Ward of the FBI: School of Necessary Magic

School of Necessary Magic: Raine Campbell #1

by Judith Berens, Martha Carr, Michael Anderle

Heroes aren’t born; they’re made. But so are villains.

Raine Campbell never knew she was special until her dormant magic unleashed to protect her friends.

But it couldn’t be contained or controlled.

Enter the School of Necessary Magic, where magical teens are taught to master their abilities and maybe learn some math.

During a forbidden trip into the massive underground city beneath the school –– off limits to freshman –– Raine discovers druids are disappearing. And no one seems to care.

Refusing to stand by and ignore it like everyone else, she dives into an increasingly dangerous plot to rescue them before the balance the druids maintain tips into chaos.

But doing so requires breaking rules that could lead to her expulsion and threatens to end her dream of working as a witch for the FBI, following in the footsteps of her father and uncle.

Join Raine on an action-packed adventure of magic and mayhem.

After all rules are just guidelines, right?

Say hello to old friends and meet the new freshmen class at the School of Necessary Magic.

NOTE: While the series continues in the same world with some returning characters, it does stand alone. No prior experience necessary.

Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult, Urban Fantasy, Audiobook, Paranormal, Magic, Shapeshifters

Audible Audio

First published November 26, 2018

About the author

Judith Berens is a figment of your imagination, made up of the fevered brainpower of Michael Anderle and Martha Carr, fueled by a lot of people helping them out - as well as all of you, The Fans. Great stories mixed with a lot of great readers equals more adventures to follow.

Reviews

[Lorie · Rating 1 out of 5]

Disappointed and confused reader

The book cover looks awesome and the storyline could have been great but unfortunately the writing was disjointed. Too many POV and dialogues with no cognizant plot flow. After awhile I got confused and started getting a headache from the amount of switching between characters pov. Didn't understand why the h has a FBI bodyguard and what was so great about her. Ended up not finishing or totally got tired of reading about every single characters thoughts. No romance or development in characters and the storyline did not flow. Totally agree with the honest lower stars reviews that this is for a very young reader audience.

[Nomnivor · Rating 3 out of 5]

Das war meh. Das Hörbuch geht 7 Stunden lang, und 6 Stunden und 40 Minuten passiert das hier in Dauerschleife:

Raine geht in den Unterricht.
Raine versteht auf Anhieb, was sie zu tun hat.
Raines Mitschüler machen etwas falsch.
Raine sagt ihnen, dass sie etwas falsch machen.
Raines Mitschüler interessiert das nicht.
Raines Aufgabe ist perfekt und die der Mitschüler schlecht.
Raine fragt die Lehrerin, ob es zu dem Thema Bücher in der Bibliothek gibt.
Raine geht in die Bibliothek und liest dort diese Bücher.

Ich kann mir nicht so ganz vorstellen, was in den anderen 8 Bänden passiert. Vermutlich hat sie im 9. dann alle Bücher durchgelesen?

[Leah · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was all over the place and good for light reading but I felt it could use more centralized focus. The universe is interesting, I just want more. It could easily be broken into five books.

[Maggie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reads like Harry Potter book 1 with more emphasis on the dining hall, shops, library and quidditch than action.

Judith Berens is the name used whenever Michael Anderle and Martha Carr collaborate on a book. Tad surprising as Michael’s KU books are all action and snark and this is far from it.

Overall enjoyable if you don’t mind the derivative nature and leisurely pace.

[Soo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Notes:

Initially, I thought this was a YA series but I think it would fit for middle school to high school range. It's fairly simple, with good characters and lots of feel good social interactions mixed into the zip of magic.

[Scratch · Rating 3 out of 5]

DNF 36% of the way in. Couldn't hold my attention. Too many characters and POVs. I don't know if the magic system gets better explained later on, but 36% of the way in, there was pretty much nothing.

Too young for me anyway.

[Itta Gur · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not interesting enough

[King Kimi · Rating 4 out of 5]

With the transphobia of JKR, you might be searching for a new series. Imagine if Hermione Granger was American and not at all confident in her magical abilities and you have the protagonist Raine. The love of learning, reading and the library is the same, but Raine is not an insufferable know-it-all lol.

I don’t particularly care for the copaganda element of Raine wanting to be an FBI agent.

For this to be set in the US, it is way too w h i t e! And, it was weird that the kitsune is white because it is from Japanese folklore.

If you are BIPOC and can overlook how w h i t e the story is and the copaganda, you might find the story interesting and enjoyable as I did.

I really had to tamp down what my brother Ricky calls my Sista Souljah lol, though.

[Bonnie Dale Keck · Rating 1 out of 5]

kindle unlimited, would say had read all the previous School of Necessary Magic one published previously, but after the next to last book spoilers & backlash while they did mention that the last of Alison books had a spoiler they are so out of sync/order with the Shay and even moreso Brownstone ones that didn't even look, and who knows how long will be before do, if ever. This new part 2 of the school is Raine Cambell and only took me 1 book not usual 3-4 to decide was never going to be worth my time. This story went all over the place, hinted at things that never actually talked about in any detail and/or again {Darvu and other matters} and was only not crushing disappointment becuase had already seen the part 1 with Alison going downhill faster than a brakeless car headed down a steep incline with no hope of stopping unless it crashed, which it did. Once again the blurb makes no actual sense in regards to the actual storyline that played out.

Heroes aren’t born; they’re made. But so are villains. Raine Campbell never knew she was special until her dormant magic unleashed to protect her friends. But it couldn’t be contained or controlled. Enter the School of Necessary Magic, where magical teens are taught to master their abilities and maybe learn some math.

During a forbidden trip into the massive underground city beneath the school –– off limits to freshman –– Raine discovers druids are disappearing. And no one seems to care. Refusing to stand by and ignore it like everyone else, she dives into an increasingly dangerous plot to rescue them before the balance the druids maintain tips into chaos. But doing so requires breaking rules that could lead to her expulsion and threatens to end her dream of working as a witch for the FBI, following in the footsteps of her father and uncle. Join Raine on an action-packed adventure of magic and mayhem. After all rules are just guidelines, right?

Say hello to old friends and meet the new freshmen class at the School of Necessary Magic. NOTE: While the series continues in the same world with some returning characters, it does stand alone. No prior experience necessary.



{School of Necessary Magic [2.0 -- Raine Campbell vs Alison 1.0} An Urban Fantasy Action Adventure
Ward Of The FBI 1

The School Of Necessary Magic -- Alison/Alison Brownstone 1.0 vs Raine Campbell 2.0}, An Urban Fantasy Action Adventure
Dark Is Her Nature 1
Bright Is Her Sight 2
Wary Is Her Love 3
Strong Is Her Hope 4
Wicked Is Her Smile 5
Strange Is Her Life 6
Determined Is Her Path 7 DO NOT READ THIS ONE IF READING BROWNSTONE, between this series and Shay ones totally contradictory/out of order/sync MESS w/ this one SPOILERS
Epic Is Her Future 8 DEFINITELY DO NOT NOT NOT READ THIS ONE, SO FAR OUT OF ORDER EVEN SAYS SPOILERS

The Leira Chronicles -- The Revelations of Oriceran
Quest For Magic - Prequel to Waking Magic (0.5) {this one was later put in with book 1 copies as prelude type}
Waking Magic (1)
Release Of Magic (2)
Protection of Magic (3)
Rule of Magic (4)
Trick or Troll: The 2017 YTT Halloween Special (4.5)
Dealing in Magic (5)
Christmas at Estelle's: The 2017 YTT Christmas Special (#5.5)
Theft of Magic (6)
Enemies of Magic (7)
Guardians Of Magic (8)

Rewriting Justice {Leira 2.0}, An Urban Fantasy Action Adventure
Justice Served Cold 1
Vengeance Served Hot 2
Bounty Hunter Inc 3


The Revelations of Oriceran (Midwest Magic Chronicles)
The Midwest Witch (Midwest Magic Chronicles Book 1)
The Midwest Wanderer (Midwest Magic Chronicles Book 2)
The Midwest Whisperer (Midwest Magic Chronicles 3)
The Midwest War: The Revelations of Oriceran (Midwest Magic Chronicles #4)


I Fear No Evil series {Shay}
Kill The Willing #1
Bury The Past, But Shoot It First #2
Reload Faster #3
Dead In Plain Sight #4
Tomb Raiding PHD #5
Tomb Raider Emeritus #6


just by Anderle {but goes with I Fear No Evil books by him and Carr AND The School of Neccessary Magic AND Leira Chronicles AND Daniel Codex}
The Unbelievable Mr. Brownstone series, An Urban Fantasy Action Adventure
Feared By Hell #1
Rejected By Heaven #2
Eye For An Eye #3
Bring The Pain #4
She Is The Widow Maker #5
When Angels Cry #6
The Unbelievable Mr. Brownstone Omnibus One (Books 1-6
Fight Fire with Fire #7
Hail To The King #8
Alison Brownstone #9
One Bad Decision #10
Fatal Mistake #11
Karma Is A Bitch #12
Vax Humana #13


The Daniel Codex
Series {Urban Fantasy Action Adventure series}
The Artifact Enigma 1
Artifact Of The Sky Gods 2
Artifact Of The True Patriot 3

[Katy · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's not often that I give a book a 3 star rating. In fact, I rarely ever have done, especially since discovering the LMBPN Indie Publishing group.

Unfortunately, there were some glaring errors in this book, that were just too obvious for me to ignore, this time.

That's not to say that this book was badly written - after all, it's been written by the same authors as both of the James, and Alison, Brownstone series, and those books were awesome.

Unfortunately, aside from the fact that this series appears to be aimed more at the much younger side of the YA scale, the plot blunder in it, was just too obvious for me to ignore.

In this instance, Xander had been poisoned, with such a rare poison that it took him to be nearly dying, before a book was discovered that had the possibility of a cure.

But, then, just a few pages later, the Professors at the School of Necessary Magic were still looking for the cure, to the point that the Headmistress, Mara Berens, goes to some rather dark characters, and takes part in something that she's spent her whole career fighting against, to be then handed a root that has only a 60% chance of curing Xander - which it does.

I can suspend disbelief along with the best of them, but this was either a huge error in the editing process, or in the plotline, or was just too simplistic to swallow, given my age, and reading ability.

I usually do enjoy a YA read, in between something with more heft, but this just didn't grab me enough.

The actual main character, Raine Campbell, seemed very nice - in fact, she reminded me of a much more humble, and American, and nicer, version of Hetmoine Granger - with a love of horses added on.

But, although she's the orphan daughter of a Wizard who worked in the FBI, there's nothing in the story, so far, that explains why the FBI's human Agent, Connors, had to drive her for so many hours, to her new school, when there's a perfectly good - and extremely much faster - magical train system that she could have got to the School on?

Nor does it explain why Connors was actually staying at the School? Is it because he's guarding Raine? Or is he guarding the School? Or both?

Now, there's one thing about me, especially where books are concerned, and that's that I try never to give up on a book that's part of a series.

With all of this, then add to the fact that I also bought this book as a part of a Boxed Set - and I ALWAYS try to read every book of a boxed set - then you have one very stubborn reader!

So, with all that said, I'm going to continue reading this whole series, one book at a time, in the hopes that this first book was just a bit of a stumble on the road to the end.

I'll get on with reading the next book, which is Book Two: Orphan Witch', once I've caught up on some sleep, then I'll catch you on the flip side, to let you know what I thought about it!

Better, hopefully!

[Riana Elizabeth · Rating 1 out of 5]

I typically make it a point to finish books I plan to review, with the hope that pushing through a project (into which someone has poured blood, sweat, & tears) a little further would lead to a salvageable section I could, if not love, at least LIKE. That personal habit has saved a couple of books before, but has also left me slogging through some craptastic prose.
That being said, I made it 72% of the way through this book before giving up. The writing was light fluff with poor mirroring of Harry Potter characters, plot points, and location (esp. Hogwarts & Diagon Alley). Point of view jumped EVERYWHERE with no indication to the reader other than a new character's name was attached to the emotion or dialogue. There was no intuition or discovery as the narration explained out all dialogue, action, exposition, and character internal thoughts & emotion. I wouldn't even recommend this for the youngest readers because it straddles the line: young readers are literal when it comes to scene & action - they haven't grasped "internal dialogue" and that actions often have an underlying meaning so having all thoughts/emotions told to them assists their understanding of the story. However, though they could grasp the simplistic narration of scene and action, the language used here is too complex for that same age group.
The only strong pro I can give to this list of cons is that I loved the cover artwork.

[Laurel Kartchner · Rating 3 out of 5]

I generally agree with many of the reviews written before me. I felt like this book had so much potential, and it had multiple plot lines, where any individual line could have been a book; however, as written, it had no real climaxes (maybe 1/5 you could argue). Also, because the POV changed so much, I never knew how important any given characters were to the overarching story. It was a little hard to emotionally invest due to that.

I think if it had been split out, and divided into multiple stories that were better fleshed out, I would have enjoyed it more. Also, I didn't feel like any of the characters other than the headmaster had any sort of character growth as the story went.

I would probably read more stories by the authors, but honestly think this felt more like any aspect of the book needed increased focus: ex, why is there a talking dragon that the kids at the school basically ignore? Seems like a dumb decision on the students part.

3 stars for the potential I saw.

Also, if Rain is supposed to be so powerful in the beginning, then why is her magic lame as hell throughout the whole book, and why would anyone consider her so amazing she needs a fully dedicated bodyguard who the who school treats as an errand boy and who seems ok with that?

[Ari (Head in a Book) · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was so excited to return to the intriguing world of The School of Necessary Magic.
But this was not what I was expecting, obviously, the girls and boys from the original series have graduated and we start off with Turner Underwood saying Raine is going to be this and Raine is going to be that.

We meet Raine, a normal teen until she accidentally let the magic slip, whoops!
She isn't portrayed very realistic, immediately she is very solemn afterwards, not nervous, excited etc.
It's like this Raine has no emotions, yeah yeah, we get she wants to be part of the FBI because of her Dad and Jerry but stop reminding us of it every goddam page.

This book did have potential with the storyline and cover, but Raine just annoyed me so much, she's so serious and is basically perfect in every way, sure for younger readers (ok maybe even me), she can be considered a good role model when it comes to her schoolwork.

The story doesn't flow with the different POVS, the quick switching between them was very abrupt and jarring to the story. The universe is good, I do like some of the characters, though why is Raine special?

Its a light hearted read and also its in the Oriceran universe, I will still continue on with the series.

[Dapper · Rating 1 out of 5]

This was truly bizarre. I knew it would be YA, but I was expecting like.. magic fbi.. And instead got a strange slice of life thing? Is there even a plot beyond a girl who goes to school? Literally nothing happens. Or, some stuff happens but not really. The most concentrated event was a movie night that lasted 10 pages in which we were treated to the complete commentary of our characters for the entire duration of the film.

There are almost threads of a plot but the main characters are so far removed from the events as to make them irrelevant. There is no substance, so if you go into this book go in with the expectation that you’re simply reading about the mundane day to day stuff and not an interesting fantasy

DNF @ 74%
((gave it an honest try))

Editing to add — after thinking about how much focus was put on poking fun at plot structures, cliches and tropes (in the form of watching old horror stuff) I have to wonder if the writer wanted to try turning her nose up at the buildup>climax>resolution structure that literally all interesting media follows? Just a thought, because I can’t fathom why someone would spend so much time writing a story that doesn’t go anywhere

[Jim Guldner · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting, seems less focused than the prior series at the school

Brought forward some new and interesting magical variants,the kitsune and ifrit, let family issues affect the new group of.friends, reflected more upon how a group forms, told a new story for Kara and Xander, and left me saddened for minimal.inclusion of some of the prior characters, Dorvu and Horace.
The group and their multiple excursions to the kemana stretches credulity a bit, and definitely makes.this book feel more in the YA genre the the next earlier series.
Read it, give it a try, and don't forget to read the authors notes. She strikes a chord here, about the joy and strength in challenging self, but acknowledging community, even with individual failings, can bring great (or greater)/joy to life.

[Andrew · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating with hints of intrigue

I possess a certain love/hate relationship with cliffhangers. Especially in novels since oftentimes it could be months before you’re able to continue the characters’ journey. That’s the hate part speaking. But I do so love the fact that their journey will continue. That I will once again be able to join them in their travails and triumphs. Be warned, this book definitely is a cliffhanger. The author truly has done a remarkable thing in leaving us (the reader) as if we were at the hub of a spoked wheel with many hall ways leading to (insert imagination here). So I suggest, as I did, you have book ll within arms reach so you may continue the shared journey. For in truth, isn’t that why we read anyway?

[Ken · Rating 4 out of 5]

definitely YA, perhaps very YA

Let me begin with praise for the book. The book was not badly written. It showed imagination and good use of fantasy tropes without being tired. If this book had not been so unbelievably YA, I might have enjoyed it more. I think the age and maturity of the characters could have been increased, generating more story line. I cannot say what the author intends so this could be by design. The other thing is had I not known the story was about Reign, I might have wondered. The book is a narrative. And no character is too small to be immersed in their feelings and experiences. It would be different if it was part of storyline growth but much of the time it felt like filler

[Lyssa Sue Shaffer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Arer you sure this is legally fun?

Raine is my kind of heroine. She has goals and a strong library addiction. After coping with the revelation that she has magic, she races full throttle to, learning how to handle her magic.

Raine comes from a line of public servants, so we know her heart is in the right place. But there are challenges facing any teenager at boarding school. All the best intentions to grow up and be an FBI Agent can get a bit battered by high school, magic boarding school, high school at that.

I cannot wait for the next volume of Raine and Evie's antics...

[Kirsten Ensman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Magical, fun and enjoyable adventure

I enjoyed the adventure. The characters are likeable and interesting. The movie nights were quite enjoyable. The different food adventures at the school and at the other world were a lot of fun. Too funny having all of his food taste like mud seemed pretty harsh for a prank not meant to harm even if it could. Guess they need to be mindful of the dangers of magic. One would think that would be taught from the get go. I found the teaching of dark magic to be interesting as most try to avoid dark magic since it can eat your soul. The part I would like to have seen finished was who poisoned the professor. Definitely a good read.

[James Crawford · Rating 4 out of 5]

Raine is a young girl that ends up in the School of Necessary Magic. The school has a bit of a trouble background having relatively recently been attacked by dark magic witches and wizards. It's not long before she is attacked by some regular thugs.

Then there's this underground city that no freshmen are supposed to go to so, of course, she and her friends intend to go there. It's a fascinating place with troubles of its own. Then there's the problem of a professor who has been poisoned along with the difficulties of somewhat unusual classes.

It's a fairly good book which has some unusual aspects to it which is a good thing.

[William Webb · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ward Of The FBI

This book was really quite boring. It doesn't differ that much from the previous School of Necessary Magic books, and I felt no emotional connection whatever with the characters. Character dialog is simply flat statements. There's no discernible emotion in them. When the characters speak, there's no description of reaction by the other people. The book is simply flat. I've read most of the books of other Oriceran Universe series, and this is the first one that I have failed to enjoy. The authors or author as the case may be really need to up their game. It's lazy writing, clearly done simply for the money. Deleted at 73%.

[Mike Lewis · Rating 5 out of 5]

School of necessary magic the new class

Along the lines of the first eight books in the school of necessary magic series. Each book being one semester of the school year so eight bucks for a four year run into school. Now a new freshman class has come in. New students new adventures same old teachers same old school but all new things to explore and do. Great cast of characters once again and a very entertaining and well written story. For those who cannot get enough of harry potter this is a pretty good substitute. Check it out

[Charles Wood · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ward of the FBI

A fitting addition to the excellent School of Necessary Magic series. Raine is a great new character who brings her FBI heritage and goal with her newly discovered magic to my favorite academy. She is another amazing part of the school, following our Drow bounty hunter, Alison. Many other interesting characters join her in this first of what looks to be another thrilling series. Well done, Judith (Martha). 👍👏

[Tracey Byrnes · Rating 5 out of 5]

A new freshman class!

The School of Necessary Magic is back in session, with a new freshman class and more adventures!

This fast-paced read left me wanting to see what Raine and her new friends Evie, Sara, Cameron, Phillip, William, and Adrien find themselves in the midst of next. Also, will Mara and Xander follow through with the opportunity they’ve been given?

Next book, please!

[Diane Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

School was never like this!

A new freshman class at the School of Necessary Magic starts off with a bang: snippy roommates, outcasts and orphans form a cast of characters with lots of potential. The trouble the group of main protagonists gets into reminds me of Harry and his gang at Hogwarts, solving problems that they really should have taken to the teachers - but where’s the fun in that? Looking forward to more adventures!

[Dena · Rating 4 out of 5]

Looking forward

This is a great story and reminds me of Vampire academy. The characters were so enthralling that I couldn't put the book down. Raine is a orphan who just experienced her first bout of magic. She starts a magic school and develops friendships that help her with her magic. I liked how open she was to everyone and her sense of justice. This is definitely YA and has a PG vibe to it. I am curious about what happens next and how this series will develop.

[Frances · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 1/2 stars. It wasn’t a bad story. I actually enjoyed parts of it. But it wasn’t like I expected any of The School of Necessary Magic books to be.

When the main character spends so much time in the library, it’s understandable why but it felt like we were all in the library on a sunny Tuesday afternoon just wanting to be out in the sunshine.

The writers are very talented and I believe that this book was just a little less than their talent.

[Cogito_ergo_sum · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF 27%
The cover artist did a great job attracting attention this series. Too bad the effort’s wasted.

The head hopping is a nightmare. We’re inundated with the most mundane thoughts and feelings of every character imaginable. The characters are flat and boring. I can see why the writers are resorting to head hopping.

Also, 72 pages in and there’s no still plot.

Maybe the books get better, but I’m not wasting my time to find out.

[Debra Stubbins · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another fantastic series starter

WOW!! The Oriceran Universe is expanding with this great new series. Absolutely love the introduction of Raine who wasn’t aware she was a witch. We see her struggle with her magic, make new friends and overcome adversity to come out on top. Can’t wait to see how she grows in future books.

[Jo Wiseman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Necessary magic

I have never read a book of magic that was not gory. I enjoyed reading this book and will start on the the second one tomorrow after I get some house work done. If the next book is as good as this one, I better get something's done or it want get done. Once I start a book I cannot seem to put it down.