Magic Runes

Magic Runes #1

by Devyn Jayse

Meet Carmen Rebello - Rune Witch, owner of the best magic store in Barcelona, and black sheep of her family.

When Carmen successfully removes a spell from a bewitched human, she never thought she would get ensnared in an ongoing Supernatural Bureau of Investigation case. Her life is already complicated by trying to stay hidden from her powerful family members, Carmen can't afford the attention of joining the investigation but the SBI insist on her involvement. Add an annoying (but hot) SBI agent and her life is getting more difficult by the day. Can she help the SBI without exposing her identity?

Magic Runes is the intriguing first novel in the Magic Runes series. If you enjoy stories filled with supernatural creatures, magic and mystery, and a sprinkle of romance in an urban fantasy setting, this is the book for you!

Story also contains:
-Ghosts
-A snarky gargoyle
-Psychic friend
-Feisty supernaturals

Genres: Fantasy, Urban Fantasy, Paranormal, Ebooks, Fiction

137 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 28, 2017

Reviews

[Maggie · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book is taxing the decision I'd only made this morning to be kinder to authors. It abounds with a typos and grammatical errors - missed words and wrong tense the most common. I'd actually gotten my knitting row counter out thinking no one would believe how many errors could be in one book, but decided not to start over just to count.

This author needs better speech recognition software or better editing skills. It's distracting enough that I fired up Goodreads to mention this issue only a third of the way into the book. Went over to the blog hoping to tell if perhaps the author has English as a second language (I'd be more empathetic) which could explain some of the issue "I published at least one book. I didn’t published my planned 10 books" ..Dec 22nd blog post, short list of just 5 items. Nails on a chalkboard, although in truth the completely missing words and wrong words - exit when the phrase needed exist for example - are what knock you out of the story. Reading slowly through the book even once should have caught a lot of the missing words - the lack of that simple effort to produce a decent book feels insulting to the reader. Even a free grammatical tool like Grammerly would have caught the missing words and wrong tense issues. Went ahead and rated as I'm still astounded that anyone would put a book up with this many errors in it. The main character is supposedly quite intelligent, so the errors are certainly not part of the story.

Oh joy, it goes for a cliff hanger ending as well :-( .

[debturk1970_bookvibes · Rating 3 out of 5]

(Read using Kindle Unlimited)
A thoroughly enjoyable start to this series. I like all of the characters we've met so far except the Ex Director of SIB 😡 I'm looking forward to starting book 2 👍

Debbie, 1970, UK

[Dj · Rating 3 out of 5]

When you get a book for free you often come away understanding why that was. This book was a very pleasant surprise in that regard. The Magic was compelling. The mystery made sense. The Main Characters secret doesn't get the big reveal until the end of the book and it is an easy read that doesn't fall off the rails into sappy romance.

I will have to give the second outing a look, it was a very pleasant surprise.

[Shirley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Original review

This book was provided by the author in exchange for an honest review. Thank you Devyn Jayse!

Magic Runes tells the story of Carmen Rebello, a rune witch who owns a magic store in Barcelona. When Carmen removes a spell from a bewitched woman, the SBI, Supernatural Bureau of Investigation, wants Carmen to become their consultant and want to know how she removed the spell because there are other bewitched women who died from that spell. Besides having to find the one who’s bewitching these women, Carmen is intrigued by a hot SBI agent…

Magic Runes is such an amazing book about supernatural creatures such as witches, gargoyles, shapeshifters, vampires, … I loved Supernatural Slayer, which was the first book I ever read by Devyn Jayse and it’s set in the same world as Magic Runes. I really loved that Devyn Jayse has written two series set in the same world because you get to know so much more about the characters.

I was always interested in reading more about Carmen because she was mentioned in Supernatural Slayer and she sounded so interesting. I fell in love with the character and the way Magic Runes ended was such a plot twist! I didn’t see it coming, I knew something was off, but I didn’t really know what.

I really loved Magic Runes and I cannot wait to read the second book, Magic Rifts, and fall in love with that one too!

[JadeShea · Rating 3 out of 5]

Carmen is hiding from her past, but when she helps a human and then decides to let the SBI know, her world is turned upside down. She must deal with a jerk a the SBI and be part of the investigation if she wishes to help save these girls, other wise things may not go so well for her.

This book was interesting. I liked the story line and the characters for the most part. I did feel like Carmen was a tad bit whinny about things, but other than that I liked her. And the only thing that was really annoying that some of the dialogue was repeated twice in the same sentence just in a slightly altered version of it. Other than that I liked this story, and it ended on a cliffhanger that had me wanting more.

[Fiona · Rating 5 out of 5]

If Magic is your thing then this book is for you!
I love Devyn's writing style and have read a few of her books to date and remain impressed. Devyn manages to capture a reader's attention early on and keeps her claws in you till the end (no reader's will be harmed in the reading of this book) and you will be glad she does.

I gave the book five stars because I like when characters are written in a way that we as the reader can feel a connection with them and can picture ourselves taking a small part in the story as 'the reader'. I like scenes that take shape in your mind you can let your imagination run wild losing hold on reality for the duration of the book. Devyn gives that and more.

There are twists and turns, ghosts, witches and the gargoyle, he is a hoot. The SBI- Supernatural Bureau of Investigation ensnares the services of local witch and business owner - Carmen Rebello. Carmen managed to remove a spell from a bewitched human who may have been a victim in connection with a supernatural murder case currently under investigation.

As mentioned in other reviews for the book there are some typo's. For me the story was enjoyable that I was able to continue reading without issue.

I have already pre ordered the second book.

[Holly Minch · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book there was a lot I felt I was missing this was my first book from this authors so maybe this was a spin-off of another series? There was a lot of areas that where backstory that seemed like we were supposed to understand the issue with her mother and why she is on the run the backstory confuses the reading I read the reviews and did not see where this was a spin-off so perhaps it was just an underdeveloped backstory I am not sure. Overall I thought this book was a good start to series and I will read the next one I thought Carmen was a bit morose but overall a good leading character and I liked her interaction with the others in the book. I found the story a little tossed together and the villain is pretty obvious from the first time we meet them in the book. I love the Gargoyle and ghost secondary characters but again they seem like they were a part of another story that I never read like I should have known their past they way they were put into the book. I would suggest reading this book it was a fun quick read that entertained me enough to buy the next one.

[William Howe · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bipolar

I say that because most of the time it feels like it is happening in the US (SBI, because naturally a worldwide enforcement bureau would use American naming protocols). It just seemed like the Spanish setting was a thin overlay.

There were a lot of dialogue problems. Usually, speakers alternate with each new paragraph. Unfortunately, that wasn’t always the case, making it difficult to parse who was doing what, especially letter in the book.

The police interactions are off kilter. How did they miss the link?!?!? Greta actually mentioned it!!!

Grammar and spelling weren’t too bad. A few awkward sentences, but nothing terrible.

If the next one is in KU, I may give it a shot, but I’m not paying extra for this. It needs a content editor more than anything else.

[Kylie · Rating 3 out of 5]

So much potential

Overall the book had a really interesting premise. The beginning had twists and turns that kept me guessing. However as the book went on I noticed more grammatical errors and felt that it was rushed. Around half way it began jumping from scene to scene without any segway. This made me struggle to get through it. It jumped from one thing to the next and what should have been the climax was rushed and anticlimactic. It reminded me of how I write essays...great start, great ideas and eventually I just want it done and don't care how bad it is. Just that it's done. I will be watching for the next book as I have high hopes that this is a learning curve and future books will be more well executed.

[Mae Padua-janusas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mystery mayhem

Been a while since I read a good detective paranormal mystery book. This one is definitely a good one to pick up. I’m usually the type to keep guessing “who done it” until the very end. Sometime I’d get it right, but sometimes it baffles me all in all. This one has a good amount of spins and twists, it’ll definitely keep you guessing until the end. The only one I really anticipated was who Carmen really was.

I can’t wait to read more about Carmen and the rest of the SBI team and what role her mother plays in all of it. Where and when did the falling out happened AND what happened to make her run. Also can’t wait to read more about Adrian. What’s his story? Why the perma frown? So many questions that needs answering. On to the next book then!

[T. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I downloaded Magic Runes as a free ebook (novella- at 130 pgs) from Amazon. As expected for it's page count, Magic Runes ending was open-ended, but not a cliffhanger as the main thread of the story was closed (in a anticlimactic fashion, considering the build up). A good plot, an interesting main character, but the book would have appealed more to me if it were full-length and more in-depth. Missed opportunities--too bad, the writing was good. I'm glad it was free when I picked it up, as I wouldn't have paid for a novella at the listed price-- and cost is the only thing keeping me from continuing the series.

[chantal forget · Rating 5 out of 5]

On ne s'ennuie pas avec Carmen Rebello.
Elle a une gargouille comme amie et disparait pendant trois jours à tous les trois mois. Un mystère l'entoure mais nous le découvrons au cours de la lecture.
Une enquête policière sur des crimes commis envers des humains qui ont des capacités magiques dormantes. Un fée et un métamorphe travaille avec elle.
Oh, et elle fait aussi passé les fantômes dans un autre monde quand les gens lui demande ce service. Sans compter qu'elle a une boutique magique où les humains répugnent à entrer sauf quand ils sont invités...
Très distrayant et captivant.

[Eating Between · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was on the hunt for a short read but a GOOD short read. I wanted something to read while I waited for my meds to kick in and I drifted off to sleep. I think picking this was a HUGE mistake! Why? Well reading this book in bed kept me awake until I finished it! I fought through the droopy eyes and tiredness because I wanted no NEEDED to finish this book! The author is able to create such a deep and engaging world in such a short time.

Find my more detailed review here-
https://eatingbetweenthelinesinc.word...

[Jason · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great beginning - however wish the story was longer.

I liked the heroine and the storyline, but just as things were getting really interesting the story ended.
It did wrap up the current mystery, but another 50-75 pages would have helped.

More character interaction and background would have been good.

Overall liked the heroine and hope she wins.

I am preordering the next book in the series.

[April · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read

I really enjoyed this book. Great characters and a good plot. Enough of the plot was explained that I wasn't left frustrated but there's enough mystery still left that has me ready for the next book. This is my first book by this author and I will continue to read her work.

[Dawn Cavenee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very enjoyable book! Loved the characters! Some scenes were a tad choppy, but the story was great! I had purchased this book a few years back, but it took some time for it to move to the top of my TBR pile. Would love to continue the series, but they are GONE! Removed by the author. 😢 Super sad I missed the rest of the books!!

[Lee · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good start to the series. Needs better editing too many errors in the book but otherwise an enjoyable quick read. This author has a tendency not to explore the relationships she teases at its a little frustrating but nonetheless I enjoy her books.

[Cryogenic Fire · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not bad

A little clunky in places but the characters are interesting enough that you keep reading. Decent plot, if somewhat straightforward and I think that once the author hits their stride this could be a fun series.

Nothing challenging but I'd recommend for a light read.

[Jenn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Move Quickly But Great Story

I'll be honest I'm more interested in reading the next book than talking about the first one. The book is excellent there's a huge fascinating world and I can't wait to read more about it.

[Wendy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Needs work

The story is good, the characters have room for growth and are interesting. However, having to read the same sentence multiple times because of missing or incorrect words makes for a tedious read.

[Sheila Ryals · Rating 3 out of 5]

😻

I would of given four stars. But it needs a lot of editing. The storyline itself though was very good. I'm just thinking the author needs a decent editor. Was some other things but I can not quite pin what bugged me. I still am interested to see how this goes.

[Heidi · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this series start! The book was well written, I liked the characters, and I loved where the plot was heading. Carmen certainly has an interesting life. This is the first book I have read by this author, and I am excited to see what else she has to offer.

[Mary T · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you like magic read this

Own magic shop, save a life, have the SBI come ca!!ing, meet
the last person you ever want to see and still try to find out what is going on in the world of magic.

[Carol Angelo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Getting lost in fantasy

Good book to read to lose yourself. Getting caught up with the authors characters was easy to remember each one. It was a fun and fast read, and I'm looking forward to the follow up book.

[Linda Levine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great Storyline

I enjoyed the book and the storyline kept my interest. I liked how she does the right thing even when she knows there may be personal consequences. Her family issues are intriguing and add mystery to the story. I would love to read more.

[Cinthya delgado · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is worth the time it really pulls you into the story,
and the characters are awesome...
CARMEN is a real mystery at the beginning, but she turns out a person that didn't settle for what her mother wanted her to be
I loved this book and I can't wait for MAGIC SHIFTS to come out !!!!

[Carrie Goodman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic

I am not sure how i can across this book, but i am GLAD i did. The story line sucks you right in! I love it from start to finish. It left me wanting more. Highly reccommend of you love the supernatural!

[Nancy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed the characters, setting and world of this novel.

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good start to a series

I like the protagonist, I liked the plot, I liked the action that occurred. It was a good mix. I look forward to reading the next book. Recommended.

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Caught me right at the start.

From the very beginning the book drew me in and carried away. I am looking forward to reading the next book in the series.