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hobbiesofstefs's review against another edition
4.0
Good book
I made the mistake of reading the novella first. Very different from this book. However as I read I got more into it and the characters. On to book 2
I made the mistake of reading the novella first. Very different from this book. However as I read I got more into it and the characters. On to book 2
ambeesbookishpages's review against another edition
DNF @ 46 %
Thoughts and reasons to come
Thoughts and reasons to come
melissareads7997's review against another edition
5.0
The synopsis is pretty detailed so I won’t give one here. Ruthless Magic was a great story. Very well written. The world created here was very detailed and realistic. The main characters were very relatable and likable. Finn and Rocío were great. I never cringed at their decisions or reactions to things. This was presented to me as a Hunger Games with magic and I don’t think I would go that far. I see likenesses in many ways (I won’t specify to avoid spoilers) but overall there was a lack of the desperation that was evident throughout the Hunger Games which would be a good thing for some and not for others. I look forward to book two. This is my first from this author but I will definitely be reading more.
hobbiesofstefs's review
4.0
Good book
I made the mistake of reading the novella first. Very different from this book. However as I read I got more into it and the characters. On to book 2
I made the mistake of reading the novella first. Very different from this book. However as I read I got more into it and the characters. On to book 2
rntylr22's review
3.0
This book is kind of like the child of the Magicians and the maze runner. With a sprinkle of hunger games . I did enjoy it a lot, there were twists and good character development. I gave it three stars because with the end showing us there’s more to come, I wasn’t super excited or heartbroken I’ll have to wait a year for the next instalment.
I received this ARC via netgalley in exchange for an honest review
I received this ARC via netgalley in exchange for an honest review
malreynolds111's review against another edition
4.0
ARC from Netgalley
Magic certainly is ruthless in the book. It reminded me a lot of the Hunger Games. I'm looking forward to seeing where the author plans to take the series next.
Magic certainly is ruthless in the book. It reminded me a lot of the Hunger Games. I'm looking forward to seeing where the author plans to take the series next.
ryrichard28's review against another edition
4.0
I really enjoyed this book! Some elements had a Hunger Games vibe, with teens competing to survive in games orchestrated by a corrupt government, and an end prize with some hidden strings attached.
Rocio and Finn are surprisingly balanced for our heroes, and are by far my favorite thing about this book! Rocio has all the magical talent and none of the privilege that comes from being born to the right family. Finn was born to the right family and has a heart of gold to boot, but doesn’t have the talent that Rocio does. With hints of societal racism and cronyism, Rocio, a poor Hispanic girl, is denied admittance to the über elite magic school that will allow her to keep her magical abilities while Finn, a rich white boy, is admitted despite his lack of qualifications. The society limits the magical abilities of those they feel like they can’t control, while giving those families who’ve proven their loyalty the privilege of keeping their full range of magic. They’re essentially comparable to Hermione and Draco, new-magic vs old-magic, if the government had a non-murderous Voldemort running the show. Showcasing heroic qualities from the get-go, Rocio and Finn both decide to compete for their admission by entering into a deadly series of tests that promise to let them keep their magical abilities if they pass. While Finn could take the easy route, and accept the perks life has given him, he’d rather prove that he deserves his magical abilities and throws himself into the competition knowing that he could lose it all instead. This book doesn’t have the typical frustrations that other authors would use in this scenario. Rocio doesn’t hold Finn’s birth against him, fully seeing his good nature, and Finn is humble, generous, and completely aware of his faults despite the silver spoon origins. There’s no instant love and no frustrating teen angst, and the romance between them is realistic, sweet, and perfectly paced.
Romance aside, there’s plenty of action and the stakes feel real. Think Harry Potter during the Goblet of Fire. But instead of fighting for honor, they’re fighting to keep magical abilities that the government will otherwise strip from them. Great for fans of Harry Potter and The Hunger Games, and especially great for those who want a sweet and believable love story without heaps of teen angst and insta-love.
Rocio and Finn are surprisingly balanced for our heroes, and are by far my favorite thing about this book! Rocio has all the magical talent and none of the privilege that comes from being born to the right family. Finn was born to the right family and has a heart of gold to boot, but doesn’t have the talent that Rocio does. With hints of societal racism and cronyism, Rocio, a poor Hispanic girl, is denied admittance to the über elite magic school that will allow her to keep her magical abilities while Finn, a rich white boy, is admitted despite his lack of qualifications. The society limits the magical abilities of those they feel like they can’t control, while giving those families who’ve proven their loyalty the privilege of keeping their full range of magic. They’re essentially comparable to Hermione and Draco, new-magic vs old-magic, if the government had a non-murderous Voldemort running the show. Showcasing heroic qualities from the get-go, Rocio and Finn both decide to compete for their admission by entering into a deadly series of tests that promise to let them keep their magical abilities if they pass. While Finn could take the easy route, and accept the perks life has given him, he’d rather prove that he deserves his magical abilities and throws himself into the competition knowing that he could lose it all instead. This book doesn’t have the typical frustrations that other authors would use in this scenario. Rocio doesn’t hold Finn’s birth against him, fully seeing his good nature, and Finn is humble, generous, and completely aware of his faults despite the silver spoon origins. There’s no instant love and no frustrating teen angst, and the romance between them is realistic, sweet, and perfectly paced.
Romance aside, there’s plenty of action and the stakes feel real. Think Harry Potter during the Goblet of Fire. But instead of fighting for honor, they’re fighting to keep magical abilities that the government will otherwise strip from them. Great for fans of Harry Potter and The Hunger Games, and especially great for those who want a sweet and believable love story without heaps of teen angst and insta-love.
hobbiesofstefs's review against another edition
4.0
Good book
I made the mistake of reading the novella first. Very different from this book. However as I read I got more into it and the characters. On to book 2
I made the mistake of reading the novella first. Very different from this book. However as I read I got more into it and the characters. On to book 2
faithtrustpixiedust's review against another edition
4.0
I received this eARC from Another World Press on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of this book in any way.
#RollCredits
Actual rating: 3.5 stars
The Writing and Worldbuilding
I have to admit, I was considering DNFing this, to the point where it basically convinced me that I don't actually really like urban fantasy all that much. The first 30% was actually quite dreadful, with confusing motivations, rushed exposition, and confusing worldbuilding--like how the magic system even worked in the first place--but once the Exam really picked up, it was smooth sailing from there on out and I was invested and intrigued.
Also, this is being compared to The Hunger Games, but honestly, besides that last challenge, it was way more like Ender's Game or Netflix's 3% in every regard.
The actual conspiracy of magic, though, was a little weird. I was pretty confused why the government was even allowing this kind of thing to even happen, especially because people knew that underage minors were dying in this magical government sanctioned competition. Why hasn't the Confed been sued yet? Some of this was kind of explained in the story, but it still kind of took me out of the world and made this whole thing seem really unrealistic.
The perspectives were often very confusing because there was little difference in the narrative voices of Finn and Rocío, the two POV characters, and the book was written in first person. I got lost a lot and had to go back and re-read just to see who was the perspective character at the moment several times.
The real-world insertion with the Twin Towers and the Middle Eastern terrorists kind of pissed me off, though it is really way more of a pet peeve than a problem with the book. I just hate real-world insertion in urban fantasy so much you don't even know.
Also, why the flip do they worship the Greek gods?? This is never explained, it just is, and it confused the heck out of me. If Crewe had made some connection to the sirens (which would have made sense given the magic system being sound-based), I would have understood to a degree, but she didn't.
Also, NOPE with that animal cruelty in the beginning part, like, um, who on earth would do that to make a point? A literal crazy person, that's who. Dude, I wouldn't trust her if I were you after witnessing her doing something like that just to make a point and then following it with:
Lady, you're someone who has.
The Characters
Note: My first impression of the introduction of Callum, Finn, Prisha, and Rocío was that the only boys were white and the only girls got all the diversity checkmarks, and that pissed me off, frankly. Later on, more diversity is introduced and it stopped feeling like Crewe was just writing stereotypes, but still.
Finn: He was honestly pretty funny, and his chill demeanor was honestly so great, because the kinds of jokes he made are the kinds of jokes I make, so I felt we were kindred spirits. His motivations for declaring were a little iffy at first, and his insta-love for Rocío was annoying, but I still really liked him.
Rocío: I feel like the beginning would have been much more powerful if she had been the focus of the first chapter, instead of Finn. While he really grew on me, the wit and charm he exhibited in the rest of the book didn't come across in that first chapter and it was just a load of exposition instead. Rocío, though, was very intriguing from the get-go. I loved her courage and her resolve, as well as her selflessness to the point of self-deprecation sometimes, despite her extreme level of power.
Prisha: She was the gay rep in the book and that was brought up like twice, but honestly, I appreciated that. It had nothing to do with the story and someone's sexuality doesn't define their entire character, so it was a breath of fresh air that she was just a normal person that so happened to also be gay. I was really worried when she was introduced that she would just end up being the literal gay best friend, but my fears were thankfully unfounded.
Desmond: I really liked Desmond. He was great and funny, with that knack for quoting his favorite media (which I do literally all the time because I'm a walking meme) so that was really appreciated.
Judith and Mark: They were nice but I didn't really get attached to their characters much. Between the two, I liked Mark more though, despite his cheesy mohawk (who even has a mohawk any more??)
Lacey: What the flip was this girls problem? She was probably the most stereotypical character in this but I didn't mind too much, because it was interesting.
Callum: He was literally just the Cato of this book. Maybe that was where the Hunger Games connection was lol
Conclusion
Overall, I am glad I liked it by the end, even though it really pissed me off in the beginning. I found the action pretty good and the tests interesting, so I will probably continue this series.
He just saw how warped and wrong his Confed must be to have brought us here with their ruthless, brutal magic.
#RollCredits
Actual rating: 3.5 stars
The Writing and Worldbuilding
I have to admit, I was considering DNFing this, to the point where it basically convinced me that I don't actually really like urban fantasy all that much. The first 30% was actually quite dreadful, with confusing motivations, rushed exposition, and confusing worldbuilding--like how the magic system even worked in the first place--but once the Exam really picked up, it was smooth sailing from there on out and I was invested and intrigued.
Also, this is being compared to The Hunger Games, but honestly, besides that last challenge, it was way more like Ender's Game or Netflix's 3% in every regard.
The actual conspiracy of magic, though, was a little weird. I was pretty confused why the government was even allowing this kind of thing to even happen, especially because people knew that underage minors were dying in this magical government sanctioned competition. Why hasn't the Confed been sued yet? Some of this was kind of explained in the story, but it still kind of took me out of the world and made this whole thing seem really unrealistic.
The perspectives were often very confusing because there was little difference in the narrative voices of Finn and Rocío, the two POV characters, and the book was written in first person. I got lost a lot and had to go back and re-read just to see who was the perspective character at the moment several times.
The real-world insertion with the Twin Towers and the Middle Eastern terrorists kind of pissed me off, though it is really way more of a pet peeve than a problem with the book. I just hate real-world insertion in urban fantasy so much you don't even know.
Also, why the flip do they worship the Greek gods?? This is never explained, it just is, and it confused the heck out of me. If Crewe had made some connection to the sirens (which would have made sense given the magic system being sound-based), I would have understood to a degree, but she didn't.
Also, NOPE with that animal cruelty in the beginning part, like, um, who on earth would do that to make a point? A literal crazy person, that's who. Dude, I wouldn't trust her if I were you after witnessing her doing something like that just to make a point and then following it with:
"Could you use that weapon on another living being, Finn? Do you really want to become someone who has?"
Lady, you're someone who has.
The Characters
Note: My first impression of the introduction of Callum, Finn, Prisha, and Rocío was that the only boys were white and the only girls got all the diversity checkmarks, and that pissed me off, frankly. Later on, more diversity is introduced and it stopped feeling like Crewe was just writing stereotypes, but still.
Finn: He was honestly pretty funny, and his chill demeanor was honestly so great, because the kinds of jokes he made are the kinds of jokes I make, so I felt we were kindred spirits. His motivations for declaring were a little iffy at first, and his insta-love for Rocío was annoying, but I still really liked him.
Rocío: I feel like the beginning would have been much more powerful if she had been the focus of the first chapter, instead of Finn. While he really grew on me, the wit and charm he exhibited in the rest of the book didn't come across in that first chapter and it was just a load of exposition instead. Rocío, though, was very intriguing from the get-go. I loved her courage and her resolve, as well as her selflessness to the point of self-deprecation sometimes, despite her extreme level of power.
Prisha: She was the gay rep in the book and that was brought up like twice, but honestly, I appreciated that. It had nothing to do with the story and someone's sexuality doesn't define their entire character, so it was a breath of fresh air that she was just a normal person that so happened to also be gay. I was really worried when she was introduced that she would just end up being the literal gay best friend, but my fears were thankfully unfounded.
Desmond: I really liked Desmond. He was great and funny, with that knack for quoting his favorite media (which I do literally all the time because I'm a walking meme) so that was really appreciated.
Spoiler
I was confused as heck though about his eye-sight issues. Dude, just get glasses, it isn't a big deal. I have glasses and without them, I'd probably be blinder than you. Glasses aren't that big of a deal, and if you don't want people to know, contacts work too, and they even make some that you can sleep in and wear for several days at a time as long as you aren't allergic to the material or have other eye issues, which would have been ideal for the Exam.Judith and Mark: They were nice but I didn't really get attached to their characters much. Between the two, I liked Mark more though, despite his cheesy mohawk (who even has a mohawk any more??)
Lacey: What the flip was this girls problem? She was probably the most stereotypical character in this but I didn't mind too much, because it was interesting.
Callum: He was literally just the Cato of this book. Maybe that was where the Hunger Games connection was lol
Conclusion
Overall, I am glad I liked it by the end, even though it really pissed me off in the beginning. I found the action pretty good and the tests interesting, so I will probably continue this series.
greylandreviews's review against another edition
DNF'd at 25%
ARC provided by NetGalley and Spells&Stars Book for honest review
I just couldn't get into this book. Didn't peak my interest.
ARC provided by NetGalley and Spells&Stars Book for honest review
I just couldn't get into this book. Didn't peak my interest.