The Magicians' Guild

This was a reread for me, I first picked up this series 10 years ago and adored it. in fact, it was the series that got me into reading properly. And it inspired in me a love of fantasy that still burns today.

The first book in the trilogy is a fair bit different to how I remember it, the plot moves slower than I remembered. Nevertheless I enjoyed the book and it's many characters. I get a good sense of the people in this book and their mannerisms and relationships. While some characters and their plotlines are boring and predictable for me, overall the book was a very interesting and engaging read.

I will say that the book does more for the trilogy as a whole than it does for itself. And by that I mean that the plot of book one is not particularly complex or compelling. Rather, the book sets the world up well and builds a strong network of characters I feel connected to. This means it sets up the following two books very well indeed without being considerable as a standalone. Actually I wouldn't read this if it were a standalone. But the plot of the trilogy will uphold the first book enough that the development makes it worth it.

I encourage everyone to try the series, particularly the second book. It's a strong favourite of mine.