Atticus

I had the pleasure of reading an ARC for Atticus from the lovely gang over at NetGalley! All opinions are my own.

This book was really captivating, with a fascinating magic system, an interesting cast of characters and an intense romance between two young magic users. Well… one young magic user and one 500 year old magic user in the body of a 20 year old.

The main character Atticus is absolutely one of those marmite characters - you either love him or you hate him. Having lost his family brutally at a young age, he sets out to destroy their killers - a group of ‘immortals’, magical humanoid creatures who can’t die by the usual methods. Even given his background, Atticus is not a sympathetic character and takes ‘morally grey’ to new levels. He is petty, a bully and addicted to drugs and sex.

Our other main character, and Atticus’s love interest is Dominic, a sweet golden retriever of a boy who is trying his best to get by after his brother was put into a coma by a freak accident. Atticus realises that he needs to ‘steal’ Dominic’s unique brand of magic in order to kill the immortals and in exchange for this he agrees to help bring Dominic’s brother out of his coma.

I thought this book overall was well written and the magical world was fascinating. I thought it did let itself down towards the end, as I thought some of the plot points started to get confused, for example why Atticus was trying to ‘steal’ power in the first place, when he probably could have just asked Dominic to help him!

All in all, a good read for fans of magical history like ‘A marvellous light’ and ‘A taste of gold and iron’.

I absolutely loved this book! From the world to the characters, everything was just right. The magic was so intriguing and unlike anything i’ve read before yet so easy to understand. I really enjoyed the setting throughout the whole book but especially London. The old school campus, the architecture and just the way of life was so fun to read and I was immersed from the start.
The characters were amazing, Atticus is definitely someone im going to remember and I loved his relationship with Vec! Seeing him evolve throughout the book and become this strong, independent person was so enjoyable.
The pacing was good and the dual pov was really interesting, it really helped to understand Dominic more as a character and I loved him so much.
I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who loves a dark fantasy romance.

Speechless!!(figuratively, seeing that I'm about to review this🤡) A dark historic-urban-fantasy romance??? She's hitting ALL the spots here 😩😩

Right of the bat, the author successfully weaves so many elements together in a cohesive manner, that alone is pretty commendable, and the plot was great! Bit of edgy and gritty, but with a touch of humor and warmth and heartbreak.

The world is also amazing. I loved seeing the duality from the 1400s to the 1890s, how a world with magic developed over the centuries. I was fascinated by the different branches of magic changed over time, either becoming obsolete or more prominent, and how bloodlines were affected by it. I liked the concept of a characters shift through major time periods and its implications regarding their old magics contrasting with that in the new world. I thought it was fun and the author did a good job exploring it. 🧙🏻‍♂️🧙🏻‍♂️🧙🏻‍♂️

Speaking of characters, Atticus has had a traumatic past, and I totally get why he feels that he has to do what he's doing. And the stuff he got into while pretending to be a student was WILD😭 Nasty boy, that guy. Gotta admit, he can be pretty smooth though, and soon enough he's got Dominic going along with his plans.

And Dominic! Such a cutie. A soft boi from a line of magic users with powers so dark they're basically outlawed and had to live in hiding. He has no idea Atticus knows and is using him, poor child😔😔

The supporting characters were great as well. I love the guardian/ward relationship Atticus has with his mentor and friend, after experiencing the tragic loss of his family. Dom's university friends and his family fit in well too, with the latter playing a pivotal role in the driving force of the plot.

It was really fun to watch them at it, basically two university students taking on high society with their little adventuring and snooping, mixed with some magic, love, deception and some bi-awakenings 🤩🤩 Watching their bond develop was a major plus. The way they weren't friendly at first and then coming to rely on each other while their relationship grows into something more.

I finished it in one sitting. It being low-angst and fairly straightforward helped a lot with the pacing. It wasn't overly dark either to be fair, having to mostly do with the death magic and general circumstance.

Overall it was a fun read. I think the author really hit the nail on the head with this one. It was entertaining and I was very much engaged with the story and the characters. I really have no complaints, but perhaps there were a few loose ends that could perhaps lead to a sequel maybe??

Incredible book! From the world building to even the side characters, everything is so well thought out. The way that time travel was incorporated so untraditionally and the difference in the world and magic between the two times was so well written. The way the magic is described is very unlike any books I've read, and I was fascinated by the difference in the core magic in between the years. I absolutely fell for Dominic, he's so hurt and suppressing so much. This book made me feel so many emotions. The ending made me cry, and I'm crossing my fingers for a sequel.

Potential spoilers in incoming!
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I tried to steer clear of too much info on This book was such a fun read! It was fast paced and I finished it in two sittings. (I have a soft spot for achedemia and slow burn fantasy though 🤭)

The head first dive into dealing with trauma and how it effects you differently over the years felt raw and authentic

I loved the magic systems in it. They were well thought out and seemlessly intergrated .

The slow burn was very much a SLOW burn that it eventually had me screaming at my Kindle but it was worth it in the end.

The only criticism I have on this book is that I wish things were dissected a little more. A deeper dive into the magic systems. Really fleshing out characters perspectives. I get that it would have very much changed the pacing but I just wanted to keep learning more about these characters and their world!

Would absolutely recommend this book and feel so honoured to be chosen to read it before release! Will absolutely be getting a copy for my trophy shelf on release date!! 💜💜

I really, really enjoyed this one. I love a good fantasy novel, and this one hit all the right beats for me. The world building wasn't overly complicated and the urban fantasy aspect of the 1890s was great, the magic system made sense and was properly explained, and the characters themselves were fantastic.

I loved Atticus, he's full of angst and that's exactly how I like a protagonist. Dominic was great as the love interest, and the way their relationship grows and evolves over the course of the book was fantastic.

It's a pretty straightforward book, which I appreciated it. It starts with a bang and keeps going strong up until the conclusion. There's no earth shattering plot twists, just a straightforward adventure from point a to point z. The university setting also added a fun aspect to the overall story.

I fully recommend this if you're looking for a fun, quick, magical fantasy m/m read.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me access to this arc.

4.5 stars / 5 stars

Things I loved:
Amazing plot and world building
Loved that it was set in past, showing up magic was developed
Impossible to put down
Magic aspect was definitely enjoyable
Things I didn’t love:
Didn’t overalls enjoy atticus as a character