages of Portier stumbling upon clues and witnesses randomly blurting out the truth, there is no ending to the plot! Berg abruptly seems to have realized that her book is about to end, has an OFF SCREEN climactic trial, then drops a half dozen hamfisted clues and foreshadowing about .
Reading this book was an exercise in frustration. I do not recommend it, and I do not intend to read anything else by this author.
July 26, 2011
2 1/2
A sort of cop-procedural type mystery story set in a fantasy setting, with Portier being the king's spy to try and find out the truth behind an assassination attempt along with Ilario, the fop, and Dante, the taciturn mage.
It was very slow going at first with some, imo, extraneous world building and belabored set-up. It did pick up about half-way through, though, which is what saved it from a full 2-star rating.
The mystery part of it was interesting enough, though based on some reviews I read I was expecting more twists and turns.
The real downfall, for me, is that I never really clicked with the characters. Portier was kind of annoying with all his well-meaning fumbling, Ilario was interesting, though I guessed his secret almost from the outset, and Dante - Dante was the most frustrating. I didn't really like the direction his arc went, or the fact that he kept withholding information so that we'd have to stumble through it the hard way. (I hate that in stories.)
Anyway, since there were various threads left dangling for the next stories, and since I did find the story to be interesting enough, I am curious to discover what happens and how it all wraps up. That said, I'm not sure I'm interested enough to continue reading, because the style just didn't mesh for me. I'm sort of of the mind to jump onto Wikipedia, or something, and read plot synopsis rather than actually reading the next two books.
On the other hand, I'm not entirely opposed to reading the books, either, but I think it'll take a group-read or mini-read or something to garner the impetus to do so.
ETA: I will say I liked the differences in the styles of magic between the Colleges more ritualized magic and Dante's more wild and/or natural/essential magic.
A sort of cop-procedural type mystery story set in a fantasy setting, with Portier being the king's spy to try and find out the truth behind an assassination attempt along with Ilario, the fop, and Dante, the taciturn mage.
It was very slow going at first with some, imo, extraneous world building and belabored set-up. It did pick up about half-way through, though, which is what saved it from a full 2-star rating.
The mystery part of it was interesting enough, though based on some reviews I read I was expecting more twists and turns.
The real downfall, for me, is that I never really clicked with the characters. Portier was kind of annoying with all his well-meaning fumbling, Ilario was interesting, though I guessed his secret almost from the outset, and Dante - Dante was the most frustrating. I didn't really like the direction his arc went, or the fact that he kept withholding information so that we'd have to stumble through it the hard way. (I hate that in stories.)
Anyway, since there were various threads left dangling for the next stories, and since I did find the story to be interesting enough, I am curious to discover what happens and how it all wraps up. That said, I'm not sure I'm interested enough to continue reading, because the style just didn't mesh for me. I'm sort of of the mind to jump onto Wikipedia, or something, and read plot synopsis rather than actually reading the next two books.
On the other hand, I'm not entirely opposed to reading the books, either, but I think it'll take a group-read or mini-read or something to garner the impetus to do so.
ETA: I will say I liked the differences in the styles of magic between the Colleges more ritualized magic and Dante's more wild and/or natural/essential magic.
August 6, 2025
It's not *bad*, but it's slow and a bit dull, and none of the main three characters come across as particularly endearing.
October 14, 2011
I feel a little weird about giving this book (and its sequel) 5 stars, because they are not, and do not aim to be, Great Literature. This book certainly does not have the depth and layers of Eco's 'The Name of the Rose,' although it shares a similar atmosphere. However, for sheer entertainment value - I just love Berg's writing, and this is definitely one of her best.
It's a well-crafted genre mystery, with wizards.
Intrigue and plot twists abound, and there a lots of clues to put together and figure out.
The atmosphere is an enjoyable pseudo-Renaissance fantasy world, and the protagonist is a librarian (yay librarian heroes, even if my one quibble is that there could have been a bit more actual librarianship in the book!)
The librarian in question is a distant cousin of the king, and is summoned to court to secretly investigate a failed attempt on the king's life. The queen is suspected; the king believes her innocent... but will the investigation clear her name, or uncover layers of conspiracy and shady dealings?
It's a well-crafted genre mystery, with wizards.
Intrigue and plot twists abound, and there a lots of clues to put together and figure out.
The atmosphere is an enjoyable pseudo-Renaissance fantasy world, and the protagonist is a librarian (yay librarian heroes, even if my one quibble is that there could have been a bit more actual librarianship in the book!)
The librarian in question is a distant cousin of the king, and is summoned to court to secretly investigate a failed attempt on the king's life. The queen is suspected; the king believes her innocent... but will the investigation clear her name, or uncover layers of conspiracy and shady dealings?
October 21, 2015
I love the world-building here (I'm a sucker for Renaissance-level tech), and the characters are engaging, but my genre expectations were calibrated wrong. This was billed to me as a procedural mystery, and for a significant portion of the book it is. But a procedural--a mystery--needs more than a suspect; it needs a motive, a moment when I go, "Ah ha, of course!" Here, the motive was muddy at best. I never had that satisfying moment of revelation; instead, it emerged, the entire book was simply set-up. Which, fair enough, it is a trilogy, and I will read onward--but I was hoping that the volumes would stand on their own.
February 12, 2011
Not her best book (others may disagree), but some of Berg's best writing. The tale was just too gritty for my taste. Berg obviously loves words and uses them well.
Love the voice of the POV character. His humor and humanity made him sympathetic ... even when he wasn't. Only once "broke character" which he castigated himself for the rest of the book, but it was way out of character for him.
Love the misdirection--some of which Portier catches, some of which he doesn't.
Cover art quibble: who is this lout? Not Portier. Not Ilario. Certainly not Dante. Distracted from the experience.
Love the voice of the POV character. His humor and humanity made him sympathetic ... even when he wasn't. Only once "broke character" which he castigated himself for the rest of the book, but it was way out of character for him.
Love the misdirection--some of which Portier catches, some of which he doesn't.
Cover art quibble: who is this lout? Not Portier. Not Ilario. Certainly not Dante. Distracted from the experience.
August 25, 2012
Sue Adams I thought this was a really good book and a good start to a fantasy series.
It's written in first person, narrated by the king's spy, and plenty happens to keep you listening.
As I listened to it in audio format, I will add that the narrator was just okay. His voice was quite annoying. He spoke in a middle class English accent with some oddities, such as 'dawg' and 'sawft' for dog and soft. He sounded quite old for the character too.
I will definitely buy book two, The Mirror of Souls, as it has a different first person narrator, a woman, so the reader will be different.
It's written in first person, narrated by the king's spy, and plenty happens to keep you listening.
As I listened to it in audio format, I will add that the narrator was just okay. His voice was quite annoying. He spoke in a middle class English accent with some oddities, such as 'dawg' and 'sawft' for dog and soft. He sounded quite old for the character too.
I will definitely buy book two, The Mirror of Souls, as it has a different first person narrator, a woman, so the reader will be different.
February 1, 2010
Carol Berg's books are always a learning experience...her worlds are always different from one another, but have so much realistic detail that it's amazing they're not really REAL! The mystery in this one...the many of them...actually did surprise me. Although...it's never a mystery who her main character falls in love with (and that's the only quibble I ever have with her books). It was a great read and I look forward to see what else she may come up with for this new universe of hers.
January 26, 2010
Both the language and the characters' relationships are more formal and stilted than I prefer and made the first 1/3 of the book a bit difficult for me to get through. As I became acclimated to the author's words and world though, I enjoyed the book more and more until I was very sorry to have to put it down when finished. Looks like there will be a sequel though, so more good stuff to come.
February 9, 2011
A librarian/archivist at the Collegia Magica takes on the investigation of a series of murders and the disappearance of the King's right hand man, with help from a foppish lordling and a powerful but decidedly pissy sorceror. Reminiscent in tone, setting and types of characters to NAME OF THE ROSE.
August 19, 2015
4.5*
This book has been sitting on my shelf for years, and I'm a bit annoyed at myself that it took me this long to dive in.
This book has been sitting on my shelf for years, and I'm a bit annoyed at myself that it took me this long to dive in.
April 9, 2017
I don't want to finish this book. Struggle with the writing style. Don't care about the caracters.
October 3, 2024
The first 50 pages of this book would've gotten two stars. It was so. damn. slow. to start, I almost gave up, but I promised myself to at least TRY to get 100 pages in before I quit, and I'm so glad I didn't because this was a GREAT mystery with really interesting characters. It's definitely not a five star, not only bc of the plodding start but because there were still a lot of whys left for me at the end-- --and I think the best mysteries tie up all the questions and all the dropped hints (much as I hate referencing the bigot lady's books, Prisoner of Azkaban is one of the best mystery books going for this exact reason).
There are still a bunch of suspicions I have that weren't even remotely addressed, like , but there were so many points that were neatly tied off that I'm not letting the incompleteness affect my judgment, lol. I will also say that I wanted more Ilario than we got, especially after he and Portier go to Eltevire-- from the jump he reminded me of a more flamboyant Laurent de Vere, which bore out in the back half of the book, so please more of him in the sequel, thanks.
I'll also note that I admit I'm being hyper critical because there was so much here to love. The clues were delivered at a steady pace, the stakes ramping up as the clock ticked down to the king's deadline, and the plot was not hard to follow while also not being easily guessed; I could never quite see where things were headed until they were revealed.
I *will* be going on to the sequel, The Soul Mirror, but I don't plan to read the third one just because it seems to be pretty universally panned by people who loved the first two, but we'll see how I feel after finishing the second one. Either way, stoked to check this off my list at last, and definitely recommend it to anyone who likes a good fantasy magic-based mystery.
There are still a bunch of suspicions I have that weren't even remotely addressed, like , but there were so many points that were neatly tied off that I'm not letting the incompleteness affect my judgment, lol. I will also say that I wanted more Ilario than we got, especially after he and Portier go to Eltevire-- from the jump he reminded me of a more flamboyant Laurent de Vere, which bore out in the back half of the book, so please more of him in the sequel, thanks.
I'll also note that I admit I'm being hyper critical because there was so much here to love. The clues were delivered at a steady pace, the stakes ramping up as the clock ticked down to the king's deadline, and the plot was not hard to follow while also not being easily guessed; I could never quite see where things were headed until they were revealed.
I *will* be going on to the sequel, The Soul Mirror, but I don't plan to read the third one just because it seems to be pretty universally panned by people who loved the first two, but we'll see how I feel after finishing the second one. Either way, stoked to check this off my list at last, and definitely recommend it to anyone who likes a good fantasy magic-based mystery.
November 16, 2020
CW:
I wasn't quite expecting a mystery in a fantasy world. I was debating between 3/4 stars, but in the end I went with 4 because while a lot of pieces of this book didn't quite come together for me, I was interested enough that I did buy the sequel (which was better, IMO).
This is a wide-reaching story and I often couldn't predict where it would lead. I thought the story could have been tighter as it sometimes felt a bit slow. I also wanted more central female characters. I felt a bit of an emotional disconnect with some of the characters, but I did find them interesting and believable. At times I found this book too dark.
If you liked this one well enough, I do recommend reading the second, as I thought it was a better book. You might also like this if you're looking for fantasy/mystery with minimal romance.
I wasn't quite expecting a mystery in a fantasy world. I was debating between 3/4 stars, but in the end I went with 4 because while a lot of pieces of this book didn't quite come together for me, I was interested enough that I did buy the sequel (which was better, IMO).
This is a wide-reaching story and I often couldn't predict where it would lead. I thought the story could have been tighter as it sometimes felt a bit slow. I also wanted more central female characters. I felt a bit of an emotional disconnect with some of the characters, but I did find them interesting and believable. At times I found this book too dark.
If you liked this one well enough, I do recommend reading the second, as I thought it was a better book. You might also like this if you're looking for fantasy/mystery with minimal romance.
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