Review: The Magicians' Guild by Trudi Canavan

Publication Date:January 31st 2004
Publisher: Orbit
Series: The Black Magician Trilogy #1
Source: Purchased
Rating:
 ★★★★

"We should expect this young woman to be more powerful than our average novice, possibly even more powerful than the average magician."

This year, like every other, the magicians of Imardin gather to purge the city of undesirables. Cloaked in the protection of their sorcery, they move with no fear of the vagrants and miscreants who despise them and their work-—until one enraged girl, barely more than a child, hurls a stone at the hated invaders...and effortlessly penetrates their magical shield.

What the Magicians' Guild has long dreaded has finally come to pass. There is someone outside their ranks who possesses a raw power beyond imagining, an untrained mage who must be found and schooled before she destroys herself and her city with a force she cannot yet control.

Don't let the cover fool you because the book itself is a gem. High fantasy lovers you probably don't want to miss The Magicians' Guild. And for those who are not really a fan of high fantasy, just a word of warning, be patient. Reading this book, I felt like I was transported to a different world. It was like I woke up and found myself in this fascinating world. Everything is so new and different but so interesting at the same time. I couldn't help but kept reading so I could learn more about the world and the characters.

I liked The Magicians' Guild a lot but I didn't love it. I had a little problem with Sonea (the MC). She has no trust toward the magicians so I thought she'd treat all magicians the same. But no I was wrong. The one she needs to trust, she doesn't and goes on to trust the wrong one.To me, it just sounded wrong for some reason. Sonea is portrayed as smart and can read people since she is from the lower class and she needs that "reading skill" to survive. Then just why she suddenly becomes so naive. And to make it worse, Sonea learns her mistake because the evil person reveals his plan. I was not amused by this at all. Other than that, I did enjoy the book. It has no romance involved yet and I was glad because sometimes some books just don't need romance to make it interesting. Anyway, I'm going to stop here so I can go and read the second book.