Crimes Against Magic

My paternal grandmother used to tell a story When my dad was a small boy late one night in the dark house out in the country, no lights on in the house so when I say dark it was dark my grandparents were awakened by a loud thump.Thump Then they heard, well huh I fell out of bed Well huh, I ve found a good UF series.The first UF novel series I got interested in was the Harry Dresden series by Jim Butcher I m a huge fan of the Dresden books and they started me off on a search for other UF novels I [...]

Pre review rating 3.75 stars I must have been somewhat inebriated when I first rated this book.Post review rating 4.258 stars Yeah, that s like it.Why the Murderous Crustaceans strongly urge you to read this book, or else think the Little Barnacles might find some moderate enjoyment in this reasonably entertaining book It s UF written by a male author, aka one of the scarcest resources in this estrogen ruled genre This is such a rare occurrence that even Helga, my marginally ruthless pet eagle, [...]

It s about time I write a review for A Crime Against Magic, so here we go To be honest, I was a bit surprised with this book Basically it s an UF, but an UF on a high octane that has a super fast pacing that feels almost like a thriller Plus, The book tells the story of two timelines one is the present, and the second timeline occurs about 600 years in the past Both timelines have a fast pacing and are very enjoyable The different timelines are very distinct, as the present timeline feels like a [...]

3.5 stars I enjoyed this book It had a lot of action and I liked the magic of the world and the urban fantasy setting But I did feel like there was something missing for me Nate, the main character and sorcerer seemed a bit 2 dimensional, a kind of stud 007 sorcerer I kept visualising a Jason Stratham type Do I like it enough to continue the series The jury s out

After some deliberation, two stars I wanted to like this book than I did I really did It had an interesting premise a sorcerer wakes up with amnesia He doesn t truly know who he is or what exactly is going on All he knows is that people close to him are threatened He has to discover who he is to protect those he cares about Good stuff.That was pretty much where my troubles with this book began First, the main character, Nathan It felt like every time I turned the page a drop dead gorgeous woman [...]

I wanted to like this, but found my discontent growing with each new chapter I finally quit about three quarters in and can t help feeling relieved to just let it go.The writing is solid and the protagonist is interesting and I definitely wanted of the world, but I just couldn t buy the plot It doesn t help that the story jumps between modern day and fifteenth century France That breaks up the narrative flow as much as you d expect, but , it provides the reader information that Nathan doesn t h [...]

CAUTION major spoilers the protagNathan was a Gary Stu Most of the female characters he met wanted to bed him All of the female characters wanted to be saved by him It didn t matter if the ladies had powers of their own or that Nathan was amnesic and dazed, they wanted him on that fucking white horse riding to their rescue figuratively speaking I expected a Gary Stu, but I didn t expect Nathan to be a James Bond type I was annoyed how practically all the ladies were made damsels in distress to e [...]

I bought this book solely by chance it was one of the Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought books that was listed at when I browsed a couple of UF series Since it was only 2.99, I thought okay, why not I ve always wanted to find good UF series with male protagonist anyway.The protagonist is Nathan Garrett Ten years ago, he woke up in a warehouse without memory what so ever But over a decade he learned that he was a sorcerer He works as a thief, that is how he gets paid Until one job threat [...]

Take a Sam Spade Harry Dresden first person gumshoe vantage point and the twist the story around to have a James Bondian love of women, cars and guns, a Jason Bournian loss of memory of learning to kick ass and why , a Bruce Leesque love of Kung Fu, a parallel story line in 15th Century France and a cast of mashed up characters from myth and legend.The author tries to do an awful lot and, probably because of that, the I read the I kept saying No, you re not going there oh god, you did and not [...]

This is a very good start to a male lead urban fantasy series The concepts were familiar, but the author gives them all his own distinct spin McHugh touches on some very recognizable figures in fantasy and folk legends and mythology and in a way that made me go Hmm It s pretty gritty and quite violent I m not sure I was in love with the sexuality expressed in the story though However, this book definitely keeps your eyes glued to the pages, and the magic was fascinating and darkly alluring and r [...]

It was hard to rate this book It was my very first audio book and it turns out I quite enjoy listening to a book.I m just not sure about the story I liked the main character Nate but I just did not get hooked Is that because of the storyline and characters or is it because it s an audiobook I m just not sureI loved the two timelines, the main character and the action I bought the second book as an audiobook so I obviously liked Nate enough to give it another go.

Full Review originally at Fantasy Book Critic OVERVIEW ANALYSIS Crimes Against Magic is Steve McHugh s debut novel and is a dual story feature I was very much interested in this story because of its Jason Bourne like origin I approached the author and he graciously agreed I wanted to see how the book would hold up since it promised lots of action, magic intrigue.Nathan Garrett is a sorcerer who is living currently as a thief in London, he however remembers his life only ten years past as he was [...]

This book is a really good example of why self publishing or publishing through a very small press, can t tell for sure which this is shouldn t be an author s first choice as opposed to actually submitting it to several major publishers There s a genuinely interesting story here But it s undercut by small but persistent grammatical errors and the author s inability to resist turning his hero into a Gary Stu A good editor s discipline could have turned this into a good book instead of a meh book. [...]

A really fun read, with lots of action, humor, magic, friendships and a good amount of fighting and blood I had a great time reading it and the series will help tide me over until the next Harry Dresden book will be out Really good urban fantasy with a thieving wizzard whonhasnto find out who he is, after 10 years without his memories.

3.5 stars

really enjoyed this book 5 stars all the way I would say to anyone to read this if they like the magical side of things thank you to a friend that recommended it to me I will be reading the rest of the series

Mindless badassery Dude runs around London punching people out and rescuing women I got most of the way through this but wasn t interested enough to finish it.

If there were any issues with this book, I couldn t find them The main character, Nathan, was fantastic A little psychotic, powerful, and willing to protect those who needed it In short, my favourite kind of guy Yeah, yeah, we all know I have issues I m cool with that.A friend recommended I read this book and I both hate and love her for it Hate because I stayed up late reading and have ignored responsibilities Sorry, work, we both knew you d be the one to suffer And love because, holy crap, thi [...]

Testosterone laden thrill ride between past and present Magic I know what you are You re the thing the monsters fear Ivy, The Hellequin Chronicles If you believe, as the Greeks did, that man is at the mercy of the gods, then you write tragedy The end is inevitable from the beginning But if you believe that man can solve his own problems and is at nobody s mercy, then you will probably write melodrama Lillian Hellman So, Nate, I ve heard rumours that you re actually alive It would have to be rumo [...]

During my quest to find any and all examples of good Urban Fantasy novels, started by my love of the Felix Castor stories, I have found many strange and wonderful worlds That of Jack Nightingale, Constable Grant and Matthew Swift to name but a few And now to my utter joy, here is Nathan Nate Garrett, who awoke in a warehouse ten years ago with no knowledge of who he is His only clues A gun, a Sword and a piece of paper with his name on it, along with a tendency to practice magic And there is the [...]

This was an interesting urban fantasy involving Legends, Sorcerers, Gargoyl, Werewolves and Myths Nathan Garret wokeup, a decade ago, with no memories of his past He learns that he s a highly skilled sorcerer and use his talents to work as a thief He is a bit of an anti hero, with a sense of humor The plot is fast paced and told in flash backs from fifteenth century France and alternating to present day London During a case which involves his sixteen years old neighbor he is confronted by his pa [...]

Review pending

3.5stars Didn t think I liked urban fantasy but it seems much palatable via audio Listened to this after lots of recommendations and found it entertaining and interesting enough to pick up the 2nd in the series Fun and an easy read listen

Synopsis How do you keep the people you care about safe from enemies you can t remember Ten years ago, Nate Garrett awoke on a cold warehouse floor with no memory of his past a gun, a sword, and a piece of paper with his name on it the only clues to his identity Since then, he s discovered he s a powerful sorcerer and has used his magical abilities to become a successful thief for hire.But those who stole his memories aren t done with him yet when they cause a job to go bad and threaten a sixtee [...]

3.5 stars Liked it but didn t love it It s action packed urban fantasy with an interesting premise although I didn t connect with the MC and I couldn t see an overarching theme or storyline that would keep me invested in the whole series view spoiler The question of Nate s memories and his vendetta against Mordred were surprisingly resolved by the end of this book I would have thought the whole regaining his memories things would be the long term plot point Oh well hide spoiler There were loads [...]

3.5 stars Immersive dark urban fantasy about a thief who woke up tabula rasa ten years ago As he takes jobs that are not at all what they seem, his memory begins to return but it might not return fast enough to save him and those he must protect.

Nathan Garrett has had his memory taken from him and has therefore spent the last ten years knowing nothing about himself but his first and last name He s spent the intermittent years working as a thief, using magic when necessary to get by When a chance meeting leads little droplets of memory returning, Nathan has no idea just how complicated the life he left behind was If that were not enough, an old enemy has surfaced and is determined to take make the people Nathan cares about pay to bring a [...]

Crimes Against Magic is one of the first debut novels I have had the pleasure of being asked to review It s author Steve McHugh had obviously spent a massive amount of time building the world of the story The plot without spoilers, is about a magic user named Nathaniel Garret An amnesiac thief for hire, whose past comes to catch up with him after a job goes bad.This is nothing new, most stories you will read are just that, nothing new With this being said the way, an author handles tropes and us [...]

So a guy wakes up on an old warehouse floor, not knowing who or what he is Laying next to him are a gun, a sword, and a piece of paper with a single name written on itThis book begins ten years later He has slowly learned that he is a sorcerer of some kind, but knows nothing of his background or identity He is making a living as a thief for hire to get by These are the kinds of stories that I really enjoy The book slowly reveals details about this guys identity, and you learn it as he is learnin [...]

Too Simon Greenish for me Some people love his writing I don t If that s your bag read this, you ll like it While it is Urban Fantasy which I love , it s missing something and I was tired of the protagonist by Chapter 4 I get turned off by characters that are so perfect His main character shoots people right between the eyes, is stronger than ten men and has a son that is smarter than your honor student OK I made that last part up but after a while, I just get the feeling the author is living ou [...]