Great new premise where young mages if they aren't chosen for the Academy can either have their magic dampened and lose most of it, or try for the exams for a second chance at the Academy. But little do they know that most do not survive and if you fail and do survive you will have all you magic removed. The characters were strong and likable and this is a great fun read.

It's pretty rare that I don't finish an advance review copy because I'm not a big believer in reviewing a book I have not completed. But this book just plain lost me about halfway through. I continued to muddle through around two-thirds of the way before I gave up. Ruthless Magic has a great premise but it bogs down in so much trial and tribulation that it sucked all the joy out of reading. There was not enough character development for me to care about the outcomes of the lesser characters, and the shifting perspective between the two protagonists didn't work for me. We're supposed to get one chapter from the point of view of a white boy who isn't very good at magic but came from a prominent family, and then the next from the point of view of a poor Latina girl with great skills but no privilege. Yet each chapter sounded like the same narrator most of the time. This book needed a tougher editor to give it shape, focus, and pacing.

While this didn’t feel like a original story and somewhat very much like Harry Potter mixed with the hunger games, I still enjoyed it. I liked the relationship between the characters and the romance side. My favourite parts are the words like “dull” to describe non magical people, again this was very Harry Potter like but still good. I found the different POV style writing a little confusing at the start but when you get into the book this soon becomes no issue at all.
Overall and ajoyable 3.5 Star read.

Okay, I admit it, it was that beautiful cover that drew me in! It just shows the importance of a great cover. Of course, I was captivated by the synopsis too, it sounded exactly the sort of read I enjoy - full of magic. I don't often agree with the comparisons made to previously published titles as they don't always ring true. Here however, they are spot on - this book does bear some resemblance to The Hunger Games. There is also a similarity to Ender's Game and Magicians.

I feel like I have been awarding 5 stars more of late, there are quite a few books around that deserve a high rating. This is undoubtedly one of them. It's a gem, and the first in the Conspiracy of Magic series by USA Today Bestselling Author Megan Crewe.

It's definitely a slow burner for the first half but changes to a much faster pace from just over the 50% mark and continues bustling along until the finale. This YA urban fantasy has some unique worldbuilding and unlike many others in the genre, it is done extremely well. Crewe also appears to know how to develop characters so they are vivid and intense. There is a little romance too, which I enjoy where it is organic and where it fits with the story, as here. There is nothing worse than forced romantic situations in a book, in my opinion.

I am so excited this is a series and cannot wait for the next one, i'm hoping there won't be a long wait. It deals with some sensitive issues such as race, class, sexuality, terrorism, and government corruption to name but a few.

I highly recommend this to YA lovers, it is well worth your time! It completely blew me away.

I would like to thank Megan Crewe, Another World Press, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an ARC in exchange for an honest and impartial review.

"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 selfishness 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.

Ruthless Magic by Megan Crewe was exactly that RUTHLESS! It's pacing commenced quite slow, but just over half way it became extremely fast-paced, and pretty much kept the momentum, of heart stopping action till the end.

It's world building is quite unique, and I really enjoyed the characters relationships, but I didn't love this book as much as I had hoped. It was touted Harry Potter cross Hunger Games, and for me it fell a bit short of those comparisons.



Finn Lockwood is from a well-renowned mage family, however, he doesn't have the skills to back up his mage heritage. When he finds out that his best friend, Prisha, has not been accepted and must attend the exam to keep her magic, he decides to reject his offer of acceptance and instead participate in the exam, in hope that he can prove his self-worth, by earning a place in the college.

Rocio Lopez has the mage skills, but not the funds or the connection to be able to attend a mage Academy, therefore, to no surprise, she was not selected to attend the Confed College. For her to keep her magic, she must do the rigorous exam, that took her older brother a few years prior, in hope to be able to keep her magic.

The pair become more than allies as they fight through the challenges thrown at them by the examiners, in the hopes that they could lead their group out of the exam...alive!

My main problem with Ruthless Magic was the lack of information. Until about day 3 of the exam we had no idea what they were being tested for, therefore, I didn't feel as immersed into the story. Up till that point, I was simply reading for the action, horror and shock factor.

What I enjoyed about this book? The different perspective of magic, magic was not simply done by waving a wand, so that was quite interesting.

I am also very interested in the political aspect of this society, and because of this I will be reading the consecutive books. However, my favourite aspect of this book? The relationship between Rocio and Finn was real and sweet, there wasn't insta-love, but mutual respect and understanding.

I still recommend Ruthless Magic. Once the story starts along it was fast-paced filled with action, horror and shock factor! The world building was interesting and the relationships were truly what made this book for me.

3.5 - 4 Stars!!!

Ruthless Magic is the first book in the Conspiracy of Magic series..
Finn and Rocia live in the magic world where at the age of 16, they are either chosen to college or their magic is dampered.. The ones who arent chosen can declare themselves for exams. If they are the chosen champion, they can continue to college and retain magic..
Though Finn is chosen due to his family background, he declares for the exam in order to play it fair..
And even though Rocia has done every thing in order to get into the confederation, she's rejected coz of her family's low standing..
When they get into the exam, they are not aware about how far the confederation would go to test their abilities. With so many secrets hidden and allies they make, they fight to survive the exams..

This book was Hunger games meeting Magicians.. It was fast paced and a great start to the series..

Think of this book like a mix of Harry Potter (new vs old magic families), Hunger Games (the Exam that Finn, Rocio, Prisha, Judith, Lacey, Desmond and Mark had to pass in order to become Champions). Part Fireblood, part Furyborn... Well, it’s something, and it’s everything. I jumped into the story from the start. Can’t wait to read book 2!

Many thanks to the publisher for my early copy of this book through NetGalley, in exchange for a honest review.

I really enjoyed this edgy, contemporary novel about magic. This is the first book in a series that takes place in the present day world. However those that can wield magic are now doing so out in the open in hopes to prevent tragedies such as 9/11. Even though these people are now out in the open it still creates a divide between those that can use magic and those that can't.
I like how the author took the concept and intertwined it with present day issues, very creative and she makes it work very well. I was hooked.
It is great for YA, it is a little dark and graphic at times and dangerous. I will definitely recommend this to others!

I would like to thank Netgalley and Another Word Press for allowing me to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review

I’m going to be honest it took me a very long time to get into this book. I kept stopping and coming back to it hoping each time it would pick up. I decided to not finish then felt guilty so I made myself push threw. I really wanted to like this book but I was bored it just fell flat for me. It has great Reviews maybe it’s just me. I do feel it was well written and had likeable characters. I would say to give it a try just because it’s not for me doesn’t mean someone else won’t love it.

In Ruthless magic we read from two points of view: one from a mage come from old family magic - a boy with little talent, and one from a young girl with “new magic” and an extraordinary talent for it.
They are put together with a handful of others to prove their magical prowess in order to keep their magic- or risk it being burned out of them. What follows is an exciting story of just how far you will go to keep the magic within you.

I really liked the characters and the plot of this book. It has a very sinister approach that reminded me a lot of the hunger games and even intrigued me by how a reaping was done in unsuitable mages. The diversity of culture in the characters was pleasant to read and allowed them to seem more personable or rather relatable. It was a very interesting read and I was really glad the blurb made good on what it sold otherwise I would have been really disappointed. I also love the fact one of the main characters was of Spanish descent. I hardly ever get to read books with that lineage included.

3.55 stars. Great character building, but needs some work on the world building. Most of the description of the action and surroundings were hard to envision. Characters were great. Strong, moral, resourceful...I cared about them. Overall, an entertaining introduction to a new series.

Another twist on the Hunger Games, this time with a magical theme. Ruthless Magic is a fantasy world that definitely would appeal to those who enjoyed Hunger Games. It has similar themes of family, class and teenage struggles. Epic internal and external challenges face these characters throughout the book. Ruthless Magic does not present a fairy tale to us – it is gritty and raw at times, happy and light at others. It is through Finn and Roćio that we learn all about magic, and its place in this new world. Add in a few more assorted characters to round out this brilliant story, and you’ll be hooked into the series.

Finn Lockwood is the first character we meet in the book. Finn is handsome, well-spoken and a youth from an old-magic family. Finn struggles with his magic, but has always attended the finest magic academy. He is irresistible as our so-called hero. A boy that the girls can’t help but love.

Finn’s best friend Prisha comes from an old-money family that is new to magic. We encounter them as they are waiting for their letters to arrive for inclusion in a magic university. Finn is nearly guaranteed to be Chosen, because of his ties to old magic, while Prisha, a much more talented mage, will likely not be Chosen. Such is the world that we are introduced to in this book.

In this future society, magic is unmasked. Magic lives alongside non-magic (otherwise known as Dulls.) However, it appears that they don’t live happily side by side. The non-magic are still fearful of the magic. Non-magic realizes that the magic side of things can help with things like defense, so non-magic reluctantly goes along with having magic exist. This is why the Confederacy of Magic must be so careful with the new magic families – to ensure that magic is not used for the wrong purposes.

Roćio comes from a new-magic family. She has not had the luck of going to the finest schools to be trained in magical ways. Her parents are no longer allowed to carry full magic. She is a talented mage, but being new-magic, she may never be allowed to reach her full potential. Roćio is smart and sweet and convicted about her beliefs. She is a strong female hero.

Too many YA books are written down to the reader, rather than written at a level that both adults and young adults can enjoy. Megan Crewe excels at making her books enjoyable for readers of all ages, though I would caution that there are some dark themes in this book that might not be appropriate for younger readers. Crewe puts together a world that would be frightening and exciting all at once. Once I got through the first few chapters of this story, I found I couldn’t put it down. The peril of reading the first book in a new series? Knowing the wait will be long for book two.

I CAN'T TELL YOU HOW MUCH I ENJOYED THIS BOOK!!!!!!!!!!

The world of Ruthless Magic is an alternate reality where magic exists, and those who can tap into it, called mages, came out to the world so that they could protect humans from other human attacks, like the 9/11 attack or foreign wars. Now, along with the human governments still in place (or I'm assuming so), the department overseeing magic, the North American Confederation of Mages, chooses a select few of the sixteen-year-old mages in the country to become the year's Chosen and to go to colleges for magic. The mages who aren't chosen, however, have to go through a process called Dampering in which their magic is all but erased. All that remains is a tiny piece of specialized magic the mage can make a living off of.

That is, unless the mage declares for the Mages' Exam, a brutal, mysterious test mages can take as a second chance to keep their full magic. The catch - if you don't pass the Exam, you are burnt-out, meaning you are stripped of your connection with your magic entirely. And there's the pretty good chance you'll be killed during the test.

This amazing novel follows our two protagonists, Finn and Rocio, as they battle their way through these Exams. Finn is from a wealthy family of mages and is practically guaranteed a spot as a Chosen because of it. However, he has a very small connection to his magic and doesn't feel as though he deserves to be Chosen because of solely his status, so he declares for the Exam. Rocio, on the other hand, has power beyond belief, yet she is not Chosen because of her family's low status. She declares, as well. It seems there is more to the Confed than meets the eye.

First, I'm going to address the characters. They're all so strong, and there's more to them under the surface. Plus, I can't wait to see where the second book takes us and how the characters will cope after the Exam and kick the Confed's butt.

I love all the characters, but I frickin love Finn. No joke. Like, I have never felt about a book boy as strongly as I do about Finn. Don't get me wrong, I still love Maxon 🤣, but I want my own Finn one day. You can't understand unless you read the book 🤣.

I think maybe my favorite part of this book - besides the romance (and Finn...obviously 🤣) - was the plot and how intense and action-packed it is. I felt like I was in an action movie... yet it isn't nearly as predictable as action movies can be sometimes. I was soooo hooked!!!

As I mentioned earlier, the romance is absolutely to die for!! Like, as I was reading, I felt like I was going back in time to the classic romances of YA but with new and original twists. And it isn't tropey (is that a word?) at all! I was crying and laughing with them, and I cannot wait to see what they survive next.

Lastly, I absolutely love this world! The whole idea that magic does exist in the world and that they set up their own government is frickin awesome. I don't know, the way Crewe creates this weird feel around the world is just so well-done.

While we're on the subject of Megan Crewe, let me just say, this woman is a GENIUS! Her writing style is absolutely amazing, and this entire book has such a classic vibe mixed with a little magic and some romance. It's PERFECT!

I just wish Crewe integrated more of the world we know with the magical one she created. Because I was just confused about how much of our government still exists along with the magical government in her world, but I'm hoping we'll get more of that based on the ending of the book. And this little teeny-tiny thing doesn't even matter 🤣, like the book is probably better without it, to keep its mysterious feel.

OH, AND GUESS WHAT?! Megan Crewe has like ten million other YA novels! I can't wait to read them ALL!

Haha bye, booknerds! (And please go read this book!)

For more bookish content, visit my blog at https://ashtonread.blogspot.com or follow me on instagram at @ashton_reads ! Thanks so much!

Actual rating 3.5-stars

This book was without a doubt entertaining and it was enjoyable to read but in really did have a sever lack of originality. Think Harry Potter and the goblet of fire only with taken to hunger game extremes. Based on a World Trade Center plot device that was totally unneeded I would guess that this book starts in the very near future, like 2024ish. A time that is so far in the future teenagers will no longer understand Star Trek references, apparently. I digress. Anyway so the world is made up of Dulls (aka Muggles), Mages (magical folk who mostly have entitlement issues), dampened magical folk (people who had magic but then were deemed too inferior to hang with the mages, were denied entry in magical university, and then had most of their magic forcibly stripped away from them.), then there's burn outs (people who previously had magic and tried to fight against 'The Man' which is actually 9 people and the Confederacy which they totally control who are basically deatheaters but still mostly on the DL we'll get back to that in a minute.) Now to further break things down Muggles (sorry, Dulls) and the various magical folk know of each other and live in the same universe. The Mages had an "unveiling" at some point in recent history and basically announced they were ready to become magical superheroes for the world. Inexplicably magic is spreading and magical kids are being born to muggles and the old school mages don't like it but the Muggles don't like the magical people so they're screwed all over the place. Magical kids are allowed into magical academies if they can afford tuition and their community has enough of a magical population to need one otherwise you just get a magical tutor which apparently is not helpful. So like normal kids the time comes when you find out whether you get into university only there's only one University and acceptance is like super corrupted. Basically kids who belong to magical aristocracy have an easy in and new magic from lower classes are undesirable. On the other hand if you aren't accepted you can compete in competitive trials and try to win your way in… supposedly. Also people have a tendency to die or simply not return from these trials and others appear to be brainwashed by the confederacy and others if they manage to survive long enough to bail out of the trials just get all of their magic burnt out of them. Shortly after the games begin everyone learns they're basically competing in the hunger games but the crazy gov't running everything is nice in the fact that they allow more than one person to live. Oh yeah these trials take place of bloody Riker's Island which in and of itself says something. Muggles and their prisoners no longer inhabit the island but still not a place that channels good vibes to all. This book is clearly the first in what I assume will at least be a trilogy.

What this story lacked in originality was made up for by the fact that it was still a fun and engaging story I was able to connect with the main characters who acted as narrators if not so much with side characters. There were parts of the world building that I felt were left gapingly wide when they needed more explanation. Like why would magical folks simply go along with this "dampening" ritual. There are groups of magical terrorists (although we'll probably find out they're actually insurgents) but I was kind of left wondering why people would just go along with what was so very obviously a rigged system. There were also characters who were very predictable but *shrug* they didn't kill the story by any means they simply ended up being what I expected them to be. Anyway if a stories of social injustice, magic, and super scary obstacle courses are your thing then you should try this book out. I would definitely be willing to read follow up to this book I just hope the story gets more unique as it goes.

3.5

I would like to thank Netgalley and Another Word Press for allowing me to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was a great action packed adventure that alternates between the two main characters, Finn and Rocio. Finn is from a family of old magic and is accepted into school just because of who his family is. Rocio is a magic novice and is not accepted into the school on that reason alone. She has to fight her way in.

This is like the book The Hunger Games but with magic. I would sometimes get confused or lost between the characters with the points of view changing. That being said the story did move at a steady pace so it kept it interesting.

Ruthless magic was a good read , 3.5 stars. It was action packed, a sort of Harry Potter meets Hunger Games. I found it a bit slow to start, but then got caught up in the story of Finn and Rocio.

Thanks Netgalley for a ARC to read and get be my honest opinion.


This book is like Hunger Games, Maze Runner, and Mortal instruments all rolled up in one...but the author puts a good enough spin on it to make it her own. My first by this author and even though Im not a huge fan of dystopian-like books this book made me curious how the Hunger Games would have played out if there had been magic. The book bounces between two main characters, Rocio, and Finn, but there are several key players.

Rocio is a have not in my book, she grew up poor, has to attend a basic school with teachers that have very little Magic experience. She, however, is full of the affinity for magic. She is refused a spot in the North American confederation of Mages college, not because she doesn't deserve a spot but because of where she comes from. She has to take the mages test to either become a champion or have her magic burned out.

Finn is a have.... he has all the best schools, money, family ties...you name it. He has been offered a spot in college but he refuses it. Refuses to take a spot because there are more deserving people who are better at magic than him. He doesn't want to be handed a spot, he wants to earn it. He decided to enter the games with his friend Prisha who was denied a spot, going against his powerful family's wishes.

I enjoyed getting to know the characters and the challenges they face during the exam. There are only so many spots for champion so the battle is cutthroat until the end. Without it facing any spoilers I would definitely continue the series, and recommend it to anyone who likes Hunger Games. I give it Four stars of entertainment! Thanks for a great read.

It wasn't a perfect read but still a very good one!
4,5 stars

The characters are rather classic and functional, except for Finn, who's particularly interesting and touching. It's quite unusual in YA /romance to find a character -especially a male one - who is weak, power wise. I loved his humour and his philosophy of life, and the alternative point of view (his and the main feminine character's one)  was a shame in my opinion. I know that it's a favourite technique for readers and writers, especially in romance stories, but it's also a narrative facility which frequently weakens the story.

However, the story was great. I really appreciated that the drastic situation was credible. In many recent YA books, even much acclaimed ones, I'm disturbed by the incoherence of the dystopic or pseudo dystopic situation, which is clearly artificial, established to make the story possible (in all its excruciating details, even). I know that it's fiction but still it must be plausible for me or I get frustrated or even sickened. In Ruthless Magic the plot, that we discover point by point, was clever and surprising, hard sometimes but never unbearable, and I loved it! In fact a good part of the story is pretty awful, but nothing is gratuitous and the author never unhealthily insist upon the most horrible situations.

The treatment of magic is also quite good. I find difficult in general to visualise something that doesn't exist, but Megan Cress manages it well. The Exam atmosphere is also very efficace and reminded me Brussolo's Peggy Sue books. The revelations were clever and astonishing, I was impressed :)

I hope that the book will be translated in French as I'm sure that it'd be a success!

So in the end a very good book, I'm looking forward reading the sequel, which is quite rare nowadays. I have only one regret: the cover, which is not bad, but rather obsolete, very déjà vu. I also believe that most young readers don't favour anymore faces in their book's covers. Well, in France I'm rather sure about it.