Magically Bound

fun to read and themain character has a few funny quirks

I couldn’t put the book down

Devon Jinx is a unique being born half witch and half warlock. Tragedy has snapped her life until one day she decides it’s time to find her purpose. So she goes to work for the Hunted Witch Agency. Her mission to help find the people kidnapping witches and draining them.
I very much enjoyed Devon and her sense of humor. She’s a breath of fresh air in the midst of a dark case the agency tries to unravel. Very good beginning to a series.

I really enjoyed this book! Sure I would have loved a more detailed background story on the characters, and sometimes there was a little confusion, but overall a great paranormal story that ticked plenty of boxes for me. I cannot wait to see where this series will go!

Despite my three-star rating, this book was good enough to keep me guessing and hooked. I read and finished this book in two longer sittings (only 18 chapters long), so it is a quick read and would suit those who are looking for an urban-fantasy novel that is quick, yet charming and full of action. I did love that this book also went into the bonafide magical side of police/detective work, as it gave off a refreshing sense of teamwork, organization, and adventure. The main character is in her mid-twenties which I love (I can only handle so many teenage urban-fantasy novels), and the story was fun, unique, and amusing. For those who might be on the edge about the book, I will say that I am glad that I didn’t purchase this book (read using Kindle Unlimited service), but I will read the rest of the trilogy because the ending did leave off in a cliff-hanger, and alas, I must know how this character fares in the rest of her adventures. I have not read too many urban-fantasy novels yet (I recently discovered that this is my new favorite genre), but for those who might need an additional comparison for how I rated this book, I reviewed Helen Harper’s Blood Magic series as a 5 all the way through as compared to this series. To each their own, but hopefully this will help someone who is uncertain about whether to purchase the book or not.

I do like a sassy heroine, who has kick-ass powers and is trying to do some good in the world, but I struggled to rate this book higher than three stars because I felt that the the consistency of Devon’s (main character) emotions and inner-dialogue were choppy, abrupt, and confusing at times. For instance, towards the end of the book we see Devon opening up and getting more vulnerable, but the transition felt awkward like it was coming out of left field because she is introduced as a stubborn, act-first-think-later-I’m-showing-off-and-don’t-need-anyone type of woman. True, she is a character in an identity crisis in this book, so it makes sense that her emotions/actions/attitudes might be all over the place as she tests the waters with her new companions. Despite this however, I still felt that I was not able to understand Devon by the end, and better character building would have allowed me to accomplish this. Maybe that was Medhurst’s point as we walk side-by-side with Devon while she discovers who she is? Had the book been longer and included more inner-dialogue and background information, I’m positive that I would have clung to Devon’s character with more intrigue.

Let’s talk about Gerard! Described as the handsome stud with beautiful eyes and a body that makes you go weak at the knees, he’s clearly a sight for sore eyes. It was nice to finally see him open up as the book went along and as he and Devon became more comfortable as partners. He is originally introduced as a man who is cold, serious, and closed-off, but we see the sides of loyalty, protectiveness, and empathy as the story develops. I will say that their interactions were awkward at times, and seemed overly dramatic when in reality they wouldn’t have been so. Sadly, I was not able to connect to his character or of he and Devon’s blossoming relationship because I felt that his emotions were also disjointed and confusing, being cold one minute and soft the next without any proper transition to flow more smoothly, therefore allowing the reader to understand the development of the relationship and their feelings for each other better. I will say though, that I very much appreciated the build-up of romance. **SPOILERS** their first kiss and the scene where Gerard transfers his magic into Devon was sexy and steamy, yet soft, vulnerable, and romantic all at the same time. Medhurst successfully was able to join the two parts of romance (sex and love) without diving into a steamy sex scene, which although can be a guilty pleasure to read, is many times annoying and inadvertently damaging to the character of the female protagonist if not introduced at the appropriate time and under the right circumstances.

Overall, I would have liked to see more character and world-building as I feel that it would have definitely pulled me into this book more, and would have also helped me understand the character’s emotional interactions better, thus allowing me to correctly empathize and become obsessed with the characters. But only so much can be written and done in a book that is only eighteen chapters long, so I guess that I cannot expect too much! There were also some repetitive instances of inner-dialogue and background information that were frustrating, as true readers and lovers of books are very astute and often do not need to be reminded of information that has already been stated. I will end by saying that the rat, Kingsley, was an adorable character and helped Medhurst show the readers Devon’s softer side. Can’t wait to find out if Kingsley plays a bigger role in the rest of the trilogy!