This was an okay read. I found the characters a bit too unbelievable at times with how they would react to what just happened. This could have been better if there was a bit more attention paid to the characters.

I received a copy of this book for a fair and honest review. I wanted to read this book because the concept throw me for a loop when I first saw the description. It was the magical people going after the non-magical people. I was not sure why they were so much of a threat but I did enjoy the world creation and the uniqueness of the characters. I want to see what else could happen in this world. There is a few more things I want to say about this book but that would give away more of the good parts.

Interesting read. There were times I was loving this book and other times I wished the characters would all die. I will reserve my judgement until reading the next book in the series.

I really wish I could have liked In the Name of Magic more than I did. The premise sounded great, and I opened the book expecting a ripping good read. Sadly, I didn't get it. I wanted to give the book a fair chance, so I pushed through to the end, but it was a struggle to make myself finish. The problem was not the idea, which could have worked brilliantly, but the writing, especially as relates to character development. There was no chemistry in any of the relationships, all of which felt forced, unrealistic and which sprang up out of nowhere. The dialogue was often stilted and unnatural, and the way characters reacted in certain situations was nothing short of bizarre. [SPOILER ALERT] If you'd found of the mangled bodies of your parents, who'd been brutally murdered, would your reaction be to say nothing but 'Oh dear' and then to be concerned about whether you should dump your boyfriend only a few pages later? [END SPOILER ALERT] There was no real tension or emotion. So many terrible events took places, but they just seemed to wash over the characters as if nothing had happened. I had other gripes about plotting and pacing, too; however, I don't want this review to feel too much like an onslaught of complaints. To end on something positive, I would say that the story's premise is good. I liked the idea of the magical vs. non-magical debate as a metaphor reflecting current issues in society, and I enjoyed the concept of the police wolves and detention centres, and their resonance with WWII concentration camps. Unfortunately, I couldn't connect with the book overall, and therefore I can only give it two stars.

Thank you, NetGalley and the publisher for a chance to read this novel!
DNF: 60%

I wanted to love this book so much, it had everything I look for; magic, fantasy, romance and diversity. Unfortunately, this novel wasn't for me.

Normally, I am a super fast reader, but this took me nearly 2 weeks to get to around the 60% mark. I didn't connect to, or particularly like, any of the characters, especially Taylor and Max.

I did really like the relationship between Stephen and Max, but there were only a few glimpses of them together and I felt like they needed a bit more relationship development between them.

Some shocking things happened in this book, which would have been extremely gripping had the characters even cared about what was going on. I felt like everyone took the things that happened with a pinch of salt, brushed it all under the carpet and wouldn't take it seriously enough, they were so blasé about everything and therefore the whole storyline lacked tension and suspense for me personally.

I loved how Max's parents, especially his mum, were so involved throughout the novel. Like in many YA/NA books nowadays, parents always seem to be absent, that's not the case with this book.

I found there to be too much internal monologue on Max's part and it took away from the story and what was actually happening.

I didn't agree with most of the decisions Max made, for example, (POTENTIAL SPOILER) drugging his parents so he and his friends (including Katherine who is a fugitive) could go to the royal masquerade ball and have a party.

I felt like this had so much potential, I love the storyline and plot idea and I am so sad that this ended up not being my cup of tea.

Overall, I can see why people would love this and while it wasn't for me, I would definitely recommend trying this out if it sounds like something you would enjoy!

I liked the story, liked the plot and most of the characters. Max is a tough one coz at some points I found him arrogant. Kinda feel sorry for Stefan with that ending. I liked the way the magic works without any needless chants. Towards the end it felt a bit superhero. Fast paced, contains death, violence and romance.

Having found many of NineStar Press' inclusive LGBTQIA+ fantasy books to be pretty solid, I thought this sounded like another great read, and it turned out to be exactly that. Although based in a fantasy world known as Magnifico, Bedell explores, within the context of the story, some prevalent real-world issues. This, for me, is what sets this novel apart from the rest. It pits non-magical people against those who have magic at their disposal in a violent and bloody dystopian world, and it is possible to draw parallels between this conflict and those between different religions. races and orientations that are sadly too often observed in reality.

There are some very well executed concepts in this novel, but what certainly stood out most for me was the masterful characterisation. It's really quite difficult to believe that this is the author's debut as the character, both likeable and unlikeable, are beautifully drawn, and because of this, I found it easy to get drawn into the story and invested in the outcome for the characters. Amongst the topics the book explores are LGBTQIA+ issues, discrimination, tyranny, oppression, abuse of power, love, economics and politics. Emotive, well-written and action-packed, with a warning for graphic violence, this was a thoroughly enjoyable fantasy. I feel this will be particularly appreciated by readers who loved Victoria Aveyard's Red Queen series. I look forward to checking out Bedell's future publications.

Many thanks to NineStar Press for an ARC. I was not required to post a review, and all thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.

I couldn't connect to the characters or really get a feel for this world that consists of magical people who look down on those without magic. In some ways it reminded me of the Red Queen series.
I think the thing that threw me off so much with In the Name of Magic was how stilted the dialog was. I didn't feel any chemistry. I do love that this is a lgbtq story. And the cover is beautiful. 💫💙

Thank you so much to the publisher, author, and Netgalley for allowing me to read and review In the Name of Magic.

Politics, oppression,tyrannical monarchy,discrimination and love are all included in this magical novel. Non-magical people vs magical people pitted against each other in this Dystopian world. Chris Bedell did well with bringing the various characters to life and bringing a emotional political story to your heart.