Gregory’s life changed when his aether sparked to life during the Age Day ritual. He left his old friends and his old life behind, and was taken to the Magi Academy to start training to serve the Vela Empire. Suddenly alone and out of place, he prepared for the worst.
When the beautiful novice, Yukiko Warlin, asked if they could be friends, his life changed again. After six months of duplicity from the people who they had thought of as friends, Gregory and Yukiko isolated themselves from all the other novices.
Gregory chose a path considered impossible for his training, and Yukiko followed, pushing each other to strive ever harder. When Yukiko’s betrothal was annulled, the two friends were free to express the deeper feelings that had developed between them.
The first tournament for the novices was brutal on the two young lovers. Both of them were pushed to the absolute limit, but they endured. When they took the top two spots, their fellow novices dropped the pretense of friendship, when neither would bow to the machinations of their peers.
Now, the rest of their first year stands before them. It’s become clear that they should join a clan, but where can they find one that would treat them both fairly and equally?
(This book contains some adult themes.)
My Opinion: 662 pages, $4.99 , Available On Kindle Unlimited
Full disclosure: I received an advanced copy for review, I purchased a copy when it became available.
A good book that builds on the last by increasing the depth of relationships between the two main characters Gregory and Yukiko, and adding in new people to their group. There is a feeling of familiarity as the story repeats the threats from other students and the tournament. The biggest world building shift is the addition of guilds which offer protection and larger threats. There are also lots of little stories in the slice of life novel that flesh out the everyday aspect of life for the citizens and how the characters fit in with them.
Same light RPG aspects with a dash of cultivation with plants, drinks, and meditation that increase aether.
While there was a bit less action than book 1, it's a good story that developed the characters well.
Score: 7.6 out of 10