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3.7 AVERAGE
3.7 AVERAGE
Thoroughly enjoyable. Just going to throw it out there that I know that it would be impractical for her esprit to be her car, but good lord was I disappointed that her esprit isn’t her car. How dope would that have been?
But from the underground magical society fraught with bureaucratic nonsense to the large and friendly mentor figure, to the orphan with a tragic past full of murder and mystery, this was an excellent way to relive my Harry Potter youth.
But from the underground magical society fraught with bureaucratic nonsense to the large and friendly mentor figure, to the orphan with a tragic past full of murder and mystery, this was an excellent way to relive my Harry Potter youth.
All the reviews called this the girl version of Harry Potter.
This was nothing like Harry Potter. It felt nothing like it. However, I knew going into it that it wasn't going to be, so I didn't have those expectations. Besides the extreme lie in advertising, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I decided to read this book because I love Bella Forrest's other series (you know, the guilty pleasure vampire one ;) ) But this one felt very different. It felt more YA and more mature. I haven't read Forrest's other series in a while, but it definitely seems like her writing and plotting has improved a lot.
The story follows Harley who has always had the ability to feel others emotions. At the beginning she works for a casino, figuring out who cheaters are. Right at the beginning she is attacked and learns she is not the only one who has magical abilities. Enter in the magical school/coven trope. Yeah, not every magic school means the book is like Harry Potter (sorry I hate the false advertising). Harley is delved into the mystery of why she was attacked and how monsters are escaping the school. She finds out more about her past and family. And of course there is a dash of romance (not as much as I may have liked, but I will take anything).
The book was fun and easy. I enjoy Forrest's writing because it is relaxed and easy. Harley was a fun character, though she feels a bit oblivious at times. And of course I love Wade! As a rule follower, I can't help but love me some hot goody two shoes. Overall, great read for a fun and easy fall vibe.
This was nothing like Harry Potter. It felt nothing like it. However, I knew going into it that it wasn't going to be, so I didn't have those expectations. Besides the extreme lie in advertising, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I decided to read this book because I love Bella Forrest's other series (you know, the guilty pleasure vampire one ;) ) But this one felt very different. It felt more YA and more mature. I haven't read Forrest's other series in a while, but it definitely seems like her writing and plotting has improved a lot.
The story follows Harley who has always had the ability to feel others emotions. At the beginning she works for a casino, figuring out who cheaters are. Right at the beginning she is attacked and learns she is not the only one who has magical abilities. Enter in the magical school/coven trope. Yeah, not every magic school means the book is like Harry Potter (sorry I hate the false advertising). Harley is delved into the mystery of why she was attacked and how monsters are escaping the school. She finds out more about her past and family. And of course there is a dash of romance (not as much as I may have liked, but I will take anything).
The book was fun and easy. I enjoy Forrest's writing because it is relaxed and easy. Harley was a fun character, though she feels a bit oblivious at times. And of course I love Wade! As a rule follower, I can't help but love me some hot goody two shoes. Overall, great read for a fun and easy fall vibe.
I wasn't expecting a lot out of this book, so I was nicely surprised how well it went. The book was advertised as HP for adults and I really have to disagree.
I generally liked the magic system. I was really interested in Harley's empath abilities, and that was the big hook that took me through a lot of the book. The mysteries presented are interesting and don't linger over-long.
Overall I enjoyed this book and it led me to contonue reading the others.
I generally liked the magic system. I was really interested in Harley's empath abilities, and that was the big hook that took me through a lot of the book. The mysteries presented are interesting and don't linger over-long.
Overall I enjoyed this book and it led me to contonue reading the others.
Previously, I'd read "The Gender Game" and been deeply underwhelmed by the quality of the writing, so I was skeptical when I picked this one up. But it seems to be gaining a lot more popularity than the Gender series ever attained, so I hoped that meant the writer (s, because my working theory is that Bella Forrest is about 5 or 6 people writing under a penname - literally NO ONE is that prolific by themselves) have been spending more time on editing these days.
Happily, I was not mistaken. For the most part, Harley Merlin and the Secret Coven is a nice solid 4-star book: it tells an interesting story, with decent attention to character-building (at least in the case of Harley and Wade).
I did wish for a little more fleshing-out of the background characters on the Rag Team, all of whom were introduced in a single chapter one after another. It felt like the author taking you to a party and introducing you to ten of their friends, then expecting you to remember all their names and backstories. I'd have liked Harley to spend more time one-on-one with each of them, learning their characteristics organically, instead of having them spelled out in a quick paragraph of dialogue. There's like 10 more books in this series, so I hope the rest of the books take time on the side characters. They have a lot of potential to them, but in this book they were unfortunately flat, little more than placeholders for multi-person battle scenes.
The worldbuilding is still a little shaky, relying heavily on chapters-long infodumps, and with several elements that smell a little too similar to Harry Potter. However, it was leaps and bounds better than the lackluster effort in The Gender Game, and the infodumps are easily skimmed over to get to the interesting parts.
I doubt I'll read the rest of this series, but unlike my previous experience with a Bella Forrest novel, I might actually be willing to.
Happily, I was not mistaken. For the most part, Harley Merlin and the Secret Coven is a nice solid 4-star book: it tells an interesting story, with decent attention to character-building (at least in the case of Harley and Wade).
I did wish for a little more fleshing-out of the background characters on the Rag Team, all of whom were introduced in a single chapter one after another. It felt like the author taking you to a party and introducing you to ten of their friends, then expecting you to remember all their names and backstories. I'd have liked Harley to spend more time one-on-one with each of them, learning their characteristics organically, instead of having them spelled out in a quick paragraph of dialogue. There's like 10 more books in this series, so I hope the rest of the books take time on the side characters. They have a lot of potential to them, but in this book they were unfortunately flat, little more than placeholders for multi-person battle scenes.
The worldbuilding is still a little shaky, relying heavily on chapters-long infodumps, and with several elements that smell a little too similar to Harry Potter. However, it was leaps and bounds better than the lackluster effort in The Gender Game, and the infodumps are easily skimmed over to get to the interesting parts.
I doubt I'll read the rest of this series, but unlike my previous experience with a Bella Forrest novel, I might actually be willing to.
Slow Slow burn I do not like not finishing books but for the better first half of this book I really wanted to just give up on it but I am glad I did not the second half of the book was very good and got me very interested in continuing the series as a whole. I definitely recommend this book. It gets a bad rep and I think from the first half that is understandable but if you stick with it it is definitely a good book.
Read because it was billed as Harry Potter for adults. More like Sookie Stackhouse, but still enjoyable.
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
emotional
funny
mysterious
relaxing
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I love this book! I have re-read it several times. Is it the best writing you will ever read? No. Are the characters lovable and the plot intriguing? One hundred percent!
Harley is magical but does not know how or why. She works in a casino and is one dya approached by a man who also knows magic. The set up of this book is very stereotypical but with that comes a sense of familiarity.
The characters she meets are all developed and interesting. There are people of all cultures (Slavic, Irish, Mexican, etc) and with each of the comes a different magical ability that is commonly found in those areas (fictionally).
The coven and the system of covens is interesting from a political standpoint poitn as it is addressed early on that the coven is heavily involved in the politics of the area.
I would definitely recommend to fans of the fantasy genre and people who focus more on characters than plot in books.
Harley is magical but does not know how or why. She works in a casino and is one dya approached by a man who also knows magic. The set up of this book is very stereotypical but with that comes a sense of familiarity.
The characters she meets are all developed and interesting. There are people of all cultures (Slavic, Irish, Mexican, etc) and with each of the comes a different magical ability that is commonly found in those areas (fictionally).
The coven and the system of covens is interesting from a political standpoint poitn as it is addressed early on that the coven is heavily involved in the politics of the area.
I would definitely recommend to fans of the fantasy genre and people who focus more on characters than plot in books.
2.5 stars
The book started nicely but about halfway through it went downhill. The idea of the story is not original in anyway and once the similarities were pointed out, I couldn't help but notice the Harry Potter influence. The dialogue killed me. Seriously, why was a dialogue the only way she could find information? Are there no books?
The plot was... meh. It seemed like it was made up as Forrest wrote the book.
The characters are just one-dimensional. No substance and I already forgot half of them by now.
I could continue to bash on it, but really this may be more my fault than anyone else. I got spoiled reading non-YA books and forgot how annoyed they made me. (Hey at least there was no slut shaming. But then there was the irrational dislike of the main dude, so like there was balance in a weird way.)
It was an okay, promising start. I'll give the second book a chance...sometime.
The book started nicely but about halfway through it went downhill. The idea of the story is not original in anyway and once the similarities were pointed out, I couldn't help but notice the Harry Potter influence. The dialogue killed me. Seriously, why was a dialogue the only way she could find information? Are there no books?
The plot was... meh. It seemed like it was made up as Forrest wrote the book.
The characters are just one-dimensional. No substance and I already forgot half of them by now.
I could continue to bash on it, but really this may be more my fault than anyone else. I got spoiled reading non-YA books and forgot how annoyed they made me. (Hey at least there was no slut shaming. But then there was the irrational dislike of the main dude, so like there was balance in a weird way.)
It was an okay, promising start. I'll give the second book a chance...sometime.