Harley Merlin and the Secret Coven

Harley Merlin #1

by Bella Forrest, Amanda Ronconi (Narrator)

Being an empath has its advantages. Harley Merlin can sense people’s emotions, among other things. It’s how she snagged her first job pinpointing cheaters at a casino. But she has no clue where she got these freakish powers because she spent her childhood jumping from home to home in the foster system, and her father left her with nothing more than a cryptic note. Then she crosses paths with a terrifyingly real monster. Which is when a mysterious and annoyingly arrogant young warlock named Wade Crowley steps in, introducing her to a hidden world of beasts, magicals, and covens riddled with secrets—as well as clues about her murky past. Whether she likes it or not, this new world is where she belongs. But after a disturbing twist of events, Harley quickly realizes that her past is darker than she could ever have imagined. And that someone in the coven is out for her blood. With the help of Wade and her new friends, she must figure out who the traitor is and why they’re targeting her... Before the human and magical worlds dangerously collide.

Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult, Magic, Fiction, Paranormal, Urban Fantasy, Witches

13 pages, Audible Audio

First published August 27, 2018

About the author

UPDATE MARCH 11, 2024:

BELLA IS BACK!

*** New, updated online store at https://BellaForrest.com

*** New books coming soon

*** Possible Film/TV series coming soon

*** Stay up to date by joining our e-mail list at https://BellaForrest.com/join

###

Bella Forrest is a lover of fantasy, romance, action, and mystery infused stories with twists you don’t see coming. She has sold over fifteen million books since her first novel was published in 2012.

Check out her website for a full list of her books: https://BellaForrest.com

Official Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/BellaForrest...

Here's a list of some of Bella's books:

DARKLIGHT

Darklight (Book 1)
Darkthirst (Book 2)
Darkworld (Book 3)
Darkblood (Book 4)
Darktide (Book 5)
Darkbirth (Book 6)
Darkfall (Book 7)
Darkwilds (Book 8)
Darkhunt (Book 9)

A LOVE THAT ENDURES (Trilogy)
A Love that Endures 1
A Love that Endures 2
A Love that Endures 3

HARLEY MERLIN AND THE SECRET COVEN

Harley Merlin and the Secret Coven (Book 1)
Harley Merlin and the Mystery Twins (Book 2)
Harley Merlin and the Stolen Magicals (Book 3)
Harley Merlin and the First Ritual (Book 4)
Harley Merlin and the Broken Spell (Book 5)
Harley Merlin and the Cult of Eris (Book 6)
Harley Merlin and the Detector Fix (Book 7)
Harley Merlin and the Challenge of Chaos (Book 8)
Harley Merlin and the Mortal Pact (Book 9)
Finch Merlin and the Fount of Youth (Book 10)
Finch Merlin and the Lost Map (Book 11)
Finch Merlin and the Djinn's Curse (Book 12)
Finch Merlin and the Locked Gateway (Book 13)
Finch Merlin and the Forgotten Kingdom (Book 14)
Finch Merlin and the Everlasting Vow (Book 15)
Finch Merlin and the Blood Tie (Book 16)
Finch Merlin and the Legend of the Luminary
Persie Merlin and Leviathan's Gift (Book 18)
Persie Merlin and the Door to Nowhere (Book 19)
Persie Merlin and the Witch Hunters (Book 20)
Persie Merlin and the Dying Song (Book 21)

THE CHILD THIEF

The Child Thief (Book 1)
Deep Shadows (Book 2)
Thin Lines (Book 3)
Little Lies (Book 4)
Ghost Towns (Book 5)
Zero Hour (Book 6)

HOTBLOODS

Hotbloods (Book 1)
Hotbloods (Book 2): Coldbloods
Hotbloods (Book 3): Renegades
Hotbloods (Book 4): Venturers
Hotbloods (Book 5): Traitors
Hotbloods (Book 6): Allies
Hotbloods (Book 7): Invaders
Hotbloods (Book 8): Stargazers

THE GENDER GAME

The Gender Game (Book 1)
The Gender Secret (Book 2)
The Gender Lie (Book 3)
The Gender War (Book 4)
The Gender Fall (Book 5)
The Gender Plan (Book 6)
The Gender End (Book 7)

THE GIRL WHO DARED TO THINK

The Girl Who Dared to Think (Book 1)
The Girl Who Dared to Stand (Book 2)
The Girl Who Dared to Descend (Book 3)
The Girl Who Dared to Rise (Book 4)
The Girl Who Dared to Lead (Book 5)
The Girl Who Dared to Endure (Book 6
The Girl Who Dared to Fight (Book 7)

A SHADE OF VAMPIRE

Season 1: Derek & Sofia’s story

Books 1 to 7

Season 2: Rose & Caleb’s story

Books 8 to 16

Season 3: The Shade continues with a new hero...

Books 17 to 24

Season 4: A Clan of Novaks

Books 25 to 32

Season 5: A Dawn of Guardians

Books 33 to 41

Season 6: A Gift of Three

Books 42 to 50

Season 7: A Call of Vampires

Books 51 to 59

Season 8: A Voyage of Founders

Books 60 to 68

Season 9: A Birth of Fire

Books 69 to 77

Season 10: An Origin of Vampires
An Origin of Vampires (Book 78)
A Game of Death (Book 79)
A Veil of Dark (Book 80)
A Bringer of Night (Book 81)
A Circle of Nine (Book 82)
A Bender of Spirit (Book 83)
A Memory of Time (Book 84)
A Shard of Soul (Book 85)
A Break of Seals (Book 86)

Season 11: A Shade of Mystery
A Shade of Mystery (Book 87)
An Isle of Mirrors (Book 88)
A Sanctuary of Foes (Book 89)
A Ruler of Clones (Book 90)
A Gate of Light (Book 91)
A Dawn of Worlds (Book 92) ➜ Coming soon!

Reviews

[Mike · Rating 3 out of 5]

Started out well, and I thought it was going to be both well-edited and fairly original. Sadly, in the end it was neither. Enjoyable enough, but not quite worthy of four stars (I did originally err on the side of generosity, but decided on reflection to give it three).

Firstly, it's based much too closely on Harry Potter, up to and including points for an end-of-year prize and childish bickering (if anything, the HP kids are more mature than these characters - "mature YA" in the blurb apparently just means the protagonist is 19).

Second, there are quite a few excess coordinate commas, and a good few vocabulary issues - homonym errors (like diffuse/defuse); wrong word choices for what the author means (like "conscience" when she means "consciousness"); and one of my pet hates, the jargon "going forward" repeatedly used to mean "in future" or "from now on".

Third, there are two - TWO - Convenient Eavesdrops, and even though neither one is completely essential to the plot, I still despise this plot device with a mighty hatred. It's weak writing, a convenient way to get around point-of-view limitations.

And, while it starts out with a good pace, it suddenly crashes down into low gear for an extended visit to the Department of Backstory, and takes a long time to recover its momentum.

It's OK in a bubblegum sort of way, enjoyable for what it is, but it doesn't inspire me to look for more from this author.

[Emilia · Rating 1 out of 5]

That's a couple of hours I'm never getting back. Started out nicely but went downhill faster than a rollercoaster ride. DNF and won't bother. "The next Harry Potter" my arse. Thank u, next.

[Montzalee Wittmann · Rating 5 out of 5]

Harley Merlin and the Secret Coven
By: Bella Forrest
Narrated by: Amanda Ronconi
Terrific read about magic, coven for mystics, creatures, a mystery, touch of romance, action, good characters and plot, and what makes a family. An orphan has some powers and is noticed by a warlock. Invited to a coven and given a month to decide to stay or not. This story takes place in just over a week and there is a lot!
The narration was great!

[Piya · Rating 3 out of 5]

What I liked:

Wade - one of the main characters, I could connect with him as a person easily enough and liked him.

Storyline and Plot - I liked the overall arc, despite the slight "chosen one" feeling it gave.

Pace - Perfect.



What I didn't like:

The Writing Style - After about 50% into the book it stopped bothering me because the plot was engaging but it seriously bothered me until then. It's clumsy and lazy.

Sometimes the writer would preempt something that the book might be critiqued upon, case in point -

"There was history between these seemingly opposite sides, but neither came across as part of a classic “good versus bad” formula, but rather “unsociable misfits versus smug, preppy jerks.”

The writer here essentially told us this not a "good school clique" vs. "bad school clique" thing but something more "complicated", a dynamic that she promptly forgets to demonstrate anywhere and went on to ignore completely for the rest of the book.

Also, the writer literally used dialogue in the worst, most awkward ways as info dumps - and not for world-building at that - but character-building. Which brings me to my next issue.

The Character-building - Other than Wade (the love interest, which was laughably obvious from his intro) I couldn't connect to ANYONE in the book, including our MC.
The writer has obviously tried to create a varied and eclectic group but remained caricatures of the amazing and lovable people they could've been. So much potential lost. She gave them eccentricities and quirks, but none of these really stuck and felt fake.
Our MC, for example, is an orphan, so there are all these little quirks about her that one might imagine her having from the abuse she suffered in her foster care days. These qualities are MENTIONED but sometimes don't reflect on her actions. She's supposed to have trust issues but she practically falls in love with this big happy supposedly "rejects" family she finds, within days and trusts them. Now, it's mentioned that she herself is surprised that she put herself in mortal danger for people she barely knew, but again, it feels like the writer is preempting it rather than dealing with these quirks in her behavior patterns (which would be harder work), instead mentioning them and trying to reinforce the idea, using clumsy inner dialogue later on. As I said, lazy writing.
And because of these inconsistencies I just couldn't connect with her.

World-building - There wasn't much to begin with. It's not exactly a radical idea. Secret society, keeping magic from the world for their and its own good. The Harry Potter influence is actually quite heavy, there are scenes which literally feel like a retelling. It's not completely off-putting though. Some of it I even enjoyed.
No, what irked me was how much some important details were just ignored, like what is the IQ level of a gargoyle? Is it vicious monster or does it have a malevolent intelligence, because apparently they understand orders giving in human language.
Also this "elitist" behavior that the MC keeps harping on about, there was no payoff to this supposed characteristic of the magicals' society, something to be seen in Chapter 33, the second-last.
The whole administrative system and hierarchy inside the coven seems haywire and it's obvious that the writer did not put a lot of thought into it. As I said, lazy writing.


But luckily the pacing and the plot saved it for me. I'm definitely going to read further installments.

[☘Misericordia☘ ⚡ϟ⚡⛈⚡☁ ❇️❤❣ · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fun read and a good start of a promising story. I do have my gripe with this one but they are more than balanced out by the good points.

All the 'going forward' happening - everything does it, even the dreamcatcher. I didn't notice them going backward or sideways a lot, did we need to specifically note that they were going forward a lot?

It's a good thing I'm an HP fan and am not irritated by parallels happening. Actually, some stuff is an improvement on the HP line.

More to follow.

Good stuff:
Q:
History was meant to serve as a lesson, not a guideline. Errors were meant to be recorded and later avoided, not repeated. Elitism raised the masses once, to the point where the people got angry and toppled entire monarchies. (c)

[Melody · Rating 3 out of 5]

Harley Merlin and the Secret Coven. Where do I start? I picked it up in the first place because I heard it compares favorably to Harry Potter.

It is an entertaining story and it does indeed remind me of Harry Potter. And Harley is 19 when we meet her, which is nice in that it makes me feel less like I’m reading a children’s book.

I’m not sold on it, though. The biggest issue for me is that the book reads not like an inspired fan’s attempt to create a new magical world, but like a calculated attempt to recreate Harry Potter and make millions of dollars. And the similarities are glaringly obvious, starting with the main character’s name. Harley? Really? The author took Harry’s name and swapped out two of the letters at the end. Regardless of her name, Harley is a plucky orphan who grew up in rough foster homes, knows nothing about her parents, and discovers she’s a witch with rare and startling powers. I could go on, but I don’t want to get too spoilery. Just know there’s even a coven/house point system.

Ultimately, it was entertaining enough and Harley is likeable enough that I may read more of the series. But I’ll remain smug and offended on Harry Potter’s behalf.

[Jinjre · Rating 2 out of 5]

I am, by all measures, an adult. I also happen to like YA fiction.

This book is not Harry Potter. It is not even close to Harry Potter. The language and vocabulary sounds like a frustrated 8th grader wrote it. It has a trope on every page.

Most 30 year olds do not have "Did not!-Did too!" arguments. To have this occur in the world the author has created is jarring at best and laughable at worst.

Stick to the in-flight magazine, and don't bother with this book.

[Jeanny · Rating 1 out of 5]

A disappointment. 🤨 the 📖 begins well enough but as it progressed it suffered from slow pacing & uninteresting characters. 1 Subpar Star DNF 25%

[Melissa Dinwiddie · Rating 5 out of 5]

An older, female Harry Potter

Several other reviewers, as well as the book’s description, have compared Harley Merlin to Harry Potter, and the comparisons are apt—a magical society/school that humans are unaware of; bureaucratic elements; forces of evil; an orphaned main character with an opaque family history.

But Bella Forrest has created her own magical world, filled with delightful characters and rules that I found great fun to explore. I look forward to reading more books in this series!

[Jacob Proffitt]

I got to 30% and had a suspicion. The setup seemed kind of fragile with lots of titanic forces in stress, not least having the coven sanctuary sitting on a powder keg. And I figured that either Forrest is unaware of her own setup or things were going to explode and that was integral to the plot. Which twigged me onto a feeling I had that I was reading outside of the genre I expected (UF with YA flavor). So I explored a bit. Okay, I read the cover copy of later books in the series. And found that this series is likely more of an epic fantasy in a modern day setting than it is Urban Fantasy. Which is perfectly fine, but it has been a very long time since I was able to get caught up in an epic fantasy.

So I'm going to stop here. I'm not going to rate this at all because looking at the cover copy on this book again it actually does a pretty good job indicating the kind of stakes and arc this is going to cover. So it's my bad for not picking up on that and I'll just move on.

[Misha · Rating 2 out of 5]

Just no...

This book seemed like it was going to be awesome and the high ratings made me believe I had picked a winner. I was wrong. I didn’t like it, but I’m not sure if it’s because of my idiosyncrasies,
rather than the author’s writing style, the plot or the characters that tanked this for me. Let me explain.

The book moves really slow (at least to me). More so in the first part of the book. I expected more action, less talk. I’m not sure I really like or want to root for Harley or Wade for that matter. They were irritating to me. Also, It bothered me that Wade basically magically harassed and bullied Harley to come in, she really doesn’t have a legit choice to join and upon first meeting they basically physically coerced her into giving blood when she’s said no. What really got me was she’s just like I’ll get you back Wade, but please tell me more Director. Umm scratches head. Eyebrows to my hairline. This is the first meeting and you’ve violated my right to self determination and I’m still considering joining. Really? What kind of message is that to young readers? The author knew this would be an issue for some because excuses for why we should be okay with that quickly follow. Still I marched along, but gave up before completing the book. Life’s too short and this book just bored and disappointed me. It just seemed like a mashup of stuff we’ve seen before and I expected more.

Don’t hesitate to read it though if you’re interested because you like many others may love it, but as for me book one might as well have been the final book because I’m done.

[Kaitlin Underwood · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting new world of witchcraft and wizardry! This book has a bit of a nostalgic feel for the fans of Harry Potter, in that there are secret institutions of magical people hidden in enchanted pockets of the world. It is much more mature and dark than any children's books, though.

One thing Bella Forrest is the Queen, Grand Master, and Ultimate Ruler of is creating a full cast of characters who band together and exhibit the true definition of friendship, love and loyalty. Already, we can see this happening with Harley and her Rag Team. Hidden gems of talent and fiercely loyal friends, they have one another's backs through thick and thin. Add in a pinch of secret intentions to sacrifice themselves for the good of their friends and you've got the makings of a legendary cadre! I love this about Bella Forrest. Her stories are reminders that everyone is better when they rely on one another.

[Ali Book World · Rating 3 out of 5]

هارلی دختری یتیم و نوزده ساله‌ست که در یک بار مشغول به کارِ شناسایی قماربازهای متقلبه. هارلی میدونه که نیروهای جادوییِ خاصی داره اما از گفتن این موضوع به دوستها و نزدیکانش هراس داره چون فکر میکنه این نوعی ضعف و تفاوتی بد محسوب میشه. اما در این بین شبی بعد از پایان کارش در کازینو، به هیولایی عجیب برخورد میکنه که همین جرقه‌ای میشه برای تغییر زندگیش و آشناییش با "محفل جادوگران"...

هارلی مرلین یک مجموعه در ژانر "فانتزی شهری" محسوب میشه. جلد اول با متنی آروم و خیلی راحت و ریلکس شروع میشه اما خیلی زود وارد قضایای اصلی داستان میشیم. در حقیقت نویسنده اومده آشنایی مخاطب با دنیای جادویی این مجموعه رو در حین پیشبرد داستان انجام داده که به نظرم روش خوبی رو پیاده کرد.

شخصیت هارلی به عنوان کارکتر اصلی داستان، رو مخ نیست و جذاب هم نیست. یک دختر معمولی که با اینکه میدونه قدرت‌های جادویی داره اما نمیدونه چجور باید نسبت به این موضوع واکنش نشون بده، بعلاوه کمی هم رفتار پسرونه داره که به نظرم نقطه‌ی متمایزش نسبت به خیلی از کارکترهای دختر در کتاب‌هاست.

ممکنه با توجه به خلاصه‌ی داستان به نظر بیاد که موضوع جدید و خاصی رو شاهد نیستیم، بله دقیقا همینه اما نویسنده خیلی خوب تونسته با این موضوع نسبتا تکراری یک داستان مهیج و جذاب رو خلق کنه و کاری کنه منِ مخاطب حس خوندن اثری تکراری بِهِم دست نده.

گفته بودم که داستان خیلی زود وارد قضایای اصلی میشه اما برای اتفاقات هیجان انگیز تقریبا باید تا نیمه‌ی کتاب صبر کنید. در کل به طور میانگین هیجانش اونقدری هست که از خوندن خسته نشی و بخوای ادامه بدی...

این نکته رو میخواستم بگم که اگر قصد دارید این مجموعه رو شروع کنید این رو هم در نظر بگیرید که این یک مجموعه‌ی عظیمه و ۲۰ جلد داره و تا این لحظه که این کپشن رو دارم مینویسم نشر تندیس دو جلدش رو چاپ کرده که با توجه به سرعت چاپی که داره احتمالا خیلی زود این مجموعه کامل میشه.

شخصیت‌ها خیلی زیادن، اما اینقدر قشنگ معرفی میشن و شخصیت‌پردازی خوبی ازشون ارائه شده که اصلا گیج نمیشید. در کل نویسنده با قلم روونش هم شخصیت پردازی کاملی ارائه داده و هم اینکه به راحتی تونسته مکان‌ها و فضای داستان رو برای خواننده توصیف بکنه. از این بابت هیچ ایرادی بهش وارد نیست... حالا میخواستم بگم که شخصیت مورد علاقه‌ام "وید" بود، هر چند "هارلی" هم شخصیت خوبی داشت.

این مجموعه رو با خوندن این جلد قضاوت نمیکنم چون کتاب اول صرفا برای آشنایی و خلق دنیای جادوییِ هارلی مرلین بوده و با توجه به تعداد جلدهاش منطق حکم میکنه که با جلد اول در موردش تصمیم نگیریم. اما در کل دوستش داشتم و نظرم نسبت بهش مثبته!

میتونم با توجه به ژانر، موضوع و نوع روایت داستان، "هارلی مرلین" رو به دوستداران "ابزار فانی" و "هری پاتر" و کلا هر کتابی که به جادو، طلسم، ورد، هیولاها و فانتزی شهری ربط داره پیشنهاد بکنم.

[ امتیاز من به این جلد ۳،۵ از ۵ است ]

[Tina➹ lives in Fandoms · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.75 Silver Stars

I wanted to read about a magic school with a heroine, in modern world (our world), so I decided it's time for this one. (& it also gave me Linsey Hall's long continued series (many books!) vibes, with heroine & Magic & School setting, which I haven't read yet (so I don't really know if they have same vibes! but I'll let you know when I'll read them), but I'd like to)

I liked it, in an ordinary sort of way, good for passing time, no possibility of reread.
(the cover is beautiful though)

I heard it was something like HP but with a heroine, I didn't expect anything from it (High expectation is poison & it was YA), but I was curious anyway (one of my reasons to add it, even if not initially) or a modern "Merlin" retelling sort of way, & it was more like The Magicians (still haven't read it fully) or a witch tale (well, hello??? coven?) (even had a Shadowhunter vibes) rather than the "Potter"-esque feeling. the only similarities to HP was that there was magic school-setting & it's hardly a similarity, many books have magic school-setting & many protagonists have no parents.. though knowing this, I could see other little similarities in minor details, but if I hadn't known, I wouldn't have thought it was inspired from HP.

the Beginning was intriguing & funny
it was a quick read, but the story didn't engage me -not the way I expect a good book does, devouring me- or make me emotional. just made me slightly curious.
though there was no mention of she be a descendant of the faamous Merlin disappointed me too
I miiiiiiiiiiiiiiight continue the series, at least I'm curious how/when these two getting together. (if ever?) actually, I really enjoyed their comebacks toward each other.

the World was cool, the castle, the magical streets. but not quite unique.

the Writing style was good, funny sometimes, sometimes dramatic (well, YA, am I right?)

the characters were likable & realistic; I liked Wade, Santana, Tatyana, Astrid, Raffe, Alton, Dylan.
Harley was a good heroine; smartass, strong, independent, but some of her characteristic tired me after a while, considering her backstory... or sometimes her drastic actions...
but not gonna be in my fav heroine list

but introducing many characters all at once was another Negative point. I forget their names until they came into more focus.

I saw the plot twist the moment the revelation occurred (it was dark & I hated it! & not the guilty pleasure, secretly-loving sort of thing! downright hate that I was wondering about lowering my rate, but in general I liked the book, so... let's be fair)
I don't like the story being predictable.
-
Plot: ★★★/5 (End: ★★/5)
World: ★★★/5
Characters: ★★★★/5
Written style: ★★★★/5
General idea: ★★★/5

[Jody · Rating 3 out of 5]

OK! I'll be honest! I didn't believe I would enjoy this book as much as I did. But, after I got into the story and became familiar with the characters it was hard to put down. I read the last 200 pages in one day. Which is unusual for me.

I'm really intrigued to see where Harley's story leads to next. So, I must start book 2 right away, or later today since it's after midnight here.

Actual Rating: 3.5 stars ***

[Andrea · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well I did like the premise of this story, but I had a few peeves with the characters that kept this from being a 4 star read.



So in this book we have out h, Harley, a orphan who has Magical powers of her own but has never meet anyone like her. That is until a chance encounter with a warlock and a gargoyle make her realize she’s not as alone as she thought, and thus her journey into a new world begins.

So like I said interesting premise, but it was kinda just another ‘speshul girl’ storyline where Harley is not only Elemental ( can control all of the elements) but telekinetic as well as an empathetic. So yeah really rare. But oh no, her power isn’t what everyone hoped, and she’s considered a "Mediocre." This is apparently a really bad thing in the magic world and everyone is disappointed in her. Oh darn she's not special!



However, what I really wasn't fond of was that Harley seemed to give up her emotional feelings when someone simply told her to- and then was overly violent at other times.

“It is what it is, Harley. This thing is going right into a junkyard. Get over it and worry more about why there are gargoyles following you around in the first place.”

I literally wrote in my notes: I hate how she keeps backing down to him when he’s being a clueless dickbag- if she wants to be upset she has a right to -even if you don’t understand it you weird robot

Then the ‘love’ interest was... all over the place. I mean the story was in the span of only a week- ONE WEEK! so why was everyone taking her opinion as gold when she was not only new to magic, but coven life in general? It seemed like they wanted to make her seem more important and forced everyone else around her to seem dumb by comparison.

[Julia · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read this book as it had been compared to Harry Potter in reviews. I grew up with Harry Potter and those books have shaped my childhood. While the Harley Merlin series was an enjoyable, quick read, it has nothing on Harry Potter. I found that the author focused on the outer appearance and as with almost all teen novels nowadays they could all be found on runways in real life and the main character has two gorgeous guys vying for her attention. Instead of carving out characters that are not caricatures of real life stereotypes, she stays superficial and does not add the intricacies that J.K. Rowling had for all of her characters. I appreciate strong female characters, but here the protagonist gives up her independence after having been harassed by a guy. In comparison to this, J.K. Rowling once stated I believe, that Hermione Granger never compromised her intelligence for anyone, never gave up her studiousness for beauty and even though she was portrayed by the beautiful Emma Watson, she was never supposed to be known for her beauty, but her intelligence. If this author had created characters of more depth, this could potentially have come close to Harry Potter, but alas it does not...

Edit: I read a bunch of Bella Forrest's Sagas and felt I really had to add this point to this review. In all of her books and there are many, every pairing is always between the different sexes. This is especially astonishing since one of her storylines (not Harley Merlin) literally spans universes, and in all those universes, somehow everyone is straight?! After having read 3-4 books of hers they become incredibly predictable, badly edited (spelling mistakes) and quite frankly boring, because the same things happen again and again and you guessed it, AGAIN! I cannot over stress this, as she has authored over 100 books, if you have read one of them, you have read them all essentially.
As I mentioned before, she also does never create characters of any depth. None of them are ever anything less than beautiful and if they are, then they are likely the bad guys, unimportant or will miraculously become beautiful once they find their significant other.

[aLirEza nEjaTi · Rating 3 out of 5]

unpopular opinion:
خیلی کلیشه‌ای بود :))))
خیلی جاها هم قابل حدس بود
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ولییییی
می‌تونم بگم که یک‌سری ایده‌ی جدید و خوب داشت و پایانش هم جذابیت و توئیست خوبی داشت.
و جزو معدود کتاب‌هایی بود که با هییییچ‌کدوم از شخصیت‌ها ارتباط برقرار نکردم و از تک‌تک‌شون متنفرم چون روی مخن :///

حداقل یک جلد دیگه می‌خونم تا ببینم چه می‌شود :دی

اگر از طرفداران هری پاتر هستید و مجیستریوم هم دوست داشتید این مجموعه رو حتما بخونید!

[Deb Hills · Rating 2 out of 5]

While the overall storyline is entertaining enough, I felt like I was reading something written by a high schooler. I am always skeptical of authors that churn out too many books too soon, it’s often an indicator of sloppy work and poor development. For a book about an empath, the range of emotions expressed was limited. The author seems to be in desperate need of a thesaurus (i.e. too many chuckles and smirks). There are also grammatical errors and odd phrasing throughout, for example the cover art features the line: “From Million-bestselling author”. Million what? Books? Copies sold? It seems like someone just slapped that on the front to increase the author’s credibility. I don’t buy it, especially since I can’t find much about her.
This book is in serious need of an editor. I think it has potential, but another round of drafts and revisions would have made it better. Wonky word choice, lack of emotional range, shallow character development. A lot of work seems to go into the banter between Harley and Wade, but the same kind of attention isn’t given to the actual plot and character motivations. I also question the setting. As someone who lives in San Diego, I don’t know what kind of research the author did on this city even with actual street names and locations, it reads as “off”, like she created the setting from a couple of Google searches. Because really, all Harley eats is pizza and Chinese? Not a single mention of Mexican food? That is a go-to for ALL locals. Besides other issues that don’t make it believable, maybe it is for tweens or people who don’t live here, but I don’t buy it and I’m sure I’m not the only one.
Lastly, to market this book as a must-read for HP fans and liken it to that level of fiction is outrageous! While there are similarities in concept, clearly the author was inspired by JK Rowling and perhaps even Lev Grossman, it not anywhere close to the level of craftsmanship displayed in “Harry Potter”, “The Magicians”, or even “Twilight” (and I thought that series was poorly written). Whoever Bella Forrest is I think it would behoove her to focus more on the Quality of the stories she wants to tell and not the Quanity of books she’s pumping out.
2 stars because it was fairly entertaining, but I doubt I will read any more in this series.

[Erin · Rating 5 out of 5]

All the reviews called this the girl version of Harry Potter.


This was nothing like Harry Potter. It felt nothing like it. However, I knew going into it that it wasn't going to be, so I didn't have those expectations. Besides the extreme lie in advertising, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I decided to read this book because I love Bella Forrest's other series (you know, the guilty pleasure vampire one ;) ) But this one felt very different. It felt more YA and more mature. I haven't read Forrest's other series in a while, but it definitely seems like her writing and plotting has improved a lot.

The story follows Harley who has always had the ability to feel others emotions. At the beginning she works for a casino, figuring out who cheaters are. Right at the beginning she is attacked and learns she is not the only one who has magical abilities. Enter in the magical school/coven trope. Yeah, not every magic school means the book is like Harry Potter (sorry I hate the false advertising). Harley is delved into the mystery of why she was attacked and how monsters are escaping the school. She finds out more about her past and family. And of course there is a dash of romance (not as much as I may have liked, but I will take anything).

The book was fun and easy. I enjoy Forrest's writing because it is relaxed and easy. Harley was a fun character, though she feels a bit oblivious at times. And of course I love Wade! As a rule follower, I can't help but love me some hot goody two shoes. Overall, great read for a fun and easy fall vibe.

[Katharina · Rating 1 out of 5]

I usually don’t write reviews, but I really didn’t like this book.

This book doesn’t have anything to do with the next Harry Potter, as it is advertised, but definitely “borrows” one too many concepts and ideas from Harry Potter and is incredibly predictable.

- The orphan that does not know that she belong a to a magical world
- Magic school / coven to learn about this new exciting world
- The beast master / Hagrid character
- The hagrid character being convicted even though he was innocent
- The main character being someone/something special even in the magical world (not explained in this book yet but I read that this will be revealed in the next installment)
- The point system of inter house / coven rivalry
- A hidden villain that seems a normal character at first but is then revealed to have used sabotage (Prof. Quirrel)
- A fight in the end where the main character breaks rules, is being deducted points for it, but then is rewarded a shit ton of points back for bravery
.....
And there are even more little details that feel all too familiar.

The characters, diverse group of “looser/underdog” friends of the main character had so much potential, but they seem very flat and nondescript.


Disappointing, won’t read any further.

[Þórey Jónsdóttir · Rating 1 out of 5]

Thank you, next!
Characters act like they are 12 years old, I can’t even finish this book. Yes, it’s that annoying!
DNF @ 42%

[Alex(Books-In-A-Storm) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reading this one was wow!
Very different from other magic books that I've read. I just love the world that was created by Bella. Can't wait to read.

[Chloe Adams · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't normally read stuff like this but I've been hooked all day! Brilliant read can nit want to read the next!!

[Pam Nelson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I went in completely blind just knowing it was Urban Fantasy that was it.

Now I don’t do well with magic or witches and this well it has both… But… I loved it. I liked Harley from the get go. I liked that she doesn’t know exactly what she is but that she knows she is different and she learned to use it to her advantage.

She meets Wade and through him she finds her place in this world that didn’t make much sense before its starting to. She is learning there is more to her talents than meets the eye and with training she may become better. She is learning about her family, not all of it good but it was more than she had before.

The book has a lot of world building but I didn’t mind it so much because it was easy to follow along. I think the next books are going to give us more insight into this coven and just how they all work.

I really enjoyed Amanda’s narration. I think if it had been any other narrator I don’t think I would have been sucked in the way I was.

[Miriam · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars.

[Magda Tatiana · Rating 2 out of 5]

Caí en la propaganda de amazon... y no voy a decir que no lo volveré a hacer... sé que me van a convencer nuevamente. Que puedo decir, me gusta comprar con un clic. Sin embargo, esta vez no he tenido suerte con esta saga, estaba esperando una historia emocionante y esta no lo fue. Sé que este es el primero de los libros, pero se pasó con la introducción de personajes, casi todos los secundarios o más bien, ningún personaje le aportó a la trama. Si las historias tienen un comienzo nudo y final, creo que esta historia nunca llegó al nudo, tampoco hubo la emoción o un momento crítico, ese momento que define como va a marchar todo de ahí en adelante. Creo que por introducir tanto personaje y preparar las siguientes entregas se descuidó el desarrollo de la historia haciéndola bastante sosa. Ahora, no es que sea aburrida, pero tampoco es emocionante y por el género, uno esperaría que la emoción y los momentos épicos y de batalla fueran más provocadores. No creo que vaya a ir por la segunda entrega.

[Laura..devouring books like crumpets · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow Wow Wow......

Now i had tried this Author hot bloods series the first book and really wasn't for me..... So i put this author aside a few years back... however this book fit a challenge i was participating in so thought i would give it a go....

Its not your typical YA the heroine is Mature (for the most part) brilliantly written and doesn't fall in love at the first set of Green eyes.

Its like Ghostbusters and Harry potter had a lovechild.....

Harley Smith is an orphaned empath (and some) working for a casino to find people trying to cheat. After a good payout nights work she stumbles across a monster and the handsome Wade who seems to have certain capabilities similar to her own.....

After that a whole world open up and Harley is thrown headfirst into its underbelly.

I can see certain aspects where the Author has been influenced from other stories but she has combined it with her own unique imagination making it a world i devoured in a day... on to book 2

[The Book Club · Rating 5 out of 5]

Harley, that has discovered at a young age of her supernatural ability, discovers a completely new world after helping an “electric” guy to defeat a gargoyle. And with the new world she will disclose misteriosa about her real family.

I came across this book on Facebook and I felt like reading it as it was compared to Harry Potter, indeed there are few things that could connect the book to the HP saga, the magic element, the coven (could be compared to Hogwarts) and other few elements which I won’t include in my review otherwise I’ll spoil the whole story! However I felt a connection to Shadowhunters, especially when it comes to the relationship between Harley and Wade, ah and the presence of the beasts (which reminded me of the beasts Jace and Clary had to defeat). So probably because it was such a good mix between to sagas that I honestly enjoyed I came to love the book and couldn’t put it down.

[Danielle Schiestle | brooklynbookgirl · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book and can't wait to read the rest of the series! Giving it 5 stars due to how engaging it was and how quickly I flew through the book - the characters are quirky and have more depth to them than you realize when you first meet them. However, the writing style I'd put more at 3 stars. It's very informal and definitely a YA book. At times the writing is a little immature. I initially started this book because it's been marketed as a series for Harry Potter lovers. If you like fantasy series that are set in modern times, you won't be disappointed as long as you are okay with a less sophisticated style of writing! Super easy and fun pleasure read.