Rise of the Mages by Brian W. Foster

By: Unknown on Friday, January 01, 2016

Title:  Rise of the Mages
Series:  Rise of the Mages
Author:  Brian W. Foster
Publication Date:  September 28/15
Length:  442pgs
Genre:  fantasy
Shelf:  review
Rating: ★★★

Back Cover Blurb:

Strange dreams of a beautiful young woman leave journeyman apothecary Alexander “Xan” Conley exhausted. That’s not good since a single mistake could kill a patient. To complicate matters, he’s afraid that finding a way to end the nighttime meetings would mean never seeing the girl again, a horrible thought considering she’s the closest thing to a love life he has.

His existence radically changes when a tenacious catcher bent on capturing and executing Xan forces him and his friends to flee their homes. As Xan quests to rescue his dream girl from the same fate that awaits him, he discovers that the catcher is part of a deadly conspiracy.

Xan’s sole path to safety is to become a mage, thereby embracing forces that nearly destroyed the world during the Wizards War. He must choose between two terrible options—saving the lives of those he loves or risking everyone by ushering in a new age of magic.

My Review:

Welcome to a wonderful world of fantasy and ingenuity. Foster has created an intricate world for his story to take place in. The in depth world building helped me picture every aspect of the tale. The plot was well developed, creating a sense of awe and wonder throughout. At the same time, the plot twists kept me on my toes. Personally, I would have liked to have seen a bit more editing throughout. It would have helped me stay consistently immersed in the story throughout.

Some of the characters in this novel were a whole lot of fun to get to know. They were both easy to connect with and enjoyable individuals that I truly wanted to see succeed. Foster’s intimate development made me feel as if I were part of their lives. The personal connection really heightened the story for me. Unfortunately this didn't go through all of the characters in the story. some of them were one sided, cardboard cutouts who had potential but didn't seem fully developed.

Foster has created a fantastic world for readers to enter and get lost in. This is a great entry in a series that I’m excited to follow. I can’t wait to see how it develops.

Book Links 

Goodreads - Shelfari 

Amazon.com - Amazon.ca