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ishouldreadthat 's review for:
Angel Mage
by Garth Nix
Originally posted to I Should Read That
I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. This review is spoiler-free.
Although I’m a latecomer to Garth Nix’s fantasy books, having only just read Sabriel earlier this year, I was super excited to read his latest book. Angel Mage is his first adult fantasy book, and it’s a proper chunky tome too!
There is a lot to love about Angel Mage, and I suspect it will delight many of Nix's fans. The magic system, which feels heavily influenced by Catholicism, is interesting and the world is really fantastic. I particularly enjoyed the history of Ystara, its fall, and the impact that it had on the world.There is so much about this world and the magic that I’d love to have explored a little more, as deep dives into world building and magic systems are my favourite thing in fantasy. I wouldn’t say it was the most unique world building I’ve read, as it is easy to see his influences of The Three Musketeers and real-world religion. However, one of Nix’s strengths is making even the most mundane details, like running messages or training with weaponry, so incredibly fun. He paints such a lovely picture of the world, and I felt like I could walk the streets of Sarance with our characters.
Angel Mage is a book with a number of different POV characters -- there are five in total. We get to see the story from the point of view from our four friends: Simeon, Agnez, Dorotea, and Henri. However, my absolute favourite is the fact that a good portion of the book was dedicated to our villain’s point of view. I love an unrepentantly evil female villain and Liliath filled that role perfectly. My other favourite character was Dorotea, our slightly spacey but brilliant scholar and icon maker. I can sometimes struggle with multiple POV characters, so I would have preferred Angel Mage to only follow Liliath and Dorotea's points of view (or Liliath and another of the friends) because it would have helped dig deeper into these characters. I think the multiple POVs will be a dividing point for some readers.
Angel Mage is a book that doesn’t quite feel like an adult novel -- I think instead it will delight YA readers of all ages. Despite its length, it’s a fast-paced fantasy adventure that will get its hooks into you! Although it’s a standalone, I’d really love to read a sequel or another book set in this world.
3.5 out of 5 stars
I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. This review is spoiler-free.
Although I’m a latecomer to Garth Nix’s fantasy books, having only just read Sabriel earlier this year, I was super excited to read his latest book. Angel Mage is his first adult fantasy book, and it’s a proper chunky tome too!
There is a lot to love about Angel Mage, and I suspect it will delight many of Nix's fans. The magic system, which feels heavily influenced by Catholicism, is interesting and the world is really fantastic. I particularly enjoyed the history of Ystara, its fall, and the impact that it had on the world.There is so much about this world and the magic that I’d love to have explored a little more, as deep dives into world building and magic systems are my favourite thing in fantasy. I wouldn’t say it was the most unique world building I’ve read, as it is easy to see his influences of The Three Musketeers and real-world religion. However, one of Nix’s strengths is making even the most mundane details, like running messages or training with weaponry, so incredibly fun. He paints such a lovely picture of the world, and I felt like I could walk the streets of Sarance with our characters.
Angel Mage is a book with a number of different POV characters -- there are five in total. We get to see the story from the point of view from our four friends: Simeon, Agnez, Dorotea, and Henri. However, my absolute favourite is the fact that a good portion of the book was dedicated to our villain’s point of view. I love an unrepentantly evil female villain and Liliath filled that role perfectly. My other favourite character was Dorotea, our slightly spacey but brilliant scholar and icon maker. I can sometimes struggle with multiple POV characters, so I would have preferred Angel Mage to only follow Liliath and Dorotea's points of view (or Liliath and another of the friends) because it would have helped dig deeper into these characters. I think the multiple POVs will be a dividing point for some readers.
Angel Mage is a book that doesn’t quite feel like an adult novel -- I think instead it will delight YA readers of all ages. Despite its length, it’s a fast-paced fantasy adventure that will get its hooks into you! Although it’s a standalone, I’d really love to read a sequel or another book set in this world.
3.5 out of 5 stars