I actually really liked Ruthless Magic. I had never heard of this book, but it sounded so interesting and I’m glad that I picked it up via NetGalley. The premise is so interesting, and it is set in an incredible world. The characters were fantastic, particularly Finn and Rocio. I love those two with all of my heart. Both of them made so many interesting choices, and I loved watching their characters grow. But as much as I loved this book and its plot, there was one issue that bothered me a bit. The magic system used and the world itself wasn’t developed or explained very thoroughly, which I don’t like. I just wanted to know more, though I’m sure that we’ll get it in the next book which I am very excited about and highly anticipating considering the end of this book. I would highly recommend it.

***I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.***


With that being said I must start off with a declaration...WOW! Not only was this ruthless but it was brutal and painful to experience. It has been likened to a literary baby procured from the loins of The Hunger games + The Magicians and let me tell you...it is an extremely apt comparison.


"Maybe we’d grown up at opposite ends of the city, on opposite sides of that invisible divide between old magic and new, but in that moment we were feeling the exact same horror, and he would go every bit as far as I would to overcome it."



I gathered that the trials were to be difficult and dangerous but torturous to read was not what I was expecting when I first ventured down the magic rabbit hole. The characters were diverse, true, and a few were fleshed out nicely but the 2 characters whose POVs we were privy to were my favorite. Rocio was not only brave and talented but she was strong willed, humane and fierce as well. Seeing what was to become of her (and Finn) kept me reading well after I lost interest in the torture fest. The big twist was an interesting wrench thrown into la machina and it even has some future potential but I can not foresee which direction this will go...that's sort of how this entire book went. We went from horrific situation to even more gruesome/ morally bankrupt scenario...on and on until the very end (which was slightly on the underwhelming side). The beginning sucked me in and had such potential but when the barbarism kicked into high gear, I lost my stomach and will to see it through to the end. I somehow perservered and made it through to the end but just barely...I must admit to a teenie bit of skimming in the home stretch....it wasn't much but that's always a bad sign.


All in all it was well written, the world building was excellent, there was a twist with regards to the magic system (possibly intriguing in the future...we'll see) and the main characters were nicely done. The crazy Battle Royale wasn't my thing but it could be yours. You should definitely give this a try if you're into that sort of thing... it was intense!

At sixteen when your magic is evaluated you are either given an invitation into an elite school for training or scheduled for a procedure that will take away your magic. One other option is for you to declare yourself for the Exam a mysterious last chance to be declared Champion winning yourself eligibility into that elite school. Finn comes from a high ranking magical family and is a shoe-in to the Academy, yet he lacks the magical talent to win entrance on his own. Rocio comes from a lower class family whose parents had their magic nulled. Her magical gifts are extraordinary yet she is denied entrance into the Academy when a spot should have been hers. When they each declare for the Exam they meet for the first time finding a friendship that will surpass all class levels.

Ruthless Magic is part Lord of the Flies or Hunger Games with magical realism elements a la Harry Potter. When these teens show up at the Exam they realize that it’s more survival of the fittest that tests their talents. Finn who declared for the exam to give the finger to the Confederation of Mages for being biased against lower level families, pretty quickly realizes that he may have made a big mistake. His talent lies in evaluating circumstances, sweet talking, and charm more than actual magical skill. His character is so easy to like, always finding humor in a difficult situation. He is put into the same group as Rocio and is immediately taken with her talent and personality right from the start. Rocio is a little less willing to trust but Finn is the person she starts to lean on as their situation becomes more dire.

There are very few rules in these exams and some of the kids are more willing to eliminate each other than trust their magic will win them a place in the school at the end of the four days. Ruthless Magic’s theme about bigotry and social classes is told very effectively even though they are classed by their level of magic ability. Even though set in the human world, mages came out to the Nulls or humans (think muggles from HP) in order to help them through extreme times of terrorism or war. The novel has a great message about the balance of good vs evil and tells it in a magical way that was original and interesting.

The cliques in this group of “contestants” for lack of a better word were pretty typical of a high school age group. You have the athletic bully, the pretty boy charmer, the quiet shy girl, and the do-gooder, but the way in which Megan Crewe uses these stereotypes to shine a light on difficult subjects was poignant and engaging. I really liked this book, the characters, and it’s message! It was my first novel by Megan Crewe but it won’t be my last!

Deep, dark, and complex. It's got elements of Hunger Games & Lord of the Flies, in that a bunch of kids are stuffed into an arena, and experience survival of the fittest in its actual plain brutal meaning.

Our MCs are more humane, and try to remain that way, which lightens things up a bit, plus there's a nicely developed romance, but it's still dark, and even our heroic MCs struggle to determine how far they'd go to win. To survive.

I wouldn't rate it as dark as Lord of the Flies, but it had its moments. It was a very complex book, with complicated characters and situations, and I found it hard to put down.

The ending was bittersweet, and I would like to read the next book, just so I know how the problems it ended with would be resolved. Basically, it's far from a happy cheerful magic book, but it was very well written and superbly and compellingly complex.

Disclaimer: I received an advance copy through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

You should see Ruthless Magic as a Hunger Games in a ruthless Harry Potter world and honestly, it was pretty damn cool. You get the full-on action of THG, with everybody trying to eliminate the other, and the whimsical magic from HP. The similarities aren’t, of course, a hundred percent similar. The most important one is the Exam, aka the game basically. It’s being held to decide which mage is allowed to keep their magic. Only the best few are. Moreover, you can actually choose to participate, or just get Dampered. That way you can still feel lingers of your magic, but can’t actually use it. The losers don’t necessarily get killed, but they get Burned Out, then you won’t have any magic at all, and there are also people who get killed during the different phases.

This was all highly intriguing if you ask me, but I’m still only giving this book three and a half stars out of five because the characters didn’t grip me. I didn’t quite grow to care for any of them, and I didn’t get invested in the whole story. The romance was a bit... Stupid as well, so no rooting from me. Still, I’m very excited to find out what’s going to happen next!

I enjoyed the combination of interesting characters, magic and a ruthless exam where the winners get to keep their magic and the losers are turned into Dulls (if they manage to survive). Each character has their own reasons for participating in the Exam, and I appreciated the blend of good, bad, and crazy characters. Rocio is a strong heroine who maintains her integrity and confidence in her abilities throughout the story. Finn is less confident in his magic but definitely charming and supportive of Rocio. I would have liked to see a little more development in their romance before he declared his feelings for her, but I'm intrigued enough in the characters, worldbuilding and characters to want to read the next book in the series.

I received an e-copy via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

4.5/5 stars

In brief I would fully recomend this book, it's going to my favorites and I’m looking forward for the next one. It’s well written and you can feel you really are in the world Megan presents. If you like magic you should really give this book a try. Besides, how can you not want to read a book that claims to be the perfect mix between the Hunger Games and Harry Potter?

The story is based on a world of people with an affinity to control magic using vibrations such as singing or humming. Students around age 16 are selected for College or for loosing their hability, having the option to declare for the Exam and get a “second chance”.
It’s written in first person changing between Finn’s and Rocio’s POVs wich I really like ‘cause you get to know better the characters. I did got a little confused sometime about who the POV was as their way of expressing themselves was not very different, but nothing so problematic.
Other than that this book is pretty well written and caught my full atention since the second chapter.
The first chapter was narrated by Finn, and old-magic who was meant to be chosen by the Confederation for the importance of his family. At first he seemed so weak that I feared that I would hate the book, fortunately he showed that it was much more than that soon enough to keep my interest and make me fall in love with the sweet and stubborn guy that, knowing magic wasn’t his best talent, enters the Exam for proving he was more than just a lastname. He has a really good heart and a positive lifestyle that gives the book a bit of humor and helps to have some peace when things are too tense. I just think it would have been nice if he had improved a bit with the magic once he discovered that he did not need Latin for the casting, but at least he grew a lot as a person.
As for Rocio, I’m a huge fan of this Dragon-Tamer. She’s a new-magic girl with enought talent for beating any top student but without a magic family to support her. She is forced to participate in the exam if she wanted to keep her powers. She is intelligent, has an incredible connection with magic and also has a really good heart that makes her give the best of herself not only to become champion, but also to save all the members of her team.
The others characters were great too, all of them had a story that made them who they were and had particular habilities that helped them succeed in the tests. The romance also felt real, it wasn’t so fast and they are SO cute togheter.
I can’t say I loved the end of the book but I saw it coming and it felt ok as this is a saga.
This book fits perfectly into my favorites styles and the only reason why I can't give it five star is because there were a few times when I felt things were way too similiar to the Hunger Games.
In general there were resemblances between both books like the fact that the girl is the strongest one and the competition but the way in which Megan presents them creates a completely original story. I do understand and agree that Harry Potter and Hunger Games fans could really like this book. At least I did.

Ruthless Magic is a brand new YA Urban Fantasy told from 2 pov's. If Harry Potter and The Hunger Games had a baby, this book would be it. It starts off slow with a lot of background story and world building. Not necessarily a bad thing, considering that it's vital to set the tone for why things are the way they are.
We meet Finn, an upper class mage belonging to a wealthy, well established family who has ties to the North American Confederation of Mages, but his magical abilities aren't quite up to snuff. And then comes Rocio, a very clearly talented and powerful mage, but from a poor family and not enough history connected to the Confederation for them to give her or her family a chance.
They, along with several others, choose to enter into a magical hunger games style competition, full of exams and fight-for-your-life style battles to earn their rightful place among the magical society. But things aren't what they seem, and there are plenty of hidden agenda style things going on around them. Alliances are forged in order to stay alive, and it becomes the ultimate test of humanity and morals.
I can't wait for the second installment for this series!
Thank you NetGalley for providing me with an arc of this to read and review with my own honest opinions.

The Hunger Games meets Harry Potter.

Ruthless Magic is set in a future world where magical people have outted themselves to human beings. They have done so in the hopes of preventing terrorist attacks. However, the North American Confederation Of Mages is in charge of all magical people and, at the age of sixteen, children are evaluated on whether they will be allowed to keep their magic or be Burnedout. Those not Chosen can declare for the Trials and prove themselves worthy of retaining their magic. But is talent the only factor in the government’s decision making process or is there corrupt agendas at play?

The story alternates between the perspective of two main characters, Finn and Rocío, who have entered the Trials in hopes of retaining their magic and gaining entrance to an elite magical college. The characters know little of what the Trials will entail and quickly discover how brutal the Confederation is willing to be.

The action packed story reminded me of dystopians novels such as the Hunger Games, Divergent, and The Maze Runner. This was a unique combination of fantasy and politics. I would have liked a bit more world-building at the start of the novel since this is a fantasy book. If you enjoyed Harry Potter and the Goblet Of Fire, check this book out!

Great new premise where young mages if they aren't chosen for the Academy can either have their magic dampened and lose most of it, or try for the exams for a second chance at the Academy. But little do they know that most do not survive and if you fail and do survive you will have all you magic removed. The characters were strong and likable and this is a great fun read.

It's pretty rare that I don't finish an advance review copy because I'm not a big believer in reviewing a book I have not completed. But this book just plain lost me about halfway through. I continued to muddle through around two-thirds of the way before I gave up. Ruthless Magic has a great premise but it bogs down in so much trial and tribulation that it sucked all the joy out of reading. There was not enough character development for me to care about the outcomes of the lesser characters, and the shifting perspective between the two protagonists didn't work for me. We're supposed to get one chapter from the point of view of a white boy who isn't very good at magic but came from a prominent family, and then the next from the point of view of a poor Latina girl with great skills but no privilege. Yet each chapter sounded like the same narrator most of the time. This book needed a tougher editor to give it shape, focus, and pacing.

While this didn’t feel like a original story and somewhat very much like Harry Potter mixed with the hunger games, I still enjoyed it. I liked the relationship between the characters and the romance side. My favourite parts are the words like “dull” to describe non magical people, again this was very Harry Potter like but still good. I found the different POV style writing a little confusing at the start but when you get into the book this soon becomes no issue at all.
Overall and ajoyable 3.5 Star read.

Okay, I admit it, it was that beautiful cover that drew me in! It just shows the importance of a great cover. Of course, I was captivated by the synopsis too, it sounded exactly the sort of read I enjoy - full of magic. I don't often agree with the comparisons made to previously published titles as they don't always ring true. Here however, they are spot on - this book does bear some resemblance to The Hunger Games. There is also a similarity to Ender's Game and Magicians.

I feel like I have been awarding 5 stars more of late, there are quite a few books around that deserve a high rating. This is undoubtedly one of them. It's a gem, and the first in the Conspiracy of Magic series by USA Today Bestselling Author Megan Crewe.

It's definitely a slow burner for the first half but changes to a much faster pace from just over the 50% mark and continues bustling along until the finale. This YA urban fantasy has some unique worldbuilding and unlike many others in the genre, it is done extremely well. Crewe also appears to know how to develop characters so they are vivid and intense. There is a little romance too, which I enjoy where it is organic and where it fits with the story, as here. There is nothing worse than forced romantic situations in a book, in my opinion.

I am so excited this is a series and cannot wait for the next one, i'm hoping there won't be a long wait. It deals with some sensitive issues such as race, class, sexuality, terrorism, and government corruption to name but a few.

I highly recommend this to YA lovers, it is well worth your time! It completely blew me away.

I would like to thank Megan Crewe, Another World Press, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an ARC in exchange for an honest and impartial review.

"He just saw how warped and wrong his Confed must be to have brought us here with their ruthless, brutal magic."

#RollCredits

Actual rating: 3.5 stars

The Writing and Worldbuilding

I have to admit, I was considering DNFing this, to the point where it basically convinced me that I don't actually really like urban fantasy all that much. The first 30% was actually quite dreadful, with confusing motivations, rushed exposition, and confusing worldbuilding--like how the magic system even worked in the first place--but once the Exam really picked up, it was smooth sailing from there on out and I was invested and intrigued.

Also, this is being compared to The Hunger Games, but honestly, besides that last challenge, it was way more like Ender's Game or Netflix's 3% in every regard.

The actual conspiracy of magic, though, was a little weird. I was pretty confused why the government was even allowing this kind of thing to even happen, especially because people knew that underage minors were dying in this magical government sanctioned competition. Why hasn't the Confed been sued yet? Some of this was kind of explained in the story, but it still kind of took me out of the world and made this whole thing seem really unrealistic.

The perspectives were often very confusing because there was little difference in the narrative voices of Finn and Rocío, the two POV characters, and the book was written in first person. I got lost a lot and had to go back and re-read just to see who was the perspective character at the moment several times.

The real-world insertion with the Twin Towers and the Middle Eastern terrorists kind of pissed me off, though it is really way more of a pet peeve than a problem with the book. I just hate real-world insertion in urban fantasy so much you don't even know.

Also, why the flip do they worship the Greek gods?? This is never explained, it just is, and it confused the heck out of me. If Crewe had made some connection to the sirens (which would have made sense given the magic system being sound-based), I would have understood to a degree, but she didn't.

Also, NOPE with that animal cruelty in the beginning part, like, um, who on earth would do that to make a point? A literal crazy person, that's who. Dude, I wouldn't trust her if I were you after witnessing her doing something like that just to make a point and then following it with:

"Could you use that weapon on another living being, Finn? Do you really want to become someone who has?"

Lady, you're someone who has.

The Characters

Note: My first impression of the introduction of Callum, Finn, Prisha, and Rocío was that the only boys were white and the only girls got all the diversity checkmarks, and that pissed me off, frankly. Later on, more diversity is introduced and it stopped feeling like Crewe was just writing stereotypes, but still.

Finn: He was honestly pretty funny, and his chill demeanor was honestly so great, because the kinds of jokes he made are the kinds of jokes I make, so I felt we were kindred spirits. His motivations for declaring were a little iffy at first, and his insta-love for Rocío was annoying, but I still really liked him.

Rocío: I feel like the beginning would have been much more powerful if she had been the focus of the first chapter, instead of Finn. While he really grew on me, the wit and charm he exhibited in the rest of the book didn't come across in that first chapter and it was just a load of exposition instead. Rocío, though, was very intriguing from the get-go. I loved her courage and her resolve, as well as her selfishness to the point of self-deprecation sometimes, despite her extreme level of power.

Prisha: She was the gay rep in the book and that was brought up like twice, but honestly, I appreciated that. It had nothing to do with the story and someone's sexuality doesn't define their entire character, so it was a breath of fresh air that she was just a normal person that so happened to also be gay. I was really worried when she was introduced that she would just end up being the literal gay best friend, but my fears were thankfully unfounded.

Desmond: I really liked Desmond. He was great and funny, with that knack for quoting his favorite media (which I do literally all the time because I'm a walking meme) so that was really appreciated.

Judith and Mark: They were nice but I didn't really get attached to their characters much. Between the two, I liked Mark more though, despite his cheesy mohawk (who even has a mohawk any more??)

Lacey: What the flip was this girls problem? She was probably the most stereotypical character in this but I didn't mind too much, because it was interesting.

Callum: He was literally just the Cato of this book. Maybe that was where the Hunger Games connection was lol

Conclusion

Overall, I am glad I liked it by the end, even though it really pissed me off in the beginning. I found the action pretty good and the tests interesting, so I will probably continue this series.

Ruthless Magic by Megan Crewe was exactly that RUTHLESS! It's pacing commenced quite slow, but just over half way it became extremely fast-paced, and pretty much kept the momentum, of heart stopping action till the end.

It's world building is quite unique, and I really enjoyed the characters relationships, but I didn't love this book as much as I had hoped. It was touted Harry Potter cross Hunger Games, and for me it fell a bit short of those comparisons.



Finn Lockwood is from a well-renowned mage family, however, he doesn't have the skills to back up his mage heritage. When he finds out that his best friend, Prisha, has not been accepted and must attend the exam to keep her magic, he decides to reject his offer of acceptance and instead participate in the exam, in hope that he can prove his self-worth, by earning a place in the college.

Rocio Lopez has the mage skills, but not the funds or the connection to be able to attend a mage Academy, therefore, to no surprise, she was not selected to attend the Confed College. For her to keep her magic, she must do the rigorous exam, that took her older brother a few years prior, in hope to be able to keep her magic.

The pair become more than allies as they fight through the challenges thrown at them by the examiners, in the hopes that they could lead their group out of the exam...alive!

My main problem with Ruthless Magic was the lack of information. Until about day 3 of the exam we had no idea what they were being tested for, therefore, I didn't feel as immersed into the story. Up till that point, I was simply reading for the action, horror and shock factor.

What I enjoyed about this book? The different perspective of magic, magic was not simply done by waving a wand, so that was quite interesting.

I am also very interested in the political aspect of this society, and because of this I will be reading the consecutive books. However, my favourite aspect of this book? The relationship between Rocio and Finn was real and sweet, there wasn't insta-love, but mutual respect and understanding.

I still recommend Ruthless Magic. Once the story starts along it was fast-paced filled with action, horror and shock factor! The world building was interesting and the relationships were truly what made this book for me.

3.5 - 4 Stars!!!

Ruthless Magic is the first book in the Conspiracy of Magic series..
Finn and Rocia live in the magic world where at the age of 16, they are either chosen to college or their magic is dampered.. The ones who arent chosen can declare themselves for exams. If they are the chosen champion, they can continue to college and retain magic..
Though Finn is chosen due to his family background, he declares for the exam in order to play it fair..
And even though Rocia has done every thing in order to get into the confederation, she's rejected coz of her family's low standing..
When they get into the exam, they are not aware about how far the confederation would go to test their abilities. With so many secrets hidden and allies they make, they fight to survive the exams..

This book was Hunger games meeting Magicians.. It was fast paced and a great start to the series..

4.5- Ruthless Magic by Megan Crewe is an incredibly fun YA urban fantasy. The North American Confederation of Mages (Confed) chooses only a select number of 16-year-old mages each year to earn a spot at their coveted university. All those not chosen have two options: have their powers dampened or declare for the Exam. The brutal exam, known to cause deaths among the participants, ensures the Champions a spot at the university studying under a skilled Novice. All others have their powers completely burned out rather than just dampened. The story centers on two teens, Rocio and Finn. They come from wildly different walks of life: Rocio, a powerful mage from a lower class new magic family and Finn, a really good person, but not quite as skilled a mage from a rich and influential old magic family. Rocio is not chosen but decides to fight back and declare for the exam, Finn is, but wants to earn his place fair and square rather than relying on his family connections to get him through. Rocio and Finn, along with many other colorful characters, are thrown together in the exam and tested in ways they would never have imagined.

If you liked The Hunger Games and The magicians (or magic in general), I think this book is perfect for you! There's political intrigue, brutality and teens just learning the extent of their true abilities. There were two things that I really enjoyed in this novel. One was the diversity and the second was the magic system.

I love that Crewe created significant characters of many different ethnicities, genders, classes, and sexualities. I think many people that read Ruthless Magic will be able to find a character that they connect with in one way or another. Class distinction and discrimination is a theme that is woven throughout the novel and, I would bet, will be a large part of the rest of the series. Crewe did a great job transposing some serious problems that we're facing in the US today onto this magical governing body in a way that feels believable and not forced.

The magic system in this book is really unique too! Magic is called upon my creating vibrations and rhythms. Often the characters sang to cast their magic, but they could also hum or tap. I just love the way it was all described. It felt very original and imaginative.

My one little complaint would be the sort of "YA instalove" trope going on in this book. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy the romance and the couple in general, but the speed everything developed was just unrealistically fast, even in a high-pressure situation.

Overall, I enjoyed this book immensely and would recommend it to most YA fantasy readers and maybe even those into dystopian! I can't wait for the next book in this series!

**Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me an ARC in exchange for an unbiased review**

Think of this book like a mix of Harry Potter (new vs old magic families), Hunger Games (the Exam that Finn, Rocio, Prisha, Judith, Lacey, Desmond and Mark had to pass in order to become Champions). Part Fireblood, part Furyborn... Well, it’s something, and it’s everything. I jumped into the story from the start. Can’t wait to read book 2!

Many thanks to the publisher for my early copy of this book through NetGalley, in exchange for a honest review.

I really enjoyed this edgy, contemporary novel about magic. This is the first book in a series that takes place in the present day world. However those that can wield magic are now doing so out in the open in hopes to prevent tragedies such as 9/11. Even though these people are now out in the open it still creates a divide between those that can use magic and those that can't.
I like how the author took the concept and intertwined it with present day issues, very creative and she makes it work very well. I was hooked.
It is great for YA, it is a little dark and graphic at times and dangerous. I will definitely recommend this to others!

3.5/5
I got a digital galley from the publisher through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Ruthless Magic is the combination of the dystopia world of Hunger Games and its kind, the magic of Harry Potter and its kind, and music. Unlike Harry Potter, the magic used here is through music. In my opinion, it's unique.
The story alternates between the main characters' point of view –Rocio and Finn. Both are sixteen years old novices who are going to be faced to their destiny. Whether they continue their magical training or doing a procedure to destroy their magical skills. Rocio is a great mage, but she came from a new magic family. While, Finn is not a really good mage who came from an old magic family. Finn receives his letter that tells him that he gets accepted to continue his magical training. He feels it’s unfair because his best friend who is good at magic doesn’t get accepted. So, he declares the magical Exam. In the exam he meets Rocio and other novices.
The rest of the book follows the story of both of them. I think the romance isn’t too wow. I can’t feel the romantic connection of Rocio and Finn.
I was confused at first, sooner I finally could get the story line and enjoyed it. Overall, this book is good! Can’t wait to read the next books.