Book One in the Spellsmith & Carver Trilogy An estranged son. An adopted heir. A magical attack that forces them to work together.The disappearance of Auric Spellsmith’s mother has strained his relationship with his father to the breaking point. Now, after five years away at the Magicians’ Academy, Auric returns home, determined to prove himself to his father and claim his birthright.… birthright.
Apprentice Jericho Carver has held Spellsmith Manor together in Auric’s absence. Now his master’s son is back, and if he can’t get rid of Auric, Jericho will forfeit his career and lose all hope of wooing the master’s enchanting daughter.
Neither man intends to back down.
But then Master Spellsmith vanishes into the mysterious Fey Lands. With Fey magic threatening the mortal realm, Auric and Jericho must work together to save the man they both see as father.
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Coming home… the images it usually brings to mind. For Auric, he imagines the chance to finally repair the damaged bond with his father and be the son his father will be proud of. However, he gets a shock of reality when he finds his father’s apprentice, Jericho, equally determined to hold onto the enterprise he’s building with Auric’s father and the wonderful future bond he envisions with Auric’s beautiful sister, Rill. While both men are drawing their lines in the sand, Auric’s father, disappears, which leads to disturbing family secrets being laid bare. Their line in the sand slowly vanishes because there’s no room for a petty rivalry. The battleground is revealed, and it’s larger than any of them. So, whatever they have to face, be it Dark Fey magic or dragons, they have to come out on the winning side, because they both agree they are not willing to lose their family to this threat. For Auric, it’s the family he came to reclaim, piece back to together, and perhaps he’s even finding he’s willing to extend his circle to include one more. Then there’s Jericho, who finally feels like he’s found his true family in a sense after all this time, the family that he’s willing to fight for, including one who he initially perceived as a rival. Then there’s Rill, the peacemaker, the bridge between all of them, gently moving all of the men in her life together and inspiring them to become who they must to face the battlefield before them. For that’s the only way to still be standing when the magic clears and to grab hold of their shared vision of the future. Because, now thankfully, it really is … shared. None of them are the same as when they began this journey together. Auric at some point in the story says to himself he’s, “finally home.” Strangely those words have a completely different meaning than when he walked through the door the first time, because his experience, his struggle to save his family have changed his perspective. Yes, coming home… now he knows what it looks like, why it matters, but not just him. Indeed, all of them would echo his words.
Magicians’ Rivalry is Book 1 in the Spellsmith & Carver trilogy by H.L. Burke. This is an exciting fantasy adventure with snark. There’s rivalry between the two magicians, Auric Spellsmith and Jericho Carver. They must reach deep inside to find the courage and creative solutions they need to do the impossible. There’s a small romantic element, but it’s definitely not a romance. It’s more of a bromance, as the two magicians work together to save the people they love.
I’ve been listening to the audio book and I find Bridger Conklin to be a wonderful narrator. He really draws me in and has a warm calming timbre to his voice. This book has a proper ending, but our heroes will have new adventures and face new enemies in Book 2, Magicians’ Trial.
This book was so much fun to read. Magicians’ Rivalry is an adventurous and magical read. I loved all the magic, spells, barriers, and talk of Fae. This book has some interesting twists and very likable characters.
Magicians’ Rivalry follows Auric as he returns home from magic school to work alongside his faher in his shop that he would soon take over. But upon his return he learns that his father has taken up an apprentice in his absence and feels threatened that his rightful birthright may be taken away from him. On top of that he can’t seem to gain his father’s approval. Jericho is Auric’s father’s apprentice and he hopes to take over his mentor’s shop so he would be worthy of marrying his mentor’s daughter. He worries his plans may not come to fruition when Auric returns to take his place by his father’s side making Jericho feel like he’ll always be a mere servant. But when Auric’s father goes missing into the Fey Land, they both must put aside their differences in order to save him.
I really enjoyed this book. Magicians’ Rivalry is adventurous and magical as two young men must traverse the unknown to find their father and mentor. I loved the use of magic and spells and the unique way it was used in their society. It was very cool that barriers would open to the Fey world and that wards had to be set up to protect them from magical beings.
I liked all the characters. Especially the rivalry that quickly ensued between Auric and Jericho. They each had their own ambitions, but soon their goals become one when they set out to save Auric’s father together. I loved reading about their time in the Fey Land and all the creatures they came across. It was fascinating to see how both boys worked their spells as attacks and defense against danger. It was very entertaining and action f
packed. There were some great twists that I didn’t expect, which made this book all the more entertaining and hard to put down.