Guild Mage: Apprentice

Guild Mage, Book 1

By: David Niemitz

Narrated by: Kristin James, Fajer Al-Kaisi

There are a lot of things wrong with Liv Brodbeck.

She's too small, for one thing. When she works in the castle kitchens with her mother, she can't carry a sack of flour or roll a keg of ale. Baron Summerset's chirurgeon says that she has brittle bones, so she isn't allowed to wrestle or sword fight with the other children. Even sledding downhill in the winter brings the risk of breaking an arm or a leg if she falls. Everyone says that she ruined her mother's life when she was born. Not when they think Liv is in the room, of course, but she overhears all the same. In the kitchen of a less kind lord, a cook bearing a bastard child would have been more than cause enough for both of them to be out on the street. No, a child like Liv doesn't have much hope. But when she accidentally unleashes a surge of wild magic, she takes her first step on a journey which will lead her from the kitchens of Castle Whitehill, to the cold palaces of the Eld, and beyond, to the graves of gods...

©2025 David Niemitz (P)2025 Podium Audio

A nice, enjoyable listen, not too fast-paced

I enjoyed this book, I will add the next one to my wish list but will not immediately buy it, the books I listen to normally are more fast-paced. I think the story structure and pacing fit it well, I'm not saying it should be more fast-paced or is slow.

The character development

This book was very enjoyable. I almost couldn't lay it down. it was fun. I found that it surprised me.

Dual-Narrators doesn't equal Duet-Narrators

I've been spoiled in recent years, in that nearly every series that listened to I've listened to that had more than one narrator featured duet narration. Hearing an audiobook completely done by one voice-actor, minus a couple chapters which are done completely by the other, felt...kind of misleading.

Regardless, the story and world-building are interesting, the characters are solid, and the magic system is intriguing. The pacing is almost exhaustingly slow, but everything else is too good for it to matter...so far.

Skillful storytelling

The author blends an encyclopedic knowledge of aspects of culture, horticulture, culinary and clothing styles and more. His descriptions of people and events are vivid and unexpected on every page. The writing is cinematic on every level.

A Different Perspective.

I enjoy a good story about characters coming to age and growing their abilities, and this is done marvelously. I enjoyed the character interactions the difference in growth and how Liv grows to understand things in her own right. The pacing is good and each chapter leaves you hungry to find out what happens next. I can't wait until the story continues.