Interesting storyline A little slow to start , worth persevering with to the end. . Would like to see a little more from this author.

What would you do if you had astounding power but it was controlled by someone else? To be tethered means that someone else controls you. Add political intrigue and possibility of war and you have a bomb ready and waiting to go off. This was a fun and interesting read, and I loved the city and canals and the characters were realistic and relatable.

The Tethered Mage is set in a world that is very similar to Renaissance Italy, with it's canals and doge's. Amalia is heir to one of the ruling families and sometimes chafes at that. Those with powerful magic are all falcons and are tethered to a keeper. Amalia accidentally becomes a falconer while trying to help an out of control mage. Her falcon has no interest in being caged and political shenanigans ensue. Parts of this book were a bit predictable, but I didn't catch all of the twist at the end. I'm interested to see where this series goes next and am looking forward to the next installment.

The Tethered Mage is pretty much my perfect fantasy novel. I really, really loved it. I'm struggling to articulate my love for it without just fangirling all over the place. I will admit, up front, that it may also not be for everyone. I'll explain why as I go. Let's start with the worldbuilding. It was well done. The book starts with a high-action scenario (where Zaira and Amalia first meet) and then delves into the repercussions of that meeting, which are many and varied. As the political and personal repercussions of the actions the girls took at that first meeting are exposed, the world continues to expand and build and grow before your eyes. You discover the Serene Empire, and you discover some very precarious political situations are going on. You discover how the doge (emperor) thinks that Zaira and Amalia are the answer to most of his problems, and you discover the Empire's interesting way of dealing with magic, that is not straightforwardly good or evil, but can be the source of multiple varied opinions amongst the characters.

The political background is rich here, and a lot of the book does deal with politics. Amalia, the main character and narrator, is the heir to a powerful seat on the Council of Nine that rules the Empire alongside the doge, so politics are a major part of her life. They govern how she should be spending her time, the words she speaks to anyone vaguely related to politics (bringing to mind for me the Orlesian "game" in Dragon Age: Inquisition--a video game I love), and who she can date/fall in love with. Since politics are such a central part of her life, they're also a central part of this book. If you don't love reading about a bunch of political intrigue in closed chambers and at garden parties, then this book may not be for you. I, on the other hand, adore politics in fantasy, so I was very excited to keep up with all the twists and turns of conversation.

While a lot of the book contains and focuses on politics, particularly regarding who rulers should be ruling for and the politics of war, it also has a good bit of action in it. There are many political scenes and situations that made me feel tense, and they were well written. However, there were also plenty of daring and fast-paced action sequences that made me hold my breath and hope for the best. I loved the mix of both in the book, and was glad that neither took a backseat. The plot was tight and well done and I really felt that every aspect of it, whether political or action-based, was integral to the plot and the building tension.

The characters were also amazing. Amalia is the narrator, as previously mentioned, and it was a wonderful journey as a reader to see her struggle with her life as an heir to power, and ultimately come into her own, but on her own terms. I felt like her story was very original and refreshing in many ways (which I can't delve into without spoilers). Zaira, whose life is inextricably linked to Amalia's from the beginning of the narrative, was great to have along for the ride. She's a strong female character who has always lived life on her own terms, and finds herself unhappy with her current situation. She's a snarky, sarcastic badass, and I loved watching her and Amalia bicker and banter and negotiate their new relationship as Falcon (mage/warlock) and Falconer (the person who can unleash the mage/warlock's power). I also appreciated how well drawn other characters were, including Amalia's mother and all of her political enemies and allies. There's also a villainous prince who will make your skin crawl, and a Falconer lieutenant who I absolutely adored (who is basically the third main character). I will admit that I kind of wished this book was from multiple perspectives, just because I really wanted to know more about all of the characters. I would love to see a spin-off novel telling Amalia's mother's story, for instance.

There is romance in this book and it takes multiple forms. However, this was NOT instalove, and I really appreciated the way it was handled. From the beginning, the romantic entanglement was bound to happen, but it did happen slowly, and at a believable pace with believable obstacles. I'll be interested to see how it continues to develop in future installments of the series, but I really like it when romance is realistic.

Overall, I really can't say enough about how much I loved this book. I didn't really want this to just be endless fangirling, but I'm kind of afraid that's what it turned into. If you love fantasy with great worldbuilding and don't mind politics as a central theme, I really think you'll love this novel. If reading a lot about politics isn't your thing, you may still like it, but the middle will be a little slow for you. I do, promise, though that there is plenty of action. If you do check it out, I'd love to see what you think!

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

This book is great. Great female friendship. Great m/f friendship. Healthy romance. I loved this so much.

Have you ever bought a book just because you really liked the cover? I fall into this trap every once and awhile and I will say that I sometimes it bites me in the butt but at least this time the inside of the book was about as substantial as the outside.

Political intrigues aren’t really my cup-o-tea. I’m more action/world building oriented in my fantasy but the Tethered Mage did a pretty decent job of holding my attention even so.

Amalia is heir to a powerful position on the council of nine. They pretty much run the Serene Empire. Her mother has spies everywhere, is two steps ahead of everyone and has been testing and training Amalia her entire life to be the most powerful woman in the Empire one day.

“You’ll do fine, child. Just remember who you are.”
Who I was, or who she wished me to be? My throat tightened. “I’m not good at these games. Not like you are, Mamma.”
“Then don’t play. Figure out what you are good at, and make that the game.”


Amalia however just happened to be in the wrong place at the right time and ended up saving the city but at a cost. She is now the proud Falconer of a Mage. Which means she has bound a powerful mage to her and can turn that mage’s magic on and off with a word.

Zaira is the powerful mage in question and she isn’t really happy about being saved and having a falconer. So at first there is some dissention between them. No matter how pretty the cage it is still a cage. Zaira takes awhile to warm up to she is somewhat of a brat through most of the book but the enemies to friends transition is one I usually like in a book

There is a bad guy or a few actually but the main bad guy probably won’t play into the story much until the next book. Ruven is a mage that can control your body. With just a touch of his skin he can seize control and cause pleasure, pain, numbness, healing etc. He was creepy, like over the top creepy.

There is a good guy Marcello and I can’t believe I’m going to say this but he is too good. I was actually hoping that he was tangled up in the plot somehow to make him a little more three dimensional. He just seemed too good to be true for most of the book and he is also the inappropriate love interest for Amalia. I feel just so-so about the very subdued love story that was thrown in.

Overall the book is too long. It just seemed to keep going and going and I was ready for a wrap up to the story about 2/3rds in. I liked Amalia but most of the other characters I didn’t form any emotional attachment too. I really wanted to explore a little more of the magic in this world and would have liked to have done some training with Amalia and Zaira while in the Mews (the place all mage marked live).

I’m hoping for a little more action in the next book in the series and not as much bickering. While well written I would have liked to cut at least 100 pages out of the book overall.

thank you to netgalley and the publisher for the digital copy

Melissa Caruso’s novel The Tethered Mage is an engaging YA fantasy that has a little bit for everyone. There’s incredible world building, an intricate magic system, and lots of political intrigue. There’s also forbidden love, plenty of action scenes, and a wonderful cast of characters, with badass females leading the way.

The novel is set in the world of Eruvia, primarily in the city of Raverra. Raverra is significant in that the governing body of Eruvia, the Empire, is seated there. The cities of Eruvia live in relative peace, although that peace is dictated primarily by the fact that Raverra controls the majority of the rare magic that exists in their world and can therefore weaponize it at any moment if any kind of civil war were to break out.

The system of magic in Eruvia is quite intriguing, especially in the sense that those who have the magical powers don’t have free will to use their magic as they choose. Because those who possess this rare magic are “mage-marked” by a colored ring around their irises, they are identified at an early age, taken away from their families, and conscripted into service for the Raverran Empire as what are called “Falcons.” The magic of these Falcons is unpredictable and often destructive, so the Raverrans take their control of the Falcons even further by using a bracelet called a “jess” to suppress the magic. Whoever places the jess on a Falcon’s wrist becomes bound to that Falcon, and thus becomes a “Falconer.” Each Falconer is then able to control his or her falcon’s magic using special words that unleash or suppress it. The Falcons themselves are little more than tools of the Empire.

When The Tethered Mage opens, Lady Amalia Cornaro, scholar and heir to one of the seats in Raverra’s governing council, is on her way to purchase a rare book when she encounters a young woman named Zaira, who is being accosted by a group of rough looking men. Amalia looks to intervene but before she can do anything, Zaira suddenly turns into the equivalent of a human blow torch and starts going after her attackers with a wall of fire. Recognizing the signs of warlock magic, a Falconer appears on the scene and seeing Amalia, hands her a jess and implores her to put it on Zaira to suppress her magic before she burns down the entire city. Desperate to save Raverra, Amalia readily agrees and slaps the jess on Zaira, only to fully appreciate the consequences of her actions afterwards. She is now bound to Zaira for life and is in control of her fire power.

Chaos ensues because no one on the ruling council is supposed to function as a Falconer, as having control over a Falcon’s magic could be perceived as an unfair advantage. The problem is that once the jess bond has been established, there’s no way to undo it. Amalia is also the sole heir to her family’s council seat, so she has no choice but to be both Falconer and council person when her time comes. What was already a political tightrope walk just got even more complicated. One wrong move and that tenuous peace between cities could go right out the window, especially if others feel threatened by this new fire power Amalia has inadvertently given to the Empire.

What does this mean for Amalia? For her future? For Zaira’s future? The two women are destined to stay tethered together until death, whether they get along or not, and Zaira is no trusting young child like the typical Falcons who come in for training. Will Amalia be able to break through Zaira’s initial defenses and mistrust or are they destined to barely tolerate each other?


LIKES

Zaira was actually my favorite character in The Tethered Mage. She has spent her life living on the streets as a thief and up until the moment Amalia straps the jess on her, has managed to hide the fact that she is mage-marked and actually a rare Fire Warlock. She is furious at Amalia for trapping her into serving the Empire against her will and goes out of her way to be difficult. She’s street smart, feisty, and truly has no filter, which makes for some comical scenarios since Amalia has to take her everywhere she goes, even to court. I also liked Zaira’s perspective on the laws in Raverra when it comes to the mage-marked. All of those who were taken as children seem to just accept it for what it is and are used to it, but as an adult being forced into service, Zaira is quick to point out just how unfair it all is, that her life is basically over now aside from serving the Empire.

In addition to Zaira, there are many other fantastic female characters that I also liked. Lady Amalia of course is fascinating to watch as she attempts to juggle all of the roles she is forced to play throughout the story. I also enjoyed watching her try to figure out how to break through Zaira’s thorny exterior so they can at least tolerate each other now that they are stuck with each other.

Lady Amalia’s mother, the Contessa, is another fabulous character. She is one of the most powerful people in Raverra and she is someone you do not want to cross.

In addition to these wonderfully drawn characters, I also thought the system of magic, which I’ve already described above, was very well thought out by the author. I loved the intricacies of the magic itself – the way some of the powers are more destructive as with fire and storm warlocks, while other magical abilities have more to do with science and alchemy. I also enjoyed the exploration of the ethics of Raverra with respect to the control of the magic. Who are they to decide that a person shouldn’t be in control of their own magic and that they have to serve the Empire?

There’s also a budding romance in The Tethered Mage and I liked how the author handled it. It was subtle and didn’t overshadow the rest of the story, and it was also more interesting than the typical romance: 1) because it’s a forbidden romance because the couple is unevenly matched in terms of social standing, and 2) because the one who forbids it is the Contessa and as I’ve already mentioned, she is not someone you want to cross, if at all possible.

DISLIKES/ISSUES

One issue I had with The Tethered Mage was the heavy emphasis on politics and political discussions, particularly in the middle of the book. I could see this aspect of the book being what will either make or break this story for some readers. I personally love politics and reading about who may be plotting against who, and what they’re going to do about it, etc. But even as much as I enjoy that kind of plot development, I started to get tired of all of the sitting around discussing and wanted them to just do something. I had a moment where I thought about giving up on the book, but I pushed through since I had been enjoying it so much prior to the lull in the action, and thankfully, the action picked back up soon after.

FINAL THOUGHTS

With its fascinating cast of characters, incredible world building, intricate magic system, and its emphasis on political intrigue, The Tethered Mage is the perfect introduction to Melissa Caruso’s Swords and Fire series. I look forward to reading the next installment when it becomes available.

RATING: 4 STARS

[Disclaimer: I received a free e-copy of this book from NetGalley for review purposes.]

I'll be a little generous with my stars, since the end of this book was much better than the beginning. I would rate it 3.5 if I had the choice, but 4 is not a stretch. It's not one of my favorites, but once the story got going, it was a pretty good ride.

Amalia is the heir to her mother's seat on the Council of Nine, which essentially "rules" Raverra, their city (I think it was just a city within the Empire, to be honest I didn't quite get all the relationships here). She would rather bury her nose in books (normally my kind of girl) than be a political leader, but here she is. One morning she's out picking up a rare book from one of her connections, when she sees a girl about her age in trouble with a bunch of men. These men are obviously trying to kidnap the girl, claiming she's an indentured servant and still has time left on her contract. Amalia steps in, but the girl says she's got this, and sets the men on fire. Then she sets the area around her on fire. She is completely out of control, the fire is spreading, and Amalia has no idea what to do when suddenly, a man shows up and tells her "Hey, put this bracelet on the girl's wrist and it'll all be cool." So she does, and the fire goes out, the girl passes out, and Amalia is suddenly bound to this girl for life. The girl, Zaira, is now Amalia's Falcon, and Amalia is Zaira's Falconer. The Falconer is charged with keeping the Falcon's magical powers under wraps so that she can't use them, with a set of release and binding words. Admittedly, I was pretty grossed out by the whole thing. It's essentially conscription into an army as soon as the "mage mark" shows up, which is usually in early childhood. The Falcon becomes a soldier, bound to the Falconer, and only allowed to leave their special home (which is an island, by the way) when the Falconer lets them, and only when accompanied by them. It feels like slavery. And Zaira is none too happy about being forced into Falconhood when she wakes up.

Amalia is a pretty wet noodle of a character for a good chunk of the book. It's once we hit the middle point in the book that we see more of a character progression. In the beginning she acts like a teenager with a semi-regal attitude. By the end, she's definitely more regal and interesting. But boy was getting there difficult.

To be honest, I wish this had been told from Zaira's point of view. The political manipulation we get when we hear Amalia's first-person narrative can be pretty boring, and sometimes interesting, but I think Zaira is probably the smarter of the two (at least she has more common sense), and would have made for a more compelling story. As it is, she's practically reduced to a background character. Amalia can go wherever the heck she pleases, while Zaira is at her mercy.

The author did a good job of showing how terrible the whole situation is, especially for Zaira, who never wanted to be caught in the first place. There is a lot of resistance, and even at the end it's not 100% certain as to where Zaira's loyalty lies. The tentative friendship (if you can call it that) at the end of the book is very shaky and seems like it could break at any time. And I'm sure that's where the author was going with it. I just wish I'd had Zaira's side of it all without the cloud of Amalia's judgment.

There is also some instalove, which I called from the first time we meet Lieutenant Verdi (no spoilers here, Amalia's blushing within five minutes of meeting him). I don't quite understand what made him fall for her (or even her fall for him, he's pretty bad at protecting anyone, if you ask me. Frankly, he's a pretty wet noodle himself). He's sweet, and I assume handsome, and of course Amalia is beautiful, and so is Zaira, and so is pretty much every other good character in the book. But I really just wasn't feeling the romance here.

This review is turning out more negative than I expected. OK, let's get to the good!

Like I said up there, I really enjoyed the character progression we saw from Amalia. She grows a spine, grows a personality, and grows into her role in the political battlefield. She learns how to be more covert, she puts her regal-ness to use, and she gets the job done more effectively than I would have expected.

Zaira is also a plus, although she acts pretty much the way I would have anticipated she would. There's really no point in forcing a fire warlock to the battle front if you know she isn't willing to burn shit down. But admittedly, I enjoyed her slight warming to Amalia, even though it's clear Zaira carries all the sense in the relationship.

Once I got to the halfway point, the story started picking up. The twists and turns that the plot took were mostly foreshadowed enough that I could figure out what was going to happen. The only one that surprised me was /SPOILER/ Ignazio. The rest I sort of saw coming. That didn't mean they weren't good, because it really was a very convoluted plot, and I wasn't quite sure where the author was going to take it.

Prince Ruven felt like a tropey evil witchlord, full of all the venom, malice, and plain sociopathy you'd expect from a villain. I know that in book 2, Raverra is trying to deal with a threat from Ruven's country, but I couldn't quite figure out how he was connected with the plot that was the main thread. Maybe he wasn't actually connected in the true sense of what was going on, but only in the fact that his presence could help sew discord, which would in turn help fuel the war he wants with Raverra/the Empire. I don't know, but I'm sure we'll find out.

Overall this was a good read. It took a while to get going for me. I wasn't thrilled with Amalia as a main character, but I admit that she did go through a great transformation by the end. I think there was some pretty strong writing, although getting a sense of place and time was a little difficult. I enjoyed it as a fantasy, but wish there had been a little more explanation of the magic system and how it worked. A little bit of extra worldbuilding would not have been amiss either, although at almost 500 pages, it was already running a little heavy. I really love long books and love that this wasn't split into two (YA fantasy has really ruined the art of the long novel, TBH) just to cater to short attention spans. And I'm glad that I didn't cave in to my short attention span and abandon the read. Pick it up, check it out, and see if it's for you.

I didn’t make it past Chapter 4. I was so bored with this book.

In the Serene Empire, those who possess strong magic develop a mage mark that shows itself as a colored ring around the iris of the eye. Those who begin to show the mark are taken to live in the Mews and are known as Falcons. The person who tethers their magic with a jess is the Falconer. Once the bond between the Falconer and Falcon is formed, there is no breaking it. The Mews was formed with the idea of protection, of keeping safe those with a lot of magic from being used against their will.

Not everyone sees it this way, however. Zaira has been hiding her magic her whole life not wanting to be, what she considers, imprisoned. When she inadvertently releases her fire magic during a confrontation, and with no other option as her magic runs rampant, Lady Amalia Cornaro jesses her.

The Cornaro name holds a lot of power within the Empire, and now having the magics of a Fire Warlock at their disposal some say they have too much power. Tensions arise between Ardence and Raverra, as Ardence wants to leave the Empire. Zaira and Amalia will need to work together in order to avoid a war that someone is determined to bring to fruition.

At its heart, The Tethered Mage is about the questioning sense of loyalty and trust. Not only viewed from the sense of upheaval between Ardence and Raverra, but most notably between Amalia and Zaira.

Zaira’s magic is primarily a weapon. If things escalate to the point of war, Amalia will be called to unleash Zaira’s power, which in turn could kill hundreds of innocents. Disobeying orders calls her loyalty into question, but following those orders makes Zaira lose trust in Amalia. It’s complicated and, at times, confusing, but that’s the point. War is messy. Politics is messy. Melissa Caruso does a great job in conveying this throughout.

I loved that readers get to go through the trenches along with Amalia as she tries to stop war from happening, and to stop herself from being the trigger, and Zaira from being the weapon. Amalia is slated to take over her mother’s spot on the Council of Nine, the ruling body of the Empire, so I supposed you could say this is kind of her training. She makes mistakes along the way for sure, but she’s an intelligent young woman, who takes up her mother’s mantle with much aplomb and does the best that she can given the circumstances, and by the end her character matures exponentially. I am very interested to see where she goes from here. One of the only negatives I could say is that it seemed a little too convenient how much people were willing to talk to Amalia, given who her mother is, I would have pegged her for a spy from the beginning, but that’s just me.

While all the characters were certainly noteworthy, the magics / world created were downright awesome. We’ve only scratched the surface in what we’ve seen so far with Zaira’s being the most explored magic, but there’s also artifice and alchemy branches of the Falcons that I look forward to discovering more about.

In the Raverran Empire, magic is scarce and those born with power are strictly controlled -- taken as children and conscripted into the Falcon Army. 

Zaira has lived her life on the streets to avoid this fate, hiding her mage-mark and thieving to survive. But hers is a rare and dangerous magic, one that threatens the entire empire.

Lady Amalia Cornaro was never meant to be a Falconer. Heiress and scholar, she was born into a treacherous world of political machinations.

But fate has bound the heir and the mage. And as war looms on the horizon, a single spark could turn their city into a pyre. (via Goodreads)
I received an eARC of The Tethered Mage from Netgalley, courtesy of publisher Orbit Books, in exchange for an honest review.


MUCH WARLOCK. VERY WAR.  (okay I'm done.)
I liked this book! However, I have a sort of funny confession to make. For like the first 20% of this book, every time the Doge, a very important figure in this story, is mentioned.... I THOUGHT OF THE DOGE MEME. If you don't know the doge meme, you can find out about it here. 

Once I got past my silly association, I really liked the story. It kept pleasantly surprising me. I loved how different the two main characters are. As you can see in the blurb, Zaira and Amalia are very different people and the story uses that to it's advantage. I love how unapologetically sexual Zaira is, and how much Amalia genuinely believes in her family. I want more about Ciardha in the next book. Please?

There were a few times that I questioned why certain things were being focused on in the narrative, but it all pulled together pretty well at the end. I think it could have been a little bit tighter, but it worked well for me overall.

There's a ton of political intrigue in The Tethered Mage, which kept tugging at my neural pathways until I realized what it reminded me of - a less queer, more in depth and slightly less magical The Traitor's Tunnel (review HERE).

I was intrigued by the world, and I would definitely pick up the next book in the series. I'm very interested to see what comes next for Raverra! If this sounds like your kind of story, check it out on Amazon or Indiebound!

The Tethered Mage, by author Melissa Caruso, is the first installment in the authors Swords and Fire Trilogy. The Tethered Mage caught my attention with it's beautiful world building; which reminded me so much of Venice, Italy. The story is deep in court intrigue & magic, has a twisty story plot with plenty of action, and a friendship that grows out of two very different engaging characters in Lady Amalia Cornaro and Zaira, the mage with the ability to wield fire. The Serene Empire of Raverra is a place that has seen 50 years of peace after a 3 year war with the neighboring Witch Lords of Vaskander.

One of the reasons the peace has lasted so long are magical users called falcons. Falcons aka mages, are those who are born with mage marks in their eyes. Some of these mages have unimaginable powers of pure destruction. Children who show any signs of being mage marked are quickly gobbled up by the ruling government and sent to a place called the Mews to learn to control their powers. All of the falcons are assigned a person who is called a Falconer. Falconers exist to control magic and those who use magic. With a jess, the magic is bound, with a word from a Falconer, the magic is unleashed.

Lady Amalia is the daughter and heir of one of the most powerful people in all of Raverra-La Contessa Lissandra Cornaro. She is not only bright, but bold as well. As she is returning home with a copy of a much sought after book, she runs into a waif of a girl being harassed by several men. After the waif unleashes her fire magic that nearly burns down the city and everyone with it, Amalia is encouraged by Lieutenant Marcello Verdi to put a magic halting artifact called a jess on the girls wrist thus restraining the girls powers. Marcello may have not only broken the law, but given the powerful Court of Nines a weapon of mass destruction. 

One could definitely say that things do not get off to a good start between the waif girl named Zaira and Amalia. Why should they? Amalia is not only her mothers heir, but has also been to university. She has seen places like Arden and is comfortable being among powerful people. She is also a creative inventor which we see bits and pieces throughout the story. Meanwhile, Zaira's life has been one challenge after another while living on the streets, and hiding her powers. In this world, Zaira has no rights of her own now that she has been discovered as a fire mage. Oh sure, they claim the mages will be treated like kings and queens, but what they don't tell you goes a long way in understanding Falcon/Falconer relationship. 

Zaira and Amalia are now forever linked together whether they like it or not. In the end, it takes a whole lot of twists, and turns, and actions to bring the two women together. This relationship also includes Marcello since he finds that he is enamored with Amalia, as well as his sister who is a bright spot in this story. The unlikely relationship between Amalia and Zaira is key to this story, but the underlying issue is where Amalia's relationship with her own mother ends up. Nobody can stand in the same room with La Contessa without being a bit intimidated, but Amalia more than holds her own when the chips are on the table.

I will definitely be waiting for the sequel called The Defiant Heir (April 19, 2018).

I received a copy through Netgalley. I give this 4.5 stars
The Tethered Mage by Melissa Caruso is a solid read.
We meet Amalia Cornaro, the Coranaro heir, her mother La Contessa is one of the ruling minds on the Council of Nine in the Serene City of Raverra. She knows what is expected of her as an heir to the Council of Nine, loyalty to the family first, her feelings on a forever back burner, second only to the Serene City and the council it's self and the word of Doge who rules the council.
Let me say firstly that the world building is fantastic, and so well thought out.

Amalia is a strong independent woman although born without any powers, is more into the study and theory of magic, spending her days tracking down rare books. Out one night she crossed paths with another young woman. A mage marked woman, a warlock with the explosive, dangerous power of fire, who's spent her life trying to avoid being conscripted into the army.
Mage marked individuals are considered property of the government, taken straight into the army's protection as children, or as soon as their power's manifest. They are called Falcons, and are given a Falconer whose lifelong bond with tether them together, holding the responsibility of releasing their power with a jess, a bracelet constructed of Artifice (magic crafted objects, made by other mage marked individuals called Artificer.)
Their path's collide, and they end up forever linked by a small wire jess.
Zaira, considers The Mews (the government area that houses and protects the Falcons) a gilded cage. The power that she's had since childhood, both a gift and a curse. It can protect her, but also steal those she get's closest to. Zaira's fire is called balefire it's power grows wild with each life it takes, and soon she loses control and becomes consumed by it, swallowing everything in it's wake, it is the most dangerous magic to possess. Only the word of her Falconer can call her back and snuff out her power.

In order to avoid being used as a weapon against enemies of the Serene City, Amalia and Zaira must learn to work together, trust in each other. In the midst of a rebellion, finding out who the real enemy will take everything the two of them possesses, they must both use all their skills to stop it before it's too late or an entire city will be at the mercy of Zaira's fire, and she will be helpless to stop herself. And her Falconer will have will have no choice but to release her power on the city of Ardence.

The Tethered Mage by Melissa Caruso was a fantastic read! Please give it a chance.

I recieved a copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange of an honest review. I did enjoy the book, but I think it suffered from the first book syndrome. The concept of this book was great and I loved how the person who tethered the mages power was the only one who could release it. While the concept was good I felt that this book was a little slow to take off. I know authors get better with each book they write and I am looking forward to see how this author improves on the series. I loved Amalia and Zaira and I thought the forbidden love angle was cute. This book is full of world building and political intrigue which may make up for its slower start. If you are a fantasy lover or a YA lover this book is for you. I can't wait to see where the characters go next and want to see more by this author.

The Tethered Mage is full of politics and intrigue, plots and deceptions, magic and determination. The setting gives the feel of a collection of Italianate city-states in structure with different rulers over different cities coming into conflict with a potential rebellion on the horizon as the general backdrop to the story.

Amalia Cornaro is the daughter of one of the Council of Nine, intended to take her mother's place on the council eventually, her whole life thus far has been surrounded by the intrigues of court. She would much rather have her nose in a book, puzzling out artificing projects and remaining blissfully unaware of the Council's working, though she knows that is not to be. She likes to travel the city incognito, and it is during one such escapade that in trying to do a good deed, she accidentally links herself and Zaira together forever in a way that neither expected or wanted.

Zaira is difficult and uncooperative from the very beginning. Amalia tries to make the best of a bad situation, but despairs that Zaira may never come around to the partnership they need to have. Even so she continues to try and find ways to make Zaira's life better and earn her trust. It is this unlikely pairing of personalities that drives the development of Amalia's character. She is an heiress that has never wanted for any luxury, and has taken the Falcon/Falconer relationship for granted as part of life, though she had no thought of being one herself. When confronted by someone who feels trapped and compelled against their will to accept this magical and physical binding, rather than being grateful to be raised in circumstance, it is confusing for her and she must alter her world view. This willingness and desire to understand and accommodate is what made Amalia an attractive character to me. She matures through the story from a daughter who follows her Mother's every order, to a strong young woman who will be capable of taking her place on the council some day, making her own decisions and standing firm for what she believes in.

There were some side characters that I hope we see more of in future books, I always enjoy when the secondary characters engender that interest in me. This was a very satisfying historical feeling fantasy that I'm looking forward to continuing in the next book due out next year, The Defiant Heir.

c/p from Goodreads

I received an ARC of this book via netgalley. I DNF'd it at 35%.

I tried to give this book as much of a fair chance as I could, ultimately I found the experience too irritating to continue which is why I DNF'd it. first book of this year I've had to do that with but it wasn't worth putting myself in a reading slump which i could tell was going to happen if i forced myself to read the whole thing.

My principle issue with this story is that the blurb&title led me to believe the focus would be on Zaira the tethered mage, the slave or subjugated figure struggling against the oppressive regime she's enslaved by. Instead, we get a first person narrative from one of the most privileged characters in the empire (with a stereotypical side order of bookworm + not like other girls + disapointment to her powerful family tropes) who not only captures and enslaves Zaira against her will, but is repeatedly disapointed that people aren't more grateful for what she did. Amalia's inner monologue spent an insultingly long time justifying the slavery system in her world (at many points gaslighting the fact it even is slavery) without any hints from the author that this was going to be something the character would have to confront.

I know i only read 35%, but when you write a first person single narration expecting me to empathize with a slave holder, you better know what the fuck you're doing and you better give me clear signs early on that this isn't just going to be a "happy slave we gave you a better life of service" narrative, which is the impression i got.

I have a long, comprehensive video review of my thoughts on these issues over on youtube (https://youtu.be/esI5PHnNrs4).

tl;dr socially, The Mews/Falconers/Falcons have the exact same structure as The Fulcrum/Orogenes/Guardians from Jemisin's The Broken Earth w/o any of the nuance or challenging of problematic systems. Not my cup of tea.

I first came across this book back in July when it was mentioned by a fellow book blogger and I was immediately taken in by both the cover and the setting of a 17th-century inspired fantasy Venice. The content of The Tethered Mage was just as enticing as I hoped and introduced an alluring new fantasy world and magic system.

This book starts off with action that throws you right into the basics of the current state of magic and politics in Eruvia. If you're confused, just hang on because all will be explained. Lady Amalia Cornaro, soon to inherit her mother's place in the all-powerful Council of Nine--rulers of the Raverran Empire--ends up unexpectedly attached to a previously unknown mage known as Zaira. The two end up in what is known as a Falcon/Falconer relationship in which an individual mage's magic is controlled by a non-mage, which is all the detail I'll give regarding the setup of this story (if you don't already know, I'm a firm believer in finding out the details for yourself--it's a much better experience that way).

As mentioned, we the readers are thrown right into the middle of the magical and political machinations of this world, and I found myself a bit lost in some of the beginning discussions among the Raverran elite. Fortunately, the most important information that you need to know for the plot is mentioned again later in a more elaborate and understandable manner.

Amalia herself is rather stubborn, but this seems to be a common trait among book protagonists and I didn't find it to be too overbearing for once. In the end, I came to appreciate Amalia's tenacity and willingness to do what she feels is right, whether or not it is what she is 'supposed' to do, despite her follow-the-rules personality. Zaira, unlike Amalia, is much more rebellious and is unafraid to speak her mind. Honestly, I didn't much like Zaira's character in the beginning, but she quickly grew on me and became one of my favorite characters. I also loved her dog. Amalia's mother is also one of those characters that you don't necessarily like, but she sort of grows on you by the end. Also, I found Prince Ruven to be a particularly intriguing character whom I look forward to reading more about in the second book.

The world-building of this new fantasy was well-done and has made me interested to continue the series and find out more about it. What intrigued me the most was the fact that individuals with magic are used as the 'army' and the those without magic are the ones in charge and able to control those without it. I found it to be quite a nice change from the situation of many other fantasy worlds in which the noble/elite usually have more of the magical power and abilities. I thought that Caruso did a good job portraying both sides of the scenario, with Amalia coming from the powerful side and Zaira coming from the magic end. This division allows the reader to see how Zaira viewed her position and felt as if she were forced to be a slave to the elite and is not pleased with being made to use her powers for their wishes, whereas Amalia has only ever known the opinion that this is a positive relationship for both mages and non-mages alike. I appreciated this dichotomy and how it contributed to the overall storyline and development arc of the characters. It was also interest to read from a protagonist's view who doesn't have magical powers.

For those wondering, there is a small romantic subplot, but it isn't overdone nor does it take away from the plot.

Overall, I've given The Tethered Mage four stars! I had a great time reading it and I highly recommend it to anyone who loves some good fantasy.

I wasn't sure what to expect when I started reading this book. I have read so many fantasy YA books over the years that I was worried it would be more of the same. I was pleasantly surprised to find a fresh take on the YA fantasy drama. The characters were likeable and well developed. And the plot was well thought out and engaging. I am looking forward to reading the next book in the series!

While I liked a lot of the disparate elements to this book--the complex relationships between magic users and their "falconers," a protagonist who is a magic scholar who can't do magic, the myriad conniving elements plotting various schemes--overall this one fell flat for me. It felt like it took a long time for me to wade through. I was nearly as exasperated by Amalia's bumbling naivete as her "falcon," the street-smart Zaira, and the syrupy sweet romance between Amalia and the perhaps even more disgustingly naive Marcello (who for reasons completely obscure somehow managed to become second in command at his military station??? ??? ???) did not appeal to me at all.

My favorite character was Amalia's mom's maid, who is a dashing spy lady (and possibly in a secret relationship with her powerful mom?). But despite being the heir to one of the most powerful people in her country, and nearly being assassinated multiple times, Amalia somehow completely misses the totally obvious clues about her badassery and is completely flummoxed at the end when Dashing Spy Lady (I forget her name, oops) rides to the rescue. Oh, Amalia. She is just so clueless that I couldn't enjoy her as a protagonist, and will likely not be picking up book two as a result.

4.5 Wine Glass ARC #Review of The Tethered Mage by Melissa Caruso
*Review will go live on 10/23/2017 @ 8pm EST

Melissa Caruso dazzles with her debut release The Tethered Mage, first in the Swords and Fire trilogy!

Amalia Cornaro is the heir to one of the nine reigning seats of the Empire, in her home city of Reverran, but she'd much prefer to spend her days buried in books and alchemy then political intrigue. When she finds herself unintentionally tethered to a fire mage though and thrown into the center of a potential civil war, Amalia must carefully navigate the the gully of deceit lest the Empire be set aflame....

The Tethered Mage was an enchanting story immersed in fantasy. Set in an almost Victorian era Italy, readers are drawn into the city of Reverran. With it's sweeping streets and temperate canals, this vibrant jewel of the Empire is easily brought to life on the pages through Caruso's magnetic writing. From the onset, readers are thrust into the action with an out of control mage threatening to burn the city to ashes. We're then swept into the magic and mayhem of the story as Amalia steps into the role she was destined for, and another she never imaged, as she tries to keep the empire from self-destructing while earning the trust of the wary, Zaira.

Based on today's bird falconry, the concept of falcons, mage-marked warlocks with powers that range from an affinity with machinery to controlling the weather, being tethered to falconers, a person in the imperial army who has the ability to leash and unleash their mage's powers, was definitely a unique premises. Zaira never chose to be a falcon, just as Amalia never chose to be her falconer. But while Amalia accepts her new role, Zaira refuses to. Zaira's character was sarcastic, distrusting, and volatile throughout the majority of the story. While her sarcasm and whit oft times lent humor to the tale, her character was stagnant until the very end which left me disliking her for a majority of the book. Her complete opposite was Amalia. I adored her character, though she was too trusting and naive at times, the showed exceptional growth with each new page. The handsome and honorable Lieutenant Marcello Verdi added a touch of slow-burning and taboo romance to the story. While his relationship with Amalia doesn't progress very far in the physical sense due to social restrictions, their yearning to have more was palpable from the pages. Many dreamy sighs were had while reading scenes centered around these two. Between these three characters though, the dialogue was continuously entertaining. While The Tethered Mage is a character driven story, with magic at it's center, there are currents of political drama that propels the story forward. I was kept guessing throughout the many plot twists and the ending was brilliant.

The Tethered Mage is essentially a coming of age story with characters that straddle the line of young adult and adult. Unless I'm mistaken, the ages of Amalia and Zaira are never given, but you get the feel that they're in their late teens. Riddled with intrigue and with a gentle touch of angst and longing, I was captivated from start to finish. The integration of magic and falconry works beautifully, the prose flow freely, and the characterization is gripping. I can't wait to read more from the Swords and Fire trilogy, and am eagerly anticipating The Defiant Heir. Will Amalia and Marcella ever have a future? Will the the prince of Vaskandar, Lord Ruthven, use his stolen knowledge to bring destruction to the Empire? Will Zaira ever except her fate and learn control? I'm looking forward to finding out!