Sorcerous Rivalry (The Mage-Born Chronicles, #1) Rate this book .. In the beginning I was a little bit confused by our main character, but things were cleared.
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And we finish the book not knowing much more than that. Sure, we learn a bit about the dynamics of the royal family, who the siblings are and that they can take powers from each other, and that they were all named to be foreign royalty, but this information is mostly padding and adding to what we already know from page 1. Little details and tibbits of information are revealed but none of big questions are ever answered.
Why did the mage hunt take place to begin with? Why did mages suddenly become a danger to the realm? Why was a powerful sorceress allowing herself to be an apparently less than enthusiastic mistress to a king with a resentful queen who took away and mistreated her children? Why does Velyn feel obligated to commit fratricide?
Why does he leave hiding after 4 years to begin killing his brothers with Velyn? Is it also because of the obscure rune reason, or does he just want power? If he just wants power why wait four years to go after it? I felt like I ended the book with very little new plot-related information. Velyn mumbling something about runes to explain his killing was a bit of a weak cliffhanger. I was expecting a large plot reveal coupled with a consequently even larger new plot mystery to set up the transition into the second book.
The romantic subplot throughout the book was perfect. And this conflict is what carries the romantic subplot into book 2, and creates the new mystery of not knowing how things will turn out between them, which consequently leaves the reader wanting to pick up book 2 and find out. If it seems like your kind of book I strongly recommend picking up a copy.
Aug 15, Jessica rated it it was amazing Shelves: Wasn't sure about this one at first but man did it grow on me fast!!! I was so sad when I turned that last page and realized that it was over. I really loved this one and hopefully I can write a review that will do it justice. Plan on posting an entire review in the next few days. There's something oddly endearing about the idea of a damsel in distress story, we always know how it'll turn out.
It's like canned chicken noodle soup, a classic, cozy comfort food that always makes you Wasn't sure about this one at first but man did it grow on me fast!!! It's like canned chicken noodle soup, a classic, cozy comfort food that always makes you smile. But just like the canned stuff it's even better when you get the real, homemade version; it's meatier, more filling, and sometimes you can mix up the ingredient list for an out of this world version of the childhood classic.
Sorcerous Rivalry is the homemade soup equivalent of that classic damsel in distress story. Kayleigh Nicol brought a whole new list of ingredients to the table and it couldn't have turned out better. Our damsel is actually a male, as is the unsuspecting hero, and the badass barbarian is a woman with loads of smarts and personality. He must have been a soldier once, judging by his steady, solid gait and the way his eyes swept the room, as if evaluating it as a potential battle field. His face held no expression at all, even as he approached the bar and gestured to the inn keeper.
He looked perfectly balanced, perfectly aware and perfectly prepared for anything. My favorite part about this book is that the story starts exactly when it should. No backstory or introduction to the characters, Kayleigh just puts us right into the exact moment that the plot starts moving.
Reshi our main character doesn't know it of course, neither he or the soldier do, but it doesn't take very long for everything to change. Reshi is one of seven bastard children born to the king. All seven of them were born with the ability to wield magic. Reshi's ability is that he can take on the shape of any animal that's known for being a witch's familiar cat is his favorite. But when society decides to hunt down anyone with magic, Reshi and his siblings run and escape to various areas around the kingdom.
Reshi had been hiding with a fairy named Wix until a mage hunter named Kestral came to collect the bounty on him. He glanced up, meeting my gaze for the first time since we sat down. Dust it, what had I gotten into? I grew up in an orphanage in Giltner until they kicked me out. Ended up here after a time. Should I be running? Now that Reshi is being hunted again he decides to find his sister Cera, and maybe get his siblings to protect him. Cera is as helpful and loving as he had hoped, so he decides to stick with her and wait for his brother, Velyn to show up. Velyn is like Cera, he's charming, friendly, and full of affection for his new found siblings.
But for Velyn, being a loving sibling is all an act. He has other plans for his new found family. This is where things start to get spoilery, so I'll stop before I give away to much of the story. There are a lot of other characters that pop up we get to meet all of Reshi's siblings but my favorite character of them all was Reshi's older sister Kila. She is everything that a classic barbarian should be. She reboots her power with the blood of her enemies, swears like a sailor, and can drink anyone under the table; the only thing that differs from the classic is that she isn't male.
She has all the things we love about barbarians with just a touch of feminine style that makes her absolutely perfect. I knew most of us had gone into hiding after our bounties had been posted. But our sister Tekilashan had announced that anyone who wished to kill her could find her on the bloodiest battlefield in the kingdom. The last thing I had heard was that she had killed over forty mage hunters, all while participating in border skirmishes and house wars.
If you like slow burning romances, lgbt characters, intriguing magic systems, and enthralling world building, you should definitely give Sorcerous Rivalry a try. The only complaint I have is that it was a little confusing in the beginning with Reshi, but I didn't have to wait very long to figure it out. This book was the perfect mix of action and magic with just a touch of romance to give it some extra flair, I can't wait to read what Kaleigh Nicol puts out next!
May 28, Michelle Stagg rated it it was amazing. I received this book as a free copy in accordance with FTC and Goodreads policy. Thank you to the author for providing a free paperback in exchange for an honest review. This is the first fantasy I've ever read and I loved it.
I will most definitely be reading more of them in the future. I loved this book, it was so magical. I especially loved Reshi and his shapeshifting. All the characters were very exciting. The author done a really great job with this book and I'm sure she will be writing more I received this book as a free copy in accordance with FTC and Goodreads policy. The author done a really great job with this book and I'm sure she will be writing more great books very soon.
Keep up the good work. May 10, Alexander rated it it was amazing. I loved this book! I cannot wait for the next in the series!
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Keep us posted on a release date please! May 16, Janelle rated it it was amazing. As soon as I started reading, I knew this book was right up my alley. I'm a bit picky when it comes to my fantasy books, so when I got hooked in the first pages I knew it was gonna be good. The writing style reminds me of my other favorite fantasy writers and the pacing was well done as well.
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It didn't feel like it dragged or glazed over things for the sake of story progression. I have to say I loved everyone and that's saying something because I had strong feeling As soon as I started reading, I knew this book was right up my alley. I have to say I loved everyone and that's saying something because I had strong feelings of hate toward a few early on.
Though I have to say that Kestrel takes my top spot because he really grew on me, I was a hater and indifferent to start and then I was flinging things and screaming by the end of it when he did or said things. Reshi is a precious child. My favorite sibling is Kila because her level of insanity was equal with badassary and she wasn't actively trying to kill Reshi from the get go which you know was refreshing after his punk ass brothers.
Plus she made me laugh and she was just got better as the book progressed after we met her.
Sorcerous Rivalry by Kayleigh Nicol
Aug 10, ZJ Bowen rated it really liked it. Sorcerous Rivalry is a picaresque road novel, a buddy comedy, and a rom-com. We start with Reshi, the youngest love child of the King and his mistress.
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When said mistress was found to be a sorceress she was imprisoned and her seven, mage born children are scattered throughout the kingd --I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review. When said mistress was found to be a sorceress she was imprisoned and her seven, mage born children are scattered throughout the kingdom for their own protection. Now, Reshi lives in a small, idyllic village where he spends his time carousing with the tavern patrons, seducing the locals, and using his mage born shapeshifting powers to get both in and out of trouble.
He is small and flirtatious with the kind of roguish, devil may care attitude that is immediately endearing. His easy smile and quick tongue ensure that everybody loves Reshi. But when a bounty is placed on the heads of the seven siblings it ignites a fire under every would be mage hunter in the kingdom and puts Reshi on the defense. So when an ex-soldier comes to town Reshi is understandably cautious.
But not cautious enough to keep him too far away from the handsome, brooding young mage hunter. Kestral is in a lot of ways the opposite of Reshi. His threadbare clothes and worn boots bely a determination of purpose as much as a need for coin. Reshi and Kestral will travel together finding the remaining siblings before Eagan has a chance to kill them.
From there we follow Kestral and Reshi as they do their odd couple routine across the land, bickering and bantering and trying to figure each other out as they look for and avoid the rest of the seven. This adds an episodic nature to the story that usually means each stop results in an encounter of some sort and Nicol never skimps on the action.
Every battle is written fluidly and with great care given to establishing rules that help balance magic vs might. So even as each confrontation escalates and more and more magic gets involved the combat feels both unrestrained and grounded all at once. Even when the duo picks up a third for a chapter or two this is very much a two hander.
While the action is going to be a draw for some this is where the book really shines. I understand their purpose in helping set up part two but it feels like you can see the sausage being made. I would have happily followed these two through a novel length trip to the market or their journey to a friends wedding. They are what kept me reading and even if I felt that the decisions at the end were a little forced I am excited to see how it all plays out.
Jul 29, Calvin Park rated it liked it Shelves: This was an interesting read. There is a lot of fun to be had with the characters in Sorcerous Rivalry. It does a good job turning some tropes on their heads. Each is intense and fast-paced and during each I found myself often trying to guess This was an interesting read. Each is intense and fast-paced and during each I found myself often trying to guess who was going to die.
There were few characters I felt like had a free pass in any battle. The highlander-esque magic system was also interesting. Of course, the relationship between Kestral and Reshi was interesting as well, if at times slightly predictable. At times I felt like the tone was a little on the light side. For me, the romance also felt a little flat. How is it that their personalities are compatible? For me, those bits fell flat. This does make up a large portion of the story, but the worldbuilding and fast-paced nature of the rest of the plot really kept me reading.
There were a few moments when I felt like some things maybe came off a little too easy spoiler alert! At one point the MC has to fight his way out of not one, but two, armies and the MC and friends manage to do so with surprising ease. In the end, if you enjoy fast-paced battles and fun-loving, witty characters this book is probably for you. Aug 10, Faith rated it really liked it Shelves: Sorcerous Rivalry started strong - a scene-setting descriptive opening paragraph that seemed fairly straightforward until the last sentence yanked the rug out from under me.
Okay, I thought, this might be fun. And it was despite the small misstep when the end of the first scene got a bit hung up on boobs. Our main character, Reshi, was a charming sort of rogue. The fight scenes were fun and the different kinds of magic imaginative. I loved the way that Reshi's shapeshifting was described, and the way his animal forms colored the narration when he was wearing a particular shape. The plot feels a tad like a video game at its core find X person, fight X person, find Y person, fight Y person , but there was enough else going on, and enough character work, that I just let myself enjoy the ride.
The book needs more editing: I spotted several grammar mistakes; at times, there were small internal inconsistencies regarding the way magic worked; there was one really blatant "As you know, Bob" conversation that I had to stop and laugh at for a minute. But that's something that can be addressed. Voice and charm are much harder, and this book has both.
The thing that bothered me most was the lack of resolution at the end. It's not exactly a cliffhanger, but it's not as resolved as I prefer my books my preference is for the "every book in a series resolves its own arc while still moving the series-arc forward" strategy. It feels like the end of "Part I" rather than the end of "Book 1". But the strength of my annoyance as I had it confirmed for me that the resolution I was seeking wouldn't happen for another book at the very least tells me that Nicol was successful in getting me invested in these characters and this story.
I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review Jun 05, Sharade rated it liked it Shelves: I received a free copy from the author in exchange for an honest review. Sorcerous Rivalry takes a familiar story, forbidden magic and mages being hunted down, and introduces enough twists and turns to keep things interesting. Reshi is one of the seven bastard children of the king. He also happens to practice magic, and therefore has a bounty on his head. His life as a recluse is turned upside down when a mage hunter tracks him down.
Against all odds, Reshi and Kestral, the hunter, establish an al I received a free copy from the author in exchange for an honest review. Against all odds, Reshi and Kestral, the hunter, establish an alliance that is shaky at first but gets warmer with time. The magic in this story can only be described as plentiful. The setting has magical elements such as faes and other creatures , and the sorcery used by each mage we encounter is unique, all with strong elemental influences.
One of the most enjoyable aspects of the book is following Reshi when he meets his siblings, because the reader is never sure if the new character is going to be a friend or a foe. Reshi is a flirty, bubbly young man who hides deep childhood trauma behind his exuberance. Kestral is a straight-laced former soldier who also has a tumultuous past. Their relationship evolves in an compelling manner, from mistrust to a romantic affair.
There is a detail that soured the beginning of the story a bit for me: Sorcerous Rivalry is, overall, an intriguing introduction to a world and a story that still have a lot to offer. I would recommend it if you like elemental magic systems with a lot of battles, and interesting and deep main characters. May 27, Shvaugn Craig rated it really liked it Shelves: Thanks to the author for contacting me about providing a review copy.
Turns out I'd already purchased this book when it was on sale a few months back! This did not affect my opinion of the book in any way. This is a TBRindr review. Sorcerous Rivalry has none of these problems. Right off the bat Reshi's Thanks to the author for contacting me about providing a review copy. Right off the bat Reshi's character makes the story. He's playful, masquerades as the town drunk, and flirts with everyone. I love, love, love seeing a bisexual main character who is a roguish flirt and that it's not a big deal. We get tons of dashing, straight male roguish types who flirt their way in and out of dangerous situations.
Reshi is firmly in this archetype and nobody bats an eye when he flirts with the blacksmith's apprentices, expect to yell that he's distracting them from working. Reshi contrasts really well with other characters like Kestral, the mage hunter who comes to town. I'm a sucker for good romantic tension between flirty, roguish characters and serious brooding military types. The arc of their relationship is really good and kept me turning the pages in anticipation. I wound up reading it in two days flat. It suffers a little bit of the trekking across the country narrative as Reshi and his siblings look to find each other.
But the battle scenes are fun, easy to understand and the development of Reshi and Kestral's relationship really kept me going. My main problem with the book is that it has a cliff hanger ending. I know this is the first book in a series but I need more! The day the second book comes out I'm probably going to drop everything for it. The plot is very different from other books in the genre that I've read which is always a plus. Kat is the main character of this tale. She is basically a college kid who spends an inordinate amount of time immersed in the gaming world, one game in particular who's players can spend days or weeks trying to complete the level challenges.
While a multiplayer game one of the great appea Books about magic have always drawn me in and when I found this book I liked the blurb so decided to give it a try. While a multiplayer game one of the great appeals is the ability for players to complete individual challenges for higher rankings and other benefits. It is here that Kat excels and ultimately plays a part in preparing her for what is to come. When an unexpected visitor comes with news that Kat struggles to comprehend along with a gift that she refuses, she is unaware that her life as she knows it is over.
Less than 24 hours later she becomes all too aware of that fact and now she is partnered with the unexpected visitor trying desperately to understand why she is being hunted while at the same time trying to figure out how to get back to the life that she loved, boring as it was. Enter a rich, eccentric, tech giant and things get even more surreal for Kat. All these players and the information is hard to come by for Kat, which she is not the kind of girl that like to be kept in the dark.
This is a character-driven saga where each book will build on the events of the previous with the tale continuing with each successive book.
I generally stay way from books like that but we'll see how fast things move and what the new book adds to the characters. Jan 07, Jan Niblock rated it it was amazing. I picked this book up and had no idea what to expect from it. But the minute I started to read it, I was immersed. I could not wait to see what was going to happen to Kat. Here is a college student who is a gamer and now is part of the game. Some of the questions I had going through my mind were; how is she going to react?
Then there is Alex, the shifter, who is only a delivery person. What is really his role? Will he just do his duty and leave? Will he form a bond with Kat? A I picked this book up and had no idea what to expect from it. Again, all good questions that I needed to know the answers to and what kept me reading. Then on top of it all, you have this other world and other players that are part of the big picture.
Who is good and who is evil? Who is telling the truth and who is lying? At times, you think you know who the good ones are and then a little while later, you are not so sure.
Editorial Reviews
The author did an awesome job of keeping the reader wondering. I will not give out any spoilers. But if you want to read a very good story that will keep you guessing and changing your opinion, this is the book for you. Jun 08, Wanderlust added it Shelves: Not my jam I'm afraid. I found it; boring, slow paced, the character's flatter than pancakes and there wasn't very good world building in my opinion. Feb 12, Concetta Phillipps rated it really liked it. This was a fun one.
Definitely want to come back to this series. Jun 07, Meg rated it it was ok. I finished this book in one sitting. About halfway through I started losing steam, but I was determined to finish it because 1. I'm really hoping to reach my reading goal this year and 2. Heck, the reason I gave it two stars instead of one is because it's short. Here are things that I liked -it's short. Involved a video game???? Ok now I'm going to list the things I didn't like. There's barely a first act. I k I finished this book in one sitting. I know that's more of a movie term, but I still think they're important to novels, especially young adult novels like this one.
It's important to establish what the characters were like before their adventure, so we can see how they grow and change. We hardly know anything about Kat at the beginning other than the fact that she plays video games and is in college and her parents are dead. Literally in the first chapter the second act comes knocking on her door. We barely know what Kat thinks of her parents other than the fact that they're dead and she's a little sad I guess she doesn't seem very sad and they wanted a good life for her.
We barely know anything about her thoughts on her birthmother, other than the fact that she doesn't know her and literally tells is she feels abandoned by her which I'll get to in a minute. This books tells you everything and shows you barely anything. Like I said, we know Kat feels abandoned by her mother, but that's because she told us. Imagine if we were given flashbacks to her childhood, where she learned she was adopted, or maybe where she began asking about her "real" mother? Not only that, but the book will say things like "he looked at him like he didn't trust him" or something, which is this book's sad attempt at foreshadowing, but also, it's literally telling us when it could be showing us.
How about "he looked at him, and his eyes flared. He backed away a bit, moving a bit in front of me, and somewhat obstructing my view of him. There's an 11th hour twist. Kinda spoiler-y, but I won't get into detail. I think this is really dumb, like the book is only pages, you couldn't let it have a satisfying ending?
I'm starting to think that this author had a weak idea and wanted to sell books more than tell a good story. And yes I've checked there's 3 more books after this one, which can all be yours now for The world is bland and forgettable. Nothing sets it apart from any other literary magical world out there. I'm already forgetting everything about it as I type this. There is a forced Hetero romance. The characters knew each other for like 3 days and kissed.
Maybe it's because I'm gay or I don't usually fall in love in 3 days time, but I thought it was dumb. This one is more of a pet peeve but I absolutely cringed when she brought up things like furries and steampunk. In fact, they use the word steampunk to describe the magical world. Nice of the book to remind me that I could be reading other novels in that genre that have much more love and care poured into them.
Sorry this is long, and I don't normally write out long reviews for books I liked, but that's mainly because it's much easier to rip into books you have serious issues with, right? Anyway, I'm also sorry if this makes no sense, I wrote down my feelings minutes after reading this and it's 1: TL;DR the fact that it only took me 3. Apr 12, Miki rated it it was amazing Shelves: I received an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review An excellent beginning for an urban fantasy series!
Since i'm a roleplaying gamer though never online i was very curious about this title even more since it had Magic yes but also shifter so when i got the opportunity to discover it in exchange for a review i was delighted. The characters, i love Alex he is a panther shifter and in this universe disclaimer: The characters, i love Alex he is a panther shifter and in this universe it means that he is spending the majority of the time in animal form, even better he is deeply loyal so he won me over immediately.
Kat, it took a bit longer for me to warm up to her She spend most of her time playing a roleplaying game online where she is Serafina a big powerful sorceress Kat is still young so when something really magical comes at her she panics Terrified that someone is trying to kill her she jumps at any chance to be safe or so she thinks The story doesn't really end on a cliffhanger even if it's clear that a lot more is to come but i was happy with this ending and i would love to see more of Kat as she learns about Elustria and her mother but also i want more of Alex and i'm curious about which other magical creatures we will discover next.
The author showed in this one how she could keep us intrigued and immersed in the story so i have good hope for book Feb 09, Katie rated it really liked it. Defiantly a good book for high school and higher aged readers. I loved this book till towards the end. The end felt a bit rushed and I figured out a bit of it before the end. The plot was fairly predictable but I still enjoyed it. I would have loved more of the world this takes place in. I know it is supost to be a world like ours but there was very little descriptions of anything.
To me this was good and bad. It allowed me to see the world as I wanted to but I feel for some people specially hig Defiantly a good book for high school and higher aged readers. It allowed me to see the world as I wanted to but I feel for some people specially high school or people not from the USA that a lot of the references would be lost.
I absolutely feel in love with this book due to the gaming references and you can tell the author really does play MMOs. In most movies and TV shows it is not really portrayed correctly and this felt like it was to me. Even the reasons that were brought up as to why Kat plays the game is nice and feels authentic.
I would have also loved to see a bit more depth of the characters and a few questions answered. I do not want to put the questions here since they would be spoilers. The side characters seemed to have no depth only the two main ones did. I would have also loved to see more of Alex.
He seemed one dementional but this could be for a reason since he states he stays more time in his shifter form. Kat seemed like she went back and forth and she couldn't make up her mind. This book is defiantly a stand alone but also part of a series. I love authors who do not leave you on a huge cliffhanger with their books. For this I give the author a huge kuddos for. The romance in the book was not graphic just a few kisses and that I did not mind at all. I hate when it gets to graphic in a YA novel.
It also felt real and like it really would have happened. For the price of this book 3 USD or free it is defiantly worth it. If it was a bit higher priced I am not so sure it would be.