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Two years after his parents' sudden disappearance, Ben Greenwood stumbles upon a cryptic letter that could shed some light on their whereabouts. But before he can track them down, he'll need to find the mysterious organization that sent the letter: The Royal Institute of Magic. To succeed, Ben will have to navigate a land filled with fantastic creatures and spellshooters, where magic can be bought and sold, to unravel an ancient family secret that could hold the key to defeating an evil the institute has been fighting for the last 500 years.
Elaine is an orphan girl who has grown up in a world where magical ability brings power. Her limited talent was enough to ensure a magical training, but she's very inexperienced and was lucky to get a position working in the Great Library. Now, the Grand Sorcerer - the most powerful magician of them all - is dying, although initially that makes little difference to Elaine; she certainly doesn't have the power to compete for higher status in the Golden City. But all that changes when she triggers a magical trap....
Ari Katz is intelligent and driven and will make an excellent demon hunter once initiated into the Brotherhood of David. However, this book is about his twin, Nava: a smart-ass, self-cultivated hot mess who is thrilled her brother is stuck with all the chosen one crap. When Nava half-drunkenly interrupts Ari's induction ceremony, she expects to be chastised. What she doesn't expect is to take her brother's place among the until-now all-male demon hunters. Even worse? Her infuriating leader is former rock star Rohan Mitra.
Caitlyn Aguirre should have been a magician. Her family certainly expected her to be a magician. But by the time she reached her 12th birthday, Caitlyn hadn't even managed to cast a single spell! In desperation, her parents send her - and her magical sisters - to Jude's Sorcerous Academy, her last best chance to discover her powers. But as she struggles to survive her classes without a single spell to her name, Caitlyn starts to uncover an ancient mystery that may prove the key to her true powers....
Mercy Thompson's life is not exactly normal. Her next-door neighbor is a werewolf. Her former boss is a gremlin. And she's fixing a VW bus for a vampire. But then, Mercy isn't exactly normal herself.
Thirteen-year-old Kyra has grown up in an isolated polygamous community without questioning her father's three wives and her 20 brothers and sisters. Or at least without questioning them much - if you don't count her secret visits to the Mobile Library on Wheels to read forbidden books, or her meetings with the boy she hopes to choose for herself instead of having a man chosen for her.
Two years after his parents' sudden disappearance, Ben Greenwood stumbles upon a cryptic letter that could shed some light on their whereabouts. But before he can track them down, he'll need to find the mysterious organization that sent the letter: The Royal Institute of Magic. To succeed, Ben will have to navigate a land filled with fantastic creatures and spellshooters, where magic can be bought and sold, to unravel an ancient family secret that could hold the key to defeating an evil the institute has been fighting for the last 500 years.
Elaine is an orphan girl who has grown up in a world where magical ability brings power. Her limited talent was enough to ensure a magical training, but she's very inexperienced and was lucky to get a position working in the Great Library. Now, the Grand Sorcerer - the most powerful magician of them all - is dying, although initially that makes little difference to Elaine; she certainly doesn't have the power to compete for higher status in the Golden City. But all that changes when she triggers a magical trap....
Ari Katz is intelligent and driven and will make an excellent demon hunter once initiated into the Brotherhood of David. However, this book is about his twin, Nava: a smart-ass, self-cultivated hot mess who is thrilled her brother is stuck with all the chosen one crap. When Nava half-drunkenly interrupts Ari's induction ceremony, she expects to be chastised. What she doesn't expect is to take her brother's place among the until-now all-male demon hunters. Even worse? Her infuriating leader is former rock star Rohan Mitra.
Caitlyn Aguirre should have been a magician. Her family certainly expected her to be a magician. But by the time she reached her 12th birthday, Caitlyn hadn't even managed to cast a single spell! In desperation, her parents send her - and her magical sisters - to Jude's Sorcerous Academy, her last best chance to discover her powers. But as she struggles to survive her classes without a single spell to her name, Caitlyn starts to uncover an ancient mystery that may prove the key to her true powers....
Mercy Thompson's life is not exactly normal. Her next-door neighbor is a werewolf. Her former boss is a gremlin. And she's fixing a VW bus for a vampire. But then, Mercy isn't exactly normal herself.
Thirteen-year-old Kyra has grown up in an isolated polygamous community without questioning her father's three wives and her 20 brothers and sisters. Or at least without questioning them much - if you don't count her secret visits to the Mobile Library on Wheels to read forbidden books, or her meetings with the boy she hopes to choose for herself instead of having a man chosen for her.
Sent on a mission to retrieve an ancient hidden map - the key to a legendary treasure trove - 17-year-old pirate captain Alosa deliberately allows herself to be captured by her enemies, giving her the perfect opportunity to search their ship. More than a match for the ruthless pirate crew, Alosa has only one thing standing between her and the map: her captor, the unexpectedly clever and unfairly attractive first mate Riden. But not to worry, for Alosa has a few tricks up her sleeve, and no lone pirate can stop the Daughter of the Pirate King.
After Grand-mere Ursule gives her life to save her family, their magic seems to die with her. Even so, the Orchires fight to keep the old ways alive, practicing half-remembered spells and arcane rites in hopes of a revival. And when their youngest daughter comes of age, magic flows anew. The lineage continues, though new generations struggle not only to master their power, but also to keep it hidden. But when World War II looms on the horizon, magic is needed more urgently than ever.
Starseer, pilot, and animal lover Jelena Marchenko wants to prove to her parents that she's ready to captain her own freighter and help run the family business. When she finally talks them into getting a second ship and letting her fly it, it doesn't faze her that the craft is decades old and looks like a turtle. This is the chance she's craved for years. But it's not long before the opportunity to rescue mistreated lab animals lures her from her parentally approved cargo run and embroils her in a battle between warring corporations.
When bounty hunter Liam Quinn discovered that Claire Connolly was a Sensitive and infected with magic, he should have turned her in to be locked up in the prison district known as Devil's Isle. Instead, he helped her learn to control her power and introduced her to an underground group of paranormals and humans who know the truth about the war and those who fought it.
Minalan gave up a promising career as a professional warmage to live the quiet life of a village spellmonger in the remote mountain valley of Boval. It was a peaceful, beautiful little fief, far from the dangerous feudal petty squabbles of the Five Duchies, on the world of Callidore. There were cows. Lots of cows. And cheese. For six months things went well. Then one night Minalan is forced to pick up his mageblade again to defend his adopted home from the vanguard of an army of goblins bent on a genocidal crusade against all mankind. And that was the good news.
Having escaped from the Golden City, Elaine, Johan, and their friends - including some strange allies with goals of their own - race desperately towards Ida, hiding place of the ancient Witch-King. Behind them, the armies of the new Emperor - a man permanently poised on the verge of madness - give chase, unleashing monsters and spells from the long-buried past on everyone who stands in their way. Ahead of them, the Witch-King waits, biding his time as he prepares for his ascension.
Magic, adventure, mystery, and romance combine in this epic debut in which a young princess must reclaim her dead mother’s throne, learn to be a ruler - and defeat the Red Queen, a powerful and malevolent sorceress determined to destroy her. On her 19th birthday, Princess Kelsea Raleigh Glynn, raised in exile, sets out on a perilous journey back to the castle of her birth to ascend her rightful throne. Plain and serious, a girl who loves books and learning, Kelsea bears little resemblance to her mother, the vain and frivolous Queen Elyssa.
Following the grief and horror of her discovery of Jack the Ripper's true identity, Audrey Rose Wadsworth has no choice but to flee London and its memories. Together with the arrogant yet charming Thomas Cresswell, she journeys to the dark heart of Romania, home to one of Europe's best schools of forensic medicine...and to another notorious killer, Vlad the Impaler, whose thirst for blood became legend.
Something has always been missing from my life. A hole that I could never seem to fill. When I accidentally turn a coven of witches into nightmares, I find out what that something is. Magic. And it turns out, I have a crap load of it. As a latent power awakens deep inside of me, I'm exposed to one of the most powerful and corrupt organizations in the magical world - the Mages' Guild. Barely knowing a spell from a few swear words and luck, I won't be able to evade them alone. And that's when I meet him.
When 19-year-old huntress Feyre kills a wolf in the woods, a beast-like creature arrives to demand retribution for it. Dragged to a treacherous magical land she only knows about from legends, Feyre discovers that her captor is not an animal, but Tamlin - one of the lethal, immortal faeries who once ruled their world.
Catherine may be one of the most desired girls in Wonderland and a favorite of the unmarried King of Hearts, but her interests lie elsewhere. A talented baker, all she wants is to open a shop with her best friend. But according to her mother, such a goal is unthinkable for the young woman who could be the next queen. Then Cath meets Jest, the handsome and mysterious court joker. For the first time, she feels the pull of true attraction. At the risk of offending the king and infuriating her parents, she and Jest enter into an intense secret courtship.
Nicole Cassidy is a witch descended from the Greek gods...but she doesn't know it until she moves to a new town and discovers a dangerous world of magic and monsters that she never knew existed. When the Olympian Comet shoots through the sky for the first time in 3,000 years, Nicole and four others - including mysterious bad-boy Blake - are gifted with elemental powers. But the comet has another effect - it opens the portal to another dimension that has imprisoned the Titans for centuries.
Emily is a teenage girl pulled from our world into a world of magic and mystery by a necromancer who intends to sacrifice her to the dark gods. Rescued in the nick of time by an enigmatic sorcerer, she discovers that she possesses magical powers and must go to Whitehall School to learn how to master them. There, she learns that the locals believe she is a "Child of Destiny" - someone whose choices might save or damn their world, a title that earns her both friends and enemies.
A stranger in a very strange land, she may never fit in to her new world, and the necromancer is still hunting her. If Emily can't stop him, he might bring about the end of days.
It's inevitable to compare this book to Harry Potter. They are both in the Magic School Genre and the main character is considered a "Chosen One"
But this title stands on its own due to its smart and independent heroine and the time the author takes to explain the book's magic system and world building.
If you go into this book hoping for a romance, you might be disappointed. As the first book deals more with Emily getting used to the world she's transported to and the new school she's enrolled in.
I particularly enjoy how Emily uses her knowledge of modern technology to make waves in this new magical world.
If you're into characters from our world using their know-how to improve the world they've been transported to, I think you'll like this book.
35 of 42 people found this review helpful
Yes, the book borrows a lot of the world-building from Harry Potter, but the author's goal seems to be to repair some of the flaws he saw in the Potter world, based on some of our protagonist's sarcastic comments about the books. There aren't otherwise many original ideas here.
I found it hard to like our protagonist, Emily. She's neurotic, insecure, and is overly concerned about what others think of her. Her social skills are poor and lacks anything like a sense of humor; anyone who teases her sends her into paroxysms of guilt and despair.
Still, she's smart and has an implausibly good knowledge of history and science for someone still in high school and these are the key to her success, rather than bravery or martial skills.
It's a fine series for mindless entertainment; I listen the stories as I do housework and this one doesn't demand a lot of my attention.
25 of 30 people found this review helpful
Any additional comments?
When I first started this book the beginning seemed rushed and unpolished. Then as I get a little further it seemed WAY too similar to harry potter. BUT I['m glad I kept going. That was just the beginning setting the stage part of the book. After that the author seemed to find his stride and their own voice. The last half was way better then the first. And the 2nd book was even better. I have to give it only 3 stars for the Story but in reality it's like 2 stars for the first third and 4 stars for the last 2/3.
So get the book. Get past the beginning and you will be happy. I'd recommend to the author rewriting the beginning some. I'd imagine many of the bad reviews are from people who got ticked off at the beginning and didn't want to keep going. But I've finished the 2nd book now and I'm so glad I kept going.
11 of 13 people found this review helpful
Couldn't stop listening to the series then went in to read all available ebooks and now have to wait for next release. What information is to dangerous to share?
5 of 6 people found this review helpful
I'm really glad I found this book, series.... it's a great story, strong characters. The Narrator was really good, probably one of my favorite ones. I'll definitely be buying the next book in the series.
5 of 6 people found this review helpful
Would you try another book from Christopher G. Nuttall and/or Tavia Gilbert?
Nope
What could Christopher G. Nuttall have done to make this a more enjoyable book for you?
A little humor goes a long way and there was no humor to be found in this slog of a book. Better character and scene development would have helped, along with a huge reduction in internal monologues.
You didn’t love this book... but did it have any redeeming qualities?
A great idea for a world, but I could never picture it or anyone but the main character, who got annoying quickly.
4 of 5 people found this review helpful
Mild Spoilers ahead...
I have mixed feelings about this. Considering there are 10 books in this series, it might be too early for me to be overly judgmental about this. I am not typically a harsh critic in this genre. I love magic fantasy. There's simply no way not to see this as a rather blatant Harry Potter rip off. If you're a HP fan then this will either annoy you or endear you. For me it was a little of both. It is possible to craft a story about a school of magic without ripping off JK Rowling. A good example is The Magicians series by Lev Grossman, which I adore. I will try not to draw too much comparison between this book and that one though because Nuttall would not fair well at all if I were to hold his writing to that standard. Don't get me wrong, I did enjoy this and I'm planning to dive into book two immediately because I'm intrigued enough at this point that I really want to know what happens with Emily next. But the writer has a few habits that I'm not fond of. He drastically over uses the term "snorted" for one. Let's talk some specifics...
The Good
Emily is very likable. Her character is sweet and caring and smart and she's a great strong female lead. The magic system used is clever and believable. I love the concept of mana and it's very reminiscent of role playing or of video game RPG. I enjoyed the detailed explanation of how spell craft works built upon spell components. The world building isn't bad either. The writer took the time to explain politics and relate that to the story in a way that truly matters.
The Bad
It steals from J.K. Rowling big time, right down to the grand master, the relationships between students and teachers, the school's defenses, the magical creatures classes, Marshal Magic parallels Defense Against the Dark Arts, Shadye parallels Voldemort, and many more blatant examples. The writing is a little bit lacking in that I wasn't nearly as captivated or drawn in as I would have liked. The battles were not as awesome as I would have liked. There was some sense of inconsistency with the aptitude of magical abilities. One minute Emily is a naive first year student who barely escapes capture by bumbling captors and just a few chapters later she's conquering a skilled necromancer in single combat by summing a black hole pocket dimension. It also felt a little too cute for me at times when I wanted it to be darker. I didn't really like Alassa at all. I wanted more character development from her roommates. I was also a bit disappointed in the grand master. I wanted way more badassery from him.
Overall though I did enjoy the story. I'm intrigued by Void. I hope to hear more about him in the next book. If you like magic fantasy fiction and you're willing to look past it being a poor man's Harry Potter, then I would recommend it.
14 of 19 people found this review helpful
Look, the overall story here still intrigues me, and I really wish that the performance and writing style were good enough that I could make it past the 2.5 hour mark, but they're not, and I can't. The voices she uses for other characters actually aren't half bad, but her general narration voice/voice of the main character is just obnoxious. It's very grating. As for the writing style, I can normally handle overly descriptive as long as we don't get into "Dostoyevsky taking a whole chapter just to describe a tavern" territory, but what I can't handle the main character wondering something about the world and the way it works and then saying "I'll just ask someone later". This device is employed at least 25 times in the first 6 chapters alone. Pacing is a real problem here. You'll get serious whiplash trying to keep up with it. You'll start making some good progress story wise, and then BAM! Fifteen minutes describing the beginning of one tutoring session and the working of one spell, then halfway through figuring out the second she starts talking about the last few months of training. It just skips months of training in one sentence! I had to stop and check that the app didn't randomly skip a chapter! My point is, for me, it was a very jarring read (or listen, rather), but if that stuff doesn't bother you, there could be a really interesting STORY in there somewhere.
TL;DR: bad narration/writing style, interesting story concept. Listen at own risk. Advise using free credit, not money.
7 of 10 people found this review helpful
Overall, I think this book is quite good. I have no problems with the book, but did notice I was not FULLY captivated the entire time I read it which is why I give it a 4/5.
Things that the book did extremely well -
Humans from earth travelling to other magical worlds is a fun concept but generally falls into one difficult issue: how to characterize the MC on earth while not developing any lingering attachments that would create plot holes. The author succeeds excellently in succinctly delivering the MC's character explanation and a solid reason why MC would not need/want to return to earth.
Generally, the advantages of alt-world MC's are derived from unrealistic depth of knowledge of earth technology. The MC constantly mentions these things but does not have any ridiculous insights in industrialization of a medieval society.
Also, I particularly loved all her interactions with her princess friend - the author makes a point to compare cultural values and the effects magic may have on otherwise one-sided moral choices.
Pretty solid book, I suggest a read
3 of 4 people found this review helpful
Book 1
Very good story. Well written. Well narrated. Easy to listen to. Well worth a credit. I just bought book 2.
7 of 10 people found this review helpful
What did you like most about Schooled in Magic?
Completely immersive story, I felt like I was with Emily all the way through and wanted nothing more than to be transported to this other world with her. The magic used is much more complex than other books and stories regarding magic.
What did you like best about this story?
I really liked the fact that the writer acknowledged that if someone was really transported to another world they would indeed use ideas, inventions and concepts from earth; Not only to capitalise on them for financial gain but also to improve the new world they had found themselves in.
What does Tavia Gilbert bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you had only read the book?
Listening to a book rather than reading it brings the story to life In so many ways. Tavia is brilliant at making each character stand out by changing her voice and tone so it almost sounds like multiple people are reading this book rather than just one narrator.
If you made a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?
Reinventing magic!
Any additional comments?
If I was the author of this book I would take out all the Harry Potter references apart from the one about Quidittch. I found them extremely irritating and kept waiting for the next one with a sigh of frustration. They are just not needed at all and don’t bring anything to the story.
4 of 4 people found this review helpful
Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?
I loved this book, and would recommend to anyone who loves a great magical story paired with a fabulous female lead. Towards the end I couldn't leave it, and listened at every opportunity. The end didn't disappoint and will definitely be putting the next 2 books in my library.
What other book might you compare Schooled in Magic to, and why?
I think this is a mix of all the best stories I have read, Harry Potter, Lord of the rings, shannara, amongst others.
What does Tavia Gilbert bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you had only read the book?
Tavia brought the characters to life, her voice changes were brilliant.
Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?
Not a particular moment but I did like the gradual development of Emily's character and strength.
7 of 8 people found this review helpful
I don't know if this book was intended for teenagers rather than adults but I found it more suited for that age range. Interesting enough that I listened to the full book but won't rush to listen to the rest of the series
2 of 2 people found this review helpful
This book was borderline ok in terms of story but the amount blatantly just lifted from other fiction, unashamedly so, was shocking.
I also personally felt insulted by the authors insidious disregard for, or complete ignorance of atheism. A whole rambling thought process of Emily's on how people from her world all believed in some sort of afterlife and if you didn't you had no morals! What a load of actual nonsense.
Also the idea that the worst thing that could happen to a girl at school was slut shaming or actually being a slut made it so painfully obvious that this was written my a man with no real comprehension of what being a girl or woman is like.
Additionally, the authors own dissatisfaction with his education seeps out of the pages like a bitter poison. Not everyone's experiences of education are so perversely negative- Emily as a character is so one sided in her experiences and understanding of "our world" that it's painful to read.
I haven't even finished this book yet but the further in I get the more I dislike it and the ideas it portrays.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful
struggled to finish it 50 chapters filled with alot of drivel the constant harry potter references where in needed
3 of 4 people found this review helpful
The book is quite poor and generic. Autor explains everything to you using the narrator instead of using plot and character interactions so it gets tedious.
The narrator sounds like she's a kid on the 1st Disney visit, a mix of excitement and anxiety.
6 of 9 people found this review helpful
excellent storyline, I cannot wait for book 2 !! I'm hooked. I was grabbed from the first word to the last and will purchase each and every book in the series.
Good story, kept my interest throughout. The reference to HP and Star Wars weren’t as annoying as others have suggested and the reader uses a good range of tones and voices.
i have love this book from beginning to end. Looking forward to the next one.
I love the storyline it’s gritty funny and although it has many creatures you know, it’s still an original tale.
The narrator Tavia is excellent as always
Couldn't get further than the first chapter. failed to hold my attention at all. Went on and on about how horrible her life was and that she'd amount to nothing, must have mentioned it ten times. Narrator was quite good though, she tried.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful
Narrator was fantastic and easy to listen to and the story kept me involved right through. I can't wait to start the second one!
1 of 1 people found this review helpful
I originally chose to listen to this book because I love Tavia Gilbert as a narrator. And she did not disappoint. Tavia did a fantastic job.
The book itself was good. The story line was great but it was just a few little items that brought it down. Chapter 1 was really the most awkward chapter but then it got into a rhythm and the story flowed from there. Plus you can tell a man wrote this book. There is just a few examples where you go that is not how a woman/girl would do that.
It tells a story of a young girl Emily thrust into a completely world. in this new world, where she has lots of raw power. She uses her knowledge of her own world to understand the magic. she also brings brings basic ideas from her old world which starts a chain reaction to improve the new world. in the meantime she is studying like mad and learns combat training as the necromances and other baddies are after her.
The characters are done well. The storyline was good. And narration was well done
good pace characters and plot
a good read or listen in this case
looking forward to book 2
What a waste of time. Too much detail. Couldn't get into it. Needs to keep it a bit simpler for people like me who like a good yarn.