A review by readaholicliv
Crimes Against Magic by Steve McHugh

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.