The Hidden Tower (The Portal Wars Saga Book 1) Kindle Edition

So I read the whole book and I really enjoyed it. I found it to me my expectation in quality and found the story well paced. But unfortunately I do not like the main character. Not that he is poorly written or annoying per say, but the choices he makes near then end of the book I disagree with (Seriously spoilers ahead if you want the surprise of the story do not read!). I kept waiting for Otto to Realize that he did not want to be someone like his father who hurt people because it made him feel better. Yes his "wife" lies to him and treats him like shit, but he has the choice to be a bigger man. Its not her fault that she does not love him and loves Lothar, and while yes she lied to him, he should understand what its like to be in a position where you have to hide who you truly are. I kept waiting for a seen where he confronts and forgives a his "wife" and sets Lothar free, then uses his magic to help then get away and be together. That is why I'm probably not going to read the rest of the series but I still think some others would enjoy this series where i have been disappointed.

I was very lucky to find this series as I'd hit a rut the past few months. Everything I tried turned out to be a major disapointment. I downloaded just a sample of this as I wasnt sure from the description of the first book that I would enjoy it but dound myself buyjng the entire first book affer reaching the end of the all too brief taste.What I like most is that the main character is very likable. He learns quick and isn't a sap. Despite his tough upbringing, he's a generally good person but that doesn't mean he lets others take advantage. Great plot with well written characters and I don't want to say too much lest I spoil the story. Just that to those hesitating, if you like fantasy, this is a great pickup.

Ive read almost all the good books in this genre class of magic and swords and Ive been without a series that entertained me for so long. This one has allowed me to enjoy reading again and caused me to leave a review for the first time.

I found this to be a good story. Not my boat (best of all time) but good. I read the reviews before purchasing and still decided to give it a try. I am confused as to why people have an issue with the MC’s progression. He clearly was straddled with a wife who he gave his hopes to and she betrayed him after promising she wouldn’t. In book 2 I believe he clearly articulates this. It wasn’t his fault it was hers and her behavior afterwards painted her as a villain in my eyes I got up to book 4 and she is still treating him like dirt. Last note on this is that the book outlines that he was in his legal rights to kill her lover from the get go but spared him because she asked. Her lover also got himself wrapped up willingly with shady stuff (he was not the hero).Next the MC’s profession seems normal since they are in war time and people like him who have been oppressed for years are on the line. The enemy states have done some horrible things and he responded, most times he gave a warning first. How is he supposed to behave during war time with a race one the line

This book is a great illustration of how good people can be ground down by the world to do things they would once have been horrified of. The main character is not a good guy but you still find yourself rooting for him because a part of you understands how he got there and why he does these things. He is not a shining bastion of hope and Valor, but a human with all the flaws it entails.

Wow, this was a bit of a ride. The book starts out pretty good, though definitely on the trope-y side. Third son of a minor noble has magic, is bullied a lot and abused by his father and older brother. Eventually, his magic is seen as useful by those around him and he starts to fight back and gains independence.*Spoilers to follow*All well and good, but he doesn't stop there. Ever heard the concept about the abused becoming the abuser? Yeah, Otto starts down a pretty dark path and by the end of the book he's a murdering sociopath. He's fine with torture, murdering old men in their sleep, mind-raping his wife's lover and getting him killed, telling his wife with he regrets stopping her rape by his brother, and so on.All of this is just so far out of my comfort zone for books that I really really wanted to zero star my review. But the world created here is pretty solid and the magic is fun. Plus, it does start off pretty good. So the first third of the book is 5 star imho. Then things get dicey and there's some pretty obvious clues about where this is going, so 3 stars. Then the last 20 or 30% of the book is just a quick slide into power-hungry evil which would be no stars from me. So I'm torn. Normally I only give 1 star to books I can't finish. But I just kept reading this. It was like a horrid fascination with where this was going to end up. I couldn't look away. Thus, my middle of the road rating.Basically, the TLDR version, is if you've ever wondered what would have happened if Luke had joined with the Emperor and gleefully gone over to the dark side, this is probably the book for you. I won't be continuing though because I like escapism from the realities of the world today, not a reminder of just how awful people can be.

I dislike how otto went from moderately good to a stephan-like personna in a very very short time. He knew about lothair and any reasonnable smart man would taken step. Any reader could see where that was going but i guess idiot mage couldnt...There were also several other discrepancies like when the prince and he became fast friend while prince ignore annamaria his supposed bestfriend ?And then he develop his magic more because he was.... angry ?. Too many cliché and too much of an arranged story. I doubt ill read the next few books

O livro é bem mais complexo do que se apresenta inicialmente. Confesso fiquei irado com a esposa do protagonista, mas vejo que foi proposital. Espero que as continuações desse livro permaneçam a me surpreender.

The story is very promising but there are times when i would have like the story to make it more dramatic and more thrilling. I cannot say what for i dont have space here but some parts are incomplete but otherwise its a nice read. I will try the next one and i will see if the plot has improved. Thank you.

Thoroughly enjoyed this book. Very fast paced with good plots.

The Hidden Tower is what happens when you take a potentially great story and mix it with a healthy dose of ADD. There is enough content here for 2 or 3 large books, but it's all compressed into 300 pages. The result is a runaway train of plotlines, characters and relationships that are never fully realized. There is never any suspense because the conflict is resolved, one way or another, before the reader can even choose a side. Because of this, betrayals and plot twists that should engender strong emotion in the reader instead result in, at best, mild annoyance or curiosity.Despite a few great scenes and some interesting characters (Axel and Katharina), The Hidden Tower simply falls short of its potential. This could have been the start to an engaging series, but the fledging saga appears to have died in the nest.