Review of The Devil Pulls the Strings
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Bella Innes
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- Latest Review: The Devil Pulls the Strings by J. W. Zarek
Review of The Devil Pulls the Strings
[Following is a volunteer review of "The Devil Pulls the Strings" by J. W. Zarek.]
The Devil Pulls The Strings is a young adult fantasy book set in New York City featuring time travel, mythology and secret societies. As protagonist Boone Daniels struggles with his mental health and to face his demons from the past. When a jousting accident causes him to have to step in as the lead guitarist at an important performance he finds himself dragged into a world he never even knew existed. Stuck in the middle of a feud between two ancient societies, Boone must face his own fears in order to help his new friends and save New York City.
I really enjoyed the concept and story that’s J. W. Zarek has come up with in this book, some of the ideas are refreshingly original and not ones I have come across in other fantasy books I have read, especially the use of music to summon magic. There is so much action in this book that you’re never bored and waiting for the next big exciting scene to occur, the main character doesn’t even seem to have time to stop for a rest, let alone get bored!
I thought the protagonist was likeable, relatable and over all a well developed character and I especially enjoyed getting to see the relationship he built up with Sapphire.
As I previously mentioned, there is a lot going on in this book which is great if you love a novel with constant action however it sometimes feels quite rushed and in turn can become confusing, especially when lots of the characters have very similar names. This is often not helped by the use of short, punch sentences which whilst work to great effect in some places, make it feel abrupt in others. The prologue was also very confusing and I wasn’t sure how that linked in with the rest of the story until I went back to read it again. There is lots of random extra characters that seem to be thrown in later in the story with little explanation leaving you wondering who they are and how they fit into the plot.
Overall I would rate this book 3 out of 5 stars as I mentioned before I really loved the concept behind this story and think it has a lot of potential however the rushed pacing and lack of filler scenes really brought the rating down for me. The editing seemed professional and the writing was good. There was minimal swearing and although there are references to the devil I wouldn’t say it was particularly religious.
I recommend this book to those that love fast paced fantasy book with minimal fluffing out of the storyline.
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The Devil Pulls the Strings
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
The Devil Pulls The Strings is a young adult fantasy book set in New York City featuring time travel, mythology and secret societies. As protagonist Boone Daniels struggles with his mental health and to face his demons from the past. When a jousting accident causes him to have to step in as the lead guitarist at an important performance he finds himself dragged into a world he never even knew existed. Stuck in the middle of a feud between two ancient societies, Boone must face his own fears in order to help his new friends and save New York City.
I really enjoyed the concept and story that’s J. W. Zarek has come up with in this book, some of the ideas are refreshingly original and not ones I have come across in other fantasy books I have read, especially the use of music to summon magic. There is so much action in this book that you’re never bored and waiting for the next big exciting scene to occur, the main character doesn’t even seem to have time to stop for a rest, let alone get bored!
I thought the protagonist was likeable, relatable and over all a well developed character and I especially enjoyed getting to see the relationship he built up with Sapphire.
As I previously mentioned, there is a lot going on in this book which is great if you love a novel with constant action however it sometimes feels quite rushed and in turn can become confusing, especially when lots of the characters have very similar names. This is often not helped by the use of short, punch sentences which whilst work to great effect in some places, make it feel abrupt in others. The prologue was also very confusing and I wasn’t sure how that linked in with the rest of the story until I went back to read it again. There is lots of random extra characters that seem to be thrown in later in the story with little explanation leaving you wondering who they are and how they fit into the plot.
Overall I would rate this book 3 out of 5 stars as I mentioned before I really loved the concept behind this story and think it has a lot of potential however the rushed pacing and lack of filler scenes really brought the rating down for me. The editing seemed professional and the writing was good. There was minimal swearing and although there are references to the devil I wouldn’t say it was particularly religious.
I recommend this book to those that love fast paced fantasy book with minimal fluffing out of the storyline.
******
The Devil Pulls the Strings
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Latest Review: The Devil Pulls the Strings by J. W. Zarek
