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Mage Heart - Jane Routley Book Review

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Review Summary
Dion was just an ordinary young girl when she came to the attention of Michael, a great mage. Michael bought her from her mother to see if it was possible to train a female to be a mage. Michael completely takes over Dion's life as she has no other friends or teachers. When Dion is older, she cannot really remember a life before Michael. She knows that she has often been a disappointment to him and fears what will become of her now that Michael is dead. There is no place for a female mage in Gallia and Dion doesn't really have any training as a healer, the only acceptable role for a female with magicial powers. So it is a relief to the Dean of the School of Magic when the Duke calls on her to protect his favorite mistress, Kitten Avignon, from a necromancer with a grudge.

Dion tries to refuse, terrified that she will lose all that is left to her now - her unsullied reputation. After all, how can she be seen to consort with the women of the "honey sisterhood" and not be thought a courtesan herself? However, when the necromancer sends an assassin into the College of Magics to kill Dion, she has no choice but to move in with Kitten and accept the physical protection that that will provide her.

Dion is ill prepared for the world of political intrigue in which she finds herself and struggles to fit Kitten's view of the world and Michael's view together. But Dion has a bigger problem, she has somehow called a Demon to her and the Demon will do anything to cross over into Dion's world where innocent prey abounds. Dion both fears and desires the demon's power, but she knows that to use demon magic is the worst kind of necromancy. Matters are further complicated when she meets the mesmerizing Andre Gregorov, a sophisticated foreigner who claims to be passionately in love with her. But who is he really and why does he want her? Dion soon discovers that nothing and no one is what it appears. Can she have the confidence in herself to make the right choices and to use her great magical gift to protect those most important to her?

Debbie, Resident Scholar

Dion has been hired to act as the magical bodyguard of Kitten Avignon.
Christine G., Resident Scholar


Detailed literary breakdown of Mage Heart
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Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot

Composition of Book
Descript. of chases or violence - 20%
planning/preparing, gather info, debate puzzles/motives - 30%
Feelings, relationships, character bio/development - 30%
Descript. of society, phenomena (tech), places - 20%




Tone of book - very upbeat
FANTASY or SCIENCE FICTION? - fantasy world/fantasy past
Coming of age Yes
Youngster becomes - a powerful magician
Romance Yes
Romance plotlets: - falling in love with the enemy
Political power play Yes
Political plotlets - factions fight within govt for control
Mental/magical powers focus Yes
Inner Struggle Yes
Plotlet: - search for identity/new understanding - coping with mental/magical powers
Is this an adult or child's book? - Adult or Young Adult Book

Main Character
Identity: - Female
Profession/status: - mage/magician
Age: - a teen
Has magical/special powers? Yes
Magical/mental powers of main character: - can cast many different spells
Is this an ordinary person caught up in events? Yes
How sensitive is this character? - sensitive to others' feelings - middling sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor - Cynical sense of humor - Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence - Average intelligence - Very much smarter than other characters
Physique - average physique

Main Adversary
Identity: - magical being
Age: - long-lived adults
Profession/status: - mage/magician
Has magical powers? Yes
Magical/mental powers of main antagonist: - can change shapes - mind reading - super strength - can cast all sorts of spells - can read emotions - is very quick
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in: - an above average amount - a substantial amount
How sensitive is this character? - mean, arrogant - middling sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor - Cynical sense of humor - Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence - Smarter than most other characters - Very much smarter than other characters
Physique - very athletic - average physique

Setting
Earth setting: - during "Tolkien" (fairytime) times
A substantial portion of this book takes place on a non-Earth planetary body: - primitive aliens
Takes place on Earth? Yes
Planet outside solar system? Yes

Style
Person? - mostly 1st
Accounts of torture and death? - moderately detailed references to deaths - explicit references to torture
Sex in book? Yes
What kind of sex: - vague references only - descript of kissing
How much dialogue? - roughly even amounts of descript and dialog
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Lirael: Daughter of the Clayr by Garth Nix
Stone of Tears - Sword of Truth 2 by Terry Goodkind




Note: the views expressed here are only those of the reviewer(s).
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