Name: Ruthless Magic
ISBN: 9781989114001

Megan Crewe

Each year, the North American Confederation of Mages assesses every sixteen-year-old novice. Some will be chosen. The rest must undergo a procedure to destroy their magical ability unless they prove themselves in the mysterious and brutal Mages' Exam. Disadvantaged by her parents' low standing, Rocío Lopez has dedicated herself to expanding her considerable talent to earn a place in the Confederation. Their rejection leaves her reeling¿and determined to fight to keep her magic. Long ashamed of his mediocre abilities, Finn Lockwood knows the Confederation accepted him only because of his prominent family. Declaring for the Exam instead means a chance to confirm his true worth.

Ruthless Magic

danielle bush

Ruthless magic is a combination of Harry Potter and the Hunger Games. Its a great read with lots of action, and magic, and while the end doesn't end with a cliffhanger, i was left with the feeling that i couldn't wait to see what happens to Finn and Rocio next. I will absolutely be reading the next book in the series.

Ashton Reed

I CAN'T TELL YOU HOW MUCH I ENJOYED THIS BOOK!!!!!!!!!! 

The world of 
  Ruthless Magic
 is an alternate reality where magic exists, and those who can tap into it, called mages, came out to the world so that they could protect humans from other human attacks, like the 9/11 attack or foreign wars. Now, along with the human governments still in place (or I'm assuming so), the department overseeing magic, the North American Confederation of Mages, chooses a select few of the sixteen-year-old mages in the country to become the year's Chosen and to go to colleges for magic. The mages who aren't chosen, however, have to go through a process called Dampering in which their magic is all but erased. All that remains is a tiny piece of specialized magic the mage can make a living off of. 

That is, unless the mage declares for the Mages' Exam, a brutal, mysterious test mages can take as a second chance to keep their full magic. The catch - if you don't pass the Exam, you are burnt-out, meaning you are stripped of your connection with your magic entirely. And there's the pretty good chance you'll be killed during the test. 

This amazing novel follows our two protagonists, Finn and Rocio, as they battle their way through these Exams. Finn is from a wealthy family of mages and is practically guaranteed a spot as a Chosen because of it. However, he has a very small connection to his magic and doesn't feel as though he deserves to be Chosen because of solely his status, so he declares for the Exam. Rocio, on the other hand, has power beyond belief, yet she is not Chosen because of her family's low status. She declares, as well. It seems there is more to the Confed than meets the eye.

First, I'm going to address the characters. They're all so strong, and there's more to them under the surface. Plus, I can't wait to see where the second book takes us and how the characters will cope after the Exam and kick the Confed's butt.

I love all the characters, but I frickin love Finn. No joke. Like, I have never felt about a book boy as strongly as I do about Finn. Don't get me wrong, I still love Maxon 🤣, but I want my own Finn one day. You can't understand unless you read the book 🤣.

I think maybe my favorite part of this book - besides the romance (and Finn...obviously 🤣) - was the plot and how intense and action-packed it is. I felt like I was in an action movie... yet it isn't nearly as predictable as action movies can be sometimes. I was soooo hooked!!!

As I mentioned earlier, the romance is absolutely to die for!! Like, as I was reading, I felt like I was going back in time to the classic romances of YA but with new and original twists. And it isn't tropey (is that a word?) at all! I was crying and laughing with them, and I cannot wait to see what they survive next.

Lastly, I absolutely love this world! The whole idea that magic does exist in the world and that they set up their own government is frickin awesome. I don't know, the way Crewe creates this weird feel around the world is just so well-done.

While we're on the subject of Megan Crewe, let me just say, this woman is a GENIUS! Her writing style is absolutely amazing, and this entire book has such a classic vibe mixed with a little magic and some romance. It's PERFECT!

I just wish Crewe integrated more of the world we know with the magical one she created. Because I was just confused about how much of our government still exists along with the magical government in her world, but I'm hoping we'll get more of that based on the ending of the book. And this little teeny-tiny thing doesn't even matter 🤣, like the book is probably better without it, to keep its mysterious feel.

OH, AND GUESS WHAT?! Megan Crewe has like ten million other YA novels! I can't wait to read them ALL!

Haha bye, booknerds! (And please go read this book!)

Thanks to NetGalley, Another World Press, and Megan Crewe for this ARC copy! All opinions in this review are my own.

For more bookish content, visit my blog at https://ashtonread.blogspot.com or follow me on instagram at @ashton_reads ! Thanks so much!