The Innocent Mage by Karen Miller

Amazon summary: "Being a fisherman like his father isn't a bad life, but it's not the one that Asher wants. Despite his humble roots, Asher has grand dreams. And they call him to Dorana, home of princes, beggars, and the warrior mages who have protected the kingdom for generations. Little does Asher know, however, that his arrival in the city is being closely watched by members of the Circle, people dedicated to preserving an ancient magic. Asher might have come to the city to make his fortune, but he will find his destiny."

Well. That was certainly the most horridly brutal cliffhanger I've ever had the misfortune to encounter. But that's okay! Thank GOODNESS I can get the next book immediately! It's difficult to pinpoint an opinion on this book. On the one hand, I feel like I could say that it was absolutely flawless and wonderful; but on the other hand, I can see some things that could be changed. It just seems like those flaws are part of the author's style, but I don't really know. It was a somewhat strange read for me. I had no trouble getting through the entire thing, but I didn't have too much trouble setting it aside either.

As for the plot... Well, that's also hard to form an opinion on. The beginning is so frustratingly vague but then, all of a sudden, you figure out what's going on and you're like, "Oh. Well. What was all the suspense about?" [Sorry for misusing the word 'like' there]. It just wasn't necessary. But, it's short enough that it didn't much matter in the scheme of things. It does, however, take a while though for anything to start happening that has to do at all with the plot. Maybe ninety percent of the book? But again, that didn't bother me too much because I enjoyed what was happening in the meantime. I guess there were quite a few things that didn't really need to be included... But all that really did was add more details and delay the plot a bit. It sort of meandered a bit before anything much happened.

As for the characters... Again, hard to form an opinion on. I did love Asher and Gar. Dathne... not so much. I also liked Matt, though I wish his character were explored a little more. Perhaps in the next book... But anyway, for all that I liked or disliked their personalities, they did at times seem a little... fake. Of course, they're not actually real people but with most books, you feel like they are. Okay, so maybe not most books, but that's what they strive for. Looking at some other reviews, I agree that at times the characters can be kind of whiny... I didn't actually notice that while I was reading, but thinking back, I can definitely see where that came from. But to be fair, there were some pretty harsh things that went on... But back to fake characters! Asher's whole family backstory seems just a bit farfetched. And he doesn't react very much to a certain large event that occurs. And Dathne... she's just too darn cold! Well, around other people at least. I mean, she does have reason to be, but still... Gar's sister... She's a little bit too hostile. And Gar... He should know what to expect from her by now. I don't know. The characters just need a bit of work. Their motivations are all there, they just... I guess they just don't seem enough reason to act the way they do. Or they under-react. Like Asher. Also, there's a bit of a time skip that I think shouldn't have been quite so glossed over. It sort of skipped certain, possibly vital, relationship developments. I guess that's where you would want plot-related events to go. I can see why it was postponed so long (for Asher), but that really just means that Asher should've had a different motivation for leaving home in the first place. *sigh* But now I'm getting into little details that don't make much sense if you haven't read the book. But it will suffice to say that certain details didn't line up and the characters weren't wholly believable... But, nevertheless, I really did enjoy the book and my complaints are, for the most part, about small things (though I guess they do kind of add up...) so don't let that keep you away from the book! Anyway, it was interesting enough that I'm going to hold off on reading the rest of the Tillerman cycle (remember my last review? Homecoming?) while I finish the series (I think there's just one more book. And then two more that are related but set at a later time. I think. And a prequel. We'll see how interested I am at the end of this next book).