Title: Devils & Thieves (Devils & Thieves #1)
by Jennifer RushPublishing Info: October 3, 2017 by Hachette, Little Brown
Source: ALAAC17
Genres: Young Adult, Paranormal, Urban Fantasy
Find it on the web: Buy from Amazon // GoodreadsDate Completed: November 2, 2017
Power corrupts. Magic kills.
Eighteen-year-old Jemmie Carmichael is surrounded by magic in the quiet town of Hawthorne, New York. In her world, magic users are called “kindled,” and Jemmie would count herself among them if only she could cast a simple spell without completely falling apart. It doesn't help that she was also recently snubbed by Crowe—the dangerous and enigmatic leader of Hawthorne’s kindled motorcycle gang, the Devils’ League.
When the entire kindled community rolls into Hawthorne for an annual festival, a rumor spreads that someone is practicing forbidden magic. Then people start to go missing. With threats closing in from every side, no one can be trusted. Jemmie and Crowe will have to put aside their tumultuous history to find their loved ones, and the only thing that might save them is the very flaw that keeps Jemmie from fully harnessing her magic. For all her years of feeling useless, Jemmie may just be the most powerful kindled of all.
I think DEVILS & THIEVES was my first Jennifer Rush book and I was excited to read about motorcycles and magic. First, let’s get this out of the way — it’s not about motorcycles. The different motorcycle clubs are various families and groups, usually specializing in certain powers (often because specific magics run in specific families too) but aside from riding in on a chopper, the mention of a garage, and general motorcycle attire, there were no motorcycles. It did capture the family, camaraderie, and tight-knit group of a club though.
I actually did enjoy the book and at the same time, it felt like it was missing some good gravy. DEVILS & THIEVES was enjoyable, mostly light with some serious danger (like a lot of paranormal/urban fantasy YA), and had some interesting magical concepts. I’m always a sucker for different categories of magic and add in colors and/or scents to go with them and you have my mind immediately picturing and smelling everything! I loved the sensory concept and it also helped me pick up on the different types and remember them more easily.
And yet… I felt like it just didn’t go as deep as I wanted it to. It wasn’t even that I was missing a history or backstory like I often do for a lot of books when that “thing” is missing, but I just wasn’t as engaged as I had hoped to be. I almost think there were TOO many different types of magic because even by the end of the book I didn’t have them all straight and I guess I would have just loved to see more time spent between a few characters and building their relationships rather than a love triangle, which I actually didn’t hate. Jemmie has a clear winner in her “triangle” but she also doesn’t want it to be him. (I did.)
I actually didn’t see the end coming, even though I really probably should have, but this was another fortunate case of reading the book and not reading too much into everything. I basically read it in 15-20 minute intervals on my lunch break at work so I didn’t have time to sit there and think about what I just read and what might happen next so I don’t pick up on clues and the like when that happens. The short reading time also probably hurts how much I enjoyed the book because it was so pieced up, although it was easy to hop right back in where I had left off.
I’m actually interested to see where the rest of the series goes because I thought it was interesting how it ended and I’m always up for a little twistiness! I would probably continue on audio because this book had a great light and easy feel to it with a delicious dash of darkness that would make for a great audio read (so long as the narrator is a good one).
Kept Me Hooked On: Different magical structures. I really enjoyed the magic system in this book, as well as the structure of the families behind each ability and how they’re inherited!
Left Me Wanting More: Meat & potatoes. I just felt like there was a little meat left off the bones that could have really enhanced this book and gotten even further into this world!
Addiction Rating
Try it
It didn’t wow me but it was a fun read! I’m still interested in continuing the series because it was a fun and easy read but I’m not sure it’ll be a priority.
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1 thought on “Devils & Thieves (Devils & Thieves #1) – Jennifer Rush”
HAHAHA, I wanted “him” as the clear winner too. I’m really looking forward to the sequel and see how Jemmie’s future plays out.