The Magicians Guild/Black Magician Trilogy were amongst the books I read when first discovering fantasy books having previously not been that interested.
As fantasy novels go I guess they are somewhat generic but there were enough twists and turns in the trilogy as a whole to keep me turning pages. I enjoyed Canavan's writing style, it was simple, but they were a pleasant and easy read (possibly more suited to a YA label?).
I found the first book paved a lot of the way for the second and third instalments but then I have always tended to treat trilogies as one long story instead of three separate books so maybe that's why I found the lack of action in book one easy to get past.
By the end of the third book I was attached enough to the characters to seek out the sequel trilogy, which I am just coming to the end of and have enjoyed more than the first.
These aren't the most in depth fantasy novels you will ever read but they are worth sticking with, they get better as you read on.