This was really enjoyable, I liked the main character and his arc throughout this first book, and his new friends, adorable. Magic was also intriguing, so many aspects that could be explored. I will definitely continue the series

Delightful It’s tough to balance a coming up f age book with the appropriate wonder, learning, doubt, and capability that are their bedrock. It’s even more difficult to layer a good plot and characters on top of that - let alone a fantasy story where magic exists yet there are still Rules that apply to it all.Here you Willis find a nicely edited book that quite deftly does all of these things and more. You could hardly ask for a better series launch. Highly recommended for all ages.

I suspected I would hate this story when I read its very first sentence, where the author used the phrase "very, very good", but I decided to give it a shot anyway. "Look at all these positive reviews!" I thought. I should have listened to my first instinct. I feel like the thought process behind this book is very simple: the author likes Harry Potter, and he likes Mother of Learning, and he thought, why not write a book exactly like that. So you have an abused, bullied MC, like HP, only he's no...

5 stars. This book was fantastic! This is my first experience with progression fantasy (besides The Stormlight Archive, which I think is more unintentionally progression fantasy) and I honestly had such a blast reading it. The story is all found family tropes, and follows a main character who feels lonely, which is my shit because I related so much to that. The magic system is truly spectacular, with so many different things happening at once, and so much room for growth. This could be my favori...

This book was a quick and enjoyable read, brought to my attention by an author post on r/fantasy.OverviewHugh is a student at a huge magical academy - and may very well be the worst one. Nothing he does goes right - spells overload, fail entirely, or do the unexpected. He's also from Emblin, where magic is mistrusted, which sets him apart from his peers even more.He's also attracted the attention of one of the school bullies, a noble boy and his cronies.Luckily for him, he has attracted the atte...

Great Magic and AdventureAn excellent first chapter in a magical school story. The rules of magic are fun to learn along with the heroes, and each protagonist has a creative and iinteresting specialization.

Actual rating: 2.5/5Hugh of Emblin is a whining, unbalanced boy. He had a difficult childhood. As a result, he feels worthless all the time. He has no friends and no talent. His mana reserves are big though. A shame he can’t cast any spells. Magical academies expect it from a student.To Hugh’s surprise, an Errant Librarian Mage chooses him and two other unpromising students as his apprentices. They learn to trust each other and develop arcane skills. Who knows, maybe they’re not a group of loser...

Hugh of Emblin is not having an easy time at school. He has no friends, no self-esteem and can’t seem to make any of his spells work. It doesn’t help that magic users that come from Emblin (his home) are incredibly rare so he has an ingrained mistrust of its use.This book was a real mixed bag for me, as a whole I liked it- it’s quick, very readable and fun but there were also things that maybe didn’t work as well for me, as they may for others.This begins like a typical magic school story, but r...

Not impressed.The MC is one of those that has to have it the worstestest, not only is his magic fucked (mostly due to bureaucratic incompetence), but he's also bullied by the best student, but ALSO also, he lost his parents in a fire as a child, AND SIBLINGS!! And ALSO also also, his kinfolk that took him in were MEAN to him, like WAY mean. So you just KNOW he's the specialestest martyr, since he's suffered so... QQHad this been a Swedish crime drama, he'd have been molested by one grandparent,

Not perfect and it has some issues (exposition dumps, less than stellar writing at times) but man is this a fun read. I love the magic system here (and I’m usually not the kind of person who gets super into a magic system) and I really like all the different elements of the world Bierce has created for this series. The main characters all have neat backstories and I liked what Bierce did with the concept of educational limitations. Plus it’s nice to read something a little more low-stakes/light-...

4.5 of 5Fun, Enjoyable Read. I have been trying to figure out how to classify this book. I finally realized it reminds me of a TV pilot. It gives a introductory view of the characters and how they interact. It provides enough details to move the plot without bogging down and reveals enough glimpses of the world and its mechanics to want to know more. Like a pilot, it draws the blueprint of what is to come. Of course, the downside of this is that it leaves you wanting more. I am looking forward t...

Progressive Fantasy I enjoyed this first book; especially the progressive fantasy and magic system. However, the plot and character development did not feel as fleshed out. This left me without any investment in the characters and story. I may pick up the next one. Hopefully this progression fantasy makes progresses in quality too!

John Bierce has given us a very quick and fun read with Into the Labyrinth. This is YA fantasy that maintains many of the tropes of the genre; mage school, dungeon tests, and a fascinating magic system. I normally find YA books a little hard to rate, and this one is no exception. But in the end it’s just a lot of fun.There is quite a bit to like in this debut from Bierce. For starters, it has an interesting magic system. Mages gain affinities to various types of mana and this allows them to cast...

I have some mixed feelings about this book. Most of the time I was reading it, I was internally rating it at being 2 stars, in large part due to the inconsistent nature of the protagonist. The ending helped resolved some of those inconsistencies enough that I’m no longer as annoyed at them, but introduced other issues that keep the book hovering around a 2 for me.I’d like to start with the good things about this book, to make it clear that there are definitely people who will like it and that it...