I found Ruthless Magic extremely well-written, it had me hooked from the beginning, the scenes are so intense, it's near impossible to put the book down. Each of the characters are well-written with great detail. I loved how Crewe decided to shift the narration of the book only between Finn and Rocío; as it complements the story beautifully. I was a little afraid in the beginning that she'd alternate it among other characters, I personally find at times it can slow down the speed of the story and a little annoying but hey personal opinion.

Once Ruthless Magic gets through the background needed for the story set up, the book was non-stop action. In a not too distant future, the human race is split between people with magical abilities and those without. The North American Confederation of Mages oversees the use of magic, and annually decide which 16-year-olds will be selected to become a part of the magic world, and which ones will Have their magical powers lessened so that they'll only be able to use one particular skill for professional purposes.

This is the first book I’ve read by Crewe, I enjoy her storytelling and the way she builds her world. She has created some engaging characters with real emotions and real struggles, and even gave us those to root against. There's some great action in here, some brutal magical challenges, and the pace flowed really nicely. I know there may be some people who see the words "magic" or "fantasy," it’s an instant turn off or people will immediately say, "This one's not for me." but I think this book is worth the risk so to speak.

I must admit, I wanted to DNF this about 50 pages in, but I am glad I didn't so I can write this quick review. I did find the two POV's a bit confusing sometimes and just the whole magical competition and how brutal it was. At times it was sort of jarring and I kept having to pan over the beginning to remember who I was reading about. Maybe I was the beginning and the casual killing of the rat that got me from the start. Overall, most of the characters were ok and the plot began to pick up quite a bit and I did enjoy the ending though, from reviews, i see some didn't.

To sum up this story in as few words as possible you can say they author took Hogwarts graduates and threw them into a hunger games setting.

The story focuses on two students as they fight to keep their magic, battling other students and forces in the process.

The book wasn't as engaging as I had hoped when I picked it up. I had no problem setting it down. The world was a little confusing, and could have used some more building work.

Overall it wasn't a bad book, but it wasn't a great book.

A high class fantasy and YA book that deals with very important issues like class, sex and ethnicity. I had no high expectations and it came as a surprise to find such a high quality book.
I think this is a series and look forward to reading the next instalments.
Highly recommended!
Many thanks to Another World Press and Netgalley for this ARC

I really enjoyed this book, and look forward to sequels. The author's treatment of magic is a bit different than most books with magic. There is diversity, character growth, and use of modern technology in this urban fantasy. I believe it's appropriate for teens and up.

Ruthless Magic is a 'Harry Potter meets The Hunger Games' YA Fantasy. In this not-too-distant setting, people with magical abilities (mages) have revealed themselves to the non-magical humans (Dulls). They revealed their abilities in order to use their magic to protect the world from terrorists, magical or otherwise. But mages are closely governed by The Confederation of Mages; only a select, talented few are allowed to keep their full magical ability, and most are Dampered, their skills permanently reduced to minuscule levels that they can use for careers. When teenage mages reach 16 they learn if they've been 'Chosen', or allowed to keep their abilities and sent to magical university, or must be "Dampered'. However, any student not chosen can challenge the ruling and compete in the Exam, a secretive and dangerous set of challenges. Passing the Exam results in keeping your magic; failing results in being 'burned out', or having every trace of your magic removed.

The story is told from two POVS; Finn, a boy from a wealthy old magic family but having only mediocre ability, and Rocio, a girl from a poor, new magic latinx family, but with incredible magical talent. Finn learns that he's been chosen, but knows that it's only because of his family's name and connections. In a shocking move, he chooses to stand for the Exam, wanting to rightfully earn his place though skill and effort. Despite her ability, Rocio is scheduled to be Dampered. She also chooses to stand for the Exam, despite the fact that her older brother died in the Exam three years before. I won't go into the details of their experience in the Exam, since the suspense makes it better, but the characters quickly learn that there is a sinister side to the Confederation, and that nothing is really as it seems.

Unfortunately this story did not work for me. It was weak on a lot of fronts; world building, characterization, originality. It tried to do a lot of things that have been done before, and been done better. The magic system was confusing and inconsistent, as well as awkward. Casting magic through random, spontaneous lines from poetry and songs? And then in the last few chapters they inexplicably cast spells through tapping their fingers..? The weirdness constantly pulled me from the story.

Another flaw: Finn and Rocio's POVs were indistinguishable from each other. While they had each had unique motivations, the first person voice and tone were identical.. Their little romance was sweet if somewhat bland; by the end I was skimming all of the internal thought process because they were boring and repetitive. The best part of the book is the Exam, as the action really picks up, but it borrows so heavily and obviously from The Hunger Games and HP and the Goblet of Fire.One scene in particular at the end was almost exactly like the end of Catching Fire.

This book is getting some good reviews, and I'm really glad that people are enjoying it. I know I'm one of the few who didn't. If you like magicky urban fantasy then definitely give it a try, but I can't give it more than 2.5 stars.

*A big thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an arc of this book in exchange for an honest review

Ruthless Magic wasn't a terrible book - it will keep you entertained from cover and cover - and there is plenty of adventure. But it also wasn't a particularly original or distinct read, either. You'll have seen most of the different scenes in other big YA books from the last few years. That's not necessarily a bad thing - sometimes, you want a read that gave you the same type of experience as those other books. But for many, like myself, it is a detraction to have to read the same type of book over and over.

Story: In a NYC where magic users have come out, they are controlled by a Magic Board to ensure they are not a danger to the populace. The 'old magic' families control the scene; Finn's father is one of the heads in the 'old magic' council. He should be a shoe-in to be certified and given a position using magic, even though his abilities are very poor. Rocio, on the other hand, comes from a Mexican immigrant family and although her abilities are strong, she was not accepted to continue to use her magic. Those few not chosen are 'dampened' and lose their connection to the magic. Finn turns down his old magic family auto-acceptance and instead wants to compete in what is the latch ditch recourse to those who are about to be dampened: enter a trial with a reputation as being difficult. Together, they may have a chance to succeed; but what they don't expect is a ruthlessness by the trialists and trialers alike - and disillusionment as to what exactly it means to become a 'champion' and win the competition.

So what we have here is Hunger Games: teens trapped on an island battling each other with Magic instead of weapons. It's a bit more facile than Suzanne Collins' book: where Katniss was always conflicted and losing her will, here Rocio and Finn get stronger with every trial. They were perhaps a bit too idealized and 'nice' for me to really believe in them. But as with Hunger Games, Rocio is the strong character (and gets to show it) while Finn is much weaker and must depend on her to survive.

So many of the trialists felt like archetypes I've read in other novels; they aren't distinctive enough for us to really care if they fail or succeed. But there are some interesting twists with their subplots that make them worth inclusion beyond just concentrating on Rocio and Finn. In this aspect, it felt very much like Harry Potter, especially in the final books. A bunch of teens fighting to survive with magical battles and a small band of friends.

Beyond the obvious feeling that this is a 'blender book' (throw five novels into a blender and what it spits out is your plot), there were several key detractors for me:

-The POVs did not feel distinct or well developed. Other than Rocio using some Spanish, both Rocio and Finns POVs were interchangeable. I kept forgetting whose POV I was in and it was very frustrating. Both needed a much more unique voice.
- There was a distinct lack of worldbuilding. A magic system explanation was non existent (yes, I understand she will build it up more in future books) but at this point more should be known about how the magic works. Rocio should not be the one discovering some major secret about magic.
- Yet again, we have the usual "teens know everything and the government is eeeevil" plot trope.
- The teens are heavily injured, lose limbs, etc., but it never really seems to affect them. We are told about their injuries but they ignore them most of the time as if there is no agony. It is a classic 'tell but not show' detraction that is so prevalent in YA books.

So this was definitely not a terrible read and I think Hunger Fans and Harry Potter will really enjoy the book. It has so many hallmarks of those books (if perhaps on a shallower plane) that it feels like there is already a built in audience ready and waiting for a this type of YA Summer escape. Reviewed from an advance reader copy provided by the publisher.

This is a heart pounding, edge of your seat, frantic page turning and downright thrilling adventure filled with danger, secrets, betrayal and unimaginable magic.....

Rocío Lopez and Finn Lockwood are thrown together in an all out fight to save their magic and their lives... but is there really ever any winning this challenge. The testing is brutal, the competition fierce and it all makes for an exciting and highly entertaining reading experience.

The Prequel, Magic Unmasked (#0.5), to this series is available for a free download for a limited time if you subscribe to Megan Crewe’s Newsletter on this link:https:dl.bookfunnel.com/koyalpe4jq

Ruthless Magic
(Conspiracy of magic #1)
By Megan Crewe
Release Date: May 30, 2018

'In the contest to keep their magic, the only options may be die…or kill’

I requested this book on Netgalley after reading the blurb (sentence) ubove, and was not disappointed. The blurb says all you really need to know about the book before you start reading.

This is a story that I found myself immersed in, full of magic, sacrifices, and deadly trials.

In this story there are two types of families of magic users: Old-magic and New-magic.

Old-magic have had magic in their family for generations, while New-magical families only have one magic user in the family or the parent's were new-magic users and the children have magic as a result.

Our story starts when the main characters Finn Lockwood and Rocio Lopez are awaiting for their letters from the North American Confederation College; that would denote if they can continue their magcial study or be dampered. (Damperred-have their magic mostly taken away and left with a small sliver of magic)

Finn is accepted even with his feeble magic, as he is from an Old-magic family and his grand-uncle holds power in the magic Council. While his New-magic straight A stundent best-friend is not. Feeling that he did not deserve his Acceptance, Finn delcare's for the Exam left as a last choice for Uneccepted students.

Rocio is not accepted into the North American Confederation College, and her damperring appointment is scheduled on her letter. Even though she strong (magically) and has studied and followed all the Confed's rules, but she is New-magic and considered 'dangerous'. Rocio also delcares for the Exam.

Challenging the Exam means facing trials that can get an examinee killed, burned out (have all their magic taken away), or they can survive and become Champion. Becoming Champion means they get to keep all their power and be allowed to continue their magical studies as well as a personal mentor. But first they need to survive.

RUTHLESS MAGIC blends Harry Potter and The Hunger Games into an exhilarating mixture while also adding its own twist to the magical world. Readers looking for a story with a sharp edge will enjoy this fascinating examination of privilege and magic systems.

Megan Crewe deftly switches between two POVs. Both Finn and Rocío are easy to fall in love with. They have clear goals, clear stakes, and come from two different social spheres, which allows the reader to learn about magic from both a privileged and non-privileged experience. From the start, I wanted both of them to succeed, especially as time was spent on Finn's end examining the privilege he hadn't previously acknowledged. And because of their personal and introspective POVs, I was motivated to finish RUTHLESS MAGIC in two days.

Because the bulk of the book is dedicated to the arena, world building is implied but not fully developed. Characters, besides Finn, Rocío, and their small group, are one-dimensional. I am left with questions as to how magic being out in the open changed the world of RUTHLESS MAGIC and why Finn prays to Zeus. As it currently stands, the world is described as very similar to our own, just with magic pasted on. I look forward to my questions being answered in the next book.

Take the competition of The Hunger Games, mix in the magic of Harry Potter, and then go ahead and add some Divergent while you are at it. That will give you a feel for the vibe of this book, and the series it begins. In this version of our world, magic users have always existed, but they have finally come out to the public. The Confederation (like a Ministry of Magic), has all those with magical potential tested and then they choose the best to receive further training, notifying them with a magical letter. The testing and choosing also assigns where the Chosen will serve and what training they will receive (a bit like being in a faction). Those who don't make the cutoff may have their powers Dampered, or they may elect to face the Exam - a lovechild of the Triwizard Tournament and the Hunger Games.

This year's exam begins with 57 candidates hoping to earn a place as a Champion with a mentor to help them improve their skills to better serve society. Failure will leave them with their magic burned out of them, completely cut off from access to the power they have grown up with, or even dead. Among those gathered at Riker's Island to vie for one of the coveted spots are a mix of Old and New Magic. Some of the Old Magic families are like the Pure Bloods at Hogwarts who hold the Mud Bloods in contempt, treating those from New Magic families as upstarts and even dangerous.

The characters are intriguing. Finn comes from a powerful Old Magic family, but his skills are erratic and not as strong as expected. His friend Prisha was always in the top half of their classes, but she was not Chosen. From the New Magic side comes Rocio, whose brother died during the Exam three years ago. She has a Hermione-like affinity for magic, when she enchants something the magic rushes to her and through her, yet she was not Chosen either. Her mother speculates that it was because of prejudice against New Magic.

The Exam begins as soon as the candidates arrive and takes all their skills into account - even things like paying attention to details in their surroundings and following the rules. They are tested on creativity, offensive and defensive abilities, and much more. Some are cut very quickly, while others hang in even when it is clear they are not very powerful and have no qualms about ruining the chances of better-qualified candidates. What exactly is the Confederation looking for and why do they go about it in such a brutal way? As the five days of testing whittle away at the number of hopefuls, we as readers begin to have some suspicions of our own. Are we correct?

Highly recommended for readers of the series I have mentioned, or fans of other urban fantasy stories with strong characterization, some possible romantic vibes, and a perplexing mystery at the center of it all.

Ruthless Magic is a well executed YA novel that will excite fans of both Harry Potter and The Hunger Games series. This novel is told from the perspective of two Challenge participants, Finn and Rocio.

In a world where magic has recently been exposed as a real trait, the Old Magic families are trying to keep their places in the upper class of magical society, but new magical talents are allowed to test for admission to magical colleges, and if they are not accepted, can request to join a challenge for Champion, allowing them to show that their talents are worth keeping.

Finn is from an old magic family, but of middling magical talent. He begins to question the validity of the selection process when he is selected for a magical college, but his best friend who is far more magically talented is not. Finn decides that he will join her in the challenge.

Rocio is new magic - and one of the most talented young Mages that the world has ever seen. She too joins the Challenge, hoping not only to win champion, but to also find answers about how her brother died 3 years earlier while participating in the Challenge. She is surprised to find Finn in the competition, as she knows that he is Old Magic, and she harbors some doubts as to his participation...

A collection of teenagers create groups to face the challenges which are brutally complex, changing all of the participants forever.

I actually really liked Ruthless Magic. I had never heard of this book, but it sounded so interesting and I’m glad that I picked it up via NetGalley. The premise is so interesting, and it is set in an incredible world. The characters were fantastic, particularly Finn and Rocio. I love those two with all of my heart. Both of them made so many interesting choices, and I loved watching their characters grow. But as much as I loved this book and its plot, there was one issue that bothered me a bit. The magic system used and the world itself wasn’t developed or explained very thoroughly, which I don’t like. I just wanted to know more, though I’m sure that we’ll get it in the next book which I am very excited about and highly anticipating considering the end of this book. I would highly recommend it.

***I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.***


With that being said I must start off with a declaration...WOW! Not only was this ruthless but it was brutal and painful to experience. It has been likened to a literary baby procured from the loins of The Hunger games + The Magicians and let me tell you...it is an extremely apt comparison.


"Maybe we’d grown up at opposite ends of the city, on opposite sides of that invisible divide between old magic and new, but in that moment we were feeling the exact same horror, and he would go every bit as far as I would to overcome it."



I gathered that the trials were to be difficult and dangerous but torturous to read was not what I was expecting when I first ventured down the magic rabbit hole. The characters were diverse, true, and a few were fleshed out nicely but the 2 characters whose POVs we were privy to were my favorite. Rocio was not only brave and talented but she was strong willed, humane and fierce as well. Seeing what was to become of her (and Finn) kept me reading well after I lost interest in the torture fest. The big twist was an interesting wrench thrown into la machina and it even has some future potential but I can not foresee which direction this will go...that's sort of how this entire book went. We went from horrific situation to even more gruesome/ morally bankrupt scenario...on and on until the very end (which was slightly on the underwhelming side). The beginning sucked me in and had such potential but when the barbarism kicked into high gear, I lost my stomach and will to see it through to the end. I somehow perservered and made it through to the end but just barely...I must admit to a teenie bit of skimming in the home stretch....it wasn't much but that's always a bad sign.


All in all it was well written, the world building was excellent, there was a twist with regards to the magic system (possibly intriguing in the future...we'll see) and the main characters were nicely done. The crazy Battle Royale wasn't my thing but it could be yours. You should definitely give this a try if you're into that sort of thing... it was intense!

At sixteen when your magic is evaluated you are either given an invitation into an elite school for training or scheduled for a procedure that will take away your magic. One other option is for you to declare yourself for the Exam a mysterious last chance to be declared Champion winning yourself eligibility into that elite school. Finn comes from a high ranking magical family and is a shoe-in to the Academy, yet he lacks the magical talent to win entrance on his own. Rocio comes from a lower class family whose parents had their magic nulled. Her magical gifts are extraordinary yet she is denied entrance into the Academy when a spot should have been hers. When they each declare for the Exam they meet for the first time finding a friendship that will surpass all class levels.

Ruthless Magic is part Lord of the Flies or Hunger Games with magical realism elements a la Harry Potter. When these teens show up at the Exam they realize that it’s more survival of the fittest that tests their talents. Finn who declared for the exam to give the finger to the Confederation of Mages for being biased against lower level families, pretty quickly realizes that he may have made a big mistake. His talent lies in evaluating circumstances, sweet talking, and charm more than actual magical skill. His character is so easy to like, always finding humor in a difficult situation. He is put into the same group as Rocio and is immediately taken with her talent and personality right from the start. Rocio is a little less willing to trust but Finn is the person she starts to lean on as their situation becomes more dire.

There are very few rules in these exams and some of the kids are more willing to eliminate each other than trust their magic will win them a place in the school at the end of the four days. Ruthless Magic’s theme about bigotry and social classes is told very effectively even though they are classed by their level of magic ability. Even though set in the human world, mages came out to the Nulls or humans (think muggles from HP) in order to help them through extreme times of terrorism or war. The novel has a great message about the balance of good vs evil and tells it in a magical way that was original and interesting.

The cliques in this group of “contestants” for lack of a better word were pretty typical of a high school age group. You have the athletic bully, the pretty boy charmer, the quiet shy girl, and the do-gooder, but the way in which Megan Crewe uses these stereotypes to shine a light on difficult subjects was poignant and engaging. I really liked this book, the characters, and it’s message! It was my first novel by Megan Crewe but it won’t be my last!

Deep, dark, and complex. It's got elements of Hunger Games & Lord of the Flies, in that a bunch of kids are stuffed into an arena, and experience survival of the fittest in its actual plain brutal meaning.

Our MCs are more humane, and try to remain that way, which lightens things up a bit, plus there's a nicely developed romance, but it's still dark, and even our heroic MCs struggle to determine how far they'd go to win. To survive.

I wouldn't rate it as dark as Lord of the Flies, but it had its moments. It was a very complex book, with complicated characters and situations, and I found it hard to put down.

The ending was bittersweet, and I would like to read the next book, just so I know how the problems it ended with would be resolved. Basically, it's far from a happy cheerful magic book, but it was very well written and superbly and compellingly complex.

Disclaimer: I received an advance copy through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

You should see Ruthless Magic as a Hunger Games in a ruthless Harry Potter world and honestly, it was pretty damn cool. You get the full-on action of THG, with everybody trying to eliminate the other, and the whimsical magic from HP. The similarities aren’t, of course, a hundred percent similar. The most important one is the Exam, aka the game basically. It’s being held to decide which mage is allowed to keep their magic. Only the best few are. Moreover, you can actually choose to participate, or just get Dampered. That way you can still feel lingers of your magic, but can’t actually use it. The losers don’t necessarily get killed, but they get Burned Out, then you won’t have any magic at all, and there are also people who get killed during the different phases.

This was all highly intriguing if you ask me, but I’m still only giving this book three and a half stars out of five because the characters didn’t grip me. I didn’t quite grow to care for any of them, and I didn’t get invested in the whole story. The romance was a bit... Stupid as well, so no rooting from me. Still, I’m very excited to find out what’s going to happen next!

4.5/5 stars

In brief I would fully recomend this book, it's going to my favorites and I’m looking forward for the next one. It’s well written and you can feel you really are in the world Megan presents. If you like magic you should really give this book a try. Besides, how can you not want to read a book that claims to be the perfect mix between the Hunger Games and Harry Potter?

The story is based on a world of people with an affinity to control magic using vibrations such as singing or humming. Students around age 16 are selected for College or for loosing their hability, having the option to declare for the Exam and get a “second chance”.
It’s written in first person changing between Finn’s and Rocio’s POVs wich I really like ‘cause you get to know better the characters. I did got a little confused sometime about who the POV was as their way of expressing themselves was not very different, but nothing so problematic.
Other than that this book is pretty well written and caught my full atention since the second chapter.
The first chapter was narrated by Finn, and old-magic who was meant to be chosen by the Confederation for the importance of his family. At first he seemed so weak that I feared that I would hate the book, fortunately he showed that it was much more than that soon enough to keep my interest and make me fall in love with the sweet and stubborn guy that, knowing magic wasn’t his best talent, enters the Exam for proving he was more than just a lastname. He has a really good heart and a positive lifestyle that gives the book a bit of humor and helps to have some peace when things are too tense. I just think it would have been nice if he had improved a bit with the magic once he discovered that he did not need Latin for the casting, but at least he grew a lot as a person.
As for Rocio, I’m a huge fan of this Dragon-Tamer. She’s a new-magic girl with enought talent for beating any top student but without a magic family to support her. She is forced to participate in the exam if she wanted to keep her powers. She is intelligent, has an incredible connection with magic and also has a really good heart that makes her give the best of herself not only to become champion, but also to save all the members of her team.
The others characters were great too, all of them had a story that made them who they were and had particular habilities that helped them succeed in the tests. The romance also felt real, it wasn’t so fast and they are SO cute togheter.
I can’t say I loved the end of the book but I saw it coming and it felt ok as this is a saga.
This book fits perfectly into my favorites styles and the only reason why I can't give it five star is because there were a few times when I felt things were way too similiar to the Hunger Games.
In general there were resemblances between both books like the fact that the girl is the strongest one and the competition but the way in which Megan presents them creates a completely original story. I do understand and agree that Harry Potter and Hunger Games fans could really like this book. At least I did.

Ruthless Magic is a brand new YA Urban Fantasy told from 2 pov's. If Harry Potter and The Hunger Games had a baby, this book would be it. It starts off slow with a lot of background story and world building. Not necessarily a bad thing, considering that it's vital to set the tone for why things are the way they are.
We meet Finn, an upper class mage belonging to a wealthy, well established family who has ties to the North American Confederation of Mages, but his magical abilities aren't quite up to snuff. And then comes Rocio, a very clearly talented and powerful mage, but from a poor family and not enough history connected to the Confederation for them to give her or her family a chance.
They, along with several others, choose to enter into a magical hunger games style competition, full of exams and fight-for-your-life style battles to earn their rightful place among the magical society. But things aren't what they seem, and there are plenty of hidden agenda style things going on around them. Alliances are forged in order to stay alive, and it becomes the ultimate test of humanity and morals.
I can't wait for the second installment for this series!
Thank you NetGalley for providing me with an arc of this to read and review with my own honest opinions.

The Hunger Games meets Harry Potter.

Ruthless Magic is set in a future world where magical people have outted themselves to human beings. They have done so in the hopes of preventing terrorist attacks. However, the North American Confederation Of Mages is in charge of all magical people and, at the age of sixteen, children are evaluated on whether they will be allowed to keep their magic or be Burnedout. Those not Chosen can declare for the Trials and prove themselves worthy of retaining their magic. But is talent the only factor in the government’s decision making process or is there corrupt agendas at play?

The story alternates between the perspective of two main characters, Finn and Rocío, who have entered the Trials in hopes of retaining their magic and gaining entrance to an elite magical college. The characters know little of what the Trials will entail and quickly discover how brutal the Confederation is willing to be.

The action packed story reminded me of dystopians novels such as the Hunger Games, Divergent, and The Maze Runner. This was a unique combination of fantasy and politics. I would have liked a bit more world-building at the start of the novel since this is a fantasy book. If you enjoyed Harry Potter and the Goblet Of Fire, check this book out!