enne📚 reviewed Servant Mage by Kate Elliott
Servant Mage
3 stars
This is a fantasy novella about an indentured mage named Fellian, trying to keep her head down but gets inextricably caught up in a civil war between rebel liberationists and monarchists. I definitely appreciated that both sides seemed not especially trustworthy and everybody is keeping secrets.
Not that there aren't interesting things here with the aether realm and wraiths, but I was a little turned off of another "here are the five elements" magic system. This book also has some feelings of Dragon Age-esque mage persecution (although more political here than in Dragon Age, and mechanically NOT having mages seems actually more dangerous).
The conclusion to this novel feels very true to Fellian's character, but also not substantive enough closure for a novella. Were this part one of a novel, I'd be excited to keep reading, but it doesn't quite stand enough on its own. I felt like …
This is a fantasy novella about an indentured mage named Fellian, trying to keep her head down but gets inextricably caught up in a civil war between rebel liberationists and monarchists. I definitely appreciated that both sides seemed not especially trustworthy and everybody is keeping secrets.
Not that there aren't interesting things here with the aether realm and wraiths, but I was a little turned off of another "here are the five elements" magic system. This book also has some feelings of Dragon Age-esque mage persecution (although more political here than in Dragon Age, and mechanically NOT having mages seems actually more dangerous).
The conclusion to this novel feels very true to Fellian's character, but also not substantive enough closure for a novella. Were this part one of a novel, I'd be excited to keep reading, but it doesn't quite stand enough on its own. I felt like there wasn't quite enough here to keep my interest.
