The Novice is the first book in a three-book fantasy series written by Taran Matharu about a world where magic and creatures called demons exist. The story follows a boy named Fletcher who grew up in a small village but discovered he had a talent for magic and capturing demons. Fletcher traveled to an academy to train his skills, there he got swept up in personal and political problems like the Human vs. Orc war.
The book was a solid read, the storyline kept me turning pages and the author's messages such as facing adversity because of social status were clear without disrupting the story. However, while the plot was enjoyable it was also fairly predictable and followed many tropes. The characters as well were fairly straightforward; the good guys were good and the bad guys were bad, there was little deeper meaning behind their actions and no major character development. Unlike books such as Scythe by Neal Shusterman where the ending was not necessarily good or bad and there were many sacrifices to get there, in The Novice things always seem to work out for the main characters and they don’t have to sacrifice that much. This led to the predictable plot, I cared for the characters and was excited to see what happened next, but, at the same time, I already knew what was going to happen next.
Overall the book was worth reading, it had an interesting story and characters that I could cheer for. Still, nothing I read blew my mind and I was able to predict for the most part where the story was going while reading it. The author's writing was done well and the tones and messages in the book were clear, but, for a plot that leaves you on the edge of your seat and constantly shocked this is not the book I would recommend.
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