Reviewed by True
TITLE: Summoned
SERIES: Magus Malefica #1
AUTHOR: J.P. Jackson
PUBLISHER: NineStar Press
LENGTH: 343 pages
RELEASE DATE: April 19, 2021
BLURB:
Devid Khandelwal desperately wants to experience the supernatural. After years of studying everything from crystals to tarot to spellcasting, nothing has happened that would tell him the Shadow Realm is real. And that kills Dev. As a last-ditch resort, he purchases a summoning board, an occult tool that will grant him his ultimate desires.
Cameron Habersham is Dev’s best friend. Cam loves Dev like a brother and will do anything for him, as long as he looks good doing it. So when Dev asks him to perform the summoning board’s ritual, he reluctantly agrees, but he knows nothing will come of it. Nothing ever does.
However, within a day, Dev and Cam’s lives are turned upside down as wishes begin to come true. They discover the existence of a supernatural world beyond their imagination, but peace between the species is tenuous at best.
Dev finally gets to see the Shadow Realm, meets the man of his dreams, and is inducted into the local male coven. But for all the desires that were summoned into existence, Dev soon realizes the magical community dances the line between good and evil, and Cam ends up on the wrong side of everything.
The old adage is true: Be careful what you wish for.
REVIEW:
Dev is twenty-three, almost graduated with a sociology degree, he loves everything that involves occultism, mysticism, spirit realms, supernatural. He just knows it’s there.
Dev’s best friend Cam is big and burly, when he opens his mouth “Unicorns and rainbows just fly out” (his words :). He doesn’t understand Dev’s fascination with magic, mysticism, and the paranormal.
Soooo, finally, Dev made skeptical Cam join him to attend the Summoning board. After many discussions about supernatural things, Cam finally gives in and sits with him.
They have to write three wishes and put them in a bowl.
Cam wasn’t surprised, duh! nothing happened!
So far so good. But man, know what you wish for!
Little does Dev knows about what’s going on around him. There’s a secret high priest of the Coven of the Night Grove, who wants Dev to join them.
One night he meets Tully, a witch. Dev can’t believe what is happening. Tully will guide Dev through his new world. Dev is special, he has special gifts.
Before Dev realizes it, he’s deep into a ceremony and will enter the Shadow Realm.
While Dev’s dreams come true, having the best time, exploring new realities, Cam’s world is collapsing.
It’s a kind of story where it’s difficult to write a review without giving away too much, without spoiling. Let’s conclude there are a few storylines, one of them is about how Dev gets into the supernatural world. The other is about Cam who desperately wants to get out of it.
We’ll meet many different creatures, like witches, vampires, witch/wolves, faeries, gods, undead, elements, too many to name.
After some heavy dark events, with blood, hopelessness, and despair, where creatures are suffering and sacrificed, there’s justification and finally, the wronged get right.
Pffff what a journey. It was mostly about Dev, I must confess I felt more for Cam than Dev. While the story was entertaining, for me, it was also a bit chaotic, no clear line between the main and secondary matters. The core of the story, why everything happened, was a bit disappointing, and way too human. I expected something for a higher purpose.
There are some warnings, beware of them: death of secondary characters, gore, abuse, graphic violence, kidnapping, imprisonment, torture.
RATING: 
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