Dragon Mage
Rivenworld #1
by
M.L. Spencer
Guest review by Constance Lopez
What if the thing that makes you different from everyone else isn’t a weakness, but instead your greatest strength?
Aram Raythe is autistic—and that is his greatest strength. The entire magic system in this book plays to that detail. Because how Aram’s brain works is exactly why he is the champion—the only champion. He is the only one who can see the aether of the world in color, and that allows him to do magic more complex than anyone else. His fascination with knots is actually tied to his magic, because knots are how magic is made. The magic system in general is just REALLY cool, with the gifted and the sorcerers and Shields(those resistant to magic).
I loved every minute of this. Aram is a sweet, heartfelt character who never loses sight of himself. He deeply values the friendships he builds throughout the story. And those friendships are one of this story’s greatest strengths. Spencer does an excellent job showing the connection—and tensions, when things go awry—that run between two people in a relationship. And Markus is the perfect balance to him. They make a fantastic team against the antagonists—who are really just The Worst. The good guys are bastions of goodness in this story, but the bad guys? They’re absolutely awful. Euwgh.
The world is rich and varied and there’s so much room to explore and grow—which is excellent, as Spencer is working on a sequel(YAY!). Dragon Mage is written as a standalone, but readers clamored for more, and she listened.
Thank goodness. I need more of Aram and co.
Find Dragon Mage on Goodreads
Guest Reviewer:
Constance Lopez knows magic is real. Dragons, faeries… and don’t even get her started on unicorns. She grew up having epic duels in the woods with her siblings, and nature is still one of her favorite places to be. If she isn’t out there working on her stories, she’s dragging her children and husband on adventures (they always enjoy it once they’re outside). Except in summer. For those months she hides inside, because Texas heat is real and it hates her.
Books have always been her haven and inspiration, and now she writes her own noblebright stories, hoping to pass those feelings along to others. Fantasy, of course. Because everything is better with magic.
