The Source of Magic by Marisa Mills – A Book Review

Posted September 13, 2019 by Booksandblurbs in Fantasy, Reviews, YA / 2 Comments

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The Source of Magic: Thieves & Demons

(Falling Kingdom Academy – Book 1)

by Marisa Mills & Drake Mason
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

YA Fantasy Adventure
Available on Kindle and Kindle Unlimited

Down and Dirty

A different (though not wholly different) take on the Academy Genre. A dash of Dystopian with a whole lot of Fantasy Magic, this is the start of a new YA series that looks promising. Free on Kindle Unlimited.

What is it about?

(Blurb from GoodReads)

Nothing is as it seems on this floating city…
Scarred to obey. Forced to steal. Fated to fall.
When a thief from the Lower Realms gets sold to a dangerously pretty nobleman, she just wants to keep her head down, and infiltrate the Magic Academy without being exposed as a fraud. Unfortunately, a cruel prince and the demon in her talking sword have other plans.

Getting too close to the prince is a recipe for disaster, if she wants to maintain her secret identity. But he’s as annoying as he is handsome and won’t leave her alone. When a rogue mage begins releasing demons at the Academy of Mages, they must work together to solve the mystery before it tears the kingdom apart.

She’ll either find a way to survive in the floating city, or burn it all down.

Thoughts on The Source of Magic

The world building here makes it clear that we are in a dystopian future, even if that clarity is overshadowed by the events and mystery surrounding the Academy. There are subcultures, secrets and intriguing histories infused in most chapters – and a romance that just MIGHT be something later.

Favorite Line

Instead, love was as frightening and uneven and anxious as my first kiss. (30%)

Pros:

Unique world building
Mystery is drawn out.
Talking swords.

Cons:

Stumbles here and there.

Perspective

First Person, Single POV

Ending Type

Cliffhanger

Rating

PG-13

Romantic Dynamic

M/F

Character Age Range

No idea really… YA though.

Verdict

4 out of 5 Stars

Fun, fast and intriguing, this is an Academy YA fantasy novel that hints at great things to come. Free on KU!

Published July 15th, 2019
332 Pages

If you enjoyed this review of The Source of Magic, please consider checking out a few of my other articles.

Your Turn

What are you reading today? Have you read this series yet? How about other books by Marisa Mills or Drake Mason? Leave a comment, I would love to talk!