Robert Connor, orphaned as a child, is a neurodivergent young man living in Washington, DC, leading what looks like a normal life–well, when not battling supernatural creatures unseen by others.Dea, a gifted witch from a powerful coven, is attacked by a Hashashin in a local night club, and Robert, a skilled martial artist, comes to her aid. An unexplainable connection binds the two and draws … and draws them closer. Soon, however, magical abilities manifest in Robert, revealing glimpses into his true nature, raising the question, “Is he a mage or something else?”
An invitation to join Dea’s coven leads him on a globe-trotting adventure to retrieve an ancient magical scroll that holds answers to his family lineage and the gruesome slaying of his entire family. Unfortunately, they’re not the only ones looking for the document.
Their journey is full of perils from the world city of London to ‘Misr’ on the Nile. Hunted for a crime he didn’t commit, Robert, along with Dea, is battling a host of human and supernatural threats. Barely escaping the clutches of a terrorist group, they return home, where a secretive group inside the CIA recruits him.
Juggling his responsibilities toward the coven and the CIA, and struggling to master the magic flowing through his body, Robert falls hard for Dea. When things begin to settle, the entity responsible for dispatching the Hashashins contacts him, upending everything he thinks he knows about Dea and her coven, himself, and his family.
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Quick Synopsis:
Robert Connor seemingly lives a normal life. He goes to work, comes home, works out at the gym, and enjoys his free time with his maine coon Ariel. But underneath his regular exterior, Rob has a secret.
He sees invisible assassins. Or rather hashashins, as he’s dubbed them.
On one particular night out with his friends, Rob’s spidey-senses tingle and a hashashin attack lands him right in the hands of the mysterious Dea– who reveals later that she’s actually a powerful witch.
Robert is suddenly thrown head-first into the world of magic and covens, fighting to protect his new flame and find out more about his own background.
Style/Length:
I love urban fantasy. I don’t like normal fantasy all that much, but this genre is where it’s at. This book is everything you want in urban fantasy. A sensible, realistic magic system, background that actually makes sense, power balances, histories… It’s all there. I adore the world that Saygo has crafted where magic blends so seamlessly into our current history and aids in explaining some of the more gray areas we have.
This book also fits into the action genre, though. Robert is trained in various martial arts and has to fight both man and creature through out the entire book. These scenes are beautifully written! I was able to follow every punch and kick and roll and hit, all while not getting bored or skimming over the words. And trust me, I have a problem skimming.
As far as the length goes, it was– once again– perfect. No complaints whatsoever. Sitting right at 20 chapters long and 292 pages, it took no time at all to read once I got started. Plus, it’s such a page turner that you’ll never want to put it down. The night I finished it, I told myself at the start of chapter 18: “Amy, you need to stop reading.” And my brain responded, “Ha. No. Not at all.” And I finished it. Oof.
Characters:
This book really has two main characters. Robert Connor and Dea Mitchell. Let me dive into each.
Robert Connor is a computer specialist. He’s a bit of a nerd, often referencing sci-fi movies and making obscure jokes that no one but the reader will get. The references had me laughing out loud. If you don’t follow my Goodreads, you really need to. (Do that right here!) because I took notes as I read and was cracking myself up. Robert’s fantastic. He’s a gentleman but not too pushy with it. He’s confident but not cocky. He knows his limits and doubt himself constantly when dealing with Dea. Plus, he has a dope cat and loves her to much that its absolutely adorable. He is by far the best male protagonist that I’ve read of late. That’s how much I adore him.
Now Dea. She’s gorgeous. She’s mysterious. She’s sweet and alluring and powerful, and… Lord, this girl has it all. I’m almost tempted to call her a bit of a MarySue sort of character. But Saygo could almost get away with her perfection because of how much I like Robert. Dea doesn’t really have any flaws, unless you could her overprotectiveness (which I don’t). She does have a bit of an overbearing family, though. But who wouldn’t when you’re a century old coven? I’m interested to find out more about Dea in the next book BECAUSE THERE HAD BETTER BE ONE OR I’LL RIOT
*insert angry gif of things being thrown around*
Plot:
“Okay, fine, fine. I’m cool. I’m fine.” ~Hades from Hercules
As far as plot goes, I’ve already touched on most of the praises I have for the storyline. It moves along at a perfect speed; there’s just the right amount of twists and turns that it keeps you going. You’ve got a constant air of mystery around Dea and her family as well as Robert’s past. Yet, Saygo definitely goes into enough detail in the down time to explain things that are happening.
The only issue I had with the storyline itself was when the FBI got involved. I won’t spoil anything this time. But the FBI reveals a sliver of information that I’m not really sure they would have in real life. At first, I thought, “Well, maybe that’ll be important for later,” but it never came back into play. I hope I didn’t miss anything.
Anyway, the whole thing reminded me of Harry Potter (but for adults) and The Magicians (that TV show on Netflix but without the cussing). So, I LOVED this. Caps-lock all the way.
Definite 10/10!
**I read this for a book club that I’m in!**
I read this book as part of a book club and was excited to start reading as the urban fantasy set in modern times is right up my street, and boy, it did not disappoint! This book has so much to offer including suspense, a tricky love situation, intrigue, interesting characters and great action scenes. my favorite character is Robert as he is a fairly normal bloke, but due to his past and his ability to see dangerous ‘hasashins’, a bit of an outsider as well. I think in this book we just see him starting to grow into a more confident man, and it will be interesting to see how that develops in the next book. Speaking of a next book; that needs to come because by the end of this story I had so many questions that need answering! Totally recommend this book!
Behind our modern world exists a magical one. One with dangerous shades, supernatural beasts, and organizations devoted to sorcery. Intertwined into the setting we find ourselves in the shoes of a mysterious and rugged protagonist who has given over his life to protect people from denizens of this realm. But his actions land him deep into the middle of it all, and he finds his life in danger at every turn even as he finally finds the love that so neglected him in his past. I definitely enjoyed this book 🙂
A Magical Thriller
Everything you want in a Fantasy series Starter – characters unsure of themselves, strange mysterious baddies, and a whole new world of magical lore. Dynamic action sequences puncture the life of the uncertain and thoughtful main character as gloriously menacingly assailants abound. Many things we’ve seen before and new things are all mixed into a new slant making a great page-turner. I was rushing at the end hoping for the intriguing mysteries to be explained. Simply written, yet full of interesting esoteric ideas, this makes a very engrossing easy read, and all to set up the rest of the series.