Review: My Lady Mage by Alexis Morgan

Title: My Lady Mage: A Warriors of the Mist Novel
Series: Warriors of the Mist, #1

Author: Alexis Morgan

Published: July 3, 2012

Pages: 336

Genre: Fantasy Romance

Source: Publisher (Signet)

Rating: B-

Reviewed by: Ellie

Favorite quote: “If you sacrifice yourself, Merewen, there will be no one left with your gift to care for the horses. Without them, your people will have nothing.”

summary from Goodreads
A cursed destiny. A band of warriors. And one troubled kingdom.

It is whispered in Agathia that the legendary warriors of the mist—cursed by the gods—can be summoned only when a champion is needed and the cause is just. Gideon, their captain, knows this to be the one path that will lead his men to redemption—lest they face an eternity of damnation.

Years have passed since anyone has journeyed to the river's edge, but times are desperate. Oppressed by a cruel guardian whose dark magic threatens to destroy her people, the beautiful and courageous Merewen calls upon the bespelled warriors. In Gideon she finds more than a champion, and in his arms, more than protection. However, their enemies are fighting with a power darker than anything than they imagined, and should Gideon fail, she will lose everything she holds dear—including her heart.

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Ellie's thoughts:
Every since her father passed away Lady Merewen and the people of Agathia have lived their lives under the harsh rule of Fagan, who happens to also be Merewen’s uncle. The people of Agathia have always done well with Merewen’s families gift of raising horses. Merewen inherited the gift from her father but because she is a female she is unable to rule the lands and it was passed over to her uncle when her father died. Merewen is determined to stop her uncle and save her people from his wrath so she calls on a band of warriors who are her last hope.

Gideon and his four fellow warriors were cursed by the Gods hundreds of years earlier and wait patiently to be called forth to avenge a noble cause. Each time they are called and fulfill their task they get a chance to go before the Gods and plead their case to have their sentence lifted. So far each finished mission has lead them right back into the river to await the next needy soul in need of a champion but when they are called upon by the Lady Merewen things are different. Merewen calls to Gideon and he soon finds himself caring more about her and her safety then freeing himself and his friends. The battle to help Merewen will be fierce but if they are successful they might finally gain their freedom back.

My Lady Mage is unlike anything I have read in a very long time. I am not usually a big fantasy reader but I ended up really enjoying this book. The book does start off a little slow and take a few chapters to really understand the world of Agathia and the Warriors of the Mist. Once I got into this new world, I really started to love all of the characters and I couldn’t put it down until I finished every last page.

This is 100% a fantasy book with a little bit of romance thrown in for good measure. I wish that there could have been a little more of Merewen and Gideon getting to know one another and a little more romance but I did enjoy their relationship a lot. Merewen is a really great strong character who stands up for everyone around her and refuses to fall under her uncle’s rule. In the beginning of the book we got to see a lot of the magic that Merewen has with the horses and I wish that we could have seen more of it throughout the entire story.

I really liked all of the Warriors but it took way too long to find out how they were cursed and why. For me this was a big issue and I think that it could have been told much earlier on and would have let us get to know what kind of men they are. I felt that Duncan and Averel were kinda left out in this book and we didn’t get to know them nearly as much as Kane, Gideon and Murdoch. I think Duncan’s book is next and I’m not sure how I feel about it since I don’t really know anything about him.

I have mixed feelings about continuing on with this series but I think I’m going to give it another shot with Her Knight’s Quest. As I mentioned before I am not a huge fantasy fan but My Lady Mage was excellently written and I think the series will only get better as more questions are answered. I do also look forward to learning more about all of the Warriors and the ladies who steal their hearts, especially Kane’s.