The Hidden Mage

Complete Series

By: Melanie Cellier

Narrated by: Shiromi Arserio

Length: 33 hrs and 14 mins

Publisher's summary

**An enemy kingdom. A powerful prince. And an Academy for mages.

To stay alive, Verene will have to uncover her hidden power.**

Verene is a disappointment to her entire kingdom — the first royal ever born without power, despite her mother being the most powerful mage in history. So when she's sent to the Academy in neighboring Kallorway to forge ties with her people's traditional enemies, she's determined to succeed and prove she can still be of value to her kingdom.

Prince Darius of Kallorway is the strongest mage in his family — and the only reason his weak father is still clinging to his throne. Starting at the Academy at the same time as Verene, the crown prince is cold and distant and shows no desire to connect with her. Instead, he seems suspicious of both her presence and her claimed lack of power.

Surrounded by unfamiliar politics and long-held enemies, Verene discovers that some at the Academy want her gone by whatever means necessary. As the threats grow ever more sinister, she starts to question all of her assumptions. The hardened prince might just be her best hope of survival and — even more shockingly — he might be right about her power. But as danger grows in the shadows, Verene isn't the only one in danger. If she wants to save both her old kingdom and the new one she's starting to love, she must uncover her hidden powers and take her true place among the mages.

If you enjoy strong heroines, fantasy worlds, adventure, intrigue, and clean romance, then try the Hidden Mage series now.

Verene lives in a world of written power—a world turned upside down by the first ever Spoken Mage. If you missed the adventures of her mother, Elena, then check out the completed Spoken Mage series, starting with Voice of Power.

©2021 Melanie Cellier (P)2024 Luminant Publications

Clever and engaging

I really enjoy this series. Well written and well thought out. I even enjoyed the ridiculously convenient happy endings. Just the positive type of fantasy I need in the current world.

Loved it and was consumed by it

Loved the books I was captured I. The beginning and still enthralled at the end. A lot of great life lessons intertwined. Absolutely wonderful series !

wonderful

I loved the story and the narrator. I recommend anything by Melanie Cellier and with this narrator.

good book great reader.

it did happen it's boring moments but I will be listening to this one again. the wonderful lady narrating it did such a great job. she made it more interesting. it's not a bad book, but there is parts that could be better. but I'll still listen again

Excellence

This is a beautiful and imaginative story. You will be transported into a world of Power and Energy. Cloak and Dagger. Duty versus Desire. I have gone through this series twice and can’t wait to listen to more of this Authors books.Highly recommend!

The continuity of the story. I like that it stays on tracks and blends the characters seamlessly from book to book.

I didn’t like the predictably of the books. I felt like I just kept listening to see if anything would happen that was different than the set up.

Connected with the characters

I love stories where you connect and want to know what happens to the characters.
The performance was very good.

Very good!

Love the story! The pace, the characters were all on point. So sad when I finish it!

Very Enjoyable!

This series sustained its pace through all four books. Great character and good plot development.

Middle two installments the best

The over-arching issue for me was the narration, which came as a shock as the narrator did a stunning job on "Thorn". The narrator has a lovely voice but she is soft spoken and doesn't enunciate the endings of words well, at times, blending them with the next word. As a consequence, I was focused on the narration in the first and fourth volumes, which is a serious detraction in an audio recording. I tried playing it louder, listening as intently as I could, but was unwilling to play it super slow. The switch between female and male voices was fine. I listened again to the first volume, and thought better of it, raising my ratings.

Crown of Strength, #3, was the finest segment for me...The plotting in this installment is very well accomplished. Surprises are many! The reader (me, that is) could have some trouble understanding why the main character loves her chosen, but a rocky journey is to be expected. The supporting cast is excellent. The evolution of Verene's magic is intriguing.

My thoughts on #2, Crown of Danger: The story improves immensely with book two. It is very engaging. I loved the classroom sessions, the sympathies for the working class that supports the students, and the unfolding of talent. Verene's ability is refreshing, and the similarities to the earlier generation in The Spoken Mage are just happy shadows. The story line in this series is unique and of great interest.

The overall series was fine, with the second and third installments superior to the first and fourth for me. The magic and world-building is interesting, as is seeing familiar characters and countries, similar systems with new twists. But I grew weary of ripping parchments and constant conflict in the fourth book. I don't objective to some similarities to the earlier version (The Spoken Mage), as it forges a strong link. I enjoyed reading the information about how magic has evolved and how the academy works. But I wasn't mesmerized.

I preferred the The Spoken Mage, even though I was pleased to read of the next generation.