Review: Source Mage (The Awakened World Series Book 1) by William Stacey

Source Mage by William Stacey
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Fascinating World Building

This is the first book I’ve read by this author and I came across it as a Facebook Ad, which isn’t a great recommendation, but the blurb intrigued me.

The world in which this book is set is fascinating. It’s been 18 years since dragons pulled down the veil between the mundane and the magical worlds and sparked years of chaos.

Angie was adopted as a child by a fey, a succubus. She was raised at her adopted mother’s home where she was trained alongside other human mages how to use magic without killing themselves.

After leaving the only home she really remembered, she joined the Home Guard, the armed forces that protect a group of human compounds against incursions by ‘ferals’ (an unexplained dangerous enemy) and other human factions. Several months ago she was shot down on a mission and she unleashed magic she never knew she had. Terrified she got her adopted mother to sever her from her magic and she was asked to leave the Home Guard as a result of losing her magic.

Isolated from her adopted mother and discarded by her human colleagues, she tries to cope day to day with little sleep and hard work. Stricken by PTSD, she doesn’t know how to find a path towards acceptance and health.

I found the world-building in this book to be really interesting. There’s nothing particularly new in the isolated facts, but they’ve been put together in an interesting way. There is mythology from several different parts of the world, which is always interesting. The magic system, for instance, seems very simple but the more you read the more complex it becomes. This is the same with the structure of society and the treaties and agreements in place. The complexity of the book is revealed slowly as the story is told in an intriguing way that compels you to keep reading.

I like Angie quite a lot. She’s a flawed and damaged human who is pulled taut between two worlds. She dwells partially in both worlds but not fully in either. She is lonely and afraid of her own magic. She is taken on a journey that involved her reappraising her entire life and the people she considered friends. I like how her friendship with Erin grows throughout the book, taking them from mere acquaintances to comrades in arms. Perceived enemies become allies and old friends become enemies. Everything she believed is tossed out and she is left to rebuild from scratch.

It’s a well-written book, with a good strong plot and solid world-building. The characters aren’t deep, but this is the first book in a trilogy so more of the personalities and histories of the characters will hopefully be revealed the further we get into the story. It’s definitely left me wanting to read more though.

I’m glad I took a chance on a Facebook Ad for once.

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