Reviews

Crimes Against Magic by Steve McHugh

maraya21's review

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2.0

✖️ "Sure, Why Not" BR @ MacHalo Asylum ✖️

DNF @ P229 (56% - Ch.25)

⭐ 2.5 Stars ⭐

maniactoon's review

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dark tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.25

I wish this book was longer. I really enjoy the premise but the epic scope of what is happening isn't really allowed to flourish with the short page count. The majority of page time is spent explaining the backstory and giving you context for the events unfolding in real time. It's a great plot, but without the time needed to establish the character relationships, the emotional moments just didn't really land for me. I didn't realize this was his first published book until I finished it, so I am certainly intrigued enough to check out the sequels to see how much he's improved.  

readaholicliv's review

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4.0

The shocked expression that crossed Francis’ face caused me to smile.

“Yes, sixteen hundred,” I said. “And I don’t even moisturize.”


Before going any further, I wanted to make note that this book (at least at the time of this review) is available on Kindle Unlimited to read and listen to for free. This was the medium I chose to read/listen to this book.

I long ago noticed that majority of the times if a Kindle Unlimited book comes with free narration, chance are it isn’t a fantasy genre book. That said, it was refreshing to see one pop up as a suggestion, and even more elating to see it was a series.

When I was younger, very hungry to uncover new genres, one of the first Urban Fantasy series I dabbled in was The Dresden Files by Jim Butcher. To date, I’m still a big fan of this series, as it was a stepping stone for the ultimate discovery that I love Urban Fantasy and Paranormal books. In some ways, this book reminded me of the Dresden books.

Sometimes I got so used to not answering questions about my life, or forming lies about it, that I forget about asking others.


Nathan Garret, the main protagonist, is a Pandora’s Box of complex. He lost all his memories ten years ago, besides what he assumes is his name—which was sloppily written on a piece of paper. Since then, he’s built a life for himself; has friends, allies. Expect a series of events put him on the grid for folks from his past—from before his memory wipe.

Despite memory loss, Nate is exceptionally resourceful, especially in a pinch. He’s done some heroic things and isn’t a bad guy, but he has done and will do bad things. Sometimes he’ll do those bad things without much remorse, situation depending. That said, I still probably wouldn’t define him as an antihero, but he’s certainly capable of some dark stuff if it’s called for.

Contrary to popular belief, there is honor amongst thieves. It just comes in a monetary form.


Something of note is that this book—and suspect the series as a whole—has substantial amounts of violence, sometimes filled with gore and sexual content. If you’re looking for a book or series to not have these things, this series probably isn’t for you.

Other than that, I gave this book a solid 4.5 stars. I rarely give 5 star ratings, as I save those for the cream of the crop books that swept me away like a broom in a dusty room. That being said, I gave it 4 stars, as Good Reads only allows full starred ratings. Give it a read if the above sounds appealing.

Hewas her mum’s boyfriend, Phil, who from all accounts was a nasty pieces of shit. And when a thief calls you a nasty piece of shit, you just know you’re not a good person.

caeralee's review

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3.0

Feels like It took me forever to get through this book, was hard to hold my attention. I'd only give it 2 stars but the end of the book was much more action packed than the rest (which is what I like) and redeemed the book a bit

daisy222de's review against another edition

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adventurous dark tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? N/A
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

terrafyd's review

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adventurous dark emotional sad tense fast-paced

3.5

lc200's review against another edition

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2.0

I had to read this for Book Group. I really hate Urban Fantasy, and this has not changed my opinion at all.

themanfromdelmonte's review against another edition

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3.0

This is an ‘and they went’ book. There’s not much in the way of character development, it’s just a series of events. The dual timeline doesn’t seem to serve any real purpose.
I could go on about the lack of character interaction but there’s no point. Thankfully it was only £1 on Kindle so only my time is wasted.

ameserole's review against another edition

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4.0

Crimes Against Magic was a really enjoyable audio book. Nate Garrett was completely lovable and mysterious. He was a thief and a sorcerer. However, that's not all. Nope, he also lost his memories some how.

Throughout the story, there are some smutty-ish scenes. Then there's Nate who is trying to figure out who he was before he woke up with no memories. The mystery behind how or why this happened to him was pretty interesting. I couldn't put the audio on pause to save my life! I just needed to find out how it was going to end.

Besides the mystery, there are the supporting characters in this book. Out of all of them, I really liked Holly and Dani. I was so sad and disappointed with the ending because of what happened between Nate and Holly. I hope she will be in the second book.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. The villain was great and I have a feeling that he will somehow be back. Then learning about all the crimes against magic and what it would do to a sorcerer was interesting as well. I can't wait to open up the next audio in this series.

cressthebookdragon's review against another edition

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5.0

The story itself is really good, and well written. One thing that bugged me is that women just sorta fall into his lap. Literally. I listened to the audiobook version, and the man did really a really good job narrating, but the voice he did for when women talked annoying me.