Magic Unleashed

Review originally posted on Geeky Galaxy

You didn't think I was going to get my hands on an urban fantasy and not review it did you? I started Venators: Magic Unleashed only a few days before this post is up, because I work best under pressure, apparently. Or, that's what I keep telling myself. From the description, I went in with high expectations. Read the summary above, “fae, vampires, werewolves, elves and succubi”. What more could I want?

The Plot

The introduction was short and action-filled, with only a few chapters before we dive right into the action. The action doesn't really slow from there, and I mean all the way up until the end! Because of that, I felt like the book wasn't really a full book. It's not a standalone story, so much relies on the next book that it feels like book one and book two may have been randomly cut down the middle. The end didn't feel anything like an end and was a bit too abrupt for my liking. Of course, it's making me want to read the next one, which serves its purpose, but I wish there'd been more of an end, rather than a sudden stop.

The Characters

After about 20%, I couldn't help but feel the characters were a little cliché. You've got Grey, the “weird kid” with long, black hair, always wearing a trench coat. Using his long hair to hide from the world. And then Rune. The beautiful girl, mostly achieving straight As, great at sport, and somehow still friends with the weird kid, even though everything says they shouldn't be. It's a trope I've seen a lot, and it's a little bit tiring. Despite that, I did enjoy the relationship Rune and Grey had. And as the book progressed, they grew into their own characters more, stepping a little away from their clichés. Come the end, they'd grown into two defining characters and I'm intrigued to know where the path takes them next.

As well as Rune and Grey, we've got Beltran, Verida and Tate, all very different characters. Again, Tate could fall into the “old warrior mentor” category. Beltran, though, was probably my favourite character of the lot. He's fun and has a sense of humour, but is also calculating and clearly intelligent. I think there's a lot more to come from him, and I can't wait to read it.

The World

So, this is the fun part! In Venators: Magic Unleashed, we've got somewhere called Eon, which is a separate plane from the world we know. The world was filled with every supernatural creature you could probably imagine, and perhaps some you can't. The author did well balancing the world-building so as not to bombard with too much information in one go. It also has similarities to your average fantasy world, elves have a sense of arrogance, vampires are elegant but violent etc. It's all very familiar, but also different. The introduction of the Venators was an added element that really pulled me into this, and I look forward to reading more about them. The political intrigue with the council of supernatural beings could definitely be explored more, and I hope it is in the next book. There's an element there that could really add something to the world if done right!

Venators is a fast-paced novel about two intertwining stories, Grey Malteer and Rune Jenkins and Rune Jenkins. At the beginning of the story, Rune and Grey are just typical college students. Rune and Grey study for classes and avoid bullies and studying for classes. Rune has a fit of wild anger that erupts whenever she is around anything paranormal. Gray has powers that that that he tries to keep quiet. Through a bit of craziness, Rune and Gray are pulled through a portal into a world of the paranormal: fae, vampires, werewolves, and more. What happened when two unlikely heroes are pulled into a new world?

This is an exciting story. It took me a while to get into it and get to know the characters, but once I did, I enjoyed the plot quite a bit. Rune, for instance, is a flat character in the beginning. I found her reactions to the paranormal to be too much. However, as the book continues onwards, her personality changes, and she comes more into her own. Grey was attacked six years ago. This attack forever changed him. He has spent the last six years living with what happened to him, but knowing that there was more in the world.

I recommend this story to anyone who enjoys some light fantasy. The characters are fun, there is narrative progression, and by the end, you are cheering on the characters.

★ ★ ★ 1/2 (rounded up) This originally appeared at The Irresponsible Reader.
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Back in 2016, I read and blogged about Venators: Through the Arch, which was later picked up by a new publisher, given a re-write, a spiffy new cover, and was re-born as Venators: Magic Unleashed. I haven't read that old post in a long time, and won't until I finish with this one, I'm only linking out of habit. I hate to say it, but I remember very little about the original version of this book beyond a vague grasp of the plot outline, some vague notions of characters and an overall positive regard. Oh, and a strong interest in volume two. This revamped version is stronger, with some of the rough edges smoothed out, and strengths sharpened. Brown Books and Walls made good use of the relaunch. But let's set aside the comparisons and focus on Magic Unleashed.

This is a portal fantasy about a world called Eon, populated by humans, elves, vampires, werewolves, elves, dragons, etc. There are connections between Earth and Eon, allowing travel between the two – although they're not as strong as they once were. It turns out some humans from Earth have a certain invulnerability to the kinds of magic employed by the various races (like a werewolf or vampire bite, but not, say, an invulnerability to a werewolf tearing off their head). Thee humans also have other enhanced physical attributes allowing them to go toe-to-toe in combat with members of these races. Which has made these humans a powerful force for good, and a potentially tyrannical force as well. Eon's known more of the latter lately, which has led to a lack of recruitment.

But now, society's on the verge of collapse into chaos, warring tribes trying to wipe out other races in a fight for dominance, and the end of law. So some people have taken it upon themselves to reintroduce these humans, Venators, to Eon. Enter Tate, a warrior who is convinced that Venators are the key to Eon's survival – he's been to Earth before, and now returns to bring back some people he observed then. Six years ago, he encountered a young teen named Grey Malteer – who was forever changed by their brief encounter. Now in college, Grey is about as well-read in the lore of the supernatural and weird as is possible for someone to be while stuck on Earth and not being known as a crackpot (although he's regarded as pretty eccentric, probably well on his way to crack-pot status).

An acquaintance of his from childhood, now attending the same college, Rune Jenkins is repulsed by the same things that Grey is focused on (while also drawn to them). Rune is totally unprepared to accept that the supernatural is anything but wild fiction until she's attacked by goblins and rescued by a large blue man (the aforementioned Tate). Which really can only make her a believer – or drive her to some sort of psychotic break. Thankfully, she goes with the former. Tate brings Rune and Grey into Eon and sets before them the calling of Venator.

To oversimplify things: from here out, the two are introduced to this world, the beings that populate it, the political realities that govern it (and see them only as pawns), and they begin to embrace their new identities, while engaging in a brief battle or two. While Rune and Grey are introduced to all this, so is the reader – and it's clearly the point of this book – to bring the reader and these two into Eon, give us all a taste of what's to come and help us get to know the players. There is a clear plotline and definite story here – don't get me wrong – but the major function is to provide a foundation for things to come.

The book would have to be a lot longer to serve as anything other than an introduction – the ruling council alone is made up of enough characters we'd need a few more chapters to really get to know them and their goals – although they can be summed up in lust for power and influence for themselves and their race to the possible detriment of every other council member/race. Then you throw in Tate; his allies (however temporary) the vampire Veridia and the shapeshifter Beltran; the two humans; and the council's enemy, Zio – and really, you've got enough players that you really can only skim the surface with in 354 pages.

We get to know Grey and Rune enough to see they're well-developed and three-dimensional, and many of the rest show signs of being that developed, but we don't get to see that fully displayed – but we see enough to know that given the opportunity, the characters will be easily fleshed out. One thing I noted in particular while reading this is just how many seeds Walls planted in the characters and situations to come back to in future installments. This foundation is built in such a way that several books can be built on it – it's really impressive to note.

Yes, this is written for the YA market, so there's a bit more action than others might use. There's a focus on certain kinds of emotional beats, and that sort of thing. But it's more of an accent to the storytelling than other writers would've made it. For some reason, Mercedes Lackey's Hunter series and Brandon Mull's Beyonders Trilogy come to mind as I think about similar series – but the YA-ness of both of those comes through more strongly than it does with this book.

Book Two, Venators: Promises Forged releases today, and I'm hoping to start it in a day or two – I'm looking forward to seeing how Walls takes all these ideas, characters, and potential and develops them. This is a good starting point, and what comes next can't help but be better when she can focus more on exploring the world she's created and shown us rather than just establishing it here. This is a good book and I do encourage people to read it, but its foundational nature should be borne in mind.