err, yeah, the story continues, kinda

Any additional comments?

So the story continues from the first book, and 75% of the world building seems to disappear. This could probably stand on its own because there are very few connections to the first book. Unlike the first book, this book gets mired in sexual orientation...which feels forced and overly highlighted...I guess marketing thought it would be a great idea to create some buzz. If it was the main character, it would have added some dimension, but because it was a throw away character...it just feels forced. Ignoring that aspect, the book is about 38 chapters too long. There is some minor growth, but the timeline, travel times..etc, but its all so minor, that its just ugh. If you expect to hear more of the interaction with the city, you might want to adjust that expectation...that was part of world building that was thrown away...as are 98% of the characters from the city.

The performance supports this story, and I will probably get the last book just to end it...because, well, it is a nice waste of time...even if I spend a lot of time swearing at the author and proof readers...or was that marketing...one of them at least.

5 people found this helpful

Amazing

Where does The Novice rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

The Novice is a great book to listen to, Richard Aspel makes Trudi Canavan's book come to life, he shows emotion and speaks clearly

2 people found this helpful

Usually agree

I usually agree with most of the reviewers of an audiobook before I end up buying it. Not so much this time. This story is just "ok".

1) It drags A LOT
2) The antagonists behavior and the protagonist's reaction to it don't really draw me into the story. I think part of the problem is that we don't really get a true sense of who the antagonist is. Something just feels a bit off about the way they interact with each other.
3) The "research" plot line could be eliminated completely. Every time the audio switched over to that story I wanted to rip my eyes out. Also what's with the doubts and questions surrounding homosexuality? It just didn't make any sense, nor did the heterosexuality either. There's no passion of either kind. The author should have just stuck to the magic and left sexuality out; it wasn't believable when it was brought into the story.
3 Stars because:
a) the "magic" part of the book held my interest...
b) the book got better once I hit the 2X speed on my ipod (the narrator is a SLOW reader too)

7 people found this helpful

I should have read the negative reviews...

This book wasn’t for you, but who do you think might enjoy it more?

Positive thoughts first. The first book was good. It had a solid story arch and interesting, clear cut character goals. You will likely buy this book to satisfy your curiosity gained from the first one. The narrator for the book did a great job of allowing the characters to have their own personality and really helped to bring the book to life. So you may also buy it because you like the narrator. That said the second book was all but dead, despite his talent. Multiple times I verbally screamed at my headphones.

What was most disappointing about Trudi Canavan’s story?

There is a rule that you cannot practice magic outside of class in the book, but apparently, as the Pirates of the Caribbean put it, “They’re more like guidelines.” The rule is broken over and over again. It would have been better if it never had existed. It ruined my suspension of belief.

Brandon Sanderson, an amazing fantasy writer, wrote this wonderful article titled Sanderson’s First Law. In it he talks about soft magic and hard magic, detailing how magic systems can have hard fast laws or be that mysterious thing that makes our pulse quicken. You cannot solve stories with soft magic because then you have Deus ex machina. Well, in my opinion, the rules are vague enough for the magic in the book for it to be considered soft magic, and the resolution is so tied to magic that I feel that’s exactly what happened at the end: Deus ex machina. (In simple English weak story telling)

Another thing that left a bad taste in my mouth was the inconsistent character decisions. Over and over again I felt like the characters were performing actions to move the story forward, not because that is what they would do. I’d tell you how but so much of the story rested on decisions that I felt were unbelievable or inconsistent for the character.

The story arch was muddled and confusing. It wasn’t clear until the very end of the book what the main character wanted to accomplish… or at least how she was trying to accomplish this goal.

Finally, the secondary story arch was completely unneeded. (More on this later)

Which character – as performed by Richard Aspel – was your favorite?

High Lord Akkarin was masterfully turned into a sinister friend by the narrator. I knew the High Lord wanted things to stay friendly, but at the same time I worried over why he kept his friends in the dark. That said, I never found out. (More on this later).

If you could play editor, what scene or scenes would you have cut from The Novice?

Lord Dannyl’s story arch could have been skipped entirely. If ever it was apparent that an author was trying to push his or her worldview on the reader it would be here. Preachy on the level of a pastor. The relevance to the main story plot could have been stripped out into a few summary sentences and the things happening around Sonea could have been explained more fully.

For example… what on earth is High Lord Akkarin up to? Can he be trusted? That’s what I bought the second book for. By the end of this book, I strongly believed there would be no decent explanation as to why he was keeping his friends in the dark, and by the way, there isn’t an explanation in this book for that.

Any additional comments?

Epilogue. An epilogue isn’t really part of the main story, and yet, it revealed in a few minutes, everything that I wanted to know over the course of the book. In summary, all but the epilogue was a waste of time. She should have focused on covering that content throughout the book and not half of what she did cover. I would have loved a book that focused on the High Lord, versus another novice who antagonizes her like he is 4 years old, with little believable motivation.

My advice, go buy The Way of Kings.

9 people found this helpful

Bullies in Magic School

I know some others may have given this book in the series harsh reviews but the book is actually very entertaining. I think what might make others think the book is boring or not good is that the subject is about bullying, discrimination and persecution. The main characters faces an unending volley of pranks, and abusive behavior from her classmates as she discovers how much more powerful she is compared to the others. Being that she isn't from the same class as they are (she's from the slums and they are of noble birth) it becomes all too easy for others to fall in line with her bully. I like the way the author makes you as the listener/reader uncomfortable as she gives glimpses of the main characters thoughts and emotions regarding the events that unfold. On top of the bullying there is real danger that a black magician may find out she knows his secret - which is why she cannot prove her innocence when accused of thieving. I found the book very entertaining and did get some satisfaction at the end for the heroine. The only thing that might need improving is the cadence of the reading - but as this is the second book I am used to it so it doesn't really bother me at all and is only a minute problem (if any).

1 person found this helpful

Weaving a web of plots and story lines.

Would you listen to The Novice again? Why?

Yes! This second book in the Black Magician's Trilogy pulls on the strings of the many different character stories and weaves them together into a compelling story.

Who was your favorite character and why?

The High Lord. One of the few characters who's story is still wrapped in a cloak of mystery. He's intriguing and beguiling and it sucks you into the story!

What does Richard Aspel bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

I'm sure that Richard Aspel would add something to the right story. However, this series is not one that I actually enjoy him reading.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Not extreme, but it did certainly leave me wanting more.

Any additional comments?

Love this book and have read it and/or listened to it three times already!

1 person found this helpful

Could be a lot shorter!

While I'm still interested in the characters, there is too much repeation in all of the storylines in this second book. I understand that the characters are growing in their knowledge/skills, but they are doing it at such a slow pace that it feels like the book is happening in real time and that it's been months since I started. I've decided to get the third book for my Kindles because it is easier to skim the written word.

1 person found this helpful

The Magician's Guild

Very enjoyable listen. This audible book helped me through my spring cleaning. Thank you very much. Your fan.

1 person found this helpful

second book is great

The first book to a bit to get into, but I really enjoyed this one! I cared about the characters a lot, and there was lots of suspense and a couple of different plots. Going for the third one now.

1 person found this helpful

Great trilogy

worth the time and money spent it keep me going on all three books. wish they had more.

3 people found this helpful