9/10
Dark fantasy, layered characters, and a more complex plot than it first appears to be. Favorite characters? Colivar, Gwynofar, and the Witch-Queen. I plan to read the rest of the series in the coming months. ( )

There are a couple of things I really loved about this book. First is the fact that Friedman never withholds information about her world just for the sake of creating suspense or avoiding exposition or whatever other excuse too many fantasy writers use to keep their readers in a state of complete befuddlement. Friedman tells us right off the bat that Magister power is derived by draining the lifeforce from other human beings. Any other author would have dragged that out for chapters and chapters, dropping tantalizing hints and ominous foreshadowing. But Friedman is more interested in examining the way that the source of their power affects Magisters, and how they differ from witches, who must drain their own life force to use magic. It's a fascinating system, and one that sets up complex moral and ethical issues, which are explored sympathetically and in depth.

The second thing I loved is that there is no "hero" in this story. No starry-eyed youth coming of age; no hard-bitten veteran called back to fight a final battle; no hidden prince discovering his destiny. There is a protagonist, sure. There are victims and opportunists, bad people who do good things and good people who do bad things. Perhaps unfortunately, there is an easily identifiable bad guy, complete with a requisite army of minions set to Take Over the World. But who will stand against him, who will sit this one out, and who will throw their hat into the ring of eeeevil? For that matter, given that a fairly important character dies in this book, who will still be left to even fight the final battle? I don't know, and I love it.
This is fantasy at its best. Friedman asks you to think, to withhold judgment, to put yourself in her characters' shoes and ask yourself honestly what you would do. There's a point to be made here, and she does it elegantly, subtly, and with a razor-sharp edge. I can't wait for the rest of this series. ( )

The story seems to be reasonably interesting, but this book is not pulling me in. I read in one of the other reviews that the reviewer had problems connecting to the main character, and I have the same thing. It shouldn't have been so hard; despite the fact that she doesn't care that using her power kills someone I think there should be enough to like. She is determined, strong and she does care about people (despite the spoiler). But I can't really care anyway, and I don't feel like spending more time on it, so I stopped halfway through. ( )

Strong finish but the first half was painfully slow. Doubt I'll read the sequels, but I don't regret reading it ( )

Previous to reading this book I have read all of Friedmann’s other novels (aside from the Magister series) and really enjoyed them. I ended up really enjoying this book first novel in the Magister series as well. This is a beautifully written epic fantasy series with engaging characters, an interesting magic system, and an intricate plot.

I listened to this on audiobook and it was very well done. I thoroughly enjoyed this as an audiobook and plan on listening to the rest of the series on audiobook as well. I would definitely recommend if you enjoy audiobooks.

The story follow a number of different characters. The first of these is Kamala, a young woman who is determined to become a Magister when previously only men have become Magisters. The second is Andovan, a young prince who is suffering from a wasting disease and decides to strike out on his own to find the cause of this illness. We also hear from a number of Magisters, the mad king Danton, and the king’s wife Gwen.

I love the magic system in this book. It is intriguing and interesting to learn about. All the characters are very engaging and easy to read about, even the evil ones. The story is complex but easy to follow and has themes of good vs evil. I also love all the thoughts and questions around how magic is used and if the Magisters lives are really worth more than anyone else's.

Overall this was an excellent epic fantasy read. I would recommend to those who enjoy epic fantasies with interesting magic systems and classic themes of good vs evil. ( )