Book review - The Magi

The Magi
Kevin M.Turner

Author URL: www.kevinmturner.com

Series: The Magi #1
Publisher: CreateSpace
Genre: Young Adult (YA) Fantasy
Length: 432 pages
ISBN: 978-1467964340

Available: Kindle/ paperback

Purchase: Amazon, Amazon(pb)

 Kevin M. Turner is the author of The Magi, a fantasy/adventure novel written for young adult readers. He attended Point Loma Nazarene University and majored in Philosophy and Theology. Turner later studied education and has been teaching English to middle school students since 2004. The Magi was originally written to give his students a fun book to read. He currently lives in California with his wife and daughter. The Magi, the first book in a five-book series, is available on Smashwords and Amazon.

 Thirteen-year-old Elijah Hawk has never heard of the Magi. He doesn't know about the secret power they have. He has never been to Savenridge, the Magi city hidden deep inside the northern forests. Most of all, Elijah is unaware of the dangers hunting him, in search for something he has. After one terrifying night, however, all of that changes!

On a quest to solve the murder of his parents, Elijah stumbles upon the land of the Magi. Learning their secrets and training with their power is the least of his problems. In order to find out why his parents were killed, Elijah learns that he must confront the dangers that are hunting him. What's more terrifying is learning that stumbling upon this new world of the Magi may not have been an accident afterall.

Many thanks to author Kevin M.Turner for providing me with an ARC of his novel for an honest review.

The Magi is the first novel in a five-book YA fantasy series initially written for the enjoyment of his students.

So, what’s it about?

With school just around the corner, thirteen-year old Elijah faces the usual insecurity an average teenager does. He had hoped to fill out more during the summer, become that person who would return to school and be noticed by all.

Unbeknown to Elijah, he was about to realise he had been noticed already.  

Waking up in the dead of the night, with the feeling of terrifying danger, Elijah trusts his screaming instincts and makes a run for it. The yellow eyes he’s met with in the darkness, before he manages to flee his house, mark the beginning of a journey he has no choice but to make.

Facing heart-breaking obstacles, including the death of his parents, Elijah eventually stumbles upon the hidden city of the Magi, Savenridge. There he discovers just who the Magi are and begins training with them to learn how the elements of the earth work. He must understand and respect them if, like the Magi, he is to control them.

“Once I explain to you who I am—once you are taken to Savenridge and meet our people, you must never speak to anyone on the outside about what you learn. You must keep our secrets forever. The knowledge we have has been kept a secret for almost three thousand years. What you’re about to be told is powerful. It’s history.”

Whilst among the gifted community the teenager begins to unravel a hidden truth. It soon becomes clear the Magi have enemies, and they want Elijah.

Worth the read?

The Magi was a wonderful form of escape. I was immediately caught off guard with the exciting and tense sample chapters i’d read. Receiving the full novel I thought the pace would slow down at some point, and it did, though not for long.

I liked how Turner created a world where magic had to be learned in order to use. This gave the novel an educational undertone and forces the reader to accompany Elijah on his journey to understand the Earth’s elements.

It has to be said, i was a little worried at first. A thirteen-year old protagonist wouldn’t usually be a character i could relate to. Yet, he's quite mature. He isn't perfect, the flaws and vulnerability he has are believable and written in way that readers everywhere will appreciate. Despite his age, Elijah is written as a very courageous and intelligent boy- but not overly so. He is not good at everything in life or during the Magi training, but the things he is good at; he’s curious as to why this is the case and wants to learn more.

 As the ‘hero’ of the story, Elijah is tough when battling obstacles, of course, but that doesn’t mean he always saves the day. His character never forgets the dismal incidents he’s been through. You’re forced to feel what he does as his emotions remain raw throughout the pages.

The other characters are also impossible to forget: The sympathetic teacher Master Roddick, elder in the Magi Olivia Rose, with her majestic aura and unique methods of training Elijah. Both were captivating and stepped right off the page.

From Elijah’s friends, timid Samuel and brash Paul to the feisty introvert Becca- each one was three-dimensional and could have been someone a reader would know. I really enjoyed the way Turner developed these characters and cemented them in your imagination. Even the clockmaker, visited once, in his little hut with clocks covering the walls and tabletops, was fascinating and unforgettable. Some ties were left open, for their progression throughout the series no doubt.

The antagonists were immediately established as people to fear, the line between good and evil being marked clearly. At a certain stage in the novel i did want to know more about one Maliphist in particular. But as i read on the need evaporated when Turner thickened the plot and someone fiercer became known. The city in which the Maliphist’s live fits in perfectly and is easily conjured up in the mind, thanks to an appropriate atmosphere being written.

Summary

With shock turns and evolving problems, the plot remains solid and flows effortlessly. As it draws to an end, everything leads to a satisfying conclusion, though has ties left leaving the series room to grow.

It has been said that Harry Potter fans should love this new series and i agree. I found this novel enthralling and despite its YA tag, i recommend it to everyone. This incredibly exciting first installment is one not to be missed and i eagerly await the sequel.  

Thoroughly entertaining and with an attractive book cover too, five stars from me.

© TToria ttoria.blogspot.com

Thanks for reading!

xo

TToria♥

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