Book Review / The Novice by Taran Matharu

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 grueling 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 maneuver 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.

 Published:     5th May 2015
Publisher:  Hodder
Author Website:  Click here
Goodreads :  Click here
Series or Stand-Alone:  Book 1, Summoner Series
Source:  Review Copy from Publisher

My Review

I will elaborate but basically I can summarise this book in one sentence.  I LOVED THIS BOOK!!!

What I loved the most was the world building and the great introduction to characters in this first book.  For me, a great first book does both of those and really gets you sucked into the world and get invested in the characters, wanting them to win and do well.  I was definitely both sucked in and invested in Fletcher.  Although this story was very predictable, I did have a lot of questions that I NEED answering.  I am dying to find out more about Fletcher and his past.  I just know there is something the author is not telling me that I will no doubt find out in the next book(s).

There is a lot of conflict and action in this first book but the one thing that I did notice was that I didn't notice any love interest of any kind.  No relationship drama, old best friend that might become more for Fletcher.  I actually found this to be refreshing considering the majority of the books that I have read recently (and in the past) usually always feature some kind of romance.  I actually liked the fact that there was none of this in the first book.  Without that, I was left to really concentrate on the world and the characters in it.  That's not to say that there will be romance in the series (I hope there will be) but I haven't got a sense of it yet.  There is a suspicion of a possibility but that is all it is, a suspicion.  

Another aspect of this book that I really enjoyed was the comedic side of Fletcher's interaction with his demon.  Normally, I would think of a demon as a pretty horrific character but Fletcher's demon was more like a pet and it was really funny to see the both of them get to know each other and interact with each other.  

What a fantastic book that I would recommend to everyone!  Even if this is not usually your style, give it a go you might just be surprised!

About the Author
(from Goodreads)
 

Taran was born in London in 1990 and found a passion for reading at a very early age. His love for stories developed into a desire to create his own during early adolescence, beginning his first book at 9 years old.

Straight after graduating with a First Class degree in Business Administration, Taran was keen to explore a new avenue and get inside the publishing world, landing an internship in Digital Sales at Penguin Random House, from June to September 2013.

Thereafter, while taking time off to travel, Taran began to write ‘Summoner’ in November 2013 at the age of 22, taking part in ‘Nanowrimo 2013’.

Thanks to Wattpad.com and updating daily, its popularity dramatically increased, reaching over 3 million reads in less than six months.

After being featured by NBC News, Taran decided to launch his professional writing career and has never looked back.

His SUMMONER trilogy will be published in Spring 2015 by Hodder Children’s in the UK, Australia, New Zealand and British Commonwealth, Feiwel and Friends (Macmillan) in the US and Canada, Heyne in Germany, Crown in Taiwan, Planeta in the Spanish speaking world and Record in Brazil. Book 1 will be published by EKSMO in Russia, Ecliptic in Bulgaria and Alpress in the Czech Republic.