Istredd has found that some people take to it much faster than others. It was true back home too, although for differing reasons. If someone already has a steady and calm mind and a will of steel, it takes very little. It says something about Natasha that she not only gets it eventually, but that she keeps trying, so he is not surprised at all when it works.

"You see? Everything you need to use magic is within you. It's all about focus and control. And, most importantly, the desire to make it real." It requires a great deal of that. Confidence and dedication help. The hardest thing about training some mages is how scared they are of their own power. It's why he is very careful about moderation.

"Just do me a favor and don't jump to the medium ones after a week." The very end of the book would be closer to mid-level. This is a beginner's book after all. The more advanced texts are a different matter. "The way things go wrong is going too fast."