This story was absolutely fantastic, gripping me from the very beginning. I loved how well-developed the characters were and the tension between them. The plot kept me on the edge of my seat and the imagery was beautifully crafted. Overall, I am incredibly impressed and pleased with this story!

Loved this story! A mix of fantasy, romantasy, mystery, and drama. Can't wait for the series to continue to find out what happens to the characters throughout this series. Told from multiple points of view with well developed characters and an intriguing plot.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this arc in exchange for an honest review.

The Temptation of Magic is a great debut novel by Megan Scott. It's a fast-paced dark macadamia romance that enthralled me from start to finish. The writing was well done and the pov was easy for me to follow, has my favorite fated mate's trope with a well-done magic system and I can't wait to read the rest of the trilogy.

A lush dark academic love letter to art history and the supernatural. This book was so fun and so atmospheric. The mystery at its center was well woven and the conflict/sexual tension between the two main characters had me holding my breath. And of course it had everything you’d want in a paranormal romance—primal powers and dark urges, all set to a backdrop of a moody coastal town.
I particularly loved the villain in this one and some of his dialogue, especially in the big face off. I was either laughing or going !!!!
I just can’t wait a year and a day for the next one.

I enjoyed this, I found the concept interesting and unique, the magic system within felt well done. I love complex magic systems so much, and I enjoyed this one a lot. I like magical creatures, and the ones in this were new to me and complex though easy to understand. I will say that this did have my least favourite trope in it, but I am impressed by how it was executed, which is the mark of a good story for me. Overall I really liked this, and I think that the sequel will be even better, and I cannot wait to read that already!

I loved everything about this book. The setting is fantastic (a small university town in Cornwall), there are dark academic vibes galore, the two main characters—Nicole and Kyan—have real chemistry, and the plot is a wonderful blend of fantasy, romance, and intrigue. I especially loved the writing style. There are some real gems of lines in this book!

This was a good read that I could see teens loving (the most important thing for a YA book!) and I mostly enjoyed it. For me, one of my favorite parts was the easily readable writing style; even though the book is decently sized, it didn't feel that way when reading. Though it was fairly slow-paced to begin with, the worldbuilding was striking and the dual POV engaging. It does, however have several pitfalls of a YA debut, and that came in the shape of both protagonists (and their romance) feeling a little underdeveloped. I felt there was a lack of spark and chemistry between Nicole and Kyan throughout most of the book. As a lot of the story did hinge on the romance, that was an issue for me. But the dark academia(ish) vibes and worldbuilding-through-art was a unique, interesting concept that held the most attention for me. Looking forward to seeing where Scott takes her writing next.

I am extremely obsessed. This is seriously a perfect book for me. One of my tops this year by far. I couldn’t put it down!
The Temptation of Magic is a fast paced, romantic, mysterious dark academia with a unique magic system and art conspiracy with a dash of forbidden romance. It’s exciting and addicting and I cannot wait for the next book. Well done, Megan Scott!

I have been thinking about this book since I finished it. Usually, I forget a plot no matter how much I enjoyed the book. Not this time. I can’t wait to add a physical copy to my shelves. Five gold stars for me! Thank you so much to Netgalley & HarperCollins for the ARC!

The Temptation of Magic takes some well-known elements and plot points from fantasy and blends them with some unique creatures and lore. I enjoyed the dark academia with one college student MC studying supernatural art. I loved the setting of a sleepy coastal university town steeped in the supernatural thanks to its residents.

It took me a while to get through this, I found myself picking up other books instead once I had started it. The pacing was kind of slow and not what I'd call a page turner.

I genuinely liked the main and side characters who remain in the story, the family ties and friendships built over centuries rather than years. I also really liked the dual POVs, and that there was no third act breakup or big fight between the love interests, which is often found at the end of book 1 in a series with romance and used as a vehicle to drive tension or separation of those characters.

I will say, this read more like New Adult to me with college (and immortal) aged main characters, and the "spicy" scene near the end, which I'd imagine would increase in future books.

The Temptation of Magic follows Nicole, a half Seer, half Empyreal, who is living in hiding in a small coastal town. If her Empyreal powers are ever triggered she will be forcibly inducted into the Wake - a powerful organization that all Empyreals must swear their loyalty to. When Nicole's mentor is murdered and an important painting goes missing, one of the Empyreal's most skilled hunters is called in to solve the mystery. Kyan and Nicole are thrown together to track the thief and are instantly drawn to one another despite all the reasons Nicole should stay far, far away.

I really enjoyed reading from Nicole and Kyan's points of view as they worked together to solve this mystery and also played a cat and mouse game of their own. Their chemistry was palpable and it was fun to watch them tease out more of the mystery surrounding the Wake. The middle dragged a bit for me and I wish there had been more of an emphasis on the side characters, particularly Nicole's siblings and best friend.

Overall I'm excited to read the next book in this new trilogy!

I received an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Special thanks to Netgalley and HarperCollins Children’s Books for this ARC! Nicole Palmer is an Empyreal - a rare shapeshifter hunted by a shadowy organization called the Wake. She studies art at a small university in England, convinced that its mythological art collection has a final message from her mother. However, before she can study it, Kyan McCarter (also an Empyreal) arrives with a mission of his own. When they find out that the painting Nicole wants to study was stolen for leverage, they agree to work together.

The book is written in Nicole’s and Kyan’s point of view, and it was fun to see their banter and their progression of their relationship throughout the story. They made such a great team, and there were definitely some spice sprinkled in.
Overall, I enjoyed this book. It has a mix of dark academia, fantasy, and romance, the characters are well developed and quite relatable, and the story itself (though sometimes a bit slow) was interesting.

I think one of the standout features was the world-building - I thought it was interesting to mesh the idyllic setting of Cornwall with the striking descriptions of the magical creatures found in the book. I thought the use of art, and its use as a way to hide secret messages was innovative. There were plenty of twists and turns while reading too, and made the book more intriguing.

Slow to start but once I got about ⅓ of the way in, I was hooked! Kyan and Nicole are such great characters and I found myself rooting for them very early on. So glad this is a series so I can continue to learn more about their journey.

Thank you to Netgalley and Little, Brown Books for Young Readers/Christy Ottaviano Books for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review.
This fast paced adventure was hard to put down. I find myself really falling in love with books with dual POVs and tend to want to hear the audiobook version just to hear the different narrations. I don't know much of Celtic mythology, but seeing it weaved into the world made me want to read more Celtic. While I'm not for fated mates tropes, I am a sucker for good enemies-to-lovers which this book had plenty for me. I really liked Nicole and her art loving personality and watching her struggle against being drawn to Kyan was such a treat. The fact this is a trilogy makes me dread having to wait so long for book 2, but I will wait!

The Temptation of Magic is an interesting urban fantasy with a unique plot and lovely characters!

First, I absolutely adored these characters! Remi and Bells became two of my favorites!! Nicole’s and Dylan’s sibling dynamic was so lovely to read. Kyan and Nicole had great banter and I loved how their relationship developed throughout the book. Him being so protective of her while she was so adamant about not trusting him was funny and I loved it!

The focus on art and its history in this world was so amazing!! The descriptions throughout this book were very detailed and the writing was so lovely. Although this book was very slow to start, it was very entertaining and enjoyable. Once it started to pick up, I didn’t want to put this book down!!

Overall, I enjoyed it and will definitely be waiting to see how this story continues!! Thank you NetGalley and Harper Collins for the arc! All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Megan Scott’s debut was a fast-paced, adventurous fantasy that was difficult to put down. I enjoyed the dual POVs between both main characters and I loved the aspects of Celtic Mythology that were included in the world-building. I also really liked the dark academia aspects of the book and it’s focus on art and history and how they were incorporated into the progression of the plot.

I’m looking forward to continuing on with the series as it’s released.

Thank you NetGalley and HarperCollins Children’s Books for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Overall this was a lovely romantasy debut by an author to watch. While many of the elements will be familiar to fantasy readers (university town, enemies to lovers, supernatural creatures, secret societies, repressed magical abilities, and etc.) I enjoyed the familiarity of it rather than being frustrated — and Megan Scott includes enough unique aspects (secrets in an art collection, variations on classic supernatural creatures, etc.) that it still feels fresh and intriguing. And the POV characters were easy to root for, both as individuals dealing with past trauma and as a couple.

My main note is that I would shelve this as decidedly new adult, rather than YA, due to the university setting, overall independence of the main characters, and mature content.

This book was soo good. It had all my favorite themes and didn't disappoint and before I knew it the books was over. I don't usually like dark academia, but this was right up my alley. I am looking forward to the next book.

Thank you Netgalley for a chance to read this eARC in exchange for my free honest review.

Secrets upon secrets, a hint of dark academia, a supernatural world - this one checked all my boxes, and I really enjoyedit. It was by no means perfect - some of it dragged a bit, but I loved the story, the lore, the supernatural world as a whole. I want more of it, and I will 100% be reading the next book.

This book reminded me of why it's important to read reviews before volunteering to read something because I'm not really a fan of paranormal fantasies...which is the main reason I'm trying to be generous with this review.

The Temptation of Magic is a paranormal fantasy that probably falls in the New Adult age range. It also has a lot of fan-favorite tropes, but unfortunately, they were not tropes that I enjoy. Because this was mostly a mistake on my part, I'm trying not to hold it against the book itself that I didn't really enjoy parts of it. I'm sorry.
Nicole is an Empyreal (basically a natural monster hunter who transforms into other monsters to kill) and a Seer who is trying to hide her true nature lest she be taken away by the evil secret government called the Wake. She stumbles across Kyan, an Empyreal from the Wake, and the two have intertwining goals regarding a mysterious piece of artwork and a Specter out for revenge. The pacing was fine, and I thought there were a few plot twists that caught my attention too. The story ends in a way that's both satisfying and opens the series to future installments. Overall, the action and the mystery elements of the plot were what kept me engaged.
My biggest struggle with the book was connecting with the characters, and again, I think it was my fault for not checking the tropes beforehand. I didn't mind Nicole and Kyan's relationship, and I thought their personalities were fairly intriguing. I'm interested in seeing the dynamic between Dylan and Callum develop because I might have been reading it wrong, but I sensed some weird tension between them. I also hope Remi is more relevant in the next book.
Fans of tropes like fated mates, enemies-to-lovers, and protective/broody love interests will enjoy The Temptation of Magic.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the free e-ARC!

3.5/5

This was a wonderful start to a new fantasy trilogy! The world building was excellent, the characters were well-crafted, and aside from a slight pacing issue in the middle, the plot was super compelling. Can't wait for the next book!