Title: The Novice Author: Taran Matharu Rating: 4/5 Stars Genre: YA Fantasy Publisher: Feiwel and Friends Publication Date: May 5, 2015 Hardcover: 398 pages Stand Alone or Series: First in a Series How did I get this book: Free In Exchange for an honest review Format: Hardcover Why did I read this book: I have had my eye on this beautiful cover for a while but when I got the chance to review The Novice and its sequel The Inquisition I was ecstatic!! |
As the pieces on the board maneuver for supremacy, Fletcher must decide where his loyalties lie. The fate of an empire is in his hands. The Novice is the first in a trilogy about Fletcher, his demon Ignatius, and the war against the Orcs.
"The men and women who rise to greatness are the risk takers, the gamblers. Those who take all or nothing.”
Review
When the description mentioned summoning demons I had visions of gigantic hell beasts and lots of blood and gore but it wasn't like that at all. The demons are more like pokemon caught and used in battle but treated as pets and loved members of the family. A summoner is hugely connected to its demon both physically and mentally it takes a toll on the summoner if his demon dies or is injured. Learning about the different types of demons and what powers they have was probably one of the more enjoyable parts to the book.
After Fletcher realized he is a summoner he heads to the Academy where the school is divided by commoners and the nobles. I have never been a fan of the class differences troupe but Matharu executes it very well. I hate comparing books to other books but the academy is basically a magic school (among other things) so any fan of Harry Potter will love this! The magic system is brutal at times but beautiful and unique!
My dislikes were minimal but I would have like more showing and less telling when it cam to world building. There was a bit of info dumping that I think could have been done a bit better and the writing techniques were not the best but I halfway expect that from someones debut novel.