Book Summary

Before the age of 17, the boys and girls of Jerar have to make a life-changing decision. They have the option of getting a career in trade or enrolling in one of the three prestigious war academies.

There are three rankings at the academy: a soldier, knight – and the most respected position, a mage.

The students choose between studying in restoration, alchemy or combat. For 15-year-old Ryiah, the decision was never difficult. She knew she wanted to become a mage and train in combat, which was no doubt the hardest of the three.

At the academy, the students receive a trial year of strenuous training. The mentors of the academy make it their goal to physically and mentally break as many applicants as they can. Only fifteen students will become an apprentice by the end of the year, and the kingdom of Jerar only wants the finest soldiers.

As the training begins, Ryiah quickly realizes just how tough becoming a mage in combat would be. She constantly finds herself being last in the competitions, and she gets nowhere when it comes to learning how to use magic. But, Ryiah refused to fail. She would need to train, harder than everyone else. She needed to be in that chosen group of 15 apprentices. And, the only way to do that was to become one of the best.

But becoming one of the best students means competing and winning against the best. And, Prince Darren of Jerar is not willing to let that happen.

Darren is unmatched. He is easily at the top of all the students, and sees Ryiah’s improvement as a threat.

He will try and break her. Tell her she has no chance against him. She could never become a mage.

But, Ryiah sees this as motivation. She wants to prove Darren wrong.

She will prove him wrong.

Personal Opinion

The Black Mage is such a motivational book. Ryiah’s determination and positive attitude really rubs off on the reader. I remember reading this book and feeling so inspired to always try my best and never give up.

Ryiah is a mentally and physically strong character and I found her really intriguing. Throughout the book series, the students in the academy are faced with nearly impossible training exercises.

Prince Darren is another very relevant character, but it takes awhile for him to have a big role in the book. I won’t say much about him because I think every reader should discover Darren’s personality from reading the book. He is introduced as a mysterious character, and no one really knows anything about him. I can’t reveal another detail. I don’t want to spoil anything.

Overall, I loved the storyline and inspiration that this book held. I know this personal opinion section is a lot shorter than my other ones, but the first Black Mage book is all about getting to know and understand the characters. They all grow so much throughout the book, so it’s hard to give information about them unless you have already read the book.

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