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leovaliquette's review against another edition
3.0
Small Magics is the kind of fantasy that I find engaging and compelling because it features a cast of likeable characters who are not, at least on the surface, epic heroes. Instead, these are ordinary people caught up in a series of events beyond their control, who show their mettle by finding the courage to stand up and do what's right. It's the same theme that's woven through Tolkien's works with the Hobbits, drawn from his own hellish experiences in the trenches of the First World War.
And while at least one of our band of reluctant heroes does prove to have rare powers of his own that make anything but ordinary, it's the fact that the plot remains rooted in a conflict against a powerful flesh and blood enemy who seems to hold all the cards that kept me reading to find out how it would all end up.
The strength of this book was definitely the character development and character interactions. My only complaint is I would have liked to have had a stronger sense of the villain, Bishop Malloy, and what motivated him to betray his own faith and embark on his quest for power.
And while at least one of our band of reluctant heroes does prove to have rare powers of his own that make anything but ordinary, it's the fact that the plot remains rooted in a conflict against a powerful flesh and blood enemy who seems to hold all the cards that kept me reading to find out how it would all end up.
The strength of this book was definitely the character development and character interactions. My only complaint is I would have liked to have had a stronger sense of the villain, Bishop Malloy, and what motivated him to betray his own faith and embark on his quest for power.
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