Incredible world building, fantastic art, and a generally intriguing story all weave together into the start of what might become my favorite manga ever, if it manages to uphold this level of intricacy in the future.
The first few chapters are stereotypical and full of tropes, but not in a bad way. A "village outcast" main character (like Naruto), who finds the resolve to prove others wrong and make himself into a hero. The messages of self-improvement, as well as ideas of motivation, anti-racism, etc. though not uncommon are done well, in a manner that I don't find overly preachy, even if only barely so.
The slow and gradual reveal of the magic system is very interesting; rather than giving up all the information regarding magic in the beginning, it's revealed slowly in bits and pieces, and is still being fleshed out currently. This makes for a more engaging read in my opinion, as it keeps the reader guessing and curious.
In general, this series is very well thought out, and is in my opinion a must-read for fantasy fans.
However, there are details that I'm not a fan of:
Spoilers.....
The main character, Theo, has a tendency to place inanimate objects like books and statues over his own well being, and in general books are toted as some all-important thing that they must protect. Theo himself seems so obsessed with texts that I question what he'd do if given the choice to save either an all-important text or a person. I'm not sure if I would like to see a cast of characters risking theirs and other's lives over books. That being said, there is a chance that the series will address this, as Theo has already been criticized for his actions. Hopefully this will get resolved in some manner; books may influence people, they may be important, but they should not be the entirety of one's life.
