School of Wizardry by Debra Doyle and James D. Macdonald

I ordered this book over a year ago, because one of my friends really enjoyed this series and recommended it as a sort of Harry Potter read-a-like. It was written before HP and really is more of a medieval look at wizardry, so it is and it isn't like HP. This is my second book for the Take Control of your TBR Pile challenge.

Troll

Randal is pretty content with his life, training to one day be a knight, but that changes when Madoc the Wanderer visits his uncle's castle. Madoc introduced Randal to magic and he has a gift of seeing the future. Randal leaves his life behind and follows Madoc when he leaves. Madoc agrees to take him to the Schola Sorceria, the School of Wizardry, and Randal trains hard to be a wizard. In the beginning he is not a very good student, but he has raw power. He meets a few friends, including Lys, a girl musician, who listens to Randal and tries to help him with his problems. When another master wizard takes notice of Randal and offers to train him, Randal jumps at the chance, but will it prove to be his undoing?

This was a nice quick read and I have already started the second book. The school is not as well developed as Hogwarts and really is not the focus of the story. Randal and his talent and the medieval society he lives in have more of the spotlight. I like the mix of the historical period with the authors take on magic and recommend this one to those looking for a quick, magical read. 4 cups of cocoa.