A review by perifairy
Minor Mage by T. Kingfisher

adventurous funny inspiring fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

Delightful short read about a young mage whose town has bullied him into a quest he had already decided to do.  I think anyone can read any book of any age range if they desire, but I think I would recommend this book most to a middle schooler who feels like all the adults in their life expect them to fix impossible problems.  This book shows us it's selfish for adults to place monumentous expectations on a child, selfish to expect the child to do things the adults never would.  It's about empathizing with mod mentality but not forgiving mob mentality.  It's about recognizing the limits of your abilities but letting yourself get creative with the abilities you do have.  Oliver is a very sweet and empathetic main character with an armadillo as a familiar.  I especially love that Armadilo fills the role of a sarcastic and wise mentor, but he's never condescending to Oliver.  They have a very sweet bond and I can feel their love for each other with every exchange.
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