177) The Accidental Sorcerer by K. E. Mills

After blowing up a factory you lose your job and find yourself unemployable. This is the lesson Gerald learns when he tries to do the right thing and do magic that is beyond his capabilities. So when a friend of his manages to get him a job as the new Court Wizard in New Ottosland, Gerald jumps at the chance of starting anew.

Then he arrives in New Ottosland and meets King Lional and realises he could be out of his depth. However his wizard abilities don't fail him this time and he finds himself living as royalty with a great job. Or is it really? King Lional isn't all he seems and Gerald and his talking bird, Reg, find themselves mixed up in something very dangerous. Suddenly Gerald has to save the kingdom, a Princess and himself. The question is, can he do it?

This is the first book in the Rogue Agent series and was on my radar for a while before I finally got hold of a copy. This book has been in my bag for the last few weeks and I have been reading it whenever I had the chance. Gripping me at first I got through the first hundred pages or so very quickly. Then things slowed down and I found myself adding a second book to my bag and ignoring this book. However after a while I got back into this and before I knew it I was at the end. Now I am curious about the following books in the series.

Gerald is a witty wizard who obviously needs, like many people, a little luck to get him on his way in the world. He thinks his luck has finally come along with his new job but of course he quickly realises something is amiss. It was interesting to see the story develop and the storyline kept me guessing all the way through. I really liked Gerald and his talking bird, Reg, and was happy to find out more about her by the end of the book.

The other characters were interesting. The King was my least favourite character while the Princes and her brother were characters I would like to read more about. Hopefully the next two books in the series have them in the starring roles or at least visit them. I am not sure when I will get the next book in the series but I do intend on reading more. This series is certainly different and wonderfully fresh. Make sure you at least try this first book which made me think of a Harry Potter all grown up and down on his luck.