[Book Review] The Innocent Mage

[chroniclesofabookworm]

BY: Karen Miller
SERIES: Kingmaker, Kingbreaker (#1)
RATING: 1 out 5
RELEASES: September 1, 2007 by Orbit
GENRE: Fantasy, Speculative fiction, High Fantasy
AGE RANGE: Adult
SYNOPSIS: Enter the kingdom of Lur, where to use magic unlawfully means death.

The Doranen have ruled Lur with magic since arriving as refugees centuries ago. Theirs was a desperate flight to escape the wrath of a powerful mage who started a bitter war in their homeland. To keep Lur safe, the native Olken inhabitants agreed to abandon their own magic. Magic is now forbidden them, and any who break this law are executed.

Asher left his coastal village to make his fortune. Employed in the royal stables, he soon finds himself befriended by Prince Gar and given more money and power than he'd ever dreamed possible. But the Olken have a secret; a prophecy. The Innocent Mage will save Lur from destruction and members of The Circle have dedicated themselves to preserving Olken magic until this day arrives. Unbeknownst to Asher, he has been watched closely. As the Final Days approach, his life takes a new and unexpected turn ...


REVIEW: Enter the kingdom of Lur, where using magic unlawfully means death.

Thousands of years ago, Doranen refugees arrived in Lur and established a magic-based rule over the land. They fled a bitter war in their homeland, started by a powerful mage. To keep Lur safe, the native Olken inhabitants surrendered their magic. Anyone who breaks this law is executed.

To make his fortune, Asher left his coastal village. While working at the royal stables, he quickly befriended Prince Gar and gained power and money he had never imagined possible. Olkens, though, has a secret; a prophecy. Members of The Circle are dedicated to preserving Olken magic until the Innocent Mage saves Lur. Asher is unaware that someone is closely observing him. His life takes an unexpected turn as the Final Days approach.

I was very disappointed with this book on every level. Although the concept was intriguing and held great potential, its execution was lacking. I don't even know why I continued reading it. I kept reading the book just so I could see what happened, which in retrospect is a terrible reason to keep reading a book.

As I reflected after 500 pages, I realized that nothing significant had happened. Most of the time, the main characters walk around talking about things that are unimportant to the story's premise. The idea is that there are two groups in this world. One is magicless and peasant-like, and the other is the ruling class, gifted with magic. Yet no one seems resentful of it.

A well-balanced tension between the two people would have made things much more interesting. The characters constantly mention magic, but no one uses it until the last few chapters, which is lame. This story features the "chosen by prophecy" character, but nothing happens. There is not even a hint of what the main character is supposed to be.

There was a terrible "cliffhanger" at the end of the book that made me not want to read the sequel. A book that is incredibly boring just so you can find out what's going to happen is not worth reading, I learned.
In summary, the book's lack of significant events, underdeveloped tension, and unfulfilled promises make it a disappointing read.