Servant Mage

This should've been a full length novel. I really wanted more. That's why it's not a 5 star read for me.

More of a 3.5.

I haven't read any Kate Elliot books before but I definitely have heard of some of them, especially the science fiction. But it's no surprise that I decided to try a fantasy novella first.

I'm not 100% sure what to make of this little story. It has a lot going on - the ruling Liberationists who want to keep all the mages in control through intense propaganda and brainwashing, Monarchists who are in rebellion trying to protect their people and form an army, indentured mages who are forced to serve with no choices of their own and who can never be sure which side might actually be good for them - along with a little action and quite a bit of history and lore. And for the most part, it was written well, is very fast paced, has interesting characters whose motivations you can't be sure of but you want to like them, and quite an unexpected ending. So, while I quite enjoyed it, it almost felt like setup for a bigger story or a prequel for a new series; hence, I feel a little dissatisfied. But I'm definitely intrigued by the author's writing and would probably checkout her previous release, Unconquerable Sun.

Pretty, pretty, pretty good. Hopefully there'll be sequels, as the ending certainly sets the stage for it.