Rating: 
Summary: A cozy fantasy
Review: If you enjoy cozy mysteries that contain very little violence, sex, profanity, or even blood, you might also enjoy this cozy fantasy. By the end of "The Magicians' Guild," the bad guy is revealed, order is restored to the magical community, and the heroine and her friend from the Thieves' Guild appear to at least have a chance of living happily ever after. There are a few loose ends, but this book is the first of the 'Black Magician' trilogy, so a teaser is to be expected.
If this is your first fantasy, "The Magician's Guild" is a fairly decent read. If it's your hundredth, then you'll recognize the plot, background, and characters: poor, but courageous heroine is cursed with a magical talent that is getting stronger by the day, and is not under her control. The only people who can save her belong to the hated Magician's Guild and she would rather die than deal with those meatballs. Her friends in the Thieves' Guild hide her as long as they can, but eventually her uncontrollable magic is exploding walls and setting whole blocks of slum on fire. The heroine finally gets with the program in the Magicians' Guild, and much to her surprise discovers that some of the practitioners are actually pretty decent folks.
Most of the story is taken up by the heroine's struggle to keep hating the magicians, in spite of the fact that the reader can spot from a million miles off that she's going to become one of them.
Cozies tend not to have much in the way of suspense, complex characters, or imaginative settings, but if they are your cup of tea, then "The Magicians' Guild" is recommended reading.
Rating: 
Summary: Wild magic
Review: In Imarden, there is a Magicians' Guild among the upper classes and a Thieves' Guild among the lower classes in the slums. The slum dwellers hate magicians who represent the upper classes and do little to help the poor. Sonea has magical powers emerge when a conflict arises during a purge affecting her family and friends. The problem is that her powers are strong and uncontolled, and a danger to the city.The Magicians' Guild seeks to find her and bring her under control. The Thieves' Guild (or some parts of it) want to hide her to use her powers. Things are complicated by the elitist attitude of some magicians, who feel that only upper class citizens should be allowed into their guild. All of this comes together as competing interests collide. Events in the plot and the epilogue lead into a sequel. Overall, it is a good novel, but I subtract a star from novels that require reading a sequel to continue the plot, i.e., there are loose ends left to sequels.
Rating: 
Summary: The Magicians' Guild
Review: Looking forward to reading the rest of the trilogy!
Rating:
Summary: Onward... to the next book
Review: Rather enjoyable read. Sonea was a real person, she made mistakes she had her flaws. While we could see different people's perpectives the storyline wasn't spoilt by this but it seemed as though it was enhanced by this. I love the way Trudi Canavan makes things flow. She just has this way with words and The Magician's Guild leaves off with a sense of closure but with enough promise for a reader to make them wanting more and begging for a sequel. Although I have a couple of complaints. There were too many characters introduced in the first few chapters and as a result I tended to confuse one character with another. Still you firgure out who's who and get definate pictures of what kind of people they are after awhile. It would be something you would need to read twice to make sure you understood properly. Also it was a bit short but that seems to be rather common in the first book. I recommend getting all three books and waiting for a raining day that way you can fully enjoy the Black Magician Trilogy
Rating:
Summary: Great book!
Review: Refreshing breath of fresh air. A new author that is good right from the starting block. I can't wait for the rest of the series!
Rating:
Summary: Refreshingly Original
Review: The authors writing style is unique and well worded and paced. The story is captivating and quickly becomes a page-turner. The magic system in the Black Magician Trilogy is different from most fantasy novels and provided an interesting novelty. The characters embrace their own personalities and interact well. Overall the Magician Guild is a worthy purchase.
Rating:
Summary: Read the entire trilogy!
Review: The Dark Magician Trilogy is a wonderfully told tale of a young street urchin, Sonea, who in a pall of anger at the treatment received by the Guild's Magicians, suddenly learns that her burgeoning powers are much stronger than those of the magicians'. The Guild, rulers of the city and surrounding burroughs, are equally surprised, for never before has a slum-dweller been found to hold such power. The search begins for Sonea, through the streets and underground of the slums, for it is forbidden for anyone to have powers without the Guild's permission and training.
The Dark Magician Trilogy, is a cozy, well-told story with just enough tension to keep you reading, but with none of the annoying pomp and circumstance that some series fall prey to. Highly recommended read!
Rating:
Summary: A good start.
Review: The Magician's Guild is refreshing in that it's not about a reluctant male hero's quest to save the world. Instead, Trudi Canavan presents us with a spirited female lead who discovers that she has magic, which puts her in a social dilemma.
Should she accept her powers and join the "snobbish" magicians who are hated by ordinary people? Or should she stay ordinary but risk destroying those she loves with her uncontrolled magic?
The Magician's Guild is an enjoyable, easy read. Trudi Canavan's flowing narrative style will keep you turning the pages until the end. Though not as good a writer as Robert Jordan or Robin Hobbs (yet), Canavan keeps your interest with her likeable characters and familiar situations that readers will relate to. Themes such as social class divisions, friendships and betrayals, finding your true identity and figuring out where you truly belong are explored.
The book comes to a satisfying ending but readers are left in no doubt that this volume merely sets the scene for The Novice and The High Lord, the next two books in The Black Magician Trilogy.
Rating:
Summary: Cheer for the little guy (or gal)
Review: The underdog gives it to the powers that be. Sonea tries to stay out of trouble, yes she has some friends on the shady side, but she has stayed clear of them for awhile. Then comes the purge, where the poor are cast out of the inner city, if that wasn't bad enough, an arrogant magician makes a snide comment about her and her friends, her people...well usually rocks don't make it through the magician's shield, but what if one did? what if that rock hit the arrogant sob magician in the head? Although this story is part of a trilogy its a good read on its own, but if you are like me you will want to own all three before begining, as waiting feverishly for the next book can be torture. I am a lover of good fantasy stories and this trilogy is one of them.
Rating:
Summary: Disappointment
Review: This book as a strong opening and I had high hopes for the first few chapters. Then the plot got stuck. I suddenly realized was reading a scene almost identical to a scene from the previous chapter. There is chase scene after chase scene after chase scene, one very similar to the one before. More of the same, over and over again. And I didn't find myself caring about the characters very much. The writing was fairly good, but not above average. I plowed through it, but won't read the next book in the series.
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