I do not have anything to criticise about this book. It is flawless, and is probably the strongest series ender I have ever encountered.

Picking up right where the last book left off, The Battlemage begins with Fletcher and the gang in mortal peril. They’ve travelled far from Hominum and are in a race against time to make it home safely, attempting to evade getting captured by a group of orcs who are hunting them (while also bumping into quite a few new – and highly dangerous – demons).


One of the best things about the Summoner series is the fact that we are constantly getting introduced to new demons. A couple of them only pop up for a scene or two, while other demons are seen over and over again, and it helps you to appreciate the size of the world Matharu has created. In each of my paperback copies there were brief sections at the back describing the demons and featuring little sketches of them, so if you don’t have the best imagination it’s a great way of getting to see them in all of their glory. Some of the demons looked very different to the way I had imagined them!

The Battlemage is another book which splits quite neatly into two parts. The race against time takes up the first half of the book, but the second half focuses intensely on the war between the people of Hominum and the orcs – a war which is bubbling in the background throughout the first two books, but boils over explosively towards the end of book three. I’m still trying my hardest not to give spoilers, so I won’t tell you which of our main characters makes it back to Hominum in one piece, but I will tell you that you’ll be trying hard not to shed tears by the end of The Battlemage. There are always casualties in war, and Taran Matharu isn’t afraid to kill off characters which have been loved since the first book in the trilogy.

There were a lot of things which I expected to happen in The Battlemage that didn’t happen, and I loved the fact that there were so many red herrings sprinkled throughout the series (some which went as far back as book one!). I’m not going to give anything away because I want you to be as surprised as I was, but just know that this is not a predictable series at all. Too many YA fantasy novels recycle the same tropes over and over again, but the ones which Matharu uses are given fresh spins and the majority of them are hinted towards and then dismissed which really keeps you on your toes.

Although Taran Matharu doesn’t seem to have plans to write any more Summoner books at the moment, the world is rich with potential and I’m hoping that he might change his mind at some point in the future. This is a series which I’m definitely going to be rereading, and I can’t wait to recommend them to my children when they’re old enough. If these books had been released when I was a little bit younger I think I would have been an avid fantasy reader much earlier in my life!

I unfortunately missed the download date of this title but luckily I recently acquired the hardback! What a wonderful conclusion to the series. Taran Matharu has such a vivid imagination and I particularly enjoyed learning how the demons can develop and change, it really made me wonder what sort of extra powers can be discovered if future novellas are ever written.. Fletcher's relationships in this story are the most notable part, every person he interacts with adds so much value to the plot and I was continuously waiting for an outcome with all the friendships (and the romantic ones of course!)

As for Flentcher's personal development, it was so satisfying him turning into a full blown warrior, considering his skillset and life in book one. He has come such a long way, I am so proud!

This book also focused on the different race relations between the creatures, heavily reflecting issues in our modern world which was a clever way to illustrate to reading how prejudices can harm a society and sort of put you in the shoes of those experiencing discrimination.

Overall, the journey of these characters gave us a satisfying ending (although slightly rushed at the end?) and I'm so glad to see Fletcher go back to his roots and fight for what was important to him.

Thanks to Netgalley and Hachette Children’s Group for giving me this book to review.

The Battlemage is the enjoyable third and final book in the Summoner series. It had lots of action with a battle between good and prejudice, domination and greed. I would highly recommend rereading the previous books before starting this one as for the first third of the novel I was very confused about what was happening.

Fletcher has become more responsible in this book as he is a natural leader who fights for what is right but will defer to those who have more knowledge. I like Othello, Sylva and Cress, and I really like the friendship between all of the friends, however, for a good third of the book they were not around and I felt it really impacted the story.

I enjoyed this book and I look forward to seeing what Taran Matharu does next. I would recommend Battlemage to fans of the first 2 books in the Summoner series.

It is a tricky feat to conclude a trilogy and leave the reader feeling satisfied. Here ,for the most part, Taran Matharu has done just that. This third book in the series tells the continuing story of Fletcher and his friends as they try to battle the albino orc and deal with the political machinations of the noble houses. The plot is a strong one, with explorations into areas of the world that we haven't seen before and a narrative pacing that keeps you turning the page. There are periods of tension, which are then followed with periods of calm, all of which combine well to produce a thrilling conclusion. I still have issues with some of the characters and their one-dimensionality - a problem that is not solved in this third book. I sometimes wonder at the venomous behaviour of the nobles - it seems a little too easy to paint them as wholly rotten without much examination of motivation. All that being said, I have enjoyed this trilogy immensely and would recommend them to anyone who wants a reasonably light-hearted adventure, with goblins, demons, magic, wizard schools and much more.
I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Have enjoyed reading the summoner series so far and this one was just as great. Fletcher is such a fun character and love that he develops as the book goes along

Full of action and adventure, I thoroughly enjoyed this addition to the Summoner series.

Apparently this was the last in the series? I'm surprised by that as I think they left a lot of stuff open. I guess enough was concluded, so perhaps they'll be a sequel trilogy or just a potential for tie in series or novels later on. It would be nice to see something from the other characters. The Dwarven characters especially are really interesting or something more from Sylva. I think Fletcher doesn't have much more to give, but I'd like to know at least in passing about how he does and whether he and Ignatious reach their full potential.

I was looking forward to this book because of what happened at the end of the last book and I have to say I'm a bit disappoint. I wanted to explore more of the world the demons come from and see more of the different types of demons. There was a bit of that and I understand that the characters were concerned more about their survival and getting back to Hominum as quickly as possible, but maybe in the future it would be cool to get a book about people who go and explore.

I think this was a good trilogy in general really. There were a lot of battle scenes towards the end of this book, though. They went on a long time and the strategies that Fletcher and his army were using were interesting, but after a while it was just too much. I was done with battles and wanted it to end.

Also, I think the only thing that really sets this apart from other fantasy series was the issues of race. The Dwarven issues and the way the people in power were trying to set them up and force them into rioting and give them an excuse to round them all up hit me quite strongly. Especially in these political times, it's important to see how racism can be stirred up and incited by a manipulative power, especially when there are terror attacks involved.

It's interesting that this series has so much to say about race and I definitely think that it's a good reason to read these books.

Loved the series since book one! Fantastic finish to an enjoyable trilogy. Hopefully we will return to the world some time in the future!

Battlemage was a fantastic end to a gripping fantasy trilogy. Harry Potter meets Skyrim by way of Pokemon sounds like a really unlikely series for me but I couldn't put the book dow. Featuring a fantastic diverse cast, a fast paced enthralling storyline and dialogue with some real snap and sparkle, this is a must fir fantasy fans.

The third book in this amazing series is every bit as exciting and fun as the first two, brimming with magic and danger, I was desperate to know what would happen next! Couldn't put it down.

The only problem I had, and maybe this is just me, is that because I read the last one when it came out a year ago, I didn't remember who everyone was and exactly what had happened and the book didn't recap at all. If I was reading these one after the other that wouldn't matter at all, of course, and I know it's a very difficult balance!

Apart from that, I really enjoyed it and would read other works by Taran. Thank you very much for letting me read it.