Sufficiently Advanced Magic

Andrew Rowe — 2017

Five years ago, Corin Cadence's brother entered the Serpent Spire -- a colossal tower with ever-shifting rooms, traps, and monsters. Those who survive the spire's trials return home with an attunement: a mark granting the bearer magical powers. According to legend, those few who reach the top of the tower will be granted a boon by the spire's goddess.He never returned.Now, it's Corin's turn. He's headed to the top floor, on a mission to meet the goddess.If he can survive the trials, Corin will earn an attunement, but that won't be sufficient to survive the dangers on the upper levels. For that, he's going to need training, allies, and a lot of ingenuity.The journey won't be easy, but Corin won't stop until he gets his brother back.

Reviews

Fraser Simons@frasersimons

Jun 9, 2022

Surprisingly fun. The pacing clips along nicely and the world seems pretty well thought out. There’s definitely quite a lot of infodumps that will probably be quite overwhelming if you’re not familiar with RPGs. There is a lot going on at the start but it hooked me with the descriptions of the fights and a mystery being introduced. The characters and prose are very YA, for better and worse, but it doesn’t take itself too seriously in a way that makes it very consumable and quite fun. It’s popcorn fiction at its best, basically.

Ioan Gabriel Juglea@ioanjuglea

Dec 15, 2021

This book slaps if you like rpgs

dead line@deadline

Nov 29, 2021

Enjoyed this. The magic system reminds me of programming. Attunements read to me like computer languages: You can make this type of application with this language, and there's some overlap with certain languages. You can also create an application that can be used by another language. It's in depth which I really like. I also like the relationship between Sera and Corin. I appreciate when we get see a friendship between a boy and a girl, without the romance melodrama. However it's also *very* anime inspired, with everyone always having a sarcastic quip, even in the middle of a fight. I had to roll my eyes at a few of the lines, like when Corin and Sera went back and forth with rhyming quips. I don't think it was bad writing, just wasn't for me. That said, there was never a dull moment, and I was entertained throughout. Will be picking up the next book.

Nickie Mohler@hazelreads1

Nov 18, 2021

I absolutely loved this book! It was amazing! This story follows Corin Cadence. He is getting ready to go into The Tower for his Judgment. The Judgement is a magical test to get into a school of magic. Hopefully he will earn a great Attunement during his test. The type of Attunement he receives will determine what type of magic he will use. It's not just about school for Corin though. He needs to excel and be as powerful as he can. His brother went into the Tower and never came out. Corin believes he is still alive and he will do whatever it takes to find him. I loved the characters, the magic system, and everything else about this book. It ended on a major cliffhanger, so I have to have the next book!!