I appreciated this one for all the balancing it was doing. The book opens and just throws you into the story and I felt immediately swept up in the story. Ella was a great character and I admired her strength and wholeness. I wasn't sure at first what I was getting myself into, but it really did well at building a mythology and struggle that I was rooting for. I wish the plot had spent a little more time explaining as I felt I was on a pulsing train, but it didn't bother me entirely.

I would definitely recommend this to my students who are looking for a step up from their middle-grade favorites like Percy Jackson and The Magician's Apprentice.

I had high hopes for this book given its interesting and unique premise, and it stayed true to the description, but I still felt like it was missing something. Ella came off as shallow and wishy washy, and Jonathon, after his deal with the devil, was very one dimensional. Matthew was okay, but there wasn't much depth to him, either. Most of the characters switched back and forth between likeable and unlikeable without much provocation. It was hard to keep up with, and by the end of the book, I really didn't care about any of them.

I'm not going to leave a review because I feel like maybe this just wasn't the book for me, and I couldn't in good conscience give it higher than 2 stars, and I would prefer not to do that.

Thank you for the opportunity to read and review this book, though.

The Demon Magician is a book I never thought I wanted or needed, but here we are. Demons, Magic, Love, Fighting for the Good? Falling in love with someone to find out they are toxic (even if it is the magic of the demon)? Alex Dunn has done a wonderful job at creating a jaw-dropping story, characters full of life, and leaving me at the edge of my seat.

The Demon Magician,by Alex Dunn was a great horror novel, not one of the best but not the worst I've read.

2.5/5

I didn't really have any expectations going in to this and so I wasn't that disappointed that I happened not to like it too much. The premise was intriguing and while it did deliver what it said it would in the synopsis, I couldn't help but feel that it didn't reach its full potential. Firstly, I wasn't that crazy about the writing, it didn't really offer anything to the story for me, it was just okay. The writing also made this seem like the target audience was a bit younger than I thought it was going to be. I also wasn't that keen on the world that the author crafted. The whole demon and angel thing felt slightly childish at times, Johnathan's number plate was literally 'DEM0N1'...
and it wasn't the way I thought that this was going to be executed.

The main character, Ella, was also only okay. I completely didn't like her at first, because she was quite shallow and rude, but she changed a lot after the time shift in the book. Although she changed, I still felt a bit indifferent towards her, I wouldn't say I liked her or hated her. I did feel sorry for her though, because of the way Johnathan treated her, but not in the way I would for a character I cared for. One thing that really irks me, is when characters constantly make stupid decisions and I feel like Ella made quite a few of those. Her relationships were also very questionable, everyone seemed so quick to turn their backs on her, her mum, sister and best friend, Suzanne. She simply couldn't catch a break with her family, her mum in particular is constantly lecturing her, “You’ve got what you deserve, my girl,”, it seemed so unnecessary.

A few things in here seemed unrealistic, random or repetitive. Ella's initial attraction to Johnathan came on extremely fast and it was weird to see her behave like it hurt to not be right next to him. She says such wildly in love things and it's only a second after she realises that he's actually not in fact hideous, which was unrealistic to me. One of the issues that I had with the writing, was how random and repetitive it was. The first time Ella likens Matthew to the sun, it was cute, but it kept coming up. There were even some strange descriptions like, 'his jacket that smells of grass and sunshine'. It wouldn't of been so weird if the rest of the writing had been of this nature, but it was so out of place. Ella also believes that Matthew might be her guardian angel, and so she goes on about it a lot! It got annoying after a while, because it was so repetitive, like the sun thing.

Matthew was nice, but I didn't care for him either and there wasn't anything special about his relationship with Ella. It got boring very quickly, when he kept popping up every time she needed help and it all became quite predictable. The thing that he opened up to Ella about didn't have any impact on me, as it felt quite random and rushed. I liked Johnathan at first, but as the novel progressed, I ended up disliking him a lot, which I guess was the aim. But because I really liked him before, it was sad to see what he'd become.

There were two other things that niggled at me in this book. Suzanne is described as having 'an afro of wild brown hair' and the only other description we get is of 'her big fat hippy bum', so I still have no idea whether she's a person of colour or not... There's also a game show scene were the fact that someone was born a man is shared with the whole world, which was so wrong.

Sadly, I didn't enjoy this that much, but I do believe that the premise had massive potential. I just wasn't a fan of the writing, characters or how it was executed as a whole. To be honest, I also felt like the book was far longer than it needed to be. The overall ending of this book wasn't my favourite either. All things considered, I can't see myself recommending it.

I went back *many* times trying to progress through this book, but I just...didn't care. I can't even put my finger on why? It was just completely un-engrossing. I'm giving it 3 stars because I can't actually name anything specifically great or terrible about it.

The demon magician by Alex Dunn.
When Ella agrees to help fellow student Jonathan Trent with his audition into a mysterious magic circle, she never thought she'd fall in love with him. Nor did she ever conceived the three freakish judges named Hellmouth, Brimstone and Blackheart were actual demons, sent by Belphegor to recruit Jonathan.

Seduced by the lure of riches, his own Vegas show and not having to care for his aged grandparents, Jonathan enters into Belphegor's service, and despite her own reservations Ella goes with him, in return for Belphegor making her disabled sister walk.

Then when Jonathan starts to behave like the 'The Demon Magician' offstage and Ella learns the true price of his gruesome magic tricks, she knows she has to stop him, but what can she do? Jonathan, has the power of Hell on his side and all she has is Matthew, her mum's hunk of a gardener, who has no idea the demon world exists.
A fantastic read with some great characters. Loved Ella and Mathew. Brilliant read. 5*.

I loved Crazy For Alice so I was absolutely excited about reading this book. This book was seriously just as good. It was really fast paced and enjoyable. I didnt really care for Ella in the beginning but she grew on me for sure.

This was a very enjoyable read, and the plot twists kept me guessing until the last page; there are several times along the way when a solution to the central dilemma seemed to be at hand... only to have the rug pulled out from under us, and send us back on the road searching for another way out.

I liked the choice of teen characters for a story of greed, sacrifice, and redemption. Ella, true to her young age, wavers between narcissistic selfishness and a growing sense of empathy and social responsibility. The further she moves from catering to her own wishes, the closer she gets to getting herself (and others) out of a terrible mess. That’s not to say that adults can’t be selfish and self-obsessed, of course; but it would have been more frustrating to me to see an adult Ella going through the same ordeal. As she is, she’s still in a stage in life where she tries for easy solutions, but is growing into a sense of adult responsibility. So I was with her all the way, even through some terrible decisions. She learned from her mistakes, and moved on with grace and courage.

More than a “be careful what you wish for” cautionary tale (though it has elements of that), it’s a story about facing the consequences of our choices and actions, instead of burying our heads in the sand and hoping things pass while being grateful we’re not affected. As Ella learns at the end, everything is connected, and the smallest decisions can have huge consequences. She also learns some critical thinking, and to use her words wisely.

I only have a couple of issues with this book. One is the time jumps between some of the early chapters, as Ella starts touring with Jonathan. We don’t get to see the early stages of their relationship, and it felt jarring for me to start one chapter and realize that it took place a couple of years after the ending of the previous one.

There are also a couple of characters and storylines that could have been either elaborated on more, or dropped completely. For example, Ella’s friend Suzanne and her involvement in magic were given short shrift, to the point that I had a hard time accepting her sudden rejection of Ella. The same goes for the themes of peer pressure, social media, and the press. They’re important in Ella’s development, but are treated somewhat superficially. The story would have fared just as well without them.

But overall this was a real page-turner, and made for great weekend reading.

There's strong world building to compliment the Characters and plot. A brilliant, quick read and something I'll reread.

Thank you NetGalley and Red Telephone Books for allowing me to read this book for my honest opinion.
What would you do for a loved one if you were able to make one wish? That is what Jonathen the Demon Magician is allowing people to do. You can make one wish. However, you truly need to watch how you word your wish because that does matter.
For instance if you wish to be a rock star, you will be an actual star shaped rock. Or you wish that you could be like Marylin Monroe, you will be a corpse because that is exactly how she is at this very moment. It is all in the verbiage of the wish.
Ella helps Jonathen become the Demon Magician but he wants more and she wants out. He makes a deal with the devil and life changes.
This story keeps your attention from page one right to the end. There are twists and turns but you are constantly rooting for Ella. No matter what, you are rooting for her to win the battle between good and evil.
You just know that good has to prevail in this case. It has to. Right?

A great story. I enjoyed the story, and the characters were dynamic and real. The world in the story seemed so real. The imagery was powerful. A great read.

The plot definitely deserves a huge credit for bringing in something new that had so many layers and plot twists that least the book stands apart in its genre in terms of plot and the core theme.

The demon Magician didn’t resonate with me for two things. One that the book almost starts abruptly without giving us a full background on the characters and situations that culminated into the events from where the book opens to. So while you can understand everything that is being said and happening in a particular instance, you actually dont have a clue about the bigger picture. Only just the events that is taking place and i personally don’t feel comfortable with that because without being able to see the before and after of a particular scene, you can’t fully immerse yourself into the story. Technically i understood everything that happened in the plot but not the plot in its exact form. I am not sure of the characters as to where did they come from and most importantly how things landed in the place from where the book starts.

Second part is the lack of proper depth into each scenes but then that can be overlooked. But i did wish that there was a bit more stagnancy to each scene so that a proper comprehension of the scene was possible and giving time to know and understand each of these characters more perfectly and in alignment to the plot.

The plot had so much potential to it. I loved the basic theme and story plot. All i wished more for the book was a bit introduction to the plot before it almost starts with the crux of the plot and leaving us bereft of the background details that could make all the difference.Secondly a bit more depth and layers to the plot would have made a huge difference. 

The demon Magician can be a good pick for you if you have been going through repetitive plots and are looking for something that is different to read. The only problem is that the book can be all about the surface. What you read is what you get. Nothing in terms of background or added attributes that could give a bit more clarity for the events and the characters. Then again the book is perfect to break the monotony of usual plots because the book definitely has a plot that keeps you guessing.

I received a free copy of this book through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

First of all, i really enjoyed this book. I absolutely loved Ella as a protagonist and was rooting for her throughout the whole story. The antagonist was also great, you really saw the shift in personality and increase of violence from them that made them such a threat.

The story was really good - the plot was easy to follow and the dialogue flowed. The arguments and concerns the characters voiced and the way they talked to each other seemed realistic. I didn't find any part of the story to feel cliche or cheesy - i thought it felt like a more authentic take on how you would act or speak to the others around you if you couldn't tell them the truth about such a situation, about awful things that kept happening and how it relates to demons and magic.

This was a good read because story was engaging, the main character always had a new conflict to solve, and the characters and their personalities really stood out.

I rated this book 4 out of 5 stars because although i enjoyed this book i felt like it could have done with more intense scenes to really grip the reader in moments where the character is scared, or needed to include moments where the reader is creeped out by what might happen next in a horror novel.

The Demon Magician is a book I never thought I wanted or needed, but here we are. Demons, Magic, Love, Fighting for the Good? Falling in love with someone to find out they are toxic (even if it is the magic of the demon)? Alex Dunn has done a wonderful job at creating a jaw-dropping story, characters full of life, and leaving me at the edge of my seat.

Ella is popular, pretty and pretty full of herself, so she is reluctant to help Jonathan, a nerdy outcast who does magic tricks, when he asks for her help to make a great performance for an audition to become a part of an elite, underground club for magicians. She states he's not allowed to talk to her in public, text or call her in public, acknowledge her at all in public, and he is definitely not allowed to tell anyone that she's agreed to help him with his magic show. She soon finds herself really getting to know the quiet boy she brushed off, and finds herself becoming attracted to him. The day of the audition roles around and she finds herself a bit terrified of the three people Jonathan has to impress to be a part of this club. The audition turns out to be nothing more than a ploy, they're not interested in his show, they're interested in his soul. Jonathan ends up selling his soul and putting himself in servitude to the demon Belphagor. Catapult into the future a few years and Jonathan is The Demon Magician, and Ella is his girlfriend and trusty assistant. When Jonathan signs a deal that she just can't stomach, it's a race against the clock to try and find a way out of it, without losing her soul or putting the people she cares about in danger.

Wow, I was pleasantly surprised by this book. I've had it sitting in my TBR for a while now, and decided I should read it. This wasn't at all what I was expecting, and I'm glad. I was originally thinking that this would've been a pretty mediocre story, but I was wrong. It was actually pretty deep when I think about it. I really felt for Ella, and the author did a fantastic job of making you feel just how trapped she became. The whirlwind of emotions between Ella wanting to do the right thing, wanting to try and save Jonathan and hoping that he wasn't completely lost to her, and also wanting to save Matthew once he got involved.

I feel like it also kinda of illustrated the run of a lot of relationship, if you take the demons and the magic out of it of course. Jonathan no longer puts Ella first, everything he does is for his demon master, and all he cares about is fame, fortune and immortality. Ella felt pushed aside, and I believe that can happen in long term relationship, when the couple get comfortable, they tend to take for granted the things that they lived for at the beginning.

I believe this story also raised moral questions. Ella's sister Jenny was wheelchair bound for her whole life, we're told this in the beginning, and this is basically the first thing Jonathan fixes. It raises the question of, if you could help someone you love, at any cost, would you do it? No one can deny that they'd do anything to help their loved ones, even if sometimes it seemed wrong. Ella finds that yes, she has all the money and material possessions in the world, and she can do and say whatever she wants, but at what cost? People are dying, losing their souls, and she gets to go and buy a new dress? She realises this, and even though she can't make up for what she has done in the past, she wants to be a better person going into the future. I feel that this touches on not judging people by their past actions and mistakes, and to give them a chance to prove themselves. Even after she knows that she's lost Jonathan, she still tries to appeal to his 'human' side, hoping that he'll do the right thing. She accepted that she'd lost him eventually, but she still gave him a chance.

I loved the way that this was written, it had a great flow and pace, and really engaged the reader. It was an easy read and I found myself needing to know what happened next. It kept me on the edge of my seat, I kept telling myself 'one more chapter', and I'd find myself 6 chapters later still saying 'just one more chapter'. As stated above, I was incredibly surprised at how deep this book actually was, I was expecting a light superficial read, and I got the complete opposite. The characters were relatable, though I really hated Ella's mum, she's constantly bagging her out for things without listening to Ella's side of the story at all, this annoyed me so much.

All in all, a super enjoyable read, I'm looking forward to reading more by this author!

I really enjoyed this story. It would fall into a YA category for me, as the main characters are rather young. This is reflected in a lot of the dialogue and decisions. The overall story is fun and has exciting twists and turns.

I would have given this 5 stars if the storyline was a little more developed. There are points where I feel like we are rushed along without really knowing the characters and the situation, we're just supposed to catch up. It is a fun quick read that had me thinking about the realities of magic and how frequently wishes can go wrong!

I thought it was a well crafted book, but there were times where I just couldn't get into it. Finally got through it and can say that I thoroughly enjoyed it! It felt like a kind of book that would be a perfect middle ground of RL Stine and Stephen King. With that said, that's probably why I took a while to finish. I did this in chunks, which probably made me lose some of the impact of the story. Nevertheless, I still enjoyed it and would recommend it to someone who is a fan of these genres.

I actually was pleasantly surprised at how much I got into this book. The Demon Magician by Alex Dunn, reads like a little more mature version of R.L. Stein, "Goosebumps".
Jonathan is high school student with a lot of responsibilities. His passion and dream is magic and he has found a sure fire way to achieve greatness, but with a catch - involves dealing with demons, which is never a good idea.
Jonathan enlists the help of fellow student Ella, and despite her reservations if it all, agrees as she has a wish of her own - to heal her sister.
But with everything comes a price and sure enough, Jonathan's come's due. Can Ella save him and everybody else?
The Demon Magician is a fun read with interesting characters, a smooth and stead pace and an all around entertaining plot.