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The Spoken Mage #2
Voice of Command
Elena has found the power in her voice--now she must decide how to use it.
Finally accepted as a mage, Elena struggles with her commonborn roots. And when disaster strikes the kingdom, she can't shrug off the death toll as the mageborn have always done. Yet the limitations of her spoken magic hold her back--both in saving lives among the people and in competitions in the Academy's arena.
In desperation she turns to an unlikely source of assistance--Prince Lucas. But just as she begins to master her powers, she finds herself the pawn of stronger forces.
With everything she's struggled for almost within her grasp, she must decide what--and who--is worth sacrificing to come into her full power and take her place among the mages.
If you enjoy strong heroines, fantasy worlds, adventure, intrigue, and romance, then try the Spoken Mage series now, starting with Voice of Power.
The Spoken Mage reading order:
Voice of Power
Voice of Command
And coming in 2019:
Voice of Dominion
Voice of Life
Finally accepted as a mage, Elena struggles with her commonborn roots. And when disaster strikes the kingdom, she can't shrug off the death toll as the mageborn have always done. Yet the limitations of her spoken magic hold her back--both in saving lives among the people and in competitions in the Academy's arena.
In desperation she turns to an unlikely source of assistance--Prince Lucas. But just as she begins to master her powers, she finds herself the pawn of stronger forces.
With everything she's struggled for almost within her grasp, she must decide what--and who--is worth sacrificing to come into her full power and take her place among the mages.
If you enjoy strong heroines, fantasy worlds, adventure, intrigue, and romance, then try the Spoken Mage series now, starting with Voice of Power.
The Spoken Mage reading order:
Voice of Power
Voice of Command
And coming in 2019:
Voice of Dominion
Voice of Life
264 pages, Kindle Edition
Published January 25, 2019
1,424 people are currently reading
1,520 people want to read
About the author
Melanie Cellier
125books2,586followersMelanie Cellier grew up on a staple diet of books, books and more books. And although she got older, she never stopped loving children’s and young adult novels.� She always wanted to write one herself, but it took three careers and three different continents before she actually managed it. �
She now feels incredibly fortunate to spend her time writing from her home in Adelaide, Australia where she keeps an eye out for koalas in her backyard. Her staple diet hasn’t changed much, although she’s added choc mint Rooibos tea and Chicken Crimpies to the list.�
She writes young adult fantasy including her Spoken Mage series, and her Four Kingdoms and Beyond the Four Kingdoms series which are made up of linked stand-alone stories that retell classic fairy tales.
She now feels incredibly fortunate to spend her time writing from her home in Adelaide, Australia where she keeps an eye out for koalas in her backyard. Her staple diet hasn’t changed much, although she’s added choc mint Rooibos tea and Chicken Crimpies to the list.�
She writes young adult fantasy including her Spoken Mage series, and her Four Kingdoms and Beyond the Four Kingdoms series which are made up of linked stand-alone stories that retell classic fairy tales.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 284 reviews
May 18, 2024
I am enjoying this series so very much. It is entertaining, fun, and full of action.
In Voice of Command, book two of the spoken mage series, Elena, the main character, found a way to embrace her full power as a mage without losing her identity as a common-born. But, no matter how hard she tried, she was still more a tool/weapon in the eyes of the elite than a human being, despite her best effort to be one of them.
The relationship between Elena and Lucas, the prince, continues to be a complicated one. I am still rooting for them to be more than friends but with those two, it’s always one step forward and two steps back.
I am off to check out the next book in the series. Four stars.
In Voice of Command, book two of the spoken mage series, Elena, the main character, found a way to embrace her full power as a mage without losing her identity as a common-born. But, no matter how hard she tried, she was still more a tool/weapon in the eyes of the elite than a human being, despite her best effort to be one of them.
The relationship between Elena and Lucas, the prince, continues to be a complicated one. I am still rooting for them to be more than friends but with those two, it’s always one step forward and two steps back.
I am off to check out the next book in the series. Four stars.
February 23, 2022
Yes, I read this is one day. I really shouldn't have. I have WAY too much other stuff I should be doing. But this book was so gripping. So tense. So amazing. I simply couldn't put it down.
I loved this first book in this series, and this second book is just as good if not better than the first. It has all the tension and mystery with the same level of action and adventure and wonder. I love all the characters and this storyworld.
My only complaint? I can't wait for the 3rd book to release!!!!
Re-Read Review:
Just as good the second time around! The audiobook narrator does an excellent job!
I loved this first book in this series, and this second book is just as good if not better than the first. It has all the tension and mystery with the same level of action and adventure and wonder. I love all the characters and this storyworld.
My only complaint? I can't wait for the 3rd book to release!!!!
Re-Read Review:
Just as good the second time around! The audiobook narrator does an excellent job!
January 10, 2021
Absolutely. Epic.
Wow... that was so good. It gripped me and made it veryyy hard for me to put down. There were twists and turns I didn’t see coming. Scenes that kept me on the edge of my seat. It was just awesome! I’ve stated that I wasn’t a big fantasy fan in the past but this series is seriously making me change my mind.
Again, I was completely into this story. The beginning was a bit slow but once I got a few chapters in, I felt like I was right back in this incredible fantasy world that Melanie Cellier has so neatly crafted. It blew me away.
The characters are so cool, too. I love how unpredictable and mysterious they are. It keeps me wanting to flip the next page until I know what’s going on. Elena’s awesome if even she can be very hardheaded and stubborn. Her prejudices and rudeness did annoy me quite a bit but then in another minute I’d see it from her perspective and understand. I was rooting for her either way and I would get that rush of happiness whenever she’d get her victory. Those were totally awesome.
The romance definitely kept me anxious. The tension is real guys. Those last scenes. Wow.
Also, it played out in my head like a movie. That’s one of the best things a book can do for me! I love when an authors writing becomes more than just words on paper for me. It pretty much comes alive in my head and plays like a movie. It’s awesome and hers did that, especially in some of those intense scenes!
Anyways, this book was really good. It left me breathless and anxious and excited. It was definitely action-packed awesomeness. Sooo excited for book 3!!
Wow... that was so good. It gripped me and made it veryyy hard for me to put down. There were twists and turns I didn’t see coming. Scenes that kept me on the edge of my seat. It was just awesome! I’ve stated that I wasn’t a big fantasy fan in the past but this series is seriously making me change my mind.
Again, I was completely into this story. The beginning was a bit slow but once I got a few chapters in, I felt like I was right back in this incredible fantasy world that Melanie Cellier has so neatly crafted. It blew me away.
The characters are so cool, too. I love how unpredictable and mysterious they are. It keeps me wanting to flip the next page until I know what’s going on. Elena’s awesome if even she can be very hardheaded and stubborn. Her prejudices and rudeness did annoy me quite a bit but then in another minute I’d see it from her perspective and understand. I was rooting for her either way and I would get that rush of happiness whenever she’d get her victory. Those were totally awesome.
The romance definitely kept me anxious. The tension is real guys. Those last scenes. Wow.
Also, it played out in my head like a movie. That’s one of the best things a book can do for me! I love when an authors writing becomes more than just words on paper for me. It pretty much comes alive in my head and plays like a movie. It’s awesome and hers did that, especially in some of those intense scenes!
Anyways, this book was really good. It left me breathless and anxious and excited. It was definitely action-packed awesomeness. Sooo excited for book 3!!
October 20, 2023
I picked up this series after I had purchased it’s spin-off series on sale. I wasn’t aware of that fact at the time, however, so I decided to begin from the beginning so to speak.
Now, I’m not sure what to do! While I truly enjoy the world and storyline, the pacing and character development are SO slow moving that I’m having trouble keeping interested. I think I’ll take a break and hope that when I come back, I’ll be ready to tackle the downsides in order to enjoy the great upsides once again�. Besides, I have a whole new series to read in this world that is waiting!
Now, I’m not sure what to do! While I truly enjoy the world and storyline, the pacing and character development are SO slow moving that I’m having trouble keeping interested. I think I’ll take a break and hope that when I come back, I’ll be ready to tackle the downsides in order to enjoy the great upsides once again�. Besides, I have a whole new series to read in this world that is waiting!
May 15, 2019
Re-read - Now I'm ready to move ahead to see what happens to "The Spoken Mage" and her 3rd year.
Ugh...now I have to wait to see what happens in the 3rd year at the Academy and what is going to happen at the front lines.
I can't wait!
Ugh...now I have to wait to see what happens in the 3rd year at the Academy and what is going to happen at the front lines.
I can't wait!
March 17, 2019
I'm a fan of Melanie Cellier's Kingdom series - especially the "Beyond the Four Kingdom" series! So I was excited for this series! Unfortunately, I was more disappointing in this second book of the "Spoken Mage" series, than I was in the first. Not the plot or world setting (quite enjoyed those), but in the character development of the main girl, Elena. I am still enjoying the plot of the story enough that I'm looking forward to the next book. Hopefully Elena will grow up. This book was clean. Some kissing, but no sex, gore, or language.
{SPOILERS from here on}
I enjoyed the world and plot of this story, just as I did the first book, but my greatest disappointment was in the main character Elena (which tainted it enough to drop to a 3-star rating). I had hoped she would grow up more in this second book. She did grow in her powers and her sense of purpose, but she is still childish in some of her interactions with others. Most of the time she is great, but there are scenes when she acts less than she should.
I get that she is an "odd man out" and has to stand up for herself, but she is constantly telling others to treat her with respect -- yet she quite frequently does not treat others with respect! She is treated poorly sometimes, but she doesn't strive to show respect either. This childish and stubborn part of her character was so annoying and frustrating to me! It was unrealistic to the story, as well. She lives in a world of a caste system -- Royalty, nobles, commoners, etc -- she may have not grown up in the capital city, but she is not an idiot, she would understand the system and where she fits -- even when trying to find a new place. She does follow the system when she is not at the school, but then it seems that this is erased from her mind when she is at school. She is frequently disrespectful to Prince Lucas. I know he is her classmate, but he is a PRINCE and she is a COMMONER. Elena loses her temper and gets angry when he tries to order her to do something. He is ROYALTY, yes he can order her around! It isn't realistic that she would be so defiant to his position--so disrespectful and flippant. She sometimes has an attitude towards her teachers who are nobility as well. Unrealistic.
Lucas on the other hand is a great character. He has his flaws, but is quite frequently apologizing, seeing his weaknesses and trying to improve. He makes mistakes, but then tries to listen to Elena's thoughts and treat her with more respect. He also does nice things for her and looks out for her on top of that. I am enjoying Lucas' character development.
At times, Elena feels bad about interactions with Lucas, but she doesn't apologize, doesn't do nice things, and frequently treats him poorly anyway. She tends to expect change from him, yet doesn't acknowledge that she was also at fault. Elena doesn't show the character changes and development that Lucas shows. I'm going to be very annoyed if she doesn't grow up in the next two books. She has such great potential as a character! Her powers are awesome. She is kind to her other friends. She just needs to grow up.
I'm looking forward to the next books' plots. Hopefully Elena will grow up!
{SPOILERS from here on}
I enjoyed the world and plot of this story, just as I did the first book, but my greatest disappointment was in the main character Elena (which tainted it enough to drop to a 3-star rating). I had hoped she would grow up more in this second book. She did grow in her powers and her sense of purpose, but she is still childish in some of her interactions with others. Most of the time she is great, but there are scenes when she acts less than she should.
I get that she is an "odd man out" and has to stand up for herself, but she is constantly telling others to treat her with respect -- yet she quite frequently does not treat others with respect! She is treated poorly sometimes, but she doesn't strive to show respect either. This childish and stubborn part of her character was so annoying and frustrating to me! It was unrealistic to the story, as well. She lives in a world of a caste system -- Royalty, nobles, commoners, etc -- she may have not grown up in the capital city, but she is not an idiot, she would understand the system and where she fits -- even when trying to find a new place. She does follow the system when she is not at the school, but then it seems that this is erased from her mind when she is at school. She is frequently disrespectful to Prince Lucas. I know he is her classmate, but he is a PRINCE and she is a COMMONER. Elena loses her temper and gets angry when he tries to order her to do something. He is ROYALTY, yes he can order her around! It isn't realistic that she would be so defiant to his position--so disrespectful and flippant. She sometimes has an attitude towards her teachers who are nobility as well. Unrealistic.
Lucas on the other hand is a great character. He has his flaws, but is quite frequently apologizing, seeing his weaknesses and trying to improve. He makes mistakes, but then tries to listen to Elena's thoughts and treat her with more respect. He also does nice things for her and looks out for her on top of that. I am enjoying Lucas' character development.
At times, Elena feels bad about interactions with Lucas, but she doesn't apologize, doesn't do nice things, and frequently treats him poorly anyway. She tends to expect change from him, yet doesn't acknowledge that she was also at fault. Elena doesn't show the character changes and development that Lucas shows. I'm going to be very annoyed if she doesn't grow up in the next two books. She has such great potential as a character! Her powers are awesome. She is kind to her other friends. She just needs to grow up.
I'm looking forward to the next books' plots. Hopefully Elena will grow up!
April 21, 2022
i bought this book for four dollars on my kindle and took time out of my evening to read this book. what the fuck did i do with my life. i’m losing my mind. since i’ve already established my main gripes with the worldbuilding in my review of the first book, i’m gonna skip to whatever the fuck is going on with the plot in this book.
for the plot: ugh, it’s like the author tried to compensate for the fact that there’s basically no plot in the first book by adding so many twists and turns that i was left unable to take this book seriously. there were multiple points in the story where i couldn’t do anything but laugh in “what the fuck is going on.�
i'm not going to go into ABSOLUTELY EVERYTHING that made me confused because otherwise this review would be a fucking novel. first, there is shockingly little focus on the magic school part despite the fact that the basic premise is that elena goes a magic school. like the first book, voice of command spends extremely little time working out the details of its main setting--the academy--and prefers to spend time on elena’s monologues, the stupid shenanigans elena gets into, and everything else (the first two things make up 90% of the story).
also, for the vast majority of the book, elena still thinks that she’ll be enlisting in the military at eighteen, which fucking ridiculous to me. she’s literally the first ever known spoken mage in this universe, and she expects that lorcan and jessamine--the two powerful mages from the mage’s council who are invested in researching her powers and the source of them--are going to let her enlist and potentially kill herself in action. this was even ridiculous to me in the first book. i thought elena was delusional for thinking this. spoiler alert:
anyway there's this one point in the plot where lucas helps train elena so she can get better in her classes and then there's whole conversation they have which imo is kinda bs. basically
the second weird part of the plot was what i call the green fever epidemic arc (reading about this in early 2021 and editing this review in 2022 is fun). for context, the green fever is basically malaria. the first problem i have with it is that it comes completely out of left field the epidemic’s introduction doesn’t even come in like a separate chapter--it comes directly after a timeskip from when elena and lucas argue. there wasn’t even any set-up for this epidemic--coralie, who is fucking distraught at this news, doesn’t show any signs of being slightly upset or concerned when we first meet her again in the beginning of the book.
imo there should’ve been some level of concern about the green fever beforehand, and even if it was previously a common disease, the appearance of a new strain should still warrant some concern. in fact, the only set-up we get for this pandemic is jocasta, coralie’s relative, not being present at the academy, but that’s not enough! there should be more signs! i should not be confused at why the fuck the book is suddenly pulling me in this direction!
furthermore, this arc has little to no significance to the overall plot of THIS book . it has no significance to elena’s character development, it has no significance to coralie’s character development (this is literally her hometown, so it’s the perfect opportunity to expand on her character, but she remains as flat as she was in the first book), none of the other characters get expanded on except for maybe lucas, and overall, it just felt like a waste of time. the book harps on the commonborn and the mageborn and the former’s oppression without adding anything new to the table, which was what i was expecting the purpose of this arc to be, but alas, i’m disappointed yet again.
the third weird part of the plot is what i consider to be the most ridiculous sequence of events in the plot. i kid you not, i could not stop laughing at the fact that what happens next actually fucking happens in the book, even after i was done reading.. please don't feel the need to read all of this because this will probably be really lengthy.
that's all i'll say for the weird plot stuff in the book. i have a lot of other issues but they're generally a bit smaller and this review is getting too long for its own good. in the end, even though a lot seemed to happen in this book’s plot, the basic plot points that actually moved the story further lie few and far between, which is pretty disappointing to me. i was hoping that the book would expand or develop more characters (especially elena, since she’s literally the main character and our narrator), but unfortunately it fell short, and the completely nonsensical twists in this story didn’t really help strengthen the plot. there are so many holes in this story it’s actually kind of ridiculous, and the more you think about what actually happens in this story, the more you have to suspend your disbelief to be able to get through it without absolutely losing your mind.
generally, the characters basically experience no change save for lucas. elena...y’all, i’m done defending this girl. she does way too many stupid things in this story, with absolutely nothing to justify them, and if anything, her character development is backwards. she remains exactly the same--if not even more abrasive than in the past book--and quite frankly, she’s starting to annoy me. lucas, again, is the only fucker that sees any kind of change in this story. that said, the cold asshole guy transitions to a slightly nicer guy in the pretext of romance is pretty tried, but at least we see some change and him actually owning up to and apologizing for some of the more problematic shit he did, even if it’s bare minimum shit. for all the time that i spent ragging on his and elena’s romance, i am genuinely entertained by their dynamic.
but yeah, that's it. after having read the entire series this was definitely the worst book in all of them. way too many wtf moments for me to enjoy it in a serious manner. i did enjoy it though. just not in the way the author probably wanted me to lol.
for the plot: ugh, it’s like the author tried to compensate for the fact that there’s basically no plot in the first book by adding so many twists and turns that i was left unable to take this book seriously. there were multiple points in the story where i couldn’t do anything but laugh in “what the fuck is going on.�
i'm not going to go into ABSOLUTELY EVERYTHING that made me confused because otherwise this review would be a fucking novel. first, there is shockingly little focus on the magic school part despite the fact that the basic premise is that elena goes a magic school. like the first book, voice of command spends extremely little time working out the details of its main setting--the academy--and prefers to spend time on elena’s monologues, the stupid shenanigans elena gets into, and everything else (the first two things make up 90% of the story).
also, for the vast majority of the book, elena still thinks that she’ll be enlisting in the military at eighteen, which fucking ridiculous to me. she’s literally the first ever known spoken mage in this universe, and she expects that lorcan and jessamine--the two powerful mages from the mage’s council who are invested in researching her powers and the source of them--are going to let her enlist and potentially kill herself in action. this was even ridiculous to me in the first book. i thought elena was delusional for thinking this. spoiler alert:
anyway there's this one point in the plot where lucas helps train elena so she can get better in her classes and then there's whole conversation they have which imo is kinda bs. basically
the second weird part of the plot was what i call the green fever epidemic arc (reading about this in early 2021 and editing this review in 2022 is fun). for context, the green fever is basically malaria. the first problem i have with it is that it comes completely out of left field the epidemic’s introduction doesn’t even come in like a separate chapter--it comes directly after a timeskip from when elena and lucas argue. there wasn’t even any set-up for this epidemic--coralie, who is fucking distraught at this news, doesn’t show any signs of being slightly upset or concerned when we first meet her again in the beginning of the book.
imo there should’ve been some level of concern about the green fever beforehand, and even if it was previously a common disease, the appearance of a new strain should still warrant some concern. in fact, the only set-up we get for this pandemic is jocasta, coralie’s relative, not being present at the academy, but that’s not enough! there should be more signs! i should not be confused at why the fuck the book is suddenly pulling me in this direction!
furthermore, this arc has little to no significance to the overall plot of THIS book . it has no significance to elena’s character development, it has no significance to coralie’s character development (this is literally her hometown, so it’s the perfect opportunity to expand on her character, but she remains as flat as she was in the first book), none of the other characters get expanded on except for maybe lucas, and overall, it just felt like a waste of time. the book harps on the commonborn and the mageborn and the former’s oppression without adding anything new to the table, which was what i was expecting the purpose of this arc to be, but alas, i’m disappointed yet again.
the third weird part of the plot is what i consider to be the most ridiculous sequence of events in the plot. i kid you not, i could not stop laughing at the fact that what happens next actually fucking happens in the book, even after i was done reading.. please don't feel the need to read all of this because this will probably be really lengthy.
that's all i'll say for the weird plot stuff in the book. i have a lot of other issues but they're generally a bit smaller and this review is getting too long for its own good. in the end, even though a lot seemed to happen in this book’s plot, the basic plot points that actually moved the story further lie few and far between, which is pretty disappointing to me. i was hoping that the book would expand or develop more characters (especially elena, since she’s literally the main character and our narrator), but unfortunately it fell short, and the completely nonsensical twists in this story didn’t really help strengthen the plot. there are so many holes in this story it’s actually kind of ridiculous, and the more you think about what actually happens in this story, the more you have to suspend your disbelief to be able to get through it without absolutely losing your mind.
generally, the characters basically experience no change save for lucas. elena...y’all, i’m done defending this girl. she does way too many stupid things in this story, with absolutely nothing to justify them, and if anything, her character development is backwards. she remains exactly the same--if not even more abrasive than in the past book--and quite frankly, she’s starting to annoy me. lucas, again, is the only fucker that sees any kind of change in this story. that said, the cold asshole guy transitions to a slightly nicer guy in the pretext of romance is pretty tried, but at least we see some change and him actually owning up to and apologizing for some of the more problematic shit he did, even if it’s bare minimum shit. for all the time that i spent ragging on his and elena’s romance, i am genuinely entertained by their dynamic.
but yeah, that's it. after having read the entire series this was definitely the worst book in all of them. way too many wtf moments for me to enjoy it in a serious manner. i did enjoy it though. just not in the way the author probably wanted me to lol.
April 2, 2022
I feel like the romance isn’t well developed. I think the book would have flowed better without it, and I love romance. Maybe it’ll make more sense in the later books but it feels forced in this one.
The companion series is much better in my opinion.
The companion series is much better in my opinion.
February 3, 2019
I'm so glad I discovered this series! This book was an excellent sequel to the first book, and I really enjoyed it. Elena learns how to effectively use her powers in this book, and she also enlists, which isn't quite as jarring in some ways as you might think... but has consequences. I was rooting for her the whole time, because she's a very determined character, with a lot of drive.
In Voice of Command she is able to change her direction from floundering under a great deal of court politics and her own power struggles, to having more direction. Elena becomes, through helping in an epidemic (one of my favorite parts of the book - it was overall interesting, and she makes a magic breakthrough on her own power, plus Lucas, the prince, does something very interesting) a force for change and hope.
On another note, some romance movements happen:
In book three,
4.5 stars.
In Voice of Command she is able to change her direction from floundering under a great deal of court politics and her own power struggles, to having more direction. Elena becomes, through helping in an epidemic (one of my favorite parts of the book - it was overall interesting, and she makes a magic breakthrough on her own power, plus Lucas, the prince, does something very interesting) a force for change and hope.
On another note, some romance movements happen:
In book three,
4.5 stars.
December 22, 2019
I'm not sure I would say this book was better than the first. Again, not a lot happened it was mainly about Elena growing more powerful and her and Lucas discovering(?) their feelings for eachother. But the romantic build doesn't feel believable.
The last two books are on KU so I'll finish the series.
The last two books are on KU so I'll finish the series.
July 12, 2020
It REALLY doesn't often happen that I completely lose track of time and pages while reading, but Melanie Cellier's SPOKEN MAGE series is just that much fun! On the surface level, this series follows our heroine through four years at mage school as she becomes the first commonborn, Spoken Mage in her country's history, tries to survive palace intrigue and war, and has a slow-burn romance with her kingdom's arrogant, secretive prince. And yep, this series has all the tropes you love...but, they're all done SO WELL and in SUCH a well-justified manner.
There are the lovable, complex characters - again, it doesn't often happen that I get so invested in characters that I can't stop turning pages, but this series has them. There is the political intrigue, which is genuinely smart and twisty (be still my heart!). And there is the deft, subtle, absolutely incisive social commentary as we feel Elena's pain realising all the ways that commonborn people don't even seem to exist in the mental landscape of her new mage friends.
Super well done, and now one of my favourite indie fantasy series.
There are the lovable, complex characters - again, it doesn't often happen that I get so invested in characters that I can't stop turning pages, but this series has them. There is the political intrigue, which is genuinely smart and twisty (be still my heart!). And there is the deft, subtle, absolutely incisive social commentary as we feel Elena's pain realising all the ways that commonborn people don't even seem to exist in the mental landscape of her new mage friends.
Super well done, and now one of my favourite indie fantasy series.
April 11, 2020
While this book has a lot of forward momentum in the series, it has a lot of backward development for the characters. I liked Lucas' arc the best out of all of them tbh, him struggling to figure out the type of person he wants to be was interesting, and the mini cliffhanger at the end with his and Elena's relationship was good. Elena, however, totally backtracks in this book. She's learning how to use her power and those scenes where she utilizes them are awesome, but her character is so infuriating!!! She continues to spout her mouth off, make stupid decisions, while getting angry at any mage who doesn't do exactly as she says, or how she thinks things should work. Wanting equality is one thing, but she's just constantly ragging on the mages and their society in this book, and her stupid stupid stupid decision in the last arc of the story just made me so annoyed with her. If she had just talked to someone, they could have figured out what to do, instead of her charging full speed ahead and not considering others around her, as much as she wants to be considered herself, you'd think she'd do the same for people.
The ending was awesome, seeing her magic progress was awesome, and you can tell that this story is slowly creeping towards the meat of it in books 3 and 4. But there's a major lack of layered character in Elena, and in this book it drove me nuts so I hope she is more faceted in the next 2 books.
That was my biggest complaint about the book tbh. The other characters growth was good, and it's nice to see them all together again. Nothing too groundbreaking happens in this one, it's more of a bridge to the heavier stuff that is bound to happen in books 3 and 4. As it stands on its own, this book is fine. I feel like it suffers from middle book syndrome, so fingers crossed the last 2 books are better with Elena as a character. But the world building and magic system are still good, and I always enjoy reading these. The MC just needs to get less annoying for me!
The ending was awesome, seeing her magic progress was awesome, and you can tell that this story is slowly creeping towards the meat of it in books 3 and 4. But there's a major lack of layered character in Elena, and in this book it drove me nuts so I hope she is more faceted in the next 2 books.
That was my biggest complaint about the book tbh. The other characters growth was good, and it's nice to see them all together again. Nothing too groundbreaking happens in this one, it's more of a bridge to the heavier stuff that is bound to happen in books 3 and 4. As it stands on its own, this book is fine. I feel like it suffers from middle book syndrome, so fingers crossed the last 2 books are better with Elena as a character. But the world building and magic system are still good, and I always enjoy reading these. The MC just needs to get less annoying for me!
January 28, 2019
Even though I only had to wait a few weeks, it was utter torture to wait for Voice of Command to come out. I tried to pace myself, but I ended up reading the entire book in one day, and boy was I not disappointed. Throughout the book we get a clearer description of Elena's character, which TBH, I don't love. I don't hate Elena, she just seems to be overly rude and hardheaded sometimes, and it can get a bit tiresome. Still, it doesn't ruin the book for me AT ALL. Elena fights for the rights of the common people, and bravely protects her family. She explores the boundaries *or lack* of her power and proves her true strength more than once. I will say that I can tell she's maturing and I hope she continues to mature throughout the rest of the series. As for the plot, it continues to evolve in a super interesting way, and I can't wait for the war to become more of a main element of the book. Sadly, I now have so wait till April twentieth for the next book to come out 😭. Needless to say, I had a terrible book hangover when I finished Voice of Command. It's super clean, as are all of Melanie's books. (Yes, I've read them all.)
August 28, 2021
As the second book in this series, Voice of Command was okay. It wasn't much better or worse than the first book. I was glad to see that the series is becoming its own thing, though; it's no longer Harry Potter with a different title. Although I loved Harry Potter, I also love originality.
I'm a fan of romantic moments, so I'm a bit disappointed with how much of a slow-burn romance this series is. Elena and Lucas would make such a good couple :(.
What I really didn't like about this book was the green fever plot. After living in a pandemic, books with plots about pandemics aren't any fun. I have no interest in reading about a traumatic experience I already lived.
I'm not sure I would recommend this series, but it is nice to have something to listen to. And there are some parts of this book, particularly the ending, that had me on the edge of my seat. Maybe if there was a bit more intensity and action, I would enjoy this series more.
I'm a fan of romantic moments, so I'm a bit disappointed with how much of a slow-burn romance this series is. Elena and Lucas would make such a good couple :(.
What I really didn't like about this book was the green fever plot. After living in a pandemic, books with plots about pandemics aren't any fun. I have no interest in reading about a traumatic experience I already lived.
I'm not sure I would recommend this series, but it is nice to have something to listen to. And there are some parts of this book, particularly the ending, that had me on the edge of my seat. Maybe if there was a bit more intensity and action, I would enjoy this series more.
January 27, 2025
Visu savu līdzšinējo 16gadus īso vai citam jau garo dzīvi Elena no Kingslijas uzaugusi pasaulē, kur rakstītam vārdam piemīt maģisks spēks, kas diemžēl ne visiem pieejams un parastā cilvēka rokās, prātā nāk vientieša termins, pat niecīgs viena vārda mēģinājums to uzrakstīt var beigties katastrofāli ne tikai personai, kura šo vārdu mēģinājusi rakstīt.
February 9, 2025
This was really intriguing and I like the fact that an illiterate common born is the one who they all need to watch in the academy and she is the only one who seems to show empathy without having it needing to be pointed out to her.
I do wonder about Elenas future and what they will be planning on her behalf with the war effort
I do wonder about Elenas future and what they will be planning on her behalf with the war effort
February 13, 2021
Again� I couldn’t put it down. The writing is simple yet the plot is complex. I’m loving the relationships and the twists and turns. I’m loving Elena’s independence and desire for social change.
On to book 3!
Disclaimers:
No swearing, sexual content, or gory violence to note.
On to book 3!
Disclaimers:
No swearing, sexual content, or gory violence to note.
October 14, 2022
Elena is so annoying. Her thought processes irritate the crap out of me and everything is just so slowwwwwwwww. I wasn’t a huge fan of the first one either, but really wanted to give it a chance. Unfortunately, will not be continuing the series.
June 28, 2019
After the first book I was very curious how the story would continue. The glimpse of the world of the mages, and the first introduction to Elena and Lucas was really interesting and made me long for more and more is certainly what I got! Although, the more political layer I had hoped for didn't come. Yet. (It's there, but very hidden, a little too hidden for my liking)
In this book Cellier expands the world a little. We get to see a little more of the other towns in the kingdom, we get a small insight in the army and how things go there and of course we get to see more of the Mage-powers and the second year of education. This also gives us the chance to see a little more of the characters I already started to like in the first book.
Elena is really impulsive and emotionally driven. She rarely does the clever thing and yet it doesn't disturb or annoy me, because it's truly how she is and it makes her a really amazing person. Lucas, on the other hand, works the other way round. He follows his mind most of the time and ignores his heart too often. It makes not only their individual arcs interesting, but it also results in a very nice dynamic between them.
And although plotwise not that much is happening, I haven't been bored once while reading the book. I like the build up towards the epic war that will surely come at some point. We feel it moving closer and we also feel our characters moving closer towards it.
I therefore really can't wait to read the other two books in this series. I'm very curious where and how this will end and I can't wait to watch Elena and Lucas grow even further (and into a power couple that's gonna win this war, without a doubt).
In this book Cellier expands the world a little. We get to see a little more of the other towns in the kingdom, we get a small insight in the army and how things go there and of course we get to see more of the Mage-powers and the second year of education. This also gives us the chance to see a little more of the characters I already started to like in the first book.
Elena is really impulsive and emotionally driven. She rarely does the clever thing and yet it doesn't disturb or annoy me, because it's truly how she is and it makes her a really amazing person. Lucas, on the other hand, works the other way round. He follows his mind most of the time and ignores his heart too often. It makes not only their individual arcs interesting, but it also results in a very nice dynamic between them.
And although plotwise not that much is happening, I haven't been bored once while reading the book. I like the build up towards the epic war that will surely come at some point. We feel it moving closer and we also feel our characters moving closer towards it.
I therefore really can't wait to read the other two books in this series. I'm very curious where and how this will end and I can't wait to watch Elena and Lucas grow even further (and into a power couple that's gonna win this war, without a doubt).
February 11, 2019
Just a Magical Girl in a war torn world
Well, somewhat war torn. Possibly moreso in this volume then the last one.
Here we are with Elena for another year at the Academy. A year filled with her breaking so many gods' thrived cursed Laws of the Land I'm surprised she hasn't gone up in smoke yet.
Book starts with a surprising visit and ends with a surprising announcement. Both leave Elena wary, uncertain and wondering. One possibly could wind her up dead at some point.
I appreciated that the world is fleshed out more, that we're given a better idea of other pieces of the Kingdom as well as outsider views of Mages with the Commonborn who aren't Elena.
I still side-eye the enemy of the Kingdom, since we're literally told NOTHING about them except they've been waging war for three-ish decades and possibly use different magical techniques. Apparently Book 3 will give us a bit more in regards to them. I hope.
The plot against Elena is sidelined pretty hard near the middle of the book when she begins to do the exact opposite of what someone with immense, unseen power should do (or: draw all the attention).
Jocasta is missing through most of this book (I don't think she has any speaking lines), Walden is regulated to "too busy" status, and Damon shows up maybe twice. Meanwhile Acacia gets more screen time since healing is a big factor in this book and Thornton manages to be EVEN MORE UNWELCOMING.
Overall I enjoyed this one better, even if Elena continues her unrealistic expectations of the world trend and look forward to next year's shenanigans with the gang.
Well, somewhat war torn. Possibly moreso in this volume then the last one.
Here we are with Elena for another year at the Academy. A year filled with her breaking so many gods' thrived cursed Laws of the Land I'm surprised she hasn't gone up in smoke yet.
Book starts with a surprising visit and ends with a surprising announcement. Both leave Elena wary, uncertain and wondering. One possibly could wind her up dead at some point.
I appreciated that the world is fleshed out more, that we're given a better idea of other pieces of the Kingdom as well as outsider views of Mages with the Commonborn who aren't Elena.
I still side-eye the enemy of the Kingdom, since we're literally told NOTHING about them except they've been waging war for three-ish decades and possibly use different magical techniques. Apparently Book 3 will give us a bit more in regards to them. I hope.
The plot against Elena is sidelined pretty hard near the middle of the book when she begins to do the exact opposite of what someone with immense, unseen power should do (or: draw all the attention).
Jocasta is missing through most of this book (I don't think she has any speaking lines), Walden is regulated to "too busy" status, and Damon shows up maybe twice. Meanwhile Acacia gets more screen time since healing is a big factor in this book and Thornton manages to be EVEN MORE UNWELCOMING.
Overall I enjoyed this one better, even if Elena continues her unrealistic expectations of the world trend and look forward to next year's shenanigans with the gang.
December 28, 2021
Actual rating 4 and half stars. I'm so glad I continued with the series. This was better than the first book.
Elena still had some immature tendencies but they were far fewer than before. You can see she grew up. She started thinking about how to play the game. I definitely liked her more. There were some interesting developments with her relationship with Lucas, but nothing surprising. Still I liked how the story progressed.
I'm very interested to see what happens next.
Elena still had some immature tendencies but they were far fewer than before. You can see she grew up. She started thinking about how to play the game. I definitely liked her more. There were some interesting developments with her relationship with Lucas, but nothing surprising. Still I liked how the story progressed.
I'm very interested to see what happens next.
February 17, 2023
Did I love the series so much I listened to the audio book in every free moment on double speed to find out what would happen next? Guilty.
Clean YA magical fantasy. I love the main character, plot twists, adventure, and light romance. It is a lovely escape after a demanding week.
Clean YA magical fantasy. I love the main character, plot twists, adventure, and light romance. It is a lovely escape after a demanding week.
October 15, 2023
I can't put this series down. Each book gets better. I love Elena and Lucas. And her group of friends keep growing. And the slow burn romance heats up. Elena's life at the academy grows more dangerous. Who is behind the attempts to kidnap or kill her?
March 21, 2022
Really enjoying this series. This one focuses on her second year at the Academy. There is more about her sister, the army and her relationship with Lucas!
September 10, 2024
Yay! A fantasy series I like!
September 7, 2021
The writer went overboard with the whole, I'm poor, I can't afford med, I'm lower class, I hate rich people, Rich people don't care, blah blah blah and on.... An on. Nonstop. Every friggin paragraph this B is complaining, whining, complaining, crying poor. It's too much. Your readers are smart. Relax. We get the point. They're broke, mad at the world mad at the system. Okay. We got your back. But u have literally pounded the crap outta us with this nonsense! It's too much and I'm not even done yet! The writer bashed us so much with this, that I stopped feeling sorry for her chapter's ago! In fact, I friggin hate this dumb azz chic! I hate this character now! She's annoying, rude, lazy, self centered, mean, ignorant, lacks common sense, and always got her hand out begging! What happened to the person who should at least by now, understand the seriousness of her situation, and grow up mentally and emotionally to match that current life threatening situation. She's a poor woes me broke brat. I have had to forward thru half the book cuz I can't stand her ignorant soap box. She's a fool. To me writer has failed to show forward progress. Seriously! And she has a big friggin ignorant mouth. With nothin to back it up with. Heck was hoping they'd vote to off her azz. To be honest. Grow her character up! She has a skill that is unique, if she wants change, then bargain off that unique skill set! Ugh. I just can't stand this character. And at point where the writer has now decide to add "judgemental and holier than thou", to her personality! As she judges people who don't want to work with a deadly contagious epidemic! Who is she to stand in judgement of others because they don't want to be there touching people who have it or around it!!! She's a B! She disrespects the King! And lots of her comments, in reality during that time period, would've already had her hung for treason! I see zero romance with prince cuz she's a back alley junk yard dog, nasty, rude, angry, mad all the time, it's best to not say anything to her or else she bites ur face off like the rabid dog she is. She's a hot mess, does nothing but snap at everyone Abt being broke! Even to point or making her friends feel guilty for being born into a family with money! She's disgusting! Hope writer fixes this ... If I have to hear how poor she is one more time. Someone might become suicidal. What a lazy, pathetic, moron she is.
August 12, 2019
Like the first book, a solidly enjoyable fantasy story. There were a few moments where I questioned whether Elena's sense of justice was overblown, but generally ended up siding with her in the end.
There a few YA cliches, but in a context where they actually make sense, at least to me. Even when I thought certain characters were being really dumb, I completely understood their reasons for acting that way.
Content concerns are very low to non-existent, much like the first book. A bit of adventure and danger, some political wrangling, and one kiss, with minimal detail. As long as use of magic isn't a concern, I'd say it's fine for even very young readers, and might work well as a family read aloud for mixed ages.
(I should note that while not technically a 'review copy' I did receive a free copy of this audio book from the author, and was reminded that reviews are appreciated. As requested, I have given my honest and unbiased opinion of this book.)
There a few YA cliches, but in a context where they actually make sense, at least to me. Even when I thought certain characters were being really dumb, I completely understood their reasons for acting that way.
Content concerns are very low to non-existent, much like the first book. A bit of adventure and danger, some political wrangling, and one kiss, with minimal detail. As long as use of magic isn't a concern, I'd say it's fine for even very young readers, and might work well as a family read aloud for mixed ages.
(I should note that while not technically a 'review copy' I did receive a free copy of this audio book from the author, and was reminded that reviews are appreciated. As requested, I have given my honest and unbiased opinion of this book.)
April 17, 2019
4/17/19: Um LOVE. These books are awesome and I can’t wait to read the next today!!!
1/28/19: Just as good as book one. Less outside drama, but so much more happened. I love that Elena is working to figure out who she is, where she fits in society now and how to be a part of both worlds. It was so nice to see her growing in maturity and gaining friends. I can’t even imagine where this will go next, but I’m devastated that I have to wait until April to find out! (I was sooo happy when I was finishing book 1 that book 2 had just released!)
1/28/19: Just as good as book one. Less outside drama, but so much more happened. I love that Elena is working to figure out who she is, where she fits in society now and how to be a part of both worlds. It was so nice to see her growing in maturity and gaining friends. I can’t even imagine where this will go next, but I’m devastated that I have to wait until April to find out! (I was sooo happy when I was finishing book 1 that book 2 had just released!)
June 12, 2019
So...uh...no.
I read the first book, liked it enough as a first installment, and hoped there would be much better to come as the author really gets into the characters, story and world. But that didn't happen. Main character still shallow and annoying, the world building is full of inconsistencies, the plot full of holes, the writing itself is so staid and emotionless and the romance is extremely...meh. Just meh overall.
I guess I won't be continuing this series and can't recommend.
I read the first book, liked it enough as a first installment, and hoped there would be much better to come as the author really gets into the characters, story and world. But that didn't happen. Main character still shallow and annoying, the world building is full of inconsistencies, the plot full of holes, the writing itself is so staid and emotionless and the romance is extremely...meh. Just meh overall.
I guess I won't be continuing this series and can't recommend.
August 16, 2019
Prrrrretttttyyyy good book. Started out slow and had me rolling my eyes in the beginning, but it gets better. I'm sad to say the Spoken Mage books aren't as amazing to me as Melanie Cellier's Four Kingdoms and Beyond books. Sigh. At least in this one, the romance got a little more interesting. Although I did keep getting tired of seeing Lucas. :/
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