Introducing The Black Mage Series

Non-Heir

(Book 0)

The Black Mage

Prequel Novella

About the Book:

Title: Non-Heir (The Black Mage Book 0) | Author: Rachel E. Carter | Pages: 109 | Genre: Dark Fantasy | Recommended Age: Young Adult

Book Description:

Prince. Prodigy. Mage. Perfect for fans of Throne of Glass, Falling Kingdoms, and Tamora Pierce.

This prequel novella is set before the events of First Year (The Black Mage Book 1), following Prince Darren as a child through adolescence and his first run-in with Ryiah at the Academy of Magic. Readers discover the dark backstory between the two princes and their father, as well as the ensuing events that shaped Darren into the Academy's most prodigal mage.

FREE on Amazon Kindle

My Review:

I never read the The Black Mage Series, so I met Prince Darren in this prequel novella, Non-Heir, for the first time. The genre is dark fantasy. It's a pretty violent story with reference to severe child abuse. Despite the dark content, it was still well-written and gives readers a good back story into the childhood that shaped the character of Prince Darren and his older brother, the heir.

The story was fast-paced and had good character development. When I met some of the characters again in Book 1, the prequel fit perfectly. I recommend Non-Heir as a good supporting novella to First Year (Book 1).

First Year

(Book 1)

The Black Mage Series

About the Book:

Title: First Year (The Black Mage Book 1) | Author: Rachel E. Carter | Pages: 322 | Genre: Fantasy | Recommended Age: Young Adult

Book Description:

Magic. Romance. Rivals. Perfect for fans of Throne of Glass, Falling Kingdoms, and Tamora Pierce.

Before the age of seventeen, the young men and women of Jerar are given a choice --pursue a trade or enroll in a trial year in one of the realm's three war schools to study as a soldier, knight, or mage...

For fifteen-year-old Ryiah, the choice has always been easy. Become a mage and train in Combat, the most prestigious faction of magic.

Yet when she arrives, Ry finds herself competing against friend and foe for one of the exalted apprenticeships. Everyone is rooting for her to fail--first and foremost among them is Prince Darren, the school prodigy who has done nothing but make life miserable since she arrived.

Will Ry survive, or will her dream go down in flames?

$0.99 on Amazon Kindle

My Review:

I really enjoyed reading First Year and getting to know the protagonist, Ryiah. Some events at the end of Non-Heir and the beginning of First Year overlap. Instead of seeing the events through Prince Darren's eyes, you get to see them through Ry's eyes. In fact, from my understanding, the rest of the Black Mage series is through her eyes. She is a very likable person - a girl who didn't grow up with privileges that included the best teachers. She has to work twice as hard to keep up with the upper class and royalty to survive the first year at the academy.

Even though Ry is a bit of an outcast, she is resourceful and quickly forges a friendship with one of the girls who is not part of Prince Darren's clique. Ry even manages to have several conversations with the prince, which is uncustomary. However, he's a disagreeable sort and she's not sure that she can trust him.

The academy is all about training in different fields from learning about a variety of different subjects, training in magic and practicing combat. Ry didn't grow up with a library of books. She didn't have a mage to explain magic or a knight to train her in combat. Can Ry possibly keep up with the elite and succeed at earning one of the coveted 15 apprenticeships?

The story keeps a good pace with a few twists. There are plenty of interesting characters. I'm glad that I read Non-Heir first because some of the characters were in the prequel, which gave them more depth. I think First Year is a great story and I would be happy to read more in the Black Mage series.

About the Author:

Rachel E. Carter

Rachel E. Carter is the USA Today bestselling author of The Black Mage, a YA fantasy series about magic, love, and war -with future projects to come. She hoards coffee and has a weakness for villain and Mr. Darcy love interests.

Website

Disclosure: I received a free copy of Non-Heir for my honest review. I purchased First Year and this is another honest review.

Please Note: All prices were correct at the time of posting. Prices may change.