One of those stories that goes nowhere, slowly. Lots of action — the kind that you can’t really relate to because mystical forces are constantly invoked. The one thing you can relate to, the hopelessness and exhaustion involved when fighting with “madra”, is dwelled on so that it becomes becomes the focus of each book.

Each book is much like the last. New characters get introduced, and each character is unique enough to hold the sense of deja vu at bay to some extent, but the arcane framework progressively loads the story beyond breaking point. Think Harry Potter, where the focus of each book is on how exhausting each spell is to master rather than the things we can relate to.

It is a pity, because the author clearly has talent.

The narrator is excellent.