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Today I am bringing you a Review of this great book. I knew I had to read this as soon as I looked over the summary.
Magic Unleashed (Venators #1)
Author: Devri Walls
Publisher: Brown Books Publishing Group
Published: April 10th, 2018
Book Length: 416 Pages
Genre: Fantasy
Buy the book: Amazon
Disclaimer: I received an ecopy of this from the author in exchange for my honest opinions. That in no way impacts my review.
Rune Jenkins has an itch, as she calls it, but it’s more than that. It’s an anger that builds up like the inside of a boiler whenever she’s around anything remotely supernatural. The pressure is growing steadily worse and she can’t understand why. All she knows is—her control is slipping.
By order of an unknown council Grey and Rune are pulled through a portal in the St. Louis arch, landing them in an alternate dimension where creatures of myth and legend exist. A realm that calls them, Venators.
Made up of centuries old fae, vampires, werewolves, elves and succubi the council’s corrupt nature becomes obvious as they seek to wield the newly returned Venators as weapons. Wedged in an impossible position, Grey and Rune must decide their fate—do they go against the council’s wishes and help the innocents of this unforgiving land, or face the possibility of execution by the council.
About the Author
Review
First of all…II really loved this book! Everyone enjoys a good villain and this one really sticks with you. We get to see a really well-written villain and some really vivid battles. We are faced with a large variety of races that I’ve come to expect in urban fantasy novels; vampires being one example. Staying with what I’ve come to expect, it made the world itself unique yet familiar in its own way. Then you throw human Venators into the mix and I am game! This was a novel that pulled me in from the start. The author ensures we connected with the Venators in the beginning, spending time with an introduction really helps build empathy with the reader.
What begins with Grey and Rune leading average college lives, turns into them being chosen to jump into another world. This new world is full of paranormal creatures and I loved that. Paranormal is right up my alley. I mean…dragons…who doesn’t love dragons? Venator is Latin for hunter and that is exactly what these two characters become. They hunt those who break the law, they essentially become the enforcers of the law int he realm. Characters can make or break a story and here…they truly made it. Character-driven novels are amazing because they really allow you to see growth as the story moves along. The characters in this novel are very well written and developed yet retain a lot of room for growth int eh series, which I cannot wait to see!
I’ll admit…in the beginning I actually was annoyed by Rune but she grew on me. Rune entered this world because her brother had been taken. I expected her to be strong when in fact she seemed weak to start. She panicked in nearly every situation. The same reason I was annoyed became the very reason I enjoyed her character. Near the end of the book, she really came into her own, standing strong and shedding that weaker version of herself. Painting her in this image allows for growth and development as the story progresses.
Grey was a very enjoyable character that I liked from the start. Handsome and experienced in their new duties, he knows how to handle any situation thrown at him. He is the opposite of Rune and that is why they work so well together. Rather than freak out, he calmly thinks each situation through and knows how to handle it. I look forward to seeing how his character grows and develops ad this series progresses.
A multiple POV story…this really allowed us to get into the events and see things from different perspectives. I actually love multiple POV stories but they have to be done correctly or they are a disaster. This one was incredible and I really enjoyed it. It grabbed me from page 1 and I flipped through each fast-paced page until I realized there were no more. The world is so vivid and the author never dumps information on the reader. We are given bits of information about the world as the story progresses and the characters learn more.
Overall, I really enjoyed this novel and just have to read book 2! If you think you’d enjoy this amazingly detailed paranormal, urban fantasy grab your kindle copy today for only $0.99!
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