The Tethered Mage

Written by Melissa Caruso

Narrated by Saskia Maarleveld

In the Raverran Empire, magic is scarce and those born with power are strictly controlled — taken as children and conscripted into the Falcon Army.

Zaira has lived her life on the streets to avoid this fate, hiding her mage-mark and thieving to survive. But hers is a rare and dangerous magic, one that threatens the entire empire.

Lady Amalia Cornaro was never meant to be a Falconer. Heiress and scholar, she was born into a treacherous world of political machinations.

But fate has bound the heir and the mage. And as war looms on the horizon, a single spark could turn their city into a pyre.

The Tethered Mage is the first novel in a spellbinding new fantasy series.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Hachette Audio
• Release date: Oct 24, 2017
• ISBN: 9781478923190

Reviews for The Tethered Mage

[wanderlustlover_1 · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

Thank you to Melissa Caruso, Orbit Books, and NetGalley for this free honest reviewer copy of "The Tethered Mage."

I really wanted to love this book so much more than I ended up loving it. The synopsis was so catchy and interesting, bu the book started and I found it dry and plodding. There were a lot of world building details in the first half, but they felt like they slowed the book down more than flushed out scenery and history.

[infjsarah · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Very enjoyable read. Has an original idea around magic but it is mostly about politics and power. The main character is the strongest but they are all interesting. There is a romance but it is a very light part of the plot.I enjoyed it so much, the next 2 books are already requested from the library.

[herenya_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Lady Amalia Cornaro is walking around incognito when she is enlisted to tether a rogue fire-mage who is threatening to burn the city. But something goes wrong, leaving Amalia unable to yield her role of Falconer to another - a role which, as a noble, Amalia is not supposed to hold, and as her mother’s heir, Amalia cannot make her sole priority. I kept expecting this to be more gripping - more consistently gripping - than it is. Amalia is under a lot of pressure and trying to juggle conflicting loyalties. As the Cornaro, her choices are constrained and scrutinised. As a Falconer, she’s expected to obey orders and quickly secure Zaira’s loyalty, and neither of them are given the time they need to adjust to this new relationship. Tensions are escalating between Raverra and the city where Amalia attended university, and she knows that she and Zaira may be ordered to threaten, or even burn, a place where Amalia’s friends live.Yet Amalia approaches all of this with a certain amount of calm confidence. Which is actually quite believable - she has a strong sense of security and identity which come from the relationship she has with her mother, the resources she knows her mother can wield to protect her, and the skills and knowledge Amalia has gathered - but it does undercut the urgency somewhat.I don’t think this is necessarily a weakness - perhaps just a case of the story almost-but-not-quite meeting my expectations and not-quite doing what I wanted it to.The Tethered Mage has some memorable characters, satisfyingly-complex political intrigue and rich worldbuilding. (It’s not the first time I’ve come across the concept of magic users being leashed, but the way it is approached here is different.) I’m interested in seeing what happens next. “Amalia, do you know why I let you run around Raverra without an escort? [...] Why I let you study magical science in Ardence, or allow you to go out dressed like a country squire’s seventh daughter, or pretend I don’t notice when you visit pawnshops in unsavory areas?”“No, Mamma.”“To see what you do, given freedom to make your own choices.” Her words cut the air like a thrown knife. “And to see what you learn. Because I hoped this independence indicated a spark of intelligence or ambition that might serve our family well, and that you might prove yourself worthy to be my heir.”I had thought, perhaps, it was because she wanted me to be happy. “I did learn things.”

[sunyidean · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Lovely read

Beautifully written, fast paced, and just plain fun. I don't read very many political fantasies but I found this very engaging from start to finish. Probably helps that it is in first person; i think political sff novels are often better served by being in first person.

[twolfe360 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The Tethered Mage by Melissa CarusoI described this to a co-worker as magic and court intrigue set against a Venetian background. It’s a coming of age story which is a favorite theme of mine. We are introduced to two main characters Lady Amalia Cornaro and Zaira, Falconer and Falcon. Which also mirrors the foundation of the world that we are visiting. Caruso’s husband posited to her that if magic was real the magic wielders would hold the power. This inspired Caruso to consider a world where magic wielders were weapons used by those in power. The idea of the Falcon (magic wielder) and Falconer (magic controller) was created. It is set against a fantasy Europe with a strong nod to Venice. There seems to be a burgeoning branch of fantasy where magic exists during the time of the gunpowder empires. Meaning that the level of technology is past the use of swords and armor. I lump Tethered Mage into this group although technically the level of technology would put it a little before that time more in the 1600s but as kingdoms were established beyond the Feudal world. So a little bit of actual gunplay and the threat of cannons reside next to the threat and use of magic. Other players of note Amalia’s mother, La Contessa, a power player in the politics of the Empire and Marcello a Falconer, rising up in the ranks of that branch of the military. Settings are two major cities Raverra and Ardence which also represent their respective countries and the focus stays with those cities. Honorable mention goes to the country Vaskandar which will come into play in future books. The story moves at a nice pace, growing Amalia as a character. Zaira is somewhat one dimensional until the end when a bit more is revealed. Must confess that there were some unexpected turns in the story even when somethings were apparent there were still curves to what was happening. All in all a fun read, an interesting world mining a little bit of some other fantasy works but making it fresh. Well worth the time of reading and unlike many other series I purchased the next book while still in the first quarter of the story.

[m_mozeleski · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

For an 'adult's book, this feels remarkably YA, although there is some intense stuff one typically doesn't find in YA in general.

I have a few issues with the books. Mainly at the start, when the main character is a total freaking airhead, but other than that, I like the arc of the main character. I do wish we could get something from Kaira's point of view.

I'm interested to learn more about how the magic works in this world. If the Vask...something's magic works differently, why? I need more information.