by Jill and Brad Williamson
Publisher’s Synopsis:
Hunter, the son of the huntsman who nearly killed Snow White, is tired of the shame that labels his family. Tricked into making a wish upon a magic mirror, he accidentally unleashes a curse that banishes magic from the Story Realms.
In order to right this wrong, Hunter sets out to find a wizard who might be able to help. Along the way he meets Izzy, a girl with no memory. Together, the pair embark upon an epic quest to restore the magic—and memories—that have been lost.
Do Hunter and Izzy have what it takes to bring magic back to the Story Realms? Or is magic is lost forever?
Magic Hunters: The Journey Begins is a middle-grade fantasy adventure, following Hunter, the son of the Evil Queen’s huntsman, as he tries to restore magic to the world after he accidentally causes it to disappear.
The story world combines nursery rhymes and classic legends, as well as fairy tales, which gives it a little bit of a different flavor than other fairy tale mash-ups. I appreciated that the Williamsons didn’t just do fairy tales, since there are already a number of stories like that published. The nursery rhymes in particular helped add a unique aspect.
Hunter and Izzy were likable characters, though there wasn’t anything super unique about them.
The plot seemed to take a little while to find its “footing.” For a good chunk, it felt like Hunter and Izzy were headed somewhere, only to discover that that wasn’t where they actually should go, and then decided to go somewhere else. By the end of the book though, the plot seemed to have settled into place, with Hunter having a clear direction of what to do. So the plot might be stronger in future novels.
Also, Merlin made me laugh.
Overall, Magic Hunters: The Journey Begins was a good book, but nothing about it blew me away.
Cautions: light romance; brief violence
Hailey Huntington 