I never see much online about Trudi Canavan or her books, and that’s a shame. It also doesn’t make any sense to me when they are so good! This is why you should read The Age of Five trilogy.
The most popular series, I believe, is The Black Magician Trilogy and the associated prequel. (The sequel trilogy is also good – EVERYTHING SHE WRITES IS GOOD!)
Anyway, The Age of Five is an incredible series about manipulation on all levels, conflicts of epic proportions, and wonderfully real, vivid characters.
Honestly, there is a hag-like character in the first book, Priestess of the White who becomes my favourite character of all time (I can’t say any more about her without revealing so many spoilers!).
The world itself is simple, but in the best way
We have two main countries who hate each other because of religious reasons, and there are a few other societies who get mixed up in trade, alliances, and so on.
The politics in these books is perfect for people who want to try out some political intrigue in the fantasy genre as it is not nearly as complicated as A Song of Ice and Fire, but it is exciting enough for those who already enjoy it too.
If you like strong female characters, this series is for you
Two of the main characters are the best female hero characters I have ever read. For those who worry about reading strong female characters in the fantasy genre, because many are written by authors who do not quite capture the gender in the characterisation of their female characters, this won’t be a problem for you here!
Trudi Canavan does an incredible job – Vin from Brandon Sanderson’s Mistborn trilogy is my third favourite female hero from the fantasy genre after these two!
There is a soft magic system which really adds to the mystery of the books
I know a lot of people like the Sanderson-like, complex magic systems, but here, a soft magic system works really well. There are some rules of the magic system and they are particularly interesting when they effect battle strategies.
Overall, The Age of Five trilogy is a fantastic series in the fantasy genre and not enough people have read it, or even heard of it!
Try the first book, Priestess of the White and I promise you will be hooked!
Related Fantasy Book Reviews
Priestess of the White: Book Review
The Last of the Wilds: Book Review
Voice of the Gods: Book Review
All Reviews for Trudi Canavan’s Books
I’m excited to read this series and I definitely agree that Trudi Canavan writes remarkably strong female characters. 🙂 🙂
I’m glad 🙂 And I can’t think of many other writers who can write such good female characters.
Exactly. Her female characters are badass without appearing as trying hard or pretentious.
Agreed. And they are full characters too, with actual goals and motivations. A lot of female characters in fantasy are just strong, or powerful, or clever – not very developed.