REVIEW: The Novice (#1) - Taran Matharu

Title: The Novice (#1)
Author: Taran Matharu
Series: Summoner
Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton
Format: Paperback
Pages: 390 Pages
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Goodreads Blurb

When blacksmith apprentice Fletcher discovers that he has the ability to summon demons from another world, he travels to Adept Military Academy. There the gifted are trained in the art of summoning. Fletcher is put through gruelling training as a battlemage to fight in the Hominum Empire’s war against orcs. He must tread carefully while training alongside children of powerful nobles. The power hungry, those seeking alliances, and the fear of betrayal surround him. Fletcher finds himself caught in the middle of powerful forces, with only his demon Ignatius for help.

As the pieces on the board manoeuvre for supremacy, Fletcher must decide where his loyalties lie. The fate of an empire is in his hands. The Novice is the first in a trilogy about Fletcher, his demon Ignatius, and the war against the Orcs.

Thoughts

I really enjoyed this book, and I will admit I did buy this because the character has the same name as my son. I have seen this book all over the place, and I also did want to read it as the blurb sounded really good.

I really enjoyed this book and was quite surprised by how much I loved this book, and especially Fletcher, and Ignatius. All these characters are fantastic and were just so hard to choose a favourite as they are all fantastic.

I found that this book was easily followed, which with a fantasy novel is fantastic, as I do always find these to be hard to follow as the world building can be so dense. The world building in this book was fantastic and so easy to follow.

I really did not like Tarquin and Isadora, they were a bunch of snobby, snooty brats, and by the end of the book you are wanting Fletcher, Othello, or Sylva to defeat them in the tournament.

Overall, a fantastic book, and I can't wait to read the next in the series.