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3.7 AVERAGE
3.7 AVERAGE
I enjoyed the story but the writing was pretty elementary.
Also published on my blog.
OK, firstly, for the love of all that is good and holy – enough with the smirking! Surely there are other expressions your characters can have? I’ll get to the actual review part shortly, but this bothered me so much that I just have to get it out of my system.. There were apparently other verbs that were used even more (73 chuckles vs 17 smirks), but once I started noticing it it just seemed like all any of the characters were doing was smirking and it got really distracting. Also any time someone grins, the grin slits their face.
So, anyway… This is the story of Harley, a 19 year old orphan girl with magical abilities. After she witnesses a monster attack and aids another Magical in stopping said attack and capturing the monster, she learns that there’s a whole secret magical community out there, and she is not alone. Harley is introduced to the San Diego coven, and starts to learn how to properly channel her abilities. And maybe she can discover what happened to her parents in the process. There’s also the problem of the coven being sabotaged and monsters escaping from the bestiary.
I did enjoy how the coven was structured, and the idea of magicals striving for an overall positive balance in the world (though I feel that wasn’t really followed up). There were other interesting elements as well, like the idea of purges and the bestiary.
And I’ll admit that at 36 years of age I’m probably not the target audience for YA fantasy, but I do keep trying once in a while, simply because I love magic and fantasy and I do enjoy the discovery/coming of age aspect that’s usually prevalent in the YA category. And I did find this book entertaining. But overall it was quite predictable and the writing was not great (“my heart fluttered like an obese butterfly” was probably my favourite, though I don’t think it was intended to be funny.. also see above re. smirking).
In the reviews there were quite a few comparisons to Harry Potter, and while I can see there are structural similarities (protagonist is an orphan, the covens can be seen in a similar light as magical schools, an Esprit is basically a wand and then there’s the whole points award system – which frankly seems like a juvenile way of distributing wealth – why would adults care about scoring “house” points?), there’s simply no comparing the two when it comes to plot, writing, warmth and wit.
I do admire the writer for being extremely prolific, and I have no doubt that she has a good imagination and great work ethic. And if you’re looking for easy to consume fantasy with some fun and interesting bits and are not too concerned with how it is written and originality, then this is definitely a good book to read. For me however, the search for a fantasy series that well and truly hooks me continues.
OK, firstly, for the love of all that is good and holy – enough with the smirking! Surely there are other expressions your characters can have? I’ll get to the actual review part shortly, but this bothered me so much that I just have to get it out of my system.. There were apparently other verbs that were used even more (73 chuckles vs 17 smirks), but once I started noticing it it just seemed like all any of the characters were doing was smirking and it got really distracting. Also any time someone grins, the grin slits their face.
So, anyway… This is the story of Harley, a 19 year old orphan girl with magical abilities. After she witnesses a monster attack and aids another Magical in stopping said attack and capturing the monster, she learns that there’s a whole secret magical community out there, and she is not alone. Harley is introduced to the San Diego coven, and starts to learn how to properly channel her abilities. And maybe she can discover what happened to her parents in the process. There’s also the problem of the coven being sabotaged and monsters escaping from the bestiary.
I did enjoy how the coven was structured, and the idea of magicals striving for an overall positive balance in the world (though I feel that wasn’t really followed up). There were other interesting elements as well, like the idea of purges and the bestiary.
And I’ll admit that at 36 years of age I’m probably not the target audience for YA fantasy, but I do keep trying once in a while, simply because I love magic and fantasy and I do enjoy the discovery/coming of age aspect that’s usually prevalent in the YA category. And I did find this book entertaining. But overall it was quite predictable and the writing was not great (“my heart fluttered like an obese butterfly” was probably my favourite, though I don’t think it was intended to be funny.. also see above re. smirking).
In the reviews there were quite a few comparisons to Harry Potter, and while I can see there are structural similarities (protagonist is an orphan, the covens can be seen in a similar light as magical schools, an Esprit is basically a wand and then there’s the whole points award system – which frankly seems like a juvenile way of distributing wealth – why would adults care about scoring “house” points?), there’s simply no comparing the two when it comes to plot, writing, warmth and wit.
I do admire the writer for being extremely prolific, and I have no doubt that she has a good imagination and great work ethic. And if you’re looking for easy to consume fantasy with some fun and interesting bits and are not too concerned with how it is written and originality, then this is definitely a good book to read. For me however, the search for a fantasy series that well and truly hooks me continues.
If you like books with excessive testosterone, constant verbal fistfights, arrogant characters, and numerous unlikely scenarios (despite being a fantasy novel) then enjoy, but I'm done. I'm still trying to understand how Harley Merlin was deemed the next series for Harry Potter fans. It doesn't come close in so many ways.
Some reviews call this “ the next Harry Potter” and that isn’t fair because no book should be compared to that. These books are so different but you can tell that the author borrows sole ideas from Harry Potter. All in all, a decent magical book. There was a part in the second half that I almost put it down because nothing was happening, but it picked up in the last 100 pages. There is also a heavy exposition dump in the beginning and the magic system seems really complicated when it’s not really used all that much. But still, not a bad start to a series of 21 books. It is nice to know I have more books to read if I want to dive back in.
Brilliant
Brilliant book. Bella Forrest is a brilliant author. The characters are amazing especially the main character Harley, she is an amazing character who you fall in love with
Brilliant book. Bella Forrest is a brilliant author. The characters are amazing especially the main character Harley, she is an amazing character who you fall in love with
It was really good but some things were pretty predictable. Honestly didn’t see the twist coming though. I also wish the characters had more depth. I feel like the author just scratched the surface. There are 14 books in the series so hoping it gets better.
I really enjoyed this. It parallels Harry Potter in some ways but is still a new story so it'll be fun to enter a magical universe again.
Really interesting start to this series! I’ve never read anything by this author before but was really drawn in by her world building and characters. The magical world/laws she created are very attention grabbing and I’m excited to see where the series goes.
Some of the themes make me reminisce about the Harry Potter series but with different twists. Lots of intrigue and sass and would definitely recommend this book to fans of magical genres
Some of the themes make me reminisce about the Harry Potter series but with different twists. Lots of intrigue and sass and would definitely recommend this book to fans of magical genres
Harley Merlin #1 The one that’s a Harry Potter knock off but in all the best ways. An orphan 19 yr old girl finds out that she is a witch and is invited to join a secret coven. So many HP influences, but love all of the characters and especially the lead. We need more "Harry Potter" series. So entertaining, fun stories and characters to get lost in. And why are characters named Astrid always so cool?!?
Book notes with spoilers
Guya and elements. Darkness. Night. Light. Earth. Beastuary. Tobe Alton. Clean up team. Wade. Astrid, Santana, garret.
Another gargoyle attack when she went home for her letter from her dad.
Her dad was Hiram Merlin. Executed for killing her mom and 4 other wizards. Box from her mom.
Spell disruptive. Grimiores. Journal for tracking spell. Tatyana. Summons spirits. Astrid. Human good at computers and tech. Called a zombie because she’s been brought back to life 3 times. Santana. Garrett Wade. Fire power.
It was Finch. Also with telekinesis. His mom was Katherine Shipton. Her aunt. An affair With Hiram. Finch Merlin. Her half brother.
He released the beasts. And he turned into another form. A girl. He can take forms of others. And he took down the illusion barrier so humans could see coven.
Book notes with spoilers
Spoiler
Harley working in a casino to spot cheaters. She’s an empath and telekinetic. Orphaned. She sees gargoyle and meets Wade. Invites her to join the San Diego coven. The coven. Espirit, each wizard has a unique special magical Object.Guya and elements. Darkness. Night. Light. Earth. Beastuary. Tobe Alton. Clean up team. Wade. Astrid, Santana, garret.
Another gargoyle attack when she went home for her letter from her dad.
Her dad was Hiram Merlin. Executed for killing her mom and 4 other wizards. Box from her mom.
Spell disruptive. Grimiores. Journal for tracking spell. Tatyana. Summons spirits. Astrid. Human good at computers and tech. Called a zombie because she’s been brought back to life 3 times. Santana. Garrett Wade. Fire power.
It was Finch. Also with telekinesis. His mom was Katherine Shipton. Her aunt. An affair With Hiram. Finch Merlin. Her half brother.
He released the beasts. And he turned into another form. A girl. He can take forms of others. And he took down the illusion barrier so humans could see coven.
adventurous
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated