Review of The Devil Pulls the Strings

[Kristen Simpson]

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

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2 out of 4 stars

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The Devil Pulls the Strings by J. W. Zarek is a playground of adventure for lovers of fantasy, music, history, and the otherworldly. Boone Daniels is an as normal as can be Missouri boy being chased by a wendigo that is tasked meeting a professor in New York City after his friend is left unable to do so. Once there, he finds himself woven into a prophecy of a centuries’ old feud surrounding Pagannini’s music, deals with the Devil, Baba Yaga, and the inevitable destruction of New York City. Armed with only his spunky attitide and a guitar, Boone must find a way to save New York City, and possibly the world.

I loved the plot of The Devil Pulls the Strings! Every action or reaction a character had sent them further into a wormhole of possibilities that by the end of the book, you specifically had no idea what Boone was going to choose to do. One of the reasons for this is the abundance of genres threaded into a single novel in a way that I have not seen done before! It allowed for multiple explanations and possibilities throughout the novel that would not have been possible without multiple genres to pull from. History, music, science fiction, fantasy, and folklore all lend a hand to make this novel very much worth reading.

I did not, however, appreciate the pacing. The majority of the novel is action, and reads like a screenplay in a lot of places. There is very little explanation for the plot, and it is difficult to get into the mind of the character, as inner monologue and explanations of interactions are limited. Boone just tends to accept what is told to him on most occasions, and does what he is told with little or no thought put behind anything he does. This unfortunately made his character and development fall flat to me.

Overall, I would rate this book at a 2 out of 4 stars. My initial interest in the plot waned as I got slogged down with limited in-depth character development. The lack of true motivation for Boone’s actions left me wanting more for him, and the action bogged down what could have been a truly amazing fantasy story.

I think The Devil Pulls the Strings would appeal to readers with varying interests. There truly is a little bit of everything in this book. I would say that if you are like me and prefer in depth characters, this might be a more difficult book to get through, as everything is very surface level, and the plot is heavily action driven.

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The Devil Pulls the Strings
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