The Tethered Mage has all the makings for a classic epic fantasy. There’s the detailed world building, far flung adventure, magic, politics, and a story that keeps going and going and going and going. Did I say that it keeps going? Here’s the thing about epic fantasies, they take a while to set up and progress small inches so the reader can feel fully immersed in the experience. Checking all those boxes The Tethered Mage is a perfect match. Sadly, I don’t prefer epic fantasies and I think my rating reflects that - as well as a lot of ratings on Goodreads.
This does not meant that the book was bad.
Just not the average reader’s taste.
The good things… I really appreciate the magic system. Maybe it’s already been done, but the idea was fresh for me. In an interview, Caruso said that she came up with the idea when she was talking to her husband about how people with magic would always end up in power unless there were ways to identify them and control them. Hence The Tethered Mage was born. And that is essentially the premise. Every person with magic is required to wear a jess which binds them to another person who has the control to decide when the magic can be used. Sounds pretty messed up to me, but the book makes it sound ok.
Which is when Zaira enters and throws the lid off the whole thing. She’s the force that constantly points out how wrong the system is and controlling people is bad. It makes me laugh. But she does point out a few things that make readers think. It’s a thought... how do you keep those with pure power from taking over control and creating a fear state? A dictatorship? But it’s not right to control anyone, especially if they are different. Where’s the balance?
And I laugh because, through all of this, the book reads very YA. We’ve got the typical girl likes boy, boy likes girl, but girl can’t be with boy. It’s all about the new love, including some mention to bisexual characters that I nod to. Caruso does a good job of floating it in without making a big deal of the situation. It just is. The main characters are around 18, which always baffles me when they do all these espionage actions. How does someone at the age of 18 have that much control? Caruso does a good job to make it believable. Essentially, Amalia’s actions make sense with being the heir to the Council of 9 and Zaira has powerful magic. You’ve got to use her if you want a whole city to be destroyed no matter her age. Caruso also touches for a moment on the younger falcons being forced to perform war acts when they are too young. But then, Marcello has some high ranking officer’s position. How did he get there so quickly?
Ok, I’ve been rambling.
Overall, the plot was well thought out. There were twists and turns that brought in actions from the past. The pieces fit perfectly together, painting a clear picture in the end. Everything that ends up happening happens for a reason. Even I was surprised at a few reveals at the end. The book is a good blend of fantasy and politics.
In conclusion, even though the story is still sitting with me, I’m not rushing off to read the next one. I couldn’t get invested in the characters. Zaira was a love hate relationship.
When I first opened the book, I was sucked in. The writing was beautifully done and vibrant but, as the book went on, Caruso lost that and it become so vanilla. All in all, like I said above, I’m giving it a 3.5 stars. Besides the writing and disconnect from the characters, I just don’t prefer epic fantasies. I need my stories to be a little bit quicker. To have more content and not just building a fantasy world. Not saying that this book isn’t really well done - it’s just my personal opinion.
Until next time my friends.
Happy Reading.
Love Kait.
Reading Challenge: (15/100)