Way too predictable. Lots of violence and corrupt leaders, so pretty much America itself. I had to force myself to keep reading hoping it would get better and it does but still not enough for me to want to follow the characters or story any further. If you have never read the Hunger Games you might like this more than I did. Nothing new here except a little bit in the end about the concept of magic in this world, otherwise very ho hum.

In the contest to keep their magic, the only options may be die... or kill.

Each year, the North American Confederation of Mages assesses every sixteen-year-old novice. Some will be chosen. The rest must undergo a procedure to destroy their magical ability unless they prove themselves in the mysterious and brutal Mages' Exam.

This tale is filled with danger, action and the determination. The teens want to win at all costs, and thsu becomes graphically violent and heartless. It takes an unexpected turn.

Hard-hitting action, disturbing scenes and some truly heroic characters make this a fascinating tale and a strong foundation for an edgy young adult series!

It was OK but I won't be continuing with the series - I took too long reading this and this isn't something I'm interested in anymore

Ruthless Magic indeed. The story begins with a young man named Finn trying to impress his family with his feeble magical ability. Finn comes from a long-time magical family, and yet he’s struggled to keep up with his magical peers. He’s desperate to prove himself to his granduncle and his father that he deserves placement at The Academy, and doesn’t want to be given a placement simply because of his familial relations.

The magical confederation determines which youth will be granted admission into the Academy for tutoring, and which will instead be “dampered”. If you’re not chosen for The Academy, your magical ability is dampered down to just a single enhanced ability, such as being a great cook. Finn’s best friend Prisha is the first in her family to be magical. The Confed doesn’t trust new magic. Their intent with their magical ability can’t be trusted. Discrimination runs rampant throughout this story.

Clearly a few young and brave souls need to change the hierarchy while surviving the test.
If not chosen for The Academy, a person can challenge the decision by declaring for “The Exam”, a magical test put on by The Confed. No one knows just what The Exam entails, only that it is dangerous. Rocio, our second point of view in Ruthless Magic knows all too well that the exam has cost lives of previous participants. Passing The Exam allows each champion to retain all of their magical ability. Failure is worse than the dampering. All of your magical ability is stripped away.

Hunger Games, meets Dumbledore’s Army with a Divergent twist.
Naturally, The Exam is much more dangerous than any of the examinees could have imagined. A few of them are suspicious of The Confed but wisely keep it to themselves. When met with very unsettling news from the examiners, all of them must make a difficult choice. They can forfeit and lose their magic, or they can continue for a chance to keep their magic while sacrificing their morals. Definitely an awful twist in the story.

In Ruthless Magic, no one is a witch/wizard, all simply mages. There are no wands. Magic is intertwined with the mage and is released with a rhythm or song lyric. This lends to a more honest and organic feeling of magic. Megan Crewe did a fantastic job of setting up the series for the next book. There is enough conclusion to be satisfied with this portion of Finn and Rocio’s story; however, there is definitely more Ruthless Magic ahead of them.

unfortunately for me this was not a book for me but that being said I no those who have enjoyed this book, I just couldn't get stuck in to it the story wasn't bad at all or the characters it was just the general idea that failed to grasp me , but this is a book I will give another chance to at some point .

This book was okay. Maybe I'm not really in the fantasy mood lately but I wasn't moved by this story at all. Maybe I'll come back to this title later and give it another go, but at the moment it just wasn't for me.

Think of a Hunger Games/Harry Potter mashup and you have an idea of what this novel is. What is interesting to me and kept me reading is the fact that it is blended together in an original way and is in a league of its own.
A group of 16-year-old novice mages are brought together in a Hunger Games type competition to ascertain who is worthy enough to enter the Academy and keep their magic and who will lose everything including possibly their lives. The story mainly focuses on Rocio and Finn who are from very different worlds and family status.
The story is quite bloody and is well paced. I found the book to be an easy read and very good as YA fantasy fiction.

*thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this free copy in exchange for an honest review*

This book is sort of a combo of The Hunger Games, Harry Potter, and The Program. I really liked this concept and I can’t wait to read the rest of the series!

This really isn't for me. I tried to live it. I wanted to live it, but I just couldn't engage with them story or characters.

Unfortunately this book didn’t appeal to me after I picked it up. I’m sure it will be well loved by others, however.

I would highly recommend this book, the YA readers of fantasy/magic/wizardry that I work with crave books likes this. The interwoven characters bring together the themes and subjects of power, corruption, magic. prejudices and conspiracy and the difficult lessons of understanding good vs. evil.

Read the first couple of chapters but it just didn't hold my attention. I may come back to it in the future as it may have just been my mood at the time, but not for me at this time.

What an amazing read. I lovd it. I was not expecting anything great but found myself captivated by it. The world in witch it brings us is fantastic and i would love to read more.

An interesting read. I wasn't too sure what I expected from this book but I did enjoy what I found. The characters were likeable, the plot line evolved in an engaging way and the writing style made it quick and easy to read. I'd be curious to see what Megan Crewe writes next!

Predictable YA fantasy but surprisingly I was super engaged. I was in the mood for a hunger games type story and I got exactly that with this book.

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.

Rocio and Finn two best friends waiting to hear if they get to continue to train together or have their magic dampaned. Ruthless Magic is a really fun and exciting book to read. I look forward to future installments.

I found this book to be pretty boring and I was disinterested. The two main characters seemed like they'd do some cool stuff, but I was disappointed by the lack of their development. The writing itself was good, but it definitely could have been a better story.

Rocio and Finn are from opposite ends of the magical world, but they both decide to risk the Mage's Exam in order to prove their worth and entitlement to magic. However, neither of them has any idea just how dangerous and ruthless the test are. As the exam progresses, they learn that there is more to the test than they thought. There are so many lies and secrets about what actually happens even if they do survive and become champions.
The author immerses you right into this world of magic and adventure, it's full of action and suspense. After reading the book I now know the significance of the title!
I'm not sure I would understand everything if I had not read the prequel and highly recommend reading Magic Unmasked.

Ruthless Magic was an absolutely engrossing read! I had picked it up after a series of lackluster and not as engaging books, and was instantly sucked in to the story thanks to Megan Crewe's compelling writing. The story follows Finn and Rocio as they navigate an unforgiving world, each trying to not only survive, but to win. Ultimately, I was satisfied with the ending (despite wanting more!) because the characters faced actual moral and physical consequences. This wasn't another book where everything turns out just fine for our protagonists just because they are the protagonists, which is something that YA desperately needs more of.

Overall, Megan Crewe brought a fresh take on a familiar genre to the table and I was here for it.