I found the Fantastic Flute… cute. I think it would make a great series if the author expands the world. The magic system needs some refining. Sage is the typical main character type who finds out his super powers late and has to go through training. He constantly makes fun of himself throughout the book but in a way that makes him more corky than pitiful. The familiar angle is the intriguing part of the story. Foxy, the fox familiar, keeps things light and on the fun side.
My only issue with the story is how Sage goes from a 30 year old to 13 year old as soon as a love interest arrives. He starts to whine, pout, and do silly lustful things that make it feel weird. Why is this dude reacting like a preteen? Crying about a guy leaving when that was literally one of the first topics they discussed. This isn’t a Young Adult story so that portion of the book felt… odd. Plus series where the characters fall in love within the first half of the first book means we are dealing with instant, love at first sight, non-sense. I’m not a fan but others love that.
Oh by the way, I didn’t realize this was an LBGT love story. It’s in the description but obviously I did not read it. My first time reading a male/male love scene in a story.
Good narration by Joel Leslie. His voice for Sage was spot-on.