This is a fantastic novella from fantasy queen Kate Elliott, who always delivers wonderful fantasy content and Servant Mage is no exception.

Telling the story of Fellian the indentured lamplighter with a this story, while being great as is, really could easily be expanded into a full blown novel and what a phenomenal book it could have made to if this novella is anything to go by. Fingers crossed that this isn't the only visit to this world that Elliott teats us to and that a revisit is a possibility as this world and myth building are fascinating. Elliott never fails with her characterisations and Fellian and her friends make for interesting and intriguing characters to follow through this twisty little tale.

Great novella with even greater future possibillities. Nice one Kate, nice one!

I very much enjoyed this novella, but I really wanted more from the world - I wish it had been a full length book! There's a lot of fascinating worldbuilding going on here, and you can tell there's a ton of history and knowledge behind the world, but I found that at times the story glossed over things I would have liked to have known in more detail, and I was left guessing about some of the elements. Fellian is a really likeable heroine - resilient and smart, but struggling with her place in society since mages like her are forced into indentured servitude. Her story could have been a really classic rags-to-phenomenal-cosmic-power fantasy, but things go sideways for her quite quickly, which was a lot of fun. However, at times it really felt as though rather than being the main character, she'd blundered into the middle of an already ongoing story, and she didn't fully understand all the players and pieces - which meant I as the reader didn't either. It's still a very enjoyable book, but knowing how great Kate Elliott's longer works can be meant I just wanted even more.

Three and a half stars, rounded up for NetGalley.

I have read multiple other books by Kate Elliott. I immensely enjoy her ability to create interesting worlds. This book snagged me quickly, pulling me into a new world. I loved slowly experiencing her fantastical land. Her characters are strong and riveting. To me, the book felt too short as I greedily marveled at her imagination. I will be impatiently waiting for more stories in this series.

The story starts out following the standard heroic arc: toiling in obscurity, a youth falls into a group of heroes, finds a mentor, goes on a quest, comes into her power, and finds completeness (and romance) with a group of like-minded souls. But then the story gets ... interesting, and goes in a different direction.

Elliott's world-building is first-rate, and her storytelling is economical; it's rare to find a fantasy novel that I wish was a little longer. Some of the characters are stereotypes, but the main characters are mostly complex human beings.

I don't know if Elliott intends to write more stories set in this world, but I certainly hope so.

This book was honestly really good. For some reason I thought it was over 300 pages when I requested, but it’s actually under 200. I thought that was strange for a fantasy novel, especially one with so much worldbuilding, but it seemed to work!
Speaking of the worldbuilding, it was a bit confusing. With less than 200 pages of content, it’s hard to make a good introduction to this world, but the author did a good job for the most part. It’s one of those where I’m extremely confused while reading, but I could probably explain it to someone else.
I really liked the cast of characters, but I think one of the biggest issues was that I could hardly get attached to them with barely any time to know them, which bothered me. I feel like I would’ve liked this significantly more if it was more drawn out to a typical fantasy novel length.
Regardless, I really liked this book and would recommend it to people who like short fantasies with a strong, well-written world. I’d absolutely read a sequel.

Thank you NetGalley for giving me an ARC copy of the book in exchange for a fair review!

In Servant Mage, Fellion gets taken out of indentured servitude without much of a choice. She is forced to promise that she'll help rescue some people from mines by using her mage powers. However, she has cards up her sleeve that she doesn't share.

Fellion is one of the strongest female characters I've seen in a while. I especially love her choice at the end because it's not something that happens a lot, at least in YA fiction. But perhaps I need to get off the YA train more often. I do like how her story unfolds and how unapologetic she seems.

The world-building was great as well. I liked the concept of how the mages got their power.

The only thing I wished was that the story and side characters were more fleshed out. Some parts didn't seem as smooth.

But overall, I'd recommend this book! I enjoyed reading it.

Loved the plot line. Looking forward the next book in series. Look for some twists and turns as the story progresses.

Written in past tense, third person POV, SERVANT MARE is fast-paced and a real page turner! I read this book in one sitting and was sad when it was over, because I wanted to read more of Fellion’s story. Why? Because I’m also someone who asks strange questions in tense situations. Some call it a gift, but most people just call it awkward! Oh and yes, Fellion has cool magical abilities and I wanted to see if she could shine them up to the Adept level.

Great use of standard fantasy tropes. Those tried and true tropes make the book feel familiar, even if the premise of the story is vastly different from anything I’ve read lately.

I received a free e-ARC of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Servant Mage is a novella by Kate Elliot that felt like it bit off more than it could chew.

You have a high fantasy world and intricate characters that don’t get their justified time in such a short length of a book. It feels almost underdeveloped but rushed at the same time.

I think this would benefit a full length standalone, or even be the first in a duology/trilogy. This was disappointing.

3.5 Stars

NOTE: Video review on YouTube will go live 01/14/2022

As a Kate Elliott fan, I was ecstatic when I got approved for this title, albeit a tad disappointed upon realizing it was a novella. Despite falling into some of the inevitable pitfalls of novellas and short stories, this was a really well put together story with a surprisingly large amount of world building and a nice twist on the typical rebel oriented fantasy story.

Servant Mage takes place in a world where the Monarchy was overthrown by the Liberationists and all mages of the elements (fire, water, earth, air, and aether) are forced into servitude as they are deemed to be too dangerous to live on their own. The Liberationists say that mages are inhabited by demons from an aetherical realm and must be controlled. Fellion is one such servant mage who is a Lamplighter who uses the element of fire. Things take a big turn when she is pulled from her servitude by rebel Monarchists and enlisted to help first rescue their comrades trapped in mines, then an even bigger plot to stop the death of the latest royal child.

Right off the bat this takes an interesting turn as we are in a world where a group has successfully toppled a monarchy, yet is framed as the villains with the rebel Monarchists playing the role of underdogs rebelling against power. More so, Elliott also uses this framework to explore the regular people whose day to day life really doesn't change much regardless of who is in power. In a short time we see glimpses of life as it would be under both regimes and the exploration of classism.

The world building also benefits from the interesting take on an elemental magic system. Once again the author takes an idea that's very familiar, but explores it in an interesting way. We're offered two very differing views of how the magic system works and what it can do, all depending on who exactly you listen to. This magic involving elements, wraiths, demons, and heck, even cattle, is extremely well developed given the short length.

Unfortunately the short length does cause some issues too. Like most novellas, we definitely have a few awkwardly abrupt transitions where the next part of the story needs to immediately start. This is really something that I think is a bit unavoidable for this medium, but unfortunate nonetheless. In Elliott's Crown of Stars we get a slow, intricate build of the world and the plots which for me is much, much stronger.

The character development suffers a bit as well, simply because we don't really get a lot of time to develop the characters other than a few traits and reactions. I do think part of this is also due to the nature of our main character, Fellion, as she is very distant and doesn't make much of an effort to get to know other characters. I do think the way Fellion acts and behaves makes quite a lot of sense though, and so her as a character did work for me even if we didn't get a lot to go on with other characters.

There is certainly quite a bit of commentary in this novella as well, and the points the author makes fit extremely well with the story and with the idea of the central framework. This is certainly not the standard fantasy trope version of a rebellion and the story and especially the ending show this well. The ending I think gives some satisfaction, though definitely feels like the (very common to novellas and short stories) slightly too open ended type of conclusion.

Overall I did enjoy this story and will be interested to see if this world is developed more, but ultimately I would vastly prefer this be done in a novel length format. Elliott does a great job using the small amount of pages to get her ideas across, but given how exceptional she is at world building and developing great characters, it definitely feels like a lot is missing in this novella.

Elliott is known for writing big, dense books. This one is much shorter, novella length or only slightly longer. The worldbuilding is dense, and fascinating. Characterizations are good, and the plot moves along. It could easily be the start of a long series, but it also stands alone well.

Kate Elliott has done it again.
I could not put this book down from the minute I got it.
The world is fantastic and it sucks you in immediately.
I felt so much while reading this, which is how you know it's fantastic.
I cannot recommend this enough, and I'm anxiously awaiting the next installment.

Thank you #NetGalley for letting me read #ServantMage !

The prose is great and I liked the main character's personality a lot, but I just wasn't in the right headspace for so much worldbuilding packed into so little space. I also prefer more in-depth character stories, and this tale goes wide instead of deep, with politics and power structures that I wasn't invested in learning about. That being said, the magic system was fascinating and the world was unique.

This book felt like a sketch of a story. It was too fast, a bit bare of details, and rushed through thr important parts. It felt a bit unfinished. Also, I found there was a distracting amount of Telling instead of Showing going on with the character development.
On the other hand, very intriguing storyline and world building that definitely left me wanting more.

Kate Elliot is one of the most able writers of fantasy who is writing today. Her stories show women's agency, and their reactions to events, with a clear-eyed feminist perspective.. This story is no exception.

We are given a young protagonist, living in a country divided politically, and governed by a repressive regime which seeks to use wielders of magic, while treating them like slaves, and which murders babies who show the potential to control more than one form of elemental magic.

The protagonist, Fellian, named after a flower used as a symbol of hospitality, is brought into a conspiracy to prevent a magical infant from being killed, and upon achieving this goal immediately returns to the homeland from which she was taken when still a child. Taken not only for her magical power -- control of light -- but because her parents had been executed for the crime of teaching literacy.

This is, to put it simply, a story about power: Who has it , and how it is used. It is an excellent young adult story, demonstrating the high quality of the author's work.

I really enjoyed this book by Kate Elliott. First time reading her, and remember why I use to read a lot of fantasy. Will need to start reading fantasy again, and definitely Kate Elliott again. Great characters, great pacing, and great story. #ServantMage #NetGalley

Servant Mage (ARC)

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (4 Stars)

One Word Review: Rebellion

Review: I first want to say thank you to Macmillan TOR for giving me early access to this e-book. This was the first of Kate Elliotts work that I have been able to read and will absolutely be looking for more. I thoroughly enjoyed the world building and and impressive magic system that made up this book. I loved the way the elemental magic wasn’t just simple manipulation, but was a true understanding of the elements that they controlled. Air mages with the ability to track scent and fire mages with the ability to create free floating fire to be used as light sources. It was a wonderful change of pace and showed the diversity of an elements power. The characters were interesting to read about and each was unique and motivated to fight for a freedom they believed in. The government was was created and made sense as to why it was created originally and how people grew to hate it. The characters faced real issues and were forced to make difficult choices that ended in surprising ending, but always felt true to who they were. Overall this was a very enjoyable read that I can’t wait to see more from.

Kate Elliott writes long fantasy and space opera series that are densely packed with world-building. Servant Mage is the first installment in a new YA series. In Elliott terms, the YA part means there's only one viewpoint character and the plot develops more quickly. This novel also gestures toward a love triangle involving the heroine Fellian and two nobles of very different backgrounds, though my sense is that the series will reconfigure the YA love-triangle trope rather than leaning into it.

As Servant Mage opens, Fellian is illegally teaching a friend to read. A few decades before that lesson, a rebellion overthrew an oppressive monarchy. Because mages once served the monarchy, the new government oppresses them in turn, binding children with mage talents into service and refusing to teach them the details of their craft. A secretive group of mage Loyalists recruits Fellian because her talent completes their team: together, they make a full hand of earth, air, water, fire, and aether mages. By combining their skills, they can locate a baby who might become the next monarch--but the government's August Protector is ahead of them.

In another fantasy novel, the baby's right to rule would be unquestioned. But Kate Elliott is more interested in exploring the way inherited power shapes character than she is in justifying it. We see the damage that the Protector's government causes, but Elliott slowly shows us the other kinds of damage that the Loyalists take for granted. Fellian's loyalties lie somewhere else. By the end of the book, she's talking to her own friends and kin about what self-determination looks like. I'm very interested in seeing how this develops across the course of the series!

Servant Mage is Kate Elliott at her best. It’s only a novella (sadly), but it’s the kind of novella that perfectly balances introducing you to the world, a story that’s enough to tell in so few pages but also enough to keep you wanting more, and characters you love immediately and want to know more about.

Really, the only issue here is that it is only a novella.

I think it’s no secret that I’ve loved every one of Kate Elliott’s books that I’ve read (and that I think it a travesty that Black Wolves never got its sequel), so it was probably unsurprising that I enjoyed this one too. What was best about this one was the way in which she created such a vivid world in so short a time. It feels like the kind of world you can envisage developing into an entire series (I’m not above begging!). A novella is a great taster, but it’s not enough.

A lot of that is helped by the fact that you have these characters you can love right away. I don’t know how Kate Elliott does it, in mere lines as well, but by the end of the first chapter, I was fully invested in the characters and their quest. They’re another reason too that I desperately want more of this world—they had the best kind of potential found family vibe going on.

In the end, then, I’d say Servant Mage is a book for those of you who’ve been a little intimidated by the length(s) of Kate Elliott’s books/series. It’s a good place to start, and from there, the world is yours.

Servant Mage tells the story of an indentured fire mage who lives under the opressive rule of the Liberationists who now lead her country after they deposed the Monarchists several years ago. Fellian, the fire mage, is recruited by a group of Monarchists to use her skills as a fire mage to help rescue some people trapped in an old mine, but she ends up having to do a little more than she bargained for...

Sadly I did not enjoy this novella in the slightest. Based on the description I was expecting some gaslamp fantasy with slice-of-life elements and pretty low stakes but in fact, this novella is an epic fantasy story that Elliott has tried to cram into a 176 page novella. I'm not saying I would have enjoyed this more if it was longer, I don't think I would have enjoyed it either way, but this form was much too short for Elliott to cram in her world-building, character work and plot without all of them suffering significantly. The world-building is certainly the strongest element and the one most heavily focused on I would say, but even that suffers and while it has some unique elements and nuance to begin with, that gets muddied by the end.

I also took issue with the writing itself. Elliott often uses pronouns to refer to characters when it's not clear who she's referring to. One example of this that stuck out the most to me was when Elliott spent a whole paragraph referring to Fellian (a female character) and then started the next paragraph with "He sighed..." without ever clarifying who it was who sighed. Perhaps this was just a typo in my ARC copy, but it was only the most egregious example of a frequent issue. Elliott also included some info-dumps in the novella, which I always find frustrating. Again I'll give a standout example, Fellian starts daydreaming or something along those lines and then we get a full paragraph written as her thoughts which just explains who one part of the world works. I much prefer the "show don't tell" approach when it comes to worldbuilding.

The characters themselves are also lackluster. Fellian is pretty whiny and I found her difficult to like, but she's the only character who really gets fleshed out more than "here's their name, this is the kind of mage they are, maybe they have a secret". The merry band of mages doesn't have any kind of compelling group dynamic and I never came to care for them, the antagonist or any of the other characters.