BLOG TOUR #REVIEW of MAGIC UNLEASHED by Devri Walls #THEWRITEREADS

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A Venator, Genetically Modified Humans. The Law. A target

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G’day friends! I just wanted to quickly apologise, I know that this review is slightly late – there is just not enough time to complete everything on my to-do list!

Today’s blog post is a review of Magic Unleashed by Devri Walls for The Write Reads Blog Tour! This was an interesting read with quite an original and unique premise that blended fantasy and sci-fi elements. I do have to say that my rating is most likely the result of not being in the right headspace for reading recently! So this review is entirely subjective. Like always, before I begin, here is the synopsis from Goodreads:

Six years ago, Grey Malteer was attacked by creatures he thought couldn’t possibly exist. They repeated a word, calling him a name he’d never heard before…Venator. Since then, his life has been a hellhole of secrecy—hiding old pain alongside strange new abilities.

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.

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thoughts…

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To be completely honest, I still don’t really know how I feel about this book. I did enjoy it but there were aspects to it that I didn’t enjoy reading. I should put out a disclaimer that this is my personal opinion as reading is incredibly subjective. If you loved this book, that’s awesome! I just didn’t.

I think that the way that the action, the suspense of this book was written incredibly well. I think that’s what kept me reading as well as the plot twists (although they were predictable) and the world buidling. At the beginning of this post, I said that I found this book to be quite original and unique, it’s because I really think that it is. Walls does a great job in the creation of the world itself, of the interweaving of sci-fi and fantasy in which we have sueprnatural creatures and places in another dimension. The world building would have to be one of the major strengths of Magic Unleased.

Essentially, Venators are magic wielders and are stronger and faster than the average person. Venators are also the bringers of justice and both Rune and Grey, our two main characters, find out that they are Venators in this new dimension or realm that they’ve been pulled into. So, not only are they both within a new dimension with these new/supernatural creatures that do not exist on the Earth they know, they have to figure out how to be Ventators and what that means for their identities and self-understanding.

In terms of the two main characters, Grey and Rune, I didn’t really connect well with either them. I liked Beltran though, not going to lie.

Grey is a self-proclaimed loner who has dedicated himself to the study of folklore. The reason why…when he was 13 (I’m pretty sure, but don’t quote me!) he had a slight run-in with ACTUAL GOBLINS. LIKE CAN YOU IMAGINE?! But as a result of things I won’t talk about (I do recommend you read this book) Grey finds out on Eon that everything he has been studying is actually real.

Mind freaking blown.

Grey slightly annoyed me only because I couldn’t really connect with him. He is so disappointed, however, in the reality of Eon that it just annoyed me when he constantly would bring it up. Like yes, you can complain but gosh darn it, suck it up and figure it out. But I did think he’s eventual character development was good, although slow, but it worked for Grey’s character.

Rune, however, is the biggest let down of this entire story. Why have a female protagonsit if you’re going to treat her so incredibly badly and honestly, just a side-kick to Grey? Her character begins well, we find out that Rune is trying to find her twin brother, Ryker. I admire her dedication and tenacity but when Grey and Rune end up in Eon it’s like something happened to her – she was either always angry or scared. In the beginning, she was a badass, ready to take on anything and do anything to find her brother but then when it gets tough, she either becomes incredibly scared and hides behind Grey or gets angry and snappy for no reason. A strong female character can have a personality and does not need to be angry to demonstrate her strength. I found her to be dull and frustrating.

Also, there was a love triange hinted towards the end and you all know how I feel about love triangles. It wasn’t needed – especially since Rune is such a mediocre character. But the potential is there – so hopefully her character expands in the other books of the series.

Overall, it was a solid book with great world building. Although I did not enjoy the characters as much, I do recommend others to read this as many other people absolutely loved this book! So please read their reviews on the blog tour! I rate it 3 out of 5 stars.

That’s it for today, friends! Until next time, happy reading!

All the love,

Allie

xx

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About the Author:

Devri Walls is a US and international bestselling author. Having released five novels to date, she specializes in all things fantasy and paranormal. She is best known for her uncanny world- building skills and her intricate storylines, and her ability to present this all in an easy-to-digest voice. Now gearing up for her first national release, Devri is excited to introduce her sixth novel, book one in the Venators series. She loves to engage with her loyal following through social media and online sessions she organizes for her readers. Devri lives in Meridian, Idaho with her husband and two kids. When not writing she can be found teaching voice lessons, reading, cooking or binge watching whatever show catches her fancy.