Mana Mirror [Stubbed]

Self-Published

Community Rating

Description

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First Gate Ebook

First Gate Audiobook

Second Gate Ebook

Second Gate Audiobook

Twin Trials Ebook

Third Gate Ebook

The Third Portal Ebook

When Malachi Baker stumbles into an offer of apprenticeship from the esteemed and powerful Occultist Orykson, he's left in shock and jumps at the chance to learn... Even if it means taking out a few loans.

Unfortunately, his new teacher sees him more as a tool than a student, and has set Malachi near-impossible goals before he becomes worthy of Orykson's full attention, and Malachi's innate power is only somewhat above average.

Worse, it turns out that Orykson has enemies more powerful than Malachi had ever imagined – and now their attention has landed solidly on him.

Torn between the mage who can offer him everything, and a strange old woman who offers him the chance to guide his own path, Malachi is left scrambling to find his purpose as a new mage.

Information

Status: Ongoing
Year: 2023
Author: TobiasBegley

Royal Road Stats

Rating: 4.2/ 5.0
Followers: 1,206
Views: 226,749

Chapters(155 total)

Reviews

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Community Reviews(10)

yellowfrogRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
The most interesting trans character I've read on this site. Very gently done in a show dont tell manor. lovely story; relationship in it makes me think of the TV show heartstoper with added magic. just really enjoying reading it. thanks for writing it. looking to see where it goes next.
BetaBahamutRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
A fun low stakes (so far) story following a very likable MC on a quest of getting more powerful and learning their magic. Its a nice slow burn journey of progression with very minimal (if any) stats . If you love magic schools don't shy away. While this is not set in a magic school the MC has a bunch of mentors and quite a lot of pages dedicated solely to learning all sorts of magic.
The only mild criticism I can come up with is that sometimes luck/chance falls to firmly in the MCs favor. Though I think this is mostly intentional as part of its cozy charm.
CielineriRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
Well written magic system, balances slice of life with real stakes effectively, and the MC is a likeable 1st person narrator. Not OP but can definitely hold his own.
Also, the magic system is just generally cool, I already mentioned it, but it's so unique it bears mentioning again. The mana types are so unique (ever seen telluric or solar?) and the mana garden is cool. All in all, highly recommend.
GayOnTillMorningRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
What an absolutely charming book! I've read the first arc and have been enjoying the crap out of it. Our main character is lovely and sweet and you can feel the care he has for the world around him. Oh and he's trans! And it's like, cool!
All too often you get extremes of "I am trans and that is my whole story" and "I am trans and that's just a fun little fact about me that has no bearing on my life" and like... that's not how trans people work!! Malachi is a trans kid who cares a lot about his future, who runs into difficulties because he forgets to take his binder off before sparring, who falls in love with the first nonbinary person he meets (relatable), who likes to grow plants and go to the library.
His magical journey is partially shaped by his desire to make physical transition realistic for him, in a world where it's very possible but not trivial, and it makes PERFECT SENSE. Every trans person I know would do the same in his position. It is not the be all end all of who he is, but it is *important* to him.
The worldbuilding around Malachi tantalizes us with powerful Magi, a rich and varied tapestry of creatures and problems and the Watches formed to deal with them, and the lurking threat of something called the Primes.
The grammar is perfectly unnoticable, which is exactly as it should be in a story like this.
Highly recommend this to everyone, but especially my fellow queers who just want to read a nice book about a nice queer kid learning magic.
vegizombieRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
Overall, this is a smooth, well-written introduction to a world with intriguing mechanics and realistic characters.
Style:
The author has published works, presumably with editor support. I don't know whether they have kept this hypothetical editor on for the story but there's a refreshing difference from most of the works on here.
Story:
I, perhaps unfairly, have knocked a half star for not being certain where this is going to go yet. I like the world building, the direction seems positive, and isn't going for the stereotypical loner that allows for a simpler plot due to the being fewer characters to drive things along.
The magic system is vaguely reminiscent of Sarah Lin's Weirkey Chronicles, for those familiar with it, but only on a surface level. Instead it seems more closely aligned to older schools of magic writing, which I think is pulled off well. There is extensive visualisation to enable an understanding of what's happening but without making the process feel mundane.
Grammar:
Better than most works on here. Maybe a couple of typos every 10 chapters but that's pretty low and the author looks like they'll fix them up as they're mentioned in the comments.
Character score:
I feel like this is where the story is really going to shine. From the get go we're introduced to multiple characters that aren't just snarky clones of each other, they have realistic relationships, histories, and behaviours. They feel like real characters rather than 2D cutouts.
The mentor figure is maybe a bit stereotypical right now, but we haven't really had a chance to get to know them, do I'm sticking with 5 stars unless that continues as we see them act and learn more about them.
ARR62Royal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
I've read Book 1 in this series and am thoroughly enjoying Book 2. This isn't typical in that the magic system is cultivating a mana garden within yourself and the types of magic available are determined by legacy mostly. You level up by improving your garden and adding the number of gates it has as well. The world itself is an interesting mix of govs, empire, independent states, etc. It also has lots of species and cultures, including dragons, yay!
The MC is trans as is at least one other character and the nice thing is that that's not remarkable, it just is. Malachi is a more than decent guy dealing with a few issues who would rather talk it out than fight which is sometimes a problem but also garners him some great allies.
Why do I like this story? Well, the magic, the world, the level of writing, and the ongoing mysteries which are a slow burn since we get just enough info to change the questions but not enough to solve much so far. The other reason is the characters. Malachi's brother, the brother's girlfriend, his boyfriend, his mentor, his ex-mwntor, his Dad, and others are interesting in their own right, not just Malachi appendages. So a fully fleshed out world, characters, and story which is not grimdark or too sunshiny, just real.
Nomad1791Royal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
My title is there to clear up anyone's confusion reading the story so let's get into it. Story is well written I haven't come across any grammatic issues and it flows, world building is awesome magic system is very interesting and so far well thought out and explained. Characters are well written and easy to see as individuals no card board cutouts or flat just there for story progression types. Overall I like the story mc is decent and easy enough to understand his problems that need to be overcome are easily understood and just take effort so far all easily understood makes for a good progression story.
RedCommadner735Royal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
I am always looking for stories with a well thought out magic system and good world building, and this story has both. The story also has good pacing and there aren't any major info dumps, but the information is gradually passed on to the reader as the story progresses. The characters are very well written and feel very natural and fit in their environment.
All in all, very entertaining to read and I'm always eagerly awaiting new chapters.
Tarvis K'maraRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
What I love about this story is it doesn't ignore that Malachi is Trans but neither does it shove in down your throat every two seconds. Example being Malachi swapping binder for sports bra because of exercise. It was relevant to both story and character but stated organically then moved on to next part of story.
Malachi is a character in a magical world who is learning and having adventures. Him being trans is part of his character, not the only part. He is smart, loyal, brave not because a Trans character has to be those things, but instead he is a smart, loyal brave person who is also trans.
Inclusion of minorities done in a way that normalises them.
Job very well done by the Author in addition to just being an enjoyable read
The Froggy NinjaRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
A rare combination of interesting characters, a lived in world and a magic system similar enough to be familiar while different enough to be new and interesting. I usually don't like giving more than a 4.5 star review of something due to not believing in perfection, but the abundance of positive, quality genderqueer representation earns a free half star from me. I especially appreciate how it's made clear that Malachi's gender identity is important to him largely through environmental storytelling, with only one moment directly addressing it, and that from a character who have been established as not particularly bothered by social niceties.
Style: I think the setting feels very lived in and the gate/mana garden system is very interesting.
Story: The story's been fairly standard slice of life, at least up to Chapter 16, but the characters and settings give enough meat to that dynamic to keep it engaging.
Grammar: I haven't spotted any serious typos.
Characters: The main character successfully manages to stay in the area between "ridiculously hypercompetent" and "clutching the Idiot Ball with both hands" and all the surrounding characters have impressively distinct voices, really carrying across the vibe that they've got their own lives and lessons going on.