Crimson Mage by Dorothy Dreyer

Audience

Teenagers!

Genre

YA, Fantasy, Adventure

Book Number

1 of 7

Pages

220

Recommended For and Similar Reads

Crimson Mage has a distinct, powerful, and enticing voice that reaches out to teenagers who love magic and suspense! If you have read and loved The Catalyst by Kristin Smith, The Lost Castle by Deborah Grant-Dudley, Summoned by Mckayla Eaton, Dark Gods by River Ramsey, Knight School by Richard Lohrey, or The Voice of the Sword by John Paul Catton, you’re destined to adore Crimson Mage!

Summary by Author

Upon the one hundredth reincarnation of the Lotus empress, the dark god Kashmeru would send out his shadow army—Pishacha—to destroy the reborn empress, which in turn would bring about the collapse of the universe.

The world changed at the time of the Purge. The New Asian Administration outlawed mages, forbidding any use of their powers. To protect her imprisoned family, Mayhara Guatama made a deal to surrender her mage status and pledge her life to the New Order.

Years have passed, the chaos from the upheaval long since settled. Or so Mayhara believed... until she receives a mysterious message pleading for her help.

Stunned by the claim that the empress has been reincarnated, Mayhara must choose between fealty to the Lotus empire, or honoring the decree that assured her family’s safety.

Our Statements 

Crimson Mage was a gripping tale of complexity and a delightful mix between strategies of war and heartfelt relationships. What an emotional roller-coaster ride this one was! Seeing our favourite characters dragged around by their fears, duties, and loyalties (none of which overlap) was heartbreaking and empowering, especially for young girls! We loved Crimson Mage because it was emotionally stimulating and evoked a response from us as readers!

Review, 5/5

Opinions: Without a doubt, Crimson Mage is one of 2020’s best YA fantasy books! The most impressive elements were the characters and writing style. The first thing I look for when reading is connection to the characters and this was instant in Crimson Mage! Finally, fantasy characters that you relate to rather than feel little compared to their unfathomable superpowers. On the first page, we’re introduced to Mayhara and her controlled lifestyle mixed with her acute emotions. This complex and flawed personage immediately immersed us into the world of the Lotus Empire. Contributing to our love of the protagonist and setting was Dreyer’s masterful inclusion of foreshadowing, imagery, and themes which enhanced the plot and left readers gasping for more at the end of each chapter. Another impressive style of writing Dreyer used was layering, a technique not common to Young Adult and therefore appreciated. When reading, you will find that you are handed themes, bits of information, and motifs slowly, forming an intricate storyline that unfolds into a masterpiece. In Crimson Mage, each character has a different motivation and they all overlap in surprising and suspenseful ways so that no matter how you look at it, somebody is in trouble! Overall, Crimson Mage was an amazing book that we would not hesitate to reread!

Our Favourite Thing: Surprisingly, we are all passionate about the final chapter of Crimson Mage, which is a huge cliffhanger! We normally hate cliffhangers because they force you to read the second book, but in this case, it invites you to read the second book. The thought-provoking, second-to-last piece of the puzzle made our readers gasp and beg for more. It was certainly not the end of Mayhara’s story and kept the action and tension going. We loved how Crimson Mage flowed perfectly into Copper Mage, the sequel! 

Our Least Favourite Thing: The only “problem” with Crimson Mage is that it is so short! We want more anger! We want more hiding! We want more romance! Luckily for us, there are six sequels that continue these elements!

Author Information

I'm a Philippine-born American living in Germany with my husband, my two adult children, and two Siberian Huskies.

I am a USA Today Bestselling Author who writes young adult and new adult books, usually with some element of magic or the supernatural in them. I also like to read those kinds of books. Aside from reading, I like movies, chocolate, take-out, coffee, traveling, and having fun with my friends and family.

I tend to sing sometimes, too, so keep me away from your Karaoke bars.

More Fun Content!

Crimson Mage is the first book of the “Empire of Lotus” series. There are six more, and they’re currently being released every other month! You can check out Copper Mage but you’ll have to wait until 26 May for the third book, Golden Mage. Stay up to date with the releases here!

Giveaway of Dreyer’s Phoenix Descending!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Other Books by Author

Dorothy Dreyer has written a copious number of books! Discover your favourites and visit them on Goodreads.

Curse of the Phoenix series:

Phoenix Descending

Paragon Rising

Reaper’s Rite series:

My Sister’s Reaper

My Tethered Soul

My Frayed Eternity

Empire of the Lotus series:

Crimson Mage

Copper Mage

Golden Mage

Emerald Mage

Standalone Novels:

Entangled Souls

Ball Gowns and Bloodstains

Cauldron of Ash

Links

Website: http://dorothydreyer.com/

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/DorothyDreyer

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/52300163-crimson-mage
Amazon:  Amazon US Purchase Link
Full Book Review: https://lifesanovelty.blogspot.com/2020/04/crimson-mage-dorothy-dreyer.html
Publication Date: 28 January, 2020