I fluctuated between 2 and 3 butterflies, and landed higher because there are some interesting ideas in the story.
AUTHOR: Bella Forrest
PUBLISHER: Nightlight Press
(From what I can see, this might be Bella Forrest’s own self-publication company.)
PUBLICATION DATE: August 2018
GENRE: Mature YA Fantasy
FROM THE WEBSITE: When a rogue 19-year-old witch is recruited to help guard an ancient magical Bestiary, mystery and danger ensue…
THE REVIEW:
Like so many others, I tried this book because of the ads suggesting its similarity to the Harry Potter series. And they weren’t wrong. Unfortunately, those similarities slap you in the face (no spoilers.) They were so apparent that each time one came up, it took me out of the story.
I thought this was the first book for this author. It’s not. If I had known this, I don’t think I’d have finished the book. She’s been publishing books since 2012: a lot of books. She’s very prolific.
I believe all of her books are self-published. Finding information is a little tricky, and you have to read between the lines. She should spend money on a qualified editor. Or not. Based on the reviews, it doesn’t seem to have hurt her sales.
Harley Merlin and the Secret Coven is the only book I’ve read from Forrest. I might try another someday as a comparison.
Harley Smith (Merlin) is an orphan who grew up in the foster care system. She is 19, damaged, and so magically talented. Despite this, she’s managed to hide, survive, and grow up to be relatively well adjusted.
Monsters (who aren’t particularly scary) show up, along with Wade Crowley (love interest,) whose job it is to capture them.
Harley finds out she’s extraordinary, but not. Oh, and she’s gorgeous. And snarky, in a bullying way. The humor this was supposed to portray came off as mean.
I think all of the action takes place in one week, but there’s trouble with the timeline (one of the standout problems an editor could have helped with.) Forrest spent most of this time shoving information at the reader. The disaster and solution, while interesting, ended up being contrived.
If you are into the occult, you’ll like the names of some of the characters.
There’s potential here. Not sure if future books will live up to it.
There are currently 15 books in this series. Forrest has seven series, three trilogies, and a duology.
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