Kimberly Marraffino

Magic itself will fight to win, and stop the evil from this fateful sinSecrets, stolen memories, a tragic past, and a dangerous future surround James and Rhiannon after they are unexpectedly pulled into a world where magic is real-and alive. Separated eight years ago after the death of their mother, James and Rhiannon must reunite and return home to a magical realm to get back the powers taken from them. While traveling with their aunt and uncle, they discover the truth about their past, where they come from, and how they are destined to stop a demonic being from stealing powers, destroying the realm, and weakening magic itself in the process.Travel to a magical realm hidden within our own world and discover how magic will stop at nothing to survive.

Magic of the Realm (Magic of the Realm Book 1)

Chiara Vitale Zelaia

Rating: 3.5/5 stars

MAGIC OF THE REALM will definitely appeal to readers of YA fantasy—especially urban and portal fantasy—and those who don’t mind a story without romance. I found it to be such a refreshing palette cleanser, and binged through it in a matter of days! 

The story follows fifteen-year-old twins Rhiannon and James as they discover not only of each other’s existence, but also of their magical heritage. I’m a sucker for family dynamics, and the entire first part of the book I was desperately rooting for Rhiannon and James to meet. While we didn’t get much of the two together in this one, what we got already tells me I’m going to adore their dynamic moving forward. However, I did appreciate them as single characters. They were so funny and smart, and I don’t know if they were more mature than their age, or if the adults were overwhelmed by the events and acted somewhat younger, but I definitely loved how the twins presented themselves on page!

I really loved this introduction to the magical world of Kiluemar. You can tell that the author has worked vastly on the world building, because there’s so much lore and the magic was very nuanced. My only complaint is that in an effort to let the reader know about the history, there were some chapters that felt a bit like an information overload. When reading those chapters, I felt a bit removed from the main story, and it was hard to reconnect to what was happening with James and Rhiannon when they were over.

Overall, it was a really enjoyable read. I can’t wait to dive into The Evil Within soon!

Thank you to the author for gifting me a copy. All opinions are my own.

Magic of the Realm (Magic of the Realm Book 1)

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