Review of The Devil Pulls the Strings

[Leasa Ana Maria]

[Following is a volunteer review of "The Devil Pulls the Strings" by J. W. Zarek.]

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4 out of 4 stars

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The Devil Pulls the Strings by J.W. Zarek is a fantasy novel in which the main characters are dragged into a surreal adventure full of supernatural creatures and hidden organizations. All of this while being connected to the world of music.

The main character in The Devil Pulls the Strings is Boone Daniels. He works as a jousting arena rider at the Renaissance Fair. Most importantly, Boone is an incredible and talented guitarist and singer who can learn and replay any piece of music after only hearing it once. All of this following a childhood mishap involving the impact of a horse hoof on his head. As a result, his journey begins when he is asked by a friend to fill his spot in The Village Idiots band for a future gig in New York City. Boone's mundane world is turned upside down when he arrives in the city, and he is introduced to a world of fantasy and danger. Boone takes a strange red and white taxi to the address he was given to reach in NYC, with a strange driver who only accepts songs as payment. At the address, he meets Sapphire Anjou, a girl his age and a brilliant violinist who also works as an assistant to Professor Stone, the person Boone was supposed to meet. She is one of the characters who will accompany Boone on his journey for the duration of the book. As the story progresses, the two of them are drawn into a conflict between good and evil, between The Lavender and Roses Society and The Dragons and Nymphs Society. An immortal being is attempting to summon the Devil, vampires are attempting to summon their creator, and at one point, someone is attempting to keep Baba Yaga trapped in a pocket dimension indefinitely, all with the assistance of Paganini music sheets. And somewhere in all of this, Boone and Sapphire need to find those music sheets and put an end to this madness.

Until the end of the book, the author managed to keep me captivated and curious about so many things. For example, in the first chapters, the name Ivan is mentioned and is kept mentioned in all the scenes where Baba Yaga and Boone meet. Until the end, there is no explanation given about who Ivan is or why Boone is called that. I got a little sad and annoyed that it wasn’t mentioned because the author made me very curious; but then, as I read the glossary pages, I found the explanation, and I felt very satisfied and impressed by the author's intentional or unintentional strategy to keep the reader intrigued.

I found just one aspect that I didn’t like; the fact that in some parts of the book, the progress of the story seems to skip some parts that would make it more logical. For example, there is a chapter where Boone has to travel to another period in time, and he is told that it is dangerous to travel too many times and that only he is right for that task. As he finishes his task there and is supposed to turn back to his timeline, suddenly and without any introduction, his other friends are placed there to take him back. After you read a little further, you somehow manage to understand the logic of the act, but the suddenness of it and the lack of further explanation make it very annoying and rushed.

While I was reading, I noticed the book was professionally edited and that the author did a very good job of keeping the reader interested in the story. Because I didn’t find any major negative aspects to complain about and because I enjoyed the story and the amount of research and facts about the music presented, I give the book 4 out of 4 stars. I recommend this book to those who enjoy fictional stories about secret organizations, supernatural creatures, Renaissance festivals, and most importantly, classical music.

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The Devil Pulls the Strings
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[Diana_Petcusin]

I usually don't read fantasy books. But I find it interesting how the author uses music in this book. The part where the taxi driver accepts music as payment for the drive is unique. Keeping the reader interested in the story is very important to me, and I see from your review that the author does that. You did a good job with the review.