About

Crafting Magics is the first book in the The Mage of Shimmer Mountain series written by Adam Sampson.

Crafting Magics book cover

Blurb

Hugo’s new lease on life starts out so well. A trip up the mountain grants him the chance to be a mage. But then the train he is on explodes.

Unknown magic flings him back in time, and he avoids the explosion this time. While he is trying to unravel the mystery of this unexpected second chance, life goes on. His new gifts lead him to the magic academy. At the school, he will face off against noble students that don’t want him to be there, teachers that expect him to already know everything, and literal monsters that want to kill him.

Can he forge allies in a place where he's hated? Can he learn to master the magic that the academy demands he know? Can he even survive to discover the secret of his second chance and what it all means?

Review

I was close to dropping the book after a few chapters — writing was average, not properly edited, not-so-likeable main character and a few deaths (was afraid the book would turn overly dark). However, it had been more than a month since I last read progression fantasy and even the small power up at the start got me hooked. And it helped that the time-loop had a nice twist.

Around the 10% mark, I got a better feeling for the world and could look past the writing to enjoy the plot. I might have still dropped the book, but I was interested to see at least the next time-loop. I kept reading and then I found myself staying up late to finish this rather long book (I did skim a few sections on the next loop though).

I liked the magic system and I feel academy settings always enhance the learning/discovery process. Along with better power progression due to time-loops, the main character also became a bit more likeable (particularly in terms of getting help instead of trying to do it all by himself and rejecting dangerous powerful paths). Some of the side characters were interesting, but their impact was muted due to Hugo getting most of the attention.

I'm still hesitant to recommend the book, but overall I did enjoy it and would likely give the sequel a shot.

Edit: I read the next two books in this trilogy and similarly enjoyed reading them. There were enough twists and neat magical crafting to keep me interested. And the main character became more likeable too.

My rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟☆

What others are saying

From Tiuri's review on goodreads:

I'm not usually a fan of anything time-travel related so I was a bit hesitant to start this when I noticed the blurb mentioned a time-loop. I needn't have worried, this is not your classic time loop. I really enjoyed the world building in this and the characters. I also liked that the MC isn't afraid of hard work and is helpful towards others without being a complete pushover. I can't wait for book two after that cliff-hanger ending.

From Jose Filler's review on goodreads:

Interesting plot with some new ideas, the story telling leaves some room for improvement. Stromg hopes for the second book

Bingo

/r/Fantasy/ 2022 bingo categories:

  • Weird Ecology (HM)
  • Cool Weapon
  • Wibbly Wobbly Timey Wimey
  • Self-Published OR Indie Publisher
  • No Ifs, Ands, or Buts