A mature YA fantasy with a twisty, Potter-esque feel — welcome to the world of Harley Merlin…Being an empath has its advantages.Nineteen-year-old Harley Merlin can sense people’s emotions, among other things. It’s how she snagged her first job pinpointing cheaters at a casino. But she has no clue where she got these freakish powers because she spent her childhood jumping from home to home in … because she spent her childhood jumping from home to home in the foster system, and her father left her with nothing more than a cryptic note.
Then she crosses paths with a terrifyingly real monster. Which is when a mysterious and annoyingly arrogant young warlock named Wade Crowley steps in, introducing her to a hidden world of magicals and covens riddled with secrets—as well as clues about her murky past.
Whether she likes it or not, this new world is where she belongs. But after a disturbing twist of events, Harley quickly realizes that her past is darker than she could ever have imagined. And that someone in the coven is out for her blood.
With the help of Wade and her new friends, she must figure out who the traitor is and why they’re targeting her… Before the human and magical worlds dangerously collide.
Fans of witches and magic, prepare for an enthralling new journey from million-bestselling author Bella Forrest.
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*Beware of spoilers in the reviews below that are without spoiler alerts.*
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A fun, magical romp!
Great characters. Action-packed. Entertaining.
Can’t wait for the next book to come out I have already read all 5 so far.
Feisty heroine, plenty of magical action
It has only been a year since 19-year-old Harley aged out of the San Diego, California, foster-care system, where she spent 16 years of her life. All of her experiences with the system were bad—and some quite dangerous—until her very last placement, with the Smiths. They lovingly gathered her into the heart of their small family and, not knowing her real last name, she legally changed her name to Smith. She is extremely independent, and her most prized possession is a dilapidated 1967 Ford Mustang, which she has christened, Daisy. Harley has known she is different from a very early age. She can read the emotions of the people around her with extreme accuracy, has the power of telekinesis and, she has learned the hard way over the years, seems to have some sort of weird power over water, fire, air and earth, because mini-natural disasters have frequently happened around her when she is in danger. Her main goal in life has been, and continues to be, to keep a low profile so she doesn’t end up as a human guinea pig in some secret government lab. She has no relationships other than with the Smiths, and she is currently taking a gap year between high school and potentially attending university. She has serendipitously acquired an ideal job: working at a casino, utilizing her empathic power to spot cheaters.
One night while she is working, a handsome young man around her own age shows up at the casino. His gaze is electric, and she can’t resist the compulsion to stare at him. Later, while heading to her car after work at midnight, she hears a scream for help and rushes to the aid of an unfortunate man who is in danger of being devoured by a monster. A monster the man cannot see, but she can. As Harley utilizes her telekinesis in an attempt to foil the monster, the man with the electric gaze is suddenly at her side. Utilizing dazzling powers that are obviously magic, he subdues and captures the monster, which he informs her is a gargoyle. He then proceeds to use magic to wipe the memory of the victimized man before sending him on his way. Harley learns the stranger’s name is Wade Crowley and that he is a warlock who is a member of the San Diego Coven of witches and warlocks. He tells her she is obviously a witch, gives her his card, and informs her that she is required to register with the coven.
Harley wants nothing to do with any organization that might try to infringe on her new-found freedom and is determined to not get in touch with Wade. Unfortunately, Wade and the coven are not to be denied.
Though Harley is 19, Wade is apparently the same age, and the vast majority of named and unnamed subcharacters who are members of the coven are either in their late teens or early 20’s—which would logically cause a reader to assume that this this story is “New Adult” rather than “Young Adult”—I understand that typically this series is categorized as Young Adult. Perhaps that is because it does share the following characteristics with books written for an audience aged 12-17: (1) the entire story is told from the single, first-person point of view of Harley; (2) there is no drinking, drugging, swearing, or sex—not even any kissing; (3) the heroine is a social misfit, and she creates a circle of friends with fellow social misfits over the course of the story; (4) virtually without exception, the powerful, experienced, adult witches and warlocks in the San Diego coven incomprehensively sit on the sidelines throughout the dangerous action of this story, leaving it up to Harley’s relatively inexperienced coterie of friends to save the coven and the human world from horrible danger. This is known as “orphaning” the protagonist(s), which is a hallmark of all action-adventure plots as well—including adult action adventure.
Harley’s most important characteristic, which makes her a very sympathetic protagonist, is that she has courage, conviction, and she never gives up or sits on the sidelines. Unlike far too many YA protagonists, she is not a doormat. She stands up for herself when verbally or physically attacked.
Given that there are nine books in this series in which Harley is the main character, and given the fact that this book is urban fantasy and not paranormal romance, it was not surprising to me that the author takes it very slow in the development of Harley’s connection to her romantic interest, Wade. In this installment, they move very gradually from antagonists, to grudging compatriots in the battle to save the coven and the world, to loyal friends, with only a few tiny, unspoken glimmers of romantic attraction along the way.
The magical world-building is well conceived and executed given how, relatively speaking, streamlined it is as urban fantasy goes. This magical world is limited to witches, warlocks, and a few different types of monsters, though the source of the monsters in this book is intriguingly original. There are no werewolves or other animal shifters and no vampires, and so far no demons or angels.
The pace of the story moves quickly. The author avoids extended, boring exposition, instead telling her story through dialogue and plenty of brisk action. The central mystery as to who the villain might be is well plotted. There are plenty of red herrings, and I myself did not guess ahead of time who the villain is.
I experienced this book both in Kindle and audiobook format. The narrator is Amanda Ronconi, who does an excellent job acting out the parts and portraying various accents and male and female voices.
These are all the Harley Merlin books in which Harley is the protagonist:
Book 1: Harley Merlin and the Secret Coven (2018)
Book 2: Harley Merlin and the Mystery Twins (2018)
Book 3: Harley Merlin and the Stolen Magicals (2018)
Book 4: Harley Merlin and the First Ritual (2018)
Book 5: Harley Merlin and the Broken Spell (2018)
Book 6: Harley Merlin and the Cult of Eris (2018)
Book 7: Harley Merlin and the Detector Fix (2019)
Book 8: Harley Merlin and the Challenge of Chaos (2019)
Book 9: Harley Merlin and the Mortal Pact (2019)
I rate this book as follows:
Heroine: 5 stars
Romantic Interest: 5 stars
Subcharacters: 4 stars
Action Plot: 4 stars
Romantic Subplot: 4 stars
Lack of Plausible Motivation for Adults Defaulting Their Duty: 2 stars
World-building: 4 stars
Writing: 4 stars
Audiobook Narration: 4 stars
Overall: 4 stars
I listened to this book on audible, and perhaps had I read it I might have had a better experience. Not that the narrator was bad, but combined with the main character’s whining, this first instalment felt like one long high school lament.
It was a lot of complaining and long winded moan, and the story was longer than it needed to be. It’s well-written and the plot was interesting, but I feel the flow, plot could have been tighter.
If you enjoy magic and fantasy this has all those elements, but pacing could have been better.
A very fun series
If you like Harry Potter, welcome to a modern day version!!! Great read, numerous series within storyline!! Enjoy!!
My co-worker told me to check out this series, and I really enjoyed book one. It was a cool world, pretty well-developed, and had some unique aspects to the laws of magic and the reveal of the main character’s past near the end. I am not certain if I loved it enough to continue with the series ONLY because I generally read middle grade and this doesn’t fit into my wheelhouse, but it has nothing to do with the story, storytelling, characterization, or plot. If you like paranormal romance for teens, you will love this book, and I’m sure the entire series…
This is the first book I’ve read from this author, and wasn’t sure what to expect, but I really enjoyed the world and the characters! The interplay between all the unique characters was so much fun to read. Looking forward to the next book in the series when I have some down time.
I loved this book! Great fantasy creatures and magic. I can’t wait to read more of this series
I always love a magical realism, paranormal academy book with a sassy hero to root for and a hint of romance.
Great read, thoroughly enjoyed this book. I cannot wait to start the 2nd one. A nice easy read and enjoyable with a good cup of coffee….
I’m adding Harley Merlin to my list of kick arse fictional women.
My favourite Bella Forrest book so far!