I love a good academy setting and I was recommended The Outcast Mage and knew I had to jump in. Luckily I had an e-ARC of this one lying around I could immediately dive into. Keep reading this book review of The Outcast Mage for my full thoughts.
Summary
In the glass city of Amoria, magic is everything. And Naila, student at the city’s legendary academy, is running out of time to prove she can control hers. If she fails, she’ll be forced into exile, relegated to a life of persecution with the other magicless hollows. Or worse, be consumed by her own power.
When a tragic incident further threatens her place at the Academy, Naila is saved by Haelius Akana, the most powerful living mage. Finding Naila a kindred spirit, Haelius stakes his position at the Academy on teaching her to harness her abilities. But Haelius has many enemies, and they would love nothing more than to see Naila fail. Trapped in the deadly schemes of Amoria’s elite, Naila must dig deep to discover the truth of her powers or watch the city she loves descend into civil war.
For there is violence brewing on the wind, and greater powers at work. Ones who could use her powers for good… or destroy everything she’s ever known.
Review
(Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher. This has not impacted my review which is unbiased and honest.)
The Outcast Mage is a book about protection and sacrifice. It’s about ambition and drive, about trying to survive. My favorite element had to be the ways in which Campbell showcases this community divided between magic and power. About non-mages and what sacrifices, what powers, should be afforded to whom. It’s a theme that gets the most action in the latter half as we can see that not all is well with the community and these power imbalances. But the majority of the story is about Naila’s journey towards magic. She’s not sure she can control her magic or what it even is since it doesn’t behave like anyone else’s. And we all know that anything different is seen to be stomped out, to be discounted, and to be feared.
When all the fruit is rotten, you have to eat the best of it or starve.
The action of The Outcast Mage is a bit slower, but it’s a slow burn in terms of the foundation needing to be laid. We witness a few different characters who all are confronted with these moments where they feel stuck in the system. And they ask themselves what they could possibly do. To make change do we work from within the system or burn it all down? And how much of ourselves are we willing to put on the line. We become so used to the way things are that often we aren’t willing to risk the change needed. In The Outcast Mage we witness the politics at work as these characters put into words the changes necessary and figure out if it’s attainable. They are often forced to choose between betraying someone and protecting them.
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The world really broadens at the end of The Outcast Mage and so you really just have to stick it out towards the end to get ready! Slimani is also a new audiobook narrator to me, but I really enjoyed the accent work for The Outcast Mage. Find The Outcast Mage on Goodreads, Storygraph, Amazon, Bookshop. org, Blackwells, & Libro. fm.