Ruthless Magic (Conspiracy of Magic #1) By Megan Crewe [ARC Review]

RELEASE DATE: May 30th, 2018
AUTHOR:  Megan Crewe
GENRE: Young-Adult, Fantasy, Adventure, Magic. 
PUBLISHER: Another World Press
SUMMARY:

In the contest to keep their magic, the only options may be die… or kill.

Each year, the North American Confederation of Mages assesses every sixteen-year-old novice. Some will be chosen. The rest must undergo a procedure to destroy their magical ability unless they prove themselves in the mysterious and brutal Mages’ Exam.

Disadvantaged by her parents’ low standing, Rocío Lopez has dedicated herself to expanding her considerable talent to earn a place in the Confederation. Their rejection leaves her reeling—and determined to fight to keep her magic.

Long ashamed of his mediocre abilities, Finn Lockwood knows the Confederation accepted him only because of his prominent family. Declaring for the Exam instead means a chance to confirm his true worth.

Thrown into the testing with little preparation, Rocío and Finn find themselves becoming unlikely allies—and possibly more. But the Exam holds secrets more horrifying than either could have imagined. What are the examiners really testing them for? And as the trials become increasingly vicious, how much are they willing to sacrifice to win?

*eARC received from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review*

.This is the first book I have read by Megan Crewe so I have no idea what to expect from her but I’ve seen a lot of good reviews for this book so I expected it to be a good read. Ruthless Magic is a unique combination of Hunger Games brutality and Harry Potter’s magic. The story was entertaining  and I enjoyed reading it, but it didn’t excite me as much as I hoped. It’s a pretty decent read with an engaging plot but It isn’t something that’ll blow your mind away. The main characters Rocío and Finn seemed okay-ish. The setting was good but I wish the author provided more backstory.

Every year, the North American confederation of mages assesses all the sixteen year old novice to choose the ones who’re eligible to keep their magic. People who didn’t get selected are dampened of their magical abilities who are later called as Dulls. The failed candidates have a second chance by proving themselves in the mysterious and brutal Mages Exam but not many people comes out alive. Sixteen Year old Rocío Lopez comes from a low standing family. When she gets the rejection letter, She decides to enter the mage exam because she don’t want to spend the rest of her life without magic. Finn Lockwood comes from a high standing family. His grand father is one of the Nine inner circle members of Confederation. Because of his prominent magical family, he gets selected even though his magical skills were lacking. To prove himself worthy, Finn rejects the acceptance letter and applies for the mage exam. People from all over the country gathers at Rikers Island to participate in the exam and no one has any idea what the tests are actually like. When Rocío and Finn meet, they quickly becomes allies and soon something more. They depend on each other and vow to protect each other. When the tests becomes more brutal and violent, they must use every ounce of their magical energy to survive.

I’m glad this book has some diverse characters. Rocío is a latina who comes from a poor background. She’s strong, stubborn, skilled, and very much determined. She’s a pretty likable character but her savior complex a little bit annoyed me. Finn Lockwood is  sweet, fun, caring and very friendly person. Due to his lack in magical abilities, he feels that he’s an embarrassment to his family and tries hard to improve his skills everyday. The romance between Rocío and Finn felt rushed and I didn’t feel any chemistry between them but I did enjoyed seeing them working together. The secondary characters seemed okay-ish, they weren’t memorable. Prisha Mathur, Finn’s best friend is an Indian and she prefers girls. yep, she’s a Lesbian. She enters the mage exam together with Finn. I’m actually not fond of her character but she does make a good friend. As for the other characters, Judith has nice magical skills, Desmond has a vulnerable secret that he don’t want others to know. Lacey isn’t eager to leave the exam and go back to her home, and finally there’s Mark with his mohawk hairstyle who’s broody and not very much friendly. Together they all form as a group to survive the tests by protecting each other. My least favorite guy in this book is definitely Callum, he’s a total bully. I seriously hated this guy.

It has a good plot filled with magic, action, adventure, and little romance. The story was interesting with some unpredictable twists and turns. It’s a fast paced read, but honestly it lacked in building suspense and tension. And also I couldn’t emotionally connect with any of the characters and I didn’t cared if anyone died. The book was told in dual first person pov. The writing was not bad but sometimes I confused Rocío with Finn because they don’t have their own distinctive voice. It wouldn’t have been an issue if it was written in third person perspective. The world building seemed interesting, yet confusing. I wish the author provided more backstory and more info on the current world.

Overall this book was fun to read, but sadly I didn’t loved it. Majority of the readers absolutely loved this book so I’m one of the oddball. There isn’t any huge cliffhanger at the end but the final twist at the end was pretty good. I’m not sure whether I would continue this series or not but I hope the next book is better than this one.

Recommend it?
Yes

  I would definitely recommend it to all the YA readers who likes books similar to hunger games setting with a magical twist.

MY RATING:[3.5/5 Stars]

So, What do you think of this book? Have you read it yet? Do you Plan to read it? Have you read any of Megan Crewe’s books?
Please feel free to comment below!

See You In The Next Post and Have a Great Day! 🙂