Interesting. I had some trouble with the plot, but it had its clever moments.

I'm a big fan of spooky small town mysteries. Devils and Thieves also has magical motorcycle clubs which is even better. And I did like the world of magical family legacies that Jennifer Rush created. Each family has a predominant power that they pass down through generations, though not everyone inherits it. And there are about a dozen possible types of magic that can manifest, like controlling animals or manipulating the body.

The MCs are made up of people from several different families, though the leadership tends to pass from father to son. Each club runs their own businesses and feuds with other clubs just like on Sons of Anarchy. The book has a very different vibe from that show, but I did feel like it was helpful to have watched it because I might not have known some of the MC vocabulary otherwise.

As interesting as all of that was, what kept me engaged was the book's compelling mystery plot. It was a really fast, hard to put down, one sitting read. Because Jemmie's trying to find her missing friend at a festival, I also got a Scooby Doo kind of vibe, though not in a bad way.

But there's something that bugs me. It's more a comment on the publisher than the book itself so I'm trying not to let it affect my review, even though I found it distracting. I keep wondering why it's YA. The main character is eighteen and has graduated and her love interests are twenty, which I think technically makes it new adult. The only explanation I can see is that the romance never goes any farther than kissing and NAs tend to be more graphic, but there's no reason they have to be. And I felt like Crowe's motivation in particular was pretty mature. I'm an adult, though not a particularly new one, and still found it relatable.

I'm curious about how Jemmie and Crowe's relationship will change as the series goes on since Jemmie is very different at the end of the book than she was at the beginning. That makes Devils and Thieves feel like an origin story and I'm looking forward to seeing where the story goes.

Title: Devils & Thieves
Author: Jennifer Rush
Series: Devils & Thieves #1
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Publisher: Little Brown Books for Young Readers
Pub Date: October 3. 2017
Pages: 336
My Copy: Courtesy of NetGalley and Little Brown

Book Summary:

Eighteen-year-old Jemmie Carmichael has grown up surrounded by magic in the quiet town of Hawthorne, New York. In her world, magic users are called "kindled," and Jemmie would count herself among them if only she could cast a simple spell without completely falling apart. It doesn't help that she was also recently snubbed by Crowe, the dangerous and enigmatic leader of the Black Devils kindled motorcycle gang and the unofficial head of their turf.

When the entire kindled community rolls into Hawthorne for an annual festival, a rumor begins spreading that someone is practicing forbidden magic. Then people start to go missing. With threats closing in from every side, no one can be trusted. Jemmie and Crowe will have to put aside their tumultuous history to find their loved ones, and the only thing that might save them is the very flaw that keeps Jemmie from fully harnessing her magic. For all her years of feeling useless, Jemmie may just be the most powerful kindled of all.

Book Review:

An awesome book that I couldn’t put down. For a first book in this series, it delivered in a way that was spectacular. The main character is someone who just shines in this book as they grow in a lot of ways.

Jemmie Carmichael has some issues when this book starts. I like how we start off with her hanging with her friend, Alex. Alex and Jemmie are doing typical female things and see someone that they don’t like, Katrina belongs to the Sixes, which is an ally of the Black Devils. Alex is the sibling of Crowe, who is the leader of the Black Devils. They pull a prank and it makes them both laugh, but Katrina is not happy and this causes both Alex and Jemmie some problems.

So of course, Alex’s brother Crowe makes Jemmie use her magic to bind Alex’s power so that Alex learns not to disrespect him or his decisions in a way. Jemmie doesn’t like to use her powers. She really hates them and feels sick when she is around magic. It’s like she grew up around magic, but it doesn’t work for her. Everyone tells her to practice it. No one knows Jemmie’s secret. She has kept a lot of things. We also learn that Crowe and Jemmie had a thing or almost did. Their relationship is complicated to say the least. Not to mention things get iffy as Jemmie is kind of seeing someone else that Crowe doesn’t know about. Derek is a Death Stalker and that is the rival gang of the Black Devils so this is not good. Yet we learn that Derek doesn’t have magic or so we are led to believe.

We learn that when certain people go missing, every group is blaming one another. This is causing some major issues between the groups and no one is looking for the people in a calm and organized way. Plus people are claiming to have seen certain others with other people, even though they claim that isn’t true. Lady Jane, who’s gift is to tell the future and your death, tells Jemmie that she is more important than she realizes. She has a gift and not to be afraid to use it. Plus we learn that what people are seeing could be an illusion.

Also in the book, we learn about Blood Magic and how bad it can be used. Jammie’s father also comes back to investigate for the Syndicate. He fears for Crowe. So of course Jemmie has to deal with her own issues with her father. Jammie’s father and her have a conversation about things that he should have talked about to her a long time ago. This conversation was so good, as it illuminated a lot of things that she thought were not the truth, but sometimes things happen in life to people that change them and he was changed by it. So this makes things so much easier for the two of them to move forward.

This book had a lot of twists and turns. We learn that Darek is the one who has abducted people for his own sick, twisted purpose. He wants to become the most powerful Kindled of all. He is actually the son of a very bad Kindled who died many years ago. His true identity was concealed for his own safety. He actually is stealing other people’s Kindled Magic via some very old spells and a certain object. He almost drains Jemmie at one point of her magic, which is bad, but she certainly regains it when she tells Crowe about what she has seen and grabs them back. Her magic is to sense Aura’s and this makes her different and more powerful than she thought.

What happens next is utter craziness and more people with different kindled abilities get kidnapped. So now the stakes get higher and a wild crazy fight ensues between Darek, Crowe and Jemme. They are doing everything they can to win. What happens during this crazy fight scene which was wonderful by the way to read, is that Jemmie and Darek have some intense dialogue and Jemmie almost dies, but comes back to life and is different now that she absorbed what Darek had taken from others. She is now the person that she never thought she would be. This young woman finds herself staring at someone she doesn’t even recognizes. She killed Darek to save everybody else.

A great start to what looks like an awesome series.

Rating:

Five Hearts

Really enjoyed this one. Although it's a little predictable and there's little mystery as to who the "bad guy" is, that didn't detract from what is still a fun and compelling story. The cliffhanger ending also had me excited for the next book in the series. Ultimately, despite a lack of mystery I still had a lot of fun reading this one and I think teens will too. Definitely worth a purchase.

A truly unique story of magic and motorcycle clubs. A bit of a mix between a Harry Potter and Twilight, Rush offers a different look at magic and how it effects its characters. Jemmie, a timid girl who can see and smell magic, but thinks she cannot harness her own, is put to the ultimate test. Friendship, family and love are woven throughout, as well as a heavy dose of good vs. evil. Although this tale is complete, I need to know that there's a sequel, because Jemmie's story is not over, she has some greatness and some evil to still contend with! You're going to like this one, guaranteed!

If you're looking for a love-triangley biker gang themed romp with magic, then this is the book for you.

I wasn't completely satisfied with this story. It read like a mash-up of other stories without a truly original twist. The plot was pretty straightforward with few real surprises.

I think the danger in offering a tough, badass type of story is that it sets its readers up for disappointment when it can't meet that promise. This book felt like a watered down version with weak dialogue and forgettable characters.

This book is absolutely amazing! Jennifer Rush is one of my top favorite authors so when I heard her she has a new series, I immediately added it to my most anticipated books of 2017. And wow, she didn't disappoint! I LOVED IT—I love all things magic, thieves, and swoonworthy romance, I even loved the cover! The plot and concept was very original, the characters were totally unforgettable and authentic, and the romance defintely made my heart flutter. I loved the description of Crowe, he's so badass and totally my type of book boyfriend. The whole story was unputdownable and epic. I highly recommend it! Can't wait for the second book!

Wow! This was such a fresh and unique novel--I've never quite read anything like it and I absolute adored it!

The main character, Jemmie, had a voice that stood out--both funny and refreshing. Her character had a lot of growth to it as well, going from a somewhat childish girl who was afraid to use her magic to someone who owned up to what she had inside her and taking things into her own hands. I adored her! Her thought process and inner monologues were great.

I thought the plot was fast paced and it had plenty of action and I loved it. Paired with good word building, it just made this book all the better! I wouldn't have been able to stay up all night otherwise to read this in a sitting.

I don't know what to say about the romance because it definitely is a weird situation. It didn't go exactly how I'd planned, which was for the better. At the same time, there also wasn't a lot of it, which kind of surprised me? But, anyway, that was also for the better: it left more for tension and for any sort of development.

My one complaint was with how the magic "types" were mentioned. Most of the different types didn't have an outright explanation on what they did, no matter how brief; instead, the author indirectly told you by letting you know what the character did. While I do believe that was the better way to go, after a time, whenever a magic type was mentioned, I sort of forgot what that ability DID. And the types were mentioned a lot! Along with what Jemmie can do--see and smell the magic with colors and scents--it sort of made it more confusing. If there was a guide at the end of the book or something, it would definitely make things easier.

The last quarter of the book felt a little rushed to me. The entire book itself was fast paced, yes, but the last few chapters just seemed like they wanted everything to be over quickly. I wasn't really getting the sense of urgency a reader should feel at the climax of the story, so the ending fell a little flat for me.

Overall, this was a great start to a new urban fantasy series. Full of magic and magic motorcycle gangs, a great main character with a brooding love interest--it's definitely something to add to your TBR! 3.5 stars!