The Tethered Mage (Swords and Fire, #1)

by Melissa Caruso

"CONTROL THE MAGIC, CONTROL THE WORLD In the Raverran Empire, magic is scarce and those born with power are strictly controlled -- taken as children and conscripted into the Falcon Army. Zaira has lived her life on the streets to avoid this fate, hiding her mage-mark and thieving to survive. But hers is a rare and dangerous magic, one that threatens the entire empire. Lady Amalia Cornaro was never meant to be a Falconer. Heiress and scholar, she was born into a treacherous world of political machinations. But fate has bound the heir and the mage. And as war looms on the horizon, a single spark could turn their city into a pyre. The Tethered Mage is the first novel in a spellbinding new fantasy series"--

• ISBN10: 0316466875
• ISBN13: 9780316466875
• Publish Date: 24 October 2017
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Orbit
• Format: Paperback (US Trade)
• Pages: 480
• Language: English

Reviews

[annieb123]

Originally published on my blog: Nonstop Reader.

The Tethered Mage is the first book in the Swords and Fire series, by Melissa Caruso, from Orbit Books.

I really enjoyed the heck out of this book. The world building is fascinating and detailed, the magic system is internally cohesive and believable and the political machinations for power (very loosely based on the great dynasties of renaissance Italy and environs) are well wrought and complex.

This is a substantial book, 438 pages, but tautly plotted and it never dragged. There are several plotlines, well interwoven into an epic story arc. I was very surprised that this is a debut novel; the author has a very strong voice and a gift with dialogue.

Other reviewers have done a very good job of describing the plot and characters. I really enjoyed the lushness of the setting (which reminded me a lot of Venice) and the way that the fire mage Zaira was not easily won over. Her unwilling partnership with a 'handler' of a different class and background was organic and well written, it wasn't just a few paragraphs of whining and then besties forever.

There were several mystery subplots which were deftly handled and the denoument was exciting and perfectly paced. I'm really looking forward to the next installments.

I would not precisely classify this as YA. It would be appropriate for older YA readers, but also fine for any epic fantasy fans, whatever their age.

Four and a half stars, looking forward to what comes next!

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher.

[Beth C.]

Review to come on vampirebookclub.net

(Psst. I liked it.)

[Amber (The Literary Phoenix)]

Find more reviews like this at The Literary Phoenix.

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Lady Amalia Cornaro did not ask to be a Falconer.

When balefire is starting to consume the city, she acts instinctively.  Her choice is to become entangled into a role she knows she cannot have, or let her city burn.  There is no choice, and she snaps the restraining jess around Zaira's wrist without hesitation.  New problems arise - Zaira doesn't want to be a Falcon (a mage of the Empire) and she is not going to come quietly.

There are more pressing things afoot than a disgruntled mage - noble children from the neighboring city of Ardence have been taken and someone has forged a note claiming Raverra is to blame.  The city is already restless and ready to break away from the Empire..  When demands to stand down are ignored, Amalia and her Falcon are sent to Ardence as a warning.  But it may not be enough.

Zaira is the unspoken heroine of this story.

Have you ever read a book where you thought, "The main character is good, but this book would be EVEN BETTER if this other character was the POV?"  That is exactly how I felt about Zaira (our namesake "tethered mage").  She was bright and passionate, witty and disagreeable and I thought she was fantastic.  Far more interesting than the baleful Amalia who tucks her tail between her legs and does whatever her mother demands.

That said, all the characters are different levels of interesting.  There is nothing wrong with Amalia - I just happened to like Zaira better.  Domenic is a great character, as is Istrella.  I really went for the "sidekick" style characters in this book more than the main leads.

The fantasy world is incredible.

I'm a sucker for a well built fantasy world.  Give me monarchies and magic and great universities and oh my goodness, here, have my heart.  Epic fantasy is my niche.  I love it.  This is a well built epic fantasy.

In The Tethered Mage, Caruso chooses to focus on the political aspects of the story.  However, she plays great attention and detail to her magic system as well, which is essential in a good epic fantasy.  I found the Falcons to be the most interesting part of the story and am hoping to hear more about them and the Witch Kings in the next book.

It was a little chatty, but I loved it.

The Tethered Mage took me a little while to get into.  There is a lot of dialogue in this book.  Dialogue isn't really my favorite... I like a good balance, but the writing world is definitely trending more to dialogue.  There were good questions asked within the book, and I definitely loved Zaira.  I don't know if I would have been as invested in this book without her.

It's a bit on the longer side, but that is to be expected in an epic fantasy.  The author needs proper time to build their world as well as the regular story, so I forgive the length.  It's definitely not a George R. R. Martin length!  I think that The Tethered Mage will appeal to readers who enjoyed Cinda China Williams' Seven Realms series as well as fans of Elizabeth Bunce's Thief Errant series.

Personally, I'm looking forward to reading the next book in the spring.