The Outcast Mage

Thank you to Orbit and NetGalley for the opportunity to review an ARC of The Outcast Mage.

I was so excited to read this book, it had all the makings for me to enjoy it. This is a debut high-fantasy novel from Annabel Campbell. As a debut, I am a bit more lenient on my ratings because the author is still working on their craft. I can honestly see Annabel Campbell becoming an amazing fantasy author. She has a great starting point but there are areas for improvement.

My biggest issue with this book was the pacing. It felt like nothing happened for half of the book. It was very slow to read and when I thought the pace was picking up it only slowed down more. As well as the world building being a lot all at once. There were times when you can see the author trying to weave in the world building into a scene naturally, but it did not read like it. There was many times where the world building was just dumped upon you.

I did really enjoy being thrown straight into an intense scene and figuring out what is happening in the world. My favorite parts of the story were the interlude portions. The mystery kept me reading long after I should have stopped. This is honestly a great debut that has the bones to become a great series. I am very happy to have read this and cannot wait to continue to see where the series progresses.

I strongly recommend checking this one out, but maybe keep your expectations on the lower side and know that it is a slower paced read.

Final rating: 3 stars ✨