Review of Inspector Mage

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Stella Chavenetidou
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Review of Inspector Mage

Post by Stella Chavenetidou »

[Following is a volunteer review of "Inspector Mage" by Aleese Hughes.]
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4 out of 4 stars
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Inspector Mage: Blood on the Floor by Aleese Hughes is a dystopic novel taking place in Osera, a place where the people who bear a mage gift look down on those who are not gifted. It is a story combining mystery and fantasy. Our lead character, Russell Gaines, is a top-notch inspector, famous for solving every case by using his unique and mysterious gift. On the other hand, Julie Melton comes from one of the most prestigious and richest families in Osera. The strain is great on both of them; their gift must excel and they need to show it off whenever asked for.

The story starts when five years after quitting his job, after failing to track down the New Age God which cost him his younger sister's life, Russell in the brink of bankruptcy and addicted on alcohol, gets an offer from the Melton family which he is unable to refuse. His job is to find who killed a member of their family and, simultaneously, exonerate the Melton name. Julie helps him in his quest. Apart from their gaping differences and constant bickering, they realise that they share something in common; burdened by social norms and conventions, they both feel compelled to show off a different persona when in public. This is what provides the link to gap their differences and manage to achieve their goal.

I read this book in almost a night. I couldn't put it down. First of all, I really enjoyed reading about the world that the author created. It is a solid world where everything and everyone has its own place. Another feature of the book I enjoyed, were the dialogues. They were smart, providing the readers with a clear depiction and profound understanding of the characters' motives and feelings. Additionally, I loved how the author used the mystery element in the novel. There were clues everywhere in the novel, so the reader could draw his/her own conclusions as far as the final outcome is concerned. I, also, relished the illustrations. Not only is there a map at the beginning of the book, but there are, also, illustrations throughout the book showing the inventions of the Melton family.

There weren't many things I didn't like. I would really like to have read more about Osera and even some parallel secondary stories evolving around the main story. We only get glimpses of her family, Uncle Morris or Laura, the maid. Other than that there was nothing else that bothered me. It was notably well-edited and well-written.

I rate it 3 out of 4 stars for all the aforementioned reasons. I would definitely recommend it to people who are into fantasy worlds and love a good mystery. I would really love to read the second part of the book and see how the story evolves.

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Inspector Mage
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