The Bookwyrm's Review of The Mage's Maze by Jared Millican.

Author: Jared Millican

Length: 264 Pages

Publisher: Southern Fried Publishing

Release Date: September 25, 2019

Amazon Link

 "Not your mother's magic fantasy!"

PLOT SUMMARY

When Karen Paladino, a mild-mannered accountant, started her work week with a simple carpool who would have know her life would have taken an unexpected turn toward the absurd and the sometimes just plain weird. Thrust blindly into a world of magic she can’t believe or comprehend. Karen is rocketed on a whirlwind journey that will test her sanity her patience and most importantly her ability to handle bad puns and pop culture references by a less than amusing mage and his sidekick dragon. In the center of this magical world sits a magical death maze with a locked door that no one can open, and no one knows what treasures it hides. When the evil white hand of Salazar learns of John Harden’s new friend and what she could do, she will stop at nothing to capture her and the door. This story has something for everyone magic, Gods, Dragons, vampires, Arthurian legends, and the odd occasional Centaur sex joke. Littered with action, sarcasm, bad jokes and a few heartwarming moments. Throw in a tiny dash of romance, and you have a story made for late-night T.V. or at least a straight to home video release. 

MY THOUGHTS

I've been a fan of urban fantasy for years. I have to say that my favorite trope is the hidden world aspect most of them have. That there is another layer of reality under the surface, which is where the magical races dwell, interacting with our reality in secret. Mage's Maze definitely falls into this category. The world building is rather refreshing, though, as the story centers around the mage's maze in the title, as well as quite a few pocket dimensions. This is in addition to various locations around the world. This combination of locations mixed with some really fun creature creation creates a nice background for the characters to operate in.

The characters really shine in this one. It's such an eclectic mix of personalities, from Karen, who starts as an innocent vanilla human that discovers and grows into power, to characters like John Harden, the snarky guardian of the entrance to the maze, wizard in his own right, who is just such a fun character. They both go though such a nice arc, as we discover how Karen is tied to the maze, and they grow into such interesting characters throughout the book. The secondary characters are well thought out and mesh well with the story, whether it be a dragon in disguise, a centaur with an ingenious business model, or a death spell slinging sorceress, they all have interesting arcs as well, adding flavor to the story. The villains were a bit underdeveloped as far as back story to flesh them out, but they were still woven well into the story, and it's nowhere near a deal breaker as far as finishing the story.

I have to say I hope this is the first in a series, because I can definitely see these characters in more adventures. This has a lot of potential for future adventures, and I can see it appealing to fans of urban fantasy in general. I recommend checking it out.

Rating: 8/10 Stars