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The Cruelty of Magic
A warlord seeks the destruction of Runefall, and the end of magic, as a prophecy is met with doubt.
Kyra, a young woman capable of wielding rune magic, is called from her hidden city to a temple no one knows about. As Kyra wrestles with a prophecy and wants to save her city, a dwarven king leads his people to carve a new home for themselves but instead finds himself approaching divinity.
On the other side of the world, a dark sewer hosts a father and son who escaped a tyrannical attack. They now hide and attempt to summon a golem for protection but learn something about magic that might change the world.
Intricate stories and deep lies connect people from all across the land. The actions of one may very well condemn the lives of another, even if they never meet.
Such is the cruel way of the world and the unforgiving cost of magic.
Kyra, a young woman capable of wielding rune magic, is called from her hidden city to a temple no one knows about. As Kyra wrestles with a prophecy and wants to save her city, a dwarven king leads his people to carve a new home for themselves but instead finds himself approaching divinity.
On the other side of the world, a dark sewer hosts a father and son who escaped a tyrannical attack. They now hide and attempt to summon a golem for protection but learn something about magic that might change the world.
Intricate stories and deep lies connect people from all across the land. The actions of one may very well condemn the lives of another, even if they never meet.
Such is the cruel way of the world and the unforgiving cost of magic.
362 pages, Paperback
Published December 1, 2023
32 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
December 2, 2023
I got the wonderful opportunity to ARC read “Cruelty of Magic”, a high fantasy novel by Shawn Amick and this is my spoiler free review.
Full transparency, this was my first experience reading high fantasy, so it was a little bit of a challenge as someone who hasn’t had a lot of exposer to the genre to get into the style of writing. This isn’t due to the characters or story itself, but I did find myself having to slow down and re-read some parts because I personally am not used to the older fantasy style of writing. That being said, once I was able to get into the flow of the writing, I couldn’t put the book down!
Within the first few pages, Amick draws you into a vast magical world full of dwarves that can change size, rune, elemental, and summoning magic, gods, and a prophecy with a name etched in stone. His characters’ voices are distinct and all of them—good, bad, and grey—make you fall in love with them almost immediately. I found myself captivated by each and every one of them, though I have to say Ishmael and Samiel are probably my favorite. Their storylines feel like their own individual books all leading up to a larger, overarching story that all come crashing together, keeping you hooked until the very last paragraph. I found myself holding my breath more then once while I tore through chapters to find out what would happen next.
One of my personal favorite aspects of this novel is the magic system and the cost of using said magic. It gives a similar feel as “Fullmetal Alchemist” that I find myself missing from a lot of fantasy as someone who prefers that “all magic come at a price” rather then the “we just ✨can✨” approach. In one scene, a character floats a piece of paper across a table and gets a cut on their finger. In another, a character teleports to a different location and the cost is their hand. The attention to detail on the cruelty of magic—both on the caster and the people around them—is a breath of fresh air.
Thank you, Shawn, for the chance to read you novel, I’m honored to have been part of this ARC team, and I can’t wait to get my hands on book two!
Full transparency, this was my first experience reading high fantasy, so it was a little bit of a challenge as someone who hasn’t had a lot of exposer to the genre to get into the style of writing. This isn’t due to the characters or story itself, but I did find myself having to slow down and re-read some parts because I personally am not used to the older fantasy style of writing. That being said, once I was able to get into the flow of the writing, I couldn’t put the book down!
Within the first few pages, Amick draws you into a vast magical world full of dwarves that can change size, rune, elemental, and summoning magic, gods, and a prophecy with a name etched in stone. His characters’ voices are distinct and all of them—good, bad, and grey—make you fall in love with them almost immediately. I found myself captivated by each and every one of them, though I have to say Ishmael and Samiel are probably my favorite. Their storylines feel like their own individual books all leading up to a larger, overarching story that all come crashing together, keeping you hooked until the very last paragraph. I found myself holding my breath more then once while I tore through chapters to find out what would happen next.
One of my personal favorite aspects of this novel is the magic system and the cost of using said magic. It gives a similar feel as “Fullmetal Alchemist” that I find myself missing from a lot of fantasy as someone who prefers that “all magic come at a price” rather then the “we just ✨can✨” approach. In one scene, a character floats a piece of paper across a table and gets a cut on their finger. In another, a character teleports to a different location and the cost is their hand. The attention to detail on the cruelty of magic—both on the caster and the people around them—is a breath of fresh air.
Thank you, Shawn, for the chance to read you novel, I’m honored to have been part of this ARC team, and I can’t wait to get my hands on book two!
December 2, 2023
The Cruelty of Magic by Shawn Amick, is something out of this world! Right away the storyline is amazing ! The world building is so unique and epic i truly enjoyed reading about the magic system and Kyra! Having such a strong female lead written by a man is absolutely amazing! Shawn Amick is such an amazing person and the his writing is wonderful! I was just so impressed and excited reading through The Cruelty of Magic!
December 2, 2023
I loved the world building in this book , I enjoyed the magic system in it. It also had Plenty of action and had me hooked form the start! It was a fun read it was well written and had wonderful characters. I can’t wait to read more from this author
November 14, 2023
The world building in this book was so good, I enjoyed the magic system and the action scenes, this was everything I look for in fantasy.
September 22, 2024
This is an ARC read so there will be no spoilers going forward.
The first thing I noticed about this book is that it has a map! I love when they have maps! Straight after the map is a truly long, long list of characters – it was a bit daunting, there are 68-character names on this list, plus their occupation/where they fit in. I ended up skimming it because I didn’t want to overload on names and not embrace the story and because I would never have remembered them all. In a physical book you can keep flipping back and forth but on the kindle it’s a bit more annoying, so I don’t bother. One thing that I did like is that every chapter heading is a quote from the book ‘Thoughts of War’ which is being written by the main antagonist. I thought that was a nice touch and one I haven’t experienced before.
It felt like a very busy read, there were so many characters all with their own viewpoints, dotted around the map. I get the impression that it began with less characters, but more characters materialised and wanted their voice to be heard. Some of the events in this I feel could have been saved for a second book rather than crammed into this one. I messaged the author and there is a second book, this is the first in a series going forward, although nowhere in the arc says this at the point of writing this.
I really enjoyed reading this one, I could not put it down. The characters were engaging and well written. The world building was top notch and descriptive without being overwhelming. I can’t forget to mention the magic system, this being high fantasy there is a front and centre magic system, every character has their unique traits and connections to magic which is further explored with the introduction of the various gods and goddesses in this world. Rather than go the usual fantasy route and have all the characters expel magic like doling out tictacs the use of magic in this story has consequences to the caster and not always for the benefit of everyone – especially the caster themselves. It instills the belief in the reader that magic is not just a plot point and a fluffy character trait, but a powerful force not to be trifled with lightly.
The first thing I noticed about this book is that it has a map! I love when they have maps! Straight after the map is a truly long, long list of characters – it was a bit daunting, there are 68-character names on this list, plus their occupation/where they fit in. I ended up skimming it because I didn’t want to overload on names and not embrace the story and because I would never have remembered them all. In a physical book you can keep flipping back and forth but on the kindle it’s a bit more annoying, so I don’t bother. One thing that I did like is that every chapter heading is a quote from the book ‘Thoughts of War’ which is being written by the main antagonist. I thought that was a nice touch and one I haven’t experienced before.
It felt like a very busy read, there were so many characters all with their own viewpoints, dotted around the map. I get the impression that it began with less characters, but more characters materialised and wanted their voice to be heard. Some of the events in this I feel could have been saved for a second book rather than crammed into this one. I messaged the author and there is a second book, this is the first in a series going forward, although nowhere in the arc says this at the point of writing this.
I really enjoyed reading this one, I could not put it down. The characters were engaging and well written. The world building was top notch and descriptive without being overwhelming. I can’t forget to mention the magic system, this being high fantasy there is a front and centre magic system, every character has their unique traits and connections to magic which is further explored with the introduction of the various gods and goddesses in this world. Rather than go the usual fantasy route and have all the characters expel magic like doling out tictacs the use of magic in this story has consequences to the caster and not always for the benefit of everyone – especially the caster themselves. It instills the belief in the reader that magic is not just a plot point and a fluffy character trait, but a powerful force not to be trifled with lightly.
October 27, 2025
The Cruelty of Magic was out of this world crazy good. The world building is unique and I enjoyed the magic aystem. Plus Kyra! Having such a strong female lead was perfect.
Pick this up!!!
Pick this up!!!
April 18, 2024
It is an adventure, from start to finish, that follows three distinct storylines that all tie into each other with several subplots and twists. So grab a notebook and keep up. This novel is not for readers looking for a simple, feel-good, story.
The main character, Kyra is called on to save her city from complete destruction while fulfilling a prophecy, but realizes that not all gods tell the truth.
Meanwhile, Grunffi fights to save his family, only to discover what it truly means to be a dwarf.
And finally, Varus and Varix, the father/son duo that struggles to figure out summoning magic and get more than what they bargained for when the creature they summoned is not what they thought it would be.
A great and adventurous story that interweaves traditional fantasy settings with unique characteristics.
The main character, Kyra is called on to save her city from complete destruction while fulfilling a prophecy, but realizes that not all gods tell the truth.
Meanwhile, Grunffi fights to save his family, only to discover what it truly means to be a dwarf.
And finally, Varus and Varix, the father/son duo that struggles to figure out summoning magic and get more than what they bargained for when the creature they summoned is not what they thought it would be.
A great and adventurous story that interweaves traditional fantasy settings with unique characteristics.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews