Review of The Devil Pulls the Strings

[Jenna Gilbert]

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

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4 out of 5 stars

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The Devil Pulls the Strings is what I would call a modern-day fairy tale. Like those stories of yore, characters appear and drop magical instruments to help our heroes get through the trials set by the bad guys. Our heroes, in this case, are Boone Daniels, a young musician/knight specializing in Medieval Faires, and an expert at jousting and sword fight, with a dark secret that prevents him from living life to the fullest, and Sapphire Anjou, a beautiful violinist that has more history than we can see at first glance.
After wounding his best friend at a joust, Boone Daniels takes his place to play a gig at the reputed New York City Faire, and lands in the midst of a centuries-old fight of evil versus… well, evil, with a secret society (mostly good) trying to find the lesser evil in all this mess.
Daniels and Anjou are brought together by an unexpected murder, and they fight to prevent the destruction of New York City and the loss of their souls.
The pacing is intense and fast, with humor throughout, and the characters are endearing in their own way.
The editing is superb, and although the story is set in the present tense, which was a surprise for me (and is not my favorite style) the author does a good job of conveying his characters’ emotions and thoughts to the readers.
My only critique is that the whole story is very light, the character development is a little weak, their inner dilemmas are just brushed over, and like fairy tales, it is a bit too easy to escape the terrible doom coming their way.
That being said, it is a good, light read, with plenty of action, that will leave you with a smile on your face.
Perfect for YA-loving fantasies.

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The Devil Pulls the Strings
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