He’s overly smart, overly proficient, and overly lucky when it came to academics. The main character has a few interesting quirks but unfortunately nothing truly flawed in a way that makes achieving things a problem. Even so, it had me questioning a DNF at about the 80% mark. I will say it did finally wrap up in the last 5% of the book with a series of decent “reveals,” and the payoff was probably worth the wait.

Add on top of that arena-style battles and choose your own adventure towers with puzzles to solve and creature to kill, what’s not to love?! But after a while even those amazing ideas and great execution start to feel like cheap entertainment when there’s not an overall plot of substance driving the story. It’s so much fun to sit in on a magic class and learn alongside the students (my favorite story type, actually). It was amazing to read about the complex magic system, all of the different types of mages, the magical creatures, and the endless stream of practical applications. Especially if it comes at the sacrifice of sufficiently paced plot advancement. But as I approached the last 25% of the book, I (and Carrie) couldn’t help but wonder:

All of the elements I’m always clamor for more for in other works. This book was completely packed with magic school awesomeness from cover to cover. The journey won’t be easy, but Corin won’t stop until he gets his brother back. For that, he’s going to need training, allies, and a lot of ingenuity. If he can survive the trials, Corin will earn an attunement, but that won’t be sufficient to survive the dangers on the upper levels. He’s headed to the top floor, on a mission to meet the goddess. According to legend, those few who reach the top of the tower will be granted a boon by the spire’s goddess. Those who survive the spire’s trials return home with an attunement: a mark granting the bearer magical powers.

The Overview: Five years ago, Corin Cadence’s brother entered the Serpent Spire - a colossal tower with ever-shifting rooms, traps, and monsters.

Arcane ascension andrew rowe