For the attention of Raven - you said you'd be interested to hear what I thought of these books and, as I've just finished The Magician's Guild, I wanted to let you know my feelings.
The Magician's Guild, the first book of the trilogy, starts slowly, building a picture of the world that Sonea, the main character, lives in. Its an intriguing world, and one that Canavan paints rather well, if a little laboriously.
I won't spoil any of the book for anyone else interesting in reading it, but it deals with a young girl, Sonea, who is found to be an untrained magician and comes to the attention of the Magician's Guild, who want to train her before she becomes a danger to herself and the world.
The main content doesn't really start till Act 2. Its here that we find out a lot more about the protagonists, in particular the Guild, and the background to where this is all going. It is well written, despite the laborious nature of the first 100 pages or so, and comes to an ending that leads well into wanting to read the second book.
I'd recommend sticking with it if magicians and intrigue, with a little sprinkle of deceit, are your type of thing. Its no Harry Potter kind of magic, and it had potential to be more something much more.
The Magician's Guild - 7 out of 10.