A Trial of Sorcerers by Elise Kova
I will bang on about this series for as long as I am blogging. It’s one of my favourites of all time even though I haven’t read the final book yet. I was actually lucky enough to receive advanced copies of the first two books and these were very easy 5 and 4.5 stars.
Eira is a great main character. You see quite a shift in her development throughout the first four books and while I’m not a fan of a love triangle, I’m obsessed with the romance in this series. Cullen is seriously swoonworthy, even though he isn’t great to begin with, I still loved him in book one.
There’s a lot to love about this series. If you’ve read the Air Awakens series, this is set in the same world and features a few characters you already know. There’s also so much action and the pacing is much quicker than the previous series. It does take a while to get to the actual tournament but there’s a lot going on in the background.
I will always recommend Elise Kova’s books, she’s never let me down.
Synopsis: Ice is in her blood.
Eighteen-year-old Waterrunner Eira Landan lives her life in the shadows — the shadow of her older brother, of her magic’s whispers, and of the person she accidentally killed. She’s the most unwanted apprentice in the Tower of Sorcerers until the day she decides to step out and compete for a spot in the Tournament of Five Kingdoms.
Pitted against the best sorcerers in the Empire, Eira fights to be one of four champions. Excelling in the trials has its rewards. She’s invited to the royal court with the “Prince of the Tower,” discovers her rare talent for forbidden magic, and at midnight, Eira meets with a handsome elfin ambassador.
But, Eira soon learns, no reward is without risk. As she comes into the spotlight, so too do the skeletons of a past she hadn’t even realized was haunting her.
Eira went into the trials ready for a fight. Ready to win. She wasn’t ready for what it would cost her. No one expected the candidates might not make it out with their lives.
The Spoken Mage by Melanie Cellier
I read this series quite a long time ago now, the final book was in 2019, so I do think my tastes have changed a lot since then. Basically meaning I’m not a teenager anymore, so I’m not sure if I’d really enjoy these books today as I haven’t enjoyed Melanie Cellier’s other books. However, I did really love this at the time. I thought the concept was quite unique. Well having someone speak to cast spells isn’t very special but in this world it’s revolutionary as all magic is performed by writing on paper. Seems like a bit of a faff if you ask me, but it was really interesting.
Sadly I never reviewed any of these books so I can’t tell you exactly what I thought of them at the time. But I do remember reading the entire series pretty much back to back.
Synopsis: In Elena’s world words have power over life and death–but none more so than hers.
As the daughter of shopkeepers, Elena has always known that the mysteries of reading and writing were closed to her. Only the mageborn can risk harnessing the power unleashed from putting pen to paper. Until Elena discovers an impossible new ability and joins the elite ranks of the mages.
But with the kingdom at war, the authorities can’t agree if Elena is an asset, or a threat they need to eliminate. Thrust into the unknown world of the Royal Academy without friends or experience, Elena will need all of her wits, strength, and new power to carve a place for herself.
Except as the attacks become more personal, wits and strength won’t be enough. Elena will have to turn to new friends and an enigmatic prince to unlock the mysterious potential of her words and survive her first year as a trainee mage.
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