Going into The Outcast Mage I expected to dive into a world and tale of much grander scale. Instead it turned out to be a story (or beginning of one) that was more contained and on the simpler side, which took some adjusting. Still, the story hooked me enough early on to keep me interested and get me through the slower start.

The plot was very much front and center here, but the pace at which it moved forward dragged at times, and there was a lot of tell, particularly in the beginning, with the way information was introduced. I usually prefer to experience the world with and through the characters, the connection I have to them tends to have the biggest impact on how I absorb a story. And while I liked some of the characters and even started to feel a little bit invested, especially in Haelius, there was still some sort of detachment towards most of them. I love tropes like found family and stories with mentor/mentee type relationships, and I could see the building blocks here, however, the execution didn't fully land for me. Another quibble I had was that some character choices and plot points felt somewhat inconsistent or not developed enough beforehand, which led to some frustration.

Having said that, there was also something about the story that made it very intriguing and a breeze to get through. The magic system felt familiar, yet different, and I liked a lot of the ideas the author had. I guess, my biggest criticism is that there just wasn't enough - enough world building, background, character depth & development. But I am hopeful that all these elements will be explored further and expanded upon in the next installment, and I'm certainly looking forward to finding out!

Many thanks to Little, Brown Book Group UK and Netgalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.