The High Lord (The Black Magician Trilogy: Book 3)

By Trudi Canavan

"You want to know the truth."

Sonea has learned much since she was but a penniless urchin possessing an awesome untapped ability. She has earned the grudging respect of her fellow novices and a place in the Magicians' Guild. But there is much she wishes she had never learned—what she witnessed, for example, in the underground chamber of the mysterious High Lord Akkarin . . . and the knowledge that the Guild is being observed closely by an ancient fearsome enemy.

Still, she dares not ignore the terrifying truths the High Lord would share with her, even though she fears it may be base trickery, a scheme to use her astonishing powers to accomplish his dark aims. For Sonea knows her future is in his hands—and that only in the shadows will she achieve true greatness . . . if she survives.

*Blurb source* HarperCollins

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| Genre: Fantasy
| Content: Coming of Age, Magic
| ISBN-10: 0060575301
| ISBN-13: 9780060575304
| Publisher: Eos (August 31, 2004)
| Mass Market Paperback: 531 pages
| Cover Artist: Matt Stawicki
| Source: Personal copy
| Read an Excerpt
| Rating: 5 Stars

♥ Mini Review ♥

As the title indicates, in this final installment of the series, the main focus once again shifts, this time to the mysterious High Lord and his motivations. Cery makes a comeback, taking a major role in this book while Dannyl pretty much fades into the background. Most if not all of your questions will be answered with more then a few surprises along the way.

Fantasy Series Book Review by Mulluane

In many ways this book is completely different than the other two. The pace is much faster, almost relentless, the overall tone is darker and the flow of information is fast and furious. Now I'm not saying this is a bad thing, but if you expect the lighter pace of the first two books, you will be surprised by this one. You get the sense that the author decided to cram 2 books into one in order to keep it a trilogy. She doesn't do it badly, but you do get that impression.

That being said, its a great read, Sonea continues to please as she struggles to maintain her integrity in a world that does everything to shake her. She is faced with some very tough decisions and handles them in ways that might catch you off guard. Sonea is everything I love in a female lead. She overcomes insurmountable odds and tough obstacles while being true to her beliefs in what is wrong and what is right. Her loyalty, once earned, is unshakable, her determination, while often riddled with self doubt, never wavers. She is truly a remarkable character. I suggest these books (as long as you have no objection to the mild references to a same sex romance) as a good read for young adults on up to us old folks.

I'm not going to completely reveal the ending here but for the sake of discussion I want to mention the type of ending. If that worries you, please skip ahead to the bottom.

I loved this series, I don't hesitate to recommend this book, however I really hated the ending. Now I admire the author for being brave enough not to use an "and they lived happily ever after" ending, but in this case I sure wanted to see one. The reason I think she went out on this limb was to show that there are consequences to doing the wrong thing, even if its for the right reason and lets face it, life doesn't always have happy endings. But in this case I'd have been much happier with one.

♥ Additional Reviews ♥
Series Summary Review ~ Book One ~ Book Two
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Fantasy Book Review of The High Lord (The Black Magician Trilogy: Book 3) by Trudi Canavan - Reviewed by Mulluane - on May 26 2008 - Rating: 4 of 5 Stars