The Novice (Summoner #1) 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.

Title: The Novice (The Summoner #1)

Author: Taran Matharu

Publisher: Fiewel and Friends
Publication Date: 5/5/2015

Review:

I want to thank NetGalley and Feiwel and Friends for providing me with an egalley of this book to read and give my honest review. The opinions expressed here are my own.

Let's just start with the cover. I'm a sucker for a good cover. I know, I know: don't judge a book by it's cover. But I just can't help myself. The cover art on this book is so pretty. I'm not a gamer but it also gives me that gamer vibe. Either way, I would probably pick it up and put it in my cart just to be able to display it on my shelf at home!

What drew me in? Well the blurb, of course, It has that Harry Potter feel to it. Then maybe throw in some Infernal Devices and you have yourself a deal for me to read it! An elite academy where they train kids to summon? I'm in! And if you're thinking it's just another book following a predictable arc and plot line, it's not. Sure, it has its "pure blood" versus "others" moments, because it has to, but it's not a carbon copy of Harry Potter. Also, the author does a fabulous job with the world building. It's put together very well.

I really liked Fletcher. Put aside him being an orphan, because of course he is and this is why he is the way he is (and can be the way he is), he's just well fleshed out. He's kind, treats people well, and is just an all around nice guy. I know you're saying NICE GUY! who wants that. Well it worked in this book. Plus all those who surround him: the teachers, the demon, the dwarves. I really enjoyed them all. And, of course there are villains. Always villains to make a story interesting.

Pacing was good. Lots of action and scenes moving you forward to round out the plot. I was surprised to find out this book was originally published on Wattpad!

If you're looking for romance, you're not getting it here, though. At least not in this book (not sure what the author planned for the other books in the series). I was a bit happy for it, to be honest. It seems all YA books go this route but this author didn't choose to take it. I commend him for that. 

But the ending, I assure you you will be on the edge of your seat. And it will have you wanting to read the next book asap!

Taran Matharu is the New York Times bestselling author of the Summoner series, which has been translated into 15 languages and has sold over a million copies in English. He was born in London in 1990.

Taran began to write the SUMMONER series in November 2013 at the age of 22, taking part in ‘Nanowrimo 2013’ and sharing his work on Wattpad.com. The shared sample of the story went viral, reaching over 3 million reads in less than six months. THE CHOSEN is his first book in his new CONTENDER series, out now.



His books are published by Hodder Children’s (Hachette) in the UK, Australia and Commonwealth, Feiwel and Friends (Macmillan) in the US and Canada, Hachette Jeunesse in France, Heyne in Germany, Planeta in Spain, Crown in Taiwan, Record in Brazil, EKSMO in Russia, Jaguar in Poland, Ecliptic in Bulgaria, Alpress in the Czech Republic, Ithaki in Turkey, Forlaget Forar in Denmark and Unieboek in the Netherlands.