A review by ahalsnad
The Master Magician by Charlie N. Holmberg

1.0

What a drag! It is a very disappointing series.

I hoped for a better ending where things made more sense. The enigma from the first book's climax was never addressed and no one questioned it. It is like the author forgot about it. In the aftermath of a showdown, everything is swept under the rug.

The characters progressively deteriorated or it was intended that there was only one smart character in Great Britain, our protagonist. Everyone else was clueless, uninterested in their profession, and very unobservant. If the magicians were the least capable, they would have realized Ceony's secret without her revelation. Also, as mentioned in the other reviews, if the secret is so simple, isn't that the first thing asmart/evil person would have thought of? That makes me believe, the author intended everyone to be a fool except our protagonist.

As for Ceony, she was a very nosey, highly conceited being. She forgets she is an apprentice and someone in no position of power to be imparted with confidential information.

The series was filled with lame villains. Even though every one of them was hyped to be dangerous and elusive for several years, the climax takes just a few simple moves from our protagonist and it is GAME OVER!

I like the idea of a strong female protagonist, but Ceony is not one of them. The books didn't do justice to the era it was set in. She has a confusing character development, where at one moment she gets affronted by immodesty, in another she is a whole different person. It was a weak attempt at historical fiction and fantasy. She calling herself a lady started to get annoying by the end.

I will not waste any more of my precious time on this author.