The Outcast Mage

This was a slow burn. It's a great pay-off but we climb a steep crescendo to get there.

In the end, I did enjoy this but I must admit that the first three quarters of the book felt like an extended opening chapter. It isn't until the last quarter, when the characters leave the glass city and we get to see more aspects of the wider world, that things really start to kick off.

The world-building and the magic system are both really unique and quite enchanting, there are some gut-wrenching moments and some blush-worthy moments, and the book ends with hints of some great exploration to come.

The Outcast Mage is an intriguing mixture of political intrigue, academia, and epic fantasy, and I am left with theories, so I will be keeping an eye out for the sequel.