Title: Notorious Sorcerer
Author: Davinia Evans
Genre: Fantasy
Publisher:Orbit
Pages: 448
Release Date: 15 September 2022
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Hello fellow book lovers, today I'm sharing my review of Notorious Sorcerer by Davinia Evans. It's a high octane, epic fantasy filled with sword fights, roof top hijinks, alchemy and a reluctant hero just trying to protect his home (and people) that I honestly couldn’t get enough of!
Synopsis
Since the city of Bezim was shaken half into the sea by a magical earthquake, the Inquisitors have policed alchemy with brutal efficiency. Nothing too powerful, too complicated, too much like real magic is allowed–and the careful science that’s left is kept too expensive for any but the rich and indolent to tinker with. Siyon Velo, a glorified errand boy scraping together lesson money from a little inter-planar fetch and carry, doesn’t qualify.
But when Siyon accidentally commits a public act of impossible magic, he’s catapulted into the limelight. Except the limelight is a bad place to be when the planes themselves start lurching out of alignment, threatening to send the rest of the city into the sea.
Now Siyon, a dockside brat who clawed his way up and proved himself on rooftops with saber in hand, might be Bezim’s only hope. Because if they don’t fix the cascading failures of magic in their plane, the Powers and their armies in the other three will do it for them.
Review
I did enjoy this one, however the beginning was a little overwhelming (and confusing at first) with so much lore to digest; including the laws of magic, the alchemical planes and the hierarchical structures of Bezim. But thankfully, with such a fast moving pace things quickly started to make sense after a couple of chapters. And the pace really doesn’t let up after that!
The tone is consistently light for most of the shenanigan filled plot and I loved the humour which was imbued in the plot, not to mention all that deliciously witty banter which was second to none.
There’s plenty of elements woven into the intricately woven narrative that read like a love letter to the genre, and fans of popular fantasy series such as Six of Crows or Darker Shades of Magic are bound to adore this eccentric, ragtag group of characters that Davinia Evans has lovingly crafted.
I was absolutely intrigued by the portal fantasy element which isn’t often used (and rarer still, used well) and though we don’t get to spend much time exploring the four planes, the time we do get was utterly thrilling. Angels, Demons, demonic Harpys and one loveable, wannabe alchemist just blundering through deadly magic and even deadlier realms, what more could a fantasy lover want?
The prose was marvellous but it was the characters and their antics that really drew me in; Zagiri, Anahid and Izmirlian were all such endearing characters and, alongside our loveable rogue Siyon really brought Bezim and it’s discriminatory class divide into startling focus. Anahid, Zagiri and Izmirlian were all raised in the same elite circles which allowed them privileges that Siyon, a member of the poorer classes couldn’t even begin to imagine.
As education (particularly alchemical education) is reserved for this upper class (Azatani) these nobles are given soo many opportunities to use (and profit) from the illegal magical practices that Siyon’s class would be executed for. But life as an Azatani isn’t all that great for everyone. As women, both Anahid and Zagiri must adhere to expectations and claustrophobic restrictions that neither relish. For Anahid, that means she’s trapped in a loveless marriage with hardly any freedom of her own, while her husband galavants around with his lover. Likewise, Zagiri likewise isn’t ready to give the little freedom she has for the strict social events her parents want her to attend. But even the privileges they can look forward to dry up when the planar surges begin and the inquisitors start persecuting (and executing) anyone, practicing alchemical magic.
I have to admit though that Siyon, with his determined (and singleminded) goal of becoming an alchemist and his overly rash actions in the persuit of proving himself was probably my favourite character. Yes, he’s a flawed and complex, but he’s also just trying to find his place in the world and I think we all can relate to that.
The LGBTQ+ centric romance between Siyon and Izmirlian Hisarani was really enjoyable, but brief though I’m hoping we get to see more of my fave couple in the sequel.
Overall, an expansive and vividly rich, fantasy that merges important social commentary with a delightfully thrilling magic system, loveable characters and a splash of whimsy that will most definitely have you eagerly anticipating the sequel. If you enjoy epic fantasy or action/ adventure based stories then you must give this a read!
Also, thanks to Orbit and Netgalley for the e-arc.
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
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