Nathan Delacroix, a vampire hunter-in-training, is on the brink of his eighteenth birthday, and, in turn, his initiation into being an official hunter. However, despite coming from a long line of vampire hunters, he has reservations about the path chosen for him. This line of work doesn’t encourage association with the type of friends he has: a vampire here, a witch there, even his hunter-turned-vampire uncle otherwise ostracized by the Delacroix family. On top of this, after seeking out a bit of normalcy, he discovers his new girlfriend is a shapeshifter.
Started Reading – April 6, 2022
Finished Reading – April 15, 2022
3 stars.
This story follows Nathan as he fights to preserve the safety of his friends and make sense of the path he wants to take whilst weaving his way through the convoluted and corrupted politics of the triumvirate of the Hunter, Witch, and Vampire Councils.
The magic laws and systems in this novel were a bit hard to follow at first, but questions I had were answered in time (namely the nature of this world’s magic, what creatures have it vested in them, and who can use it despite their non-magical essence). The political environment explored is a significant focal point of the story and intriguing.
We see Nathan’s internal conflict as he calls into question the morals of the Hunter’s Council his family is ever-loyal to, but I would’ve liked to see it more in-depth so I could really feel for him and his struggle. His best friend, Monica, an impassioned and impulsive figure, has infinite care for Nathan, and whilst she utilizes her agency, it’s primarily in context to our protagonist, kind of fixing her up as just a side character rather than a person unto herself. Cynthia, Nathan’s love interest, is pretty and sweet, but outside of her role as the girlfriend and occasional damsel-in-distress, I had a harder time connecting to her. The intrigue of her shapeshifting ability is used once to evoke awe, and later to very briefly contribute to the climax, and I would’ve liked to see it explored a bit more. I did really enjoy Adrian, Nathan’s hunter-turned-vampire uncle. Of all of the characters, his history and being are most compelling as we see better-developed conflict in internal and external morals surrounding his nature as recognized by others, and his ability to keep himself aligned to his own principles. Aside from this, he fills the story out as comedic relief and gets away with it because he has enough solid characterization to withstand the archetype.
At times when reading this, I found it a tad difficult to orient myself to the story. Some of the dialogue seemed a bit stilted, and I felt I had to fill in more visual descriptions on my own rather than absorbing something that was provided. Despite this, it’s an enjoyable read.
If you’re drawn to paranormal stories with witches, vampires, and the like within the intended audience of the YA market, you may enjoy this novel! It was surely a nice way to pass the time, and I’m looking to continue this series.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Have you read or do you plan on reading Wicked Magic by Margot de Klerk? Did you like it? Why, or why not? Do you have any urban fantasy recommendations? I’d love to hear your thoughts below!
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