So I wasn't technically tagged in this but we're going to do it anyway! Funnily enough, I actually started making a mock TVTropes page for Magic's Minister before I realized what a complicated undertaking that would be. This should be a bit easier.

This was started by nightwraith17 and it's basically breaking down your book and seeing how many fantasy tropes it fits. Not that tropes are bad! It's all in how you use them. *puts on cool shades*

1) The Chosen One: Character finds out he is crucial to a prophecy or something.

In Magic's Minister? Nope. No prophecies for Sedgewick. Although this might fit my prequel idea better...

2) The Secret Heir: Character finds out he was kidnapped, etc. and is actually the child of royalty.

Not in Magic's Minister. *bites tongue on backstory-stuff that might be used later*

3) The Evil Overlord: Lord of Much Evil

Bilara doesn't get out enough to be an evil overlord (lady?).

4) The Reluctant Hero: Character does not want to be a part of the grand and heroic scheme of things.

Eeeeh, this probably fits the prequel better but I'm giving myself a point because Sedgewick would much rather not be going on a quest involving FEELINGS and SELF-DISCOVERY to save his magic, thank-you-very-much. 1/4

5) The Lucky Novice: Character has never performed a task before but turns out to be an expert.

Hahaha, NOPE. Feyla exploding all those rune discs, anyone?

6) The Mentor: Character exists to guide the protagonist.

Er, no? Sedgewick did have a mentor in his old master, Telvor, but he's not really around anymore. Still, Telvor was a pretty troperiffic mentor, so I'll give it half a point. 1.5/6

7) Fantasy world that never progresses socially, culturally, politically, or technologically.

I feel like some of these categories overlap which makes it difficult to judge what points to count. I'll try breaking this down like @autumn_sunfire did anyway.

Socially/Culturally: Other than the journey to Bilara's, Magic's Minister is set almost entirely in Abreyla which doesn't really let me show much outside of there. The fact that feys live so long also tends to slow progression. Still, there's been some social and cultural advances. Women have better education and opportunities than they did previously, and there's also been a shift in the breaking down of some long-standing mageatic traditions. So...half a point? .5

Politically: Eeeeh, not a lot. What can I say? I like my monarchies. There have been some minor shifts, however. For one thing, Abreyla gained a queen who ruled in her own name for the first time in Eleyna's grandmother, Alena. She also established a more democratic system by allowing the common people to elect an official at the local level as a sort of check-and-balance to the ruling lord or lady. The fact that this weakened the influence of the lords while not affecting her own power was, of course, an unintentional side effect. *loud cough* There was also the founding of the Magic Ministry which led to some further shifts in the power balance.

Of course, if you want to get into the Northlands, then it gets more interesting. Several small city-states and kingdoms splintered off from the former empire. Half a point since there were no revolutionary-scale changes in Abreyla. 1/1

Technologically: Somewhat of a progression. There are advances in magic (glow-lights, scrying orbs) and medicine but I purposefully avoided adding any sort of guns. If you count the First Age, there were more advances but a lot of those have been lost to time. 2.5/7

8) Pseudo-European Medieval Setting

Hmm... well Abreyla definitely started out that way but I've been trying to get away from that as I wrote the books. The architecture, climate, and clothing aren't supposed to be European although I did draw some influence from Renaissance Italy. 2.5/8

9) The Powerful Artifact: Artifact of Much Power.

Nope. Not is Magic's Minister although I won't rule out something like that appearing far, far down the line... *stares at super vague endgame plans I don't know if I could even go through with* 2.5/9

10) The Homogeneous Species: Elves, Dwarves, Hobbits, etc.

Aaannnddd no. Since most of my stories are about elves-in-all-but-name, I can't really have them all being the same. There's differences between the feys/fey kingdoms along with some infighting between them. Same goes for goblins and meridians, although you only see one meridian and one half a goblin in the story.

I guess if you consider daemons a species, maybe? 3/10

11) The Waiting Evil: An evil force or spirit that has lain locked away but is about to be released.

Would you consider Sedgewick's intense emotional issues an evil forces? If not then no. *side eyes prequel ideas* 3/11

12) Here Comes the Calvary: All is lost, but at the last moment, help arrives! Think of Gandalf arriving at Helm's Deep at dawn on the third day (a beautiful moment).

Only if Feyla = the calvary. She did save Sedgewick from Bilara. And Crayden. And Tyrinn. Sedgewick's quite the damsel without his magic, actually (not that he'll admit it).
4/12

13) Black and White: Good guys are good! Bad guys are evil!

Somewhat? I guess that depends on what you consider "bad guys are evil."

Characters like Bilara and Crayden are pretty much pure evil and pure scum respectively. Tyrinn thinks he's justified. Zedeya's a magical social climber with a crush.  Then there are gray characters like Hobrin who despite his swathes of adoring fans, is still technically an enforcer for a black-magic-selling crime lord. And while I know everyone rightly hates Crayden, he did have a spark of guilt about betraying Sedgewick.

Then there are more "neutral" characters like Beryn, Mydel, Eleyna, and Gavin—they causes problems and conflict but aren't evil.

And Sedgewick's not the nicest hero to ever grace the page (not the worst either...). Feyla is, of course, a dear.

...yeah, I don't think I'll count this one. Feel free to debate with me though! 4/13

14) The Quest!

So vague! The quest to get his magic back, maybe? 5/14

15) The Prophecy

Nope. Although Tyrinn's first chat with Feyla is kind of prophetic, amiright? Haha... *needs to make that scene less obvious* 5/15

16) Handsome, rugged, dashing hero.

Hahahahhaha!

*wheezes*

I mean, Feyla thinks Sedgewick's handsome but she's a bit biased (and has a type...). Rugged? Um, no. Short, pasty guy right here. Dashing? Have you met Sedgewick? Every once in a blue moon he'll manage to be accidentally charming. Beryn he is not. 5/16

17) Love Triangle: Everyone's favorite romantic geometric shape.

Nope nope. Not even Beryn's flirtiness crosses into straight love triangle territory. There's only one guy in Feyla's sights and Beryn didn't want the kind of relationship Feyla did. Daydrel in the sequel would certainly like this to be the case. 5/17

18) Dead Parents (courtesy of autumn_sunfire )

Sedgewick's parents are dead but he's been on his own for way too long for it the matter. Feyla's are alive (although after reading the sequel, some may wish otherwise). Still, I guess I'll count it. 6/18

Annnnddddd done! Final count comes out at 6/18. Not bad! Whew. Forgot I never finished this.

Tagging: I can't remember who's all done this. XD Umm, Cross-Warrior because I know you haven't and that you have a random book.