Reviews

A Criminal Magic by Lee Kelly

tregina's review against another edition

2.0

Generally, I enjoyed this, but unfortunately it was really lacking in setting and atmosphere. I spent an entire chapter completely forgetting it was supposed to be set in the 20s and not present day. And I suppose I would have been happier if the romance element had been completely excised, or even gone in a different direction, because it just didn't add a whole lot.

hp_reading's review against another edition

4.0

I saw that someone had described this book as a mix of Peaky Blinders and something else. The something else didn't matter because anything that favors one of my favorite shows on Netflix has my immediate attention. I was delighted to find that this person was not wrong. It had the right blend of danger, desire, and daring that I love from the show with the added bonus of magic. I think that the authors idea of magic being what was prohibited in the 1920s instead of alcohol was a clever and fresh plot. The world she created to support this concept was clear and believable. I cared about the characters as individuals and in a group. Yes, even the villains. A book is only as good as it's compelling criminals and how much we love to hate them and love to love the people they antagonize. As much as I would like to know how these character's live continue, I am satisfied with the ending if there wasn't a sequel.

steph01924's review

4.0

Wow, that took me forever to finish. It's hard to rate this book. On one hand, it started out fabulously. It was intriguing; the writing made the setting feel lush and real. The magic Prohibition is a great concept and framework for the story. I was steaming right along with Joan and Alex for almost half the book.

But then life got in the way, I stopped reading for a bit, and by the time I picked it back up again it was REALLY difficult to fall back into it. The middle up until the last 50 pages of the book was way too long. Stuff happened, yeah, but it took so long for it to get into motion, especially because as fun as the 'magic is alcohol' premise is, you pretty much knew exactly how this was gonna go down. Ambitious, conniving gangbanger, undercover cop gonna bust a big drug deal, the big-hearted sorcerer who just wants to be happy but is in way too deep. We spent waaaay too much time on the day-to-day bits and my interest definitely suffered; I'm an impatient person, and when I can see the plot twists coming from a mile away, I want them to just get here NOW.

So...good book, great detail, great descriptive writing, but could've used some edits in my humble opinion. Would still recommend if you love historical novels and that time period.

Also, shout out to Gunn's

Spoiler

ending. I did not see Joan permanently sealing him in a room full of dead gangsters, slowly bleeding out, coming at ALL. That was so poetic, given their history, and blood-thirsty, and I totally cheered.

jesslynh's review

2.0

A short snack of a book. Solid premise and writing, but I just couldn't find any feeling for the main character, or her love interest. In addition, the attempt at a film noir ending fell flat for me.

Not a terrible book, but not a great one either. It entertains.

kage_nz's review against another edition

2.0

The concept of this book was intriguing, but the execution was just not good.

cathyatratedreads's review against another edition

4.0

I gobbled up this book. The idea was creative, and the author’s writing was quite good. I was especially enamored of her fantastic use of metaphors. There were so many I stopped for a minute to savor. The story features magic but is centered in the underworld of ruthless mobsters, so it’s fairly intense. It’s YA, but is really more “new adult.”

Read my full review, including a rating for content, at RatedReads.com: https://ratedreads.com/criminal-magic-young-adult-book-review/

_camk_'s review against another edition

3.0

Overall, I found A Criminal Magic a little tedious. The story itself did not grip me. However, what I did enjoy about the book was the magic scenarios. I enjoyed creating these in my head during the performances at the den.

I also really liked how the book ended.

Spoiler

I am so glad that Joan went on her way. I'm glad that her new found romance did not come before her personality and family.

bahoulie's review against another edition

3.0

I liked the way the author imagined magic. And using the era of Prohibition as a setting, with a magic intoxicant the thing that is prohibited, was a good idea. Not beautiful writing, but more than servicable.

coffeekat's review against another edition

5.0

This book was... magical. I read the thing in less than 24 hours. It's engaging and different. I love the world, and I pray there are more.

hope_elizabeth_rose's review against another edition

adventurous slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

1.0