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Wick
SWORDWICK
A true wick does not need to rely on weapons, and those who do are reviled as cowardly, greedy swordwicks. Prince Hollowick has always proudly been one anyway, no matter the cost—until his sister's happiness is at stake. Unfortunately, pretending to be something he's not may just cost him his own…
ODD WICK
Tokiwick is used to being the odd one out, hated by the world he grew up in for one reason or another. He's happy with his solitude and studies—until a handsome swordwick comes to request his presence on behalf of an old friend, making Tokiwick wish for things he'd thought he was smart enough to stop wanting…
SONGWICK
A powerful songwick, Lyrawick was handed over as a child to the famous Terista Academy for training—and wound up in the hands of an abusive professor who continues to haunt him. When his best friend Creawick gives him a chance to escape, and rescue a new child from the professor's grasp, Lyrawick takes it, even if fleeing one demon means facing others…
FLAMEWICK
Control is tantamount to being a flamewick, and Creawick has more than most. Fierce, ruthless, and hated by everyone, he considers it a price worth paying if it means he saves innocent children and destroys Terista Academy. When his own son is kidnapped, though, Creawick will have no choice but to rely on all the people he's driven away…
BONUS STORY – FROSTWICK
Starwick's life is a litany of bad decisions, from the people he puts his trust in to those he falls in love with, and everything in between. His latest decision is one he can't regret, but it's also the one that's going to kill him if he and Prince Tyrwick can't find the man responsible and reclaim what he stole. Unfortunately, the more time he spends with Tyrwick, the more Starwick wishes he'd made decisions that might have led to a life where Tyrwick returned his long-buried feelings…
A true wick does not need to rely on weapons, and those who do are reviled as cowardly, greedy swordwicks. Prince Hollowick has always proudly been one anyway, no matter the cost—until his sister's happiness is at stake. Unfortunately, pretending to be something he's not may just cost him his own…
ODD WICK
Tokiwick is used to being the odd one out, hated by the world he grew up in for one reason or another. He's happy with his solitude and studies—until a handsome swordwick comes to request his presence on behalf of an old friend, making Tokiwick wish for things he'd thought he was smart enough to stop wanting…
SONGWICK
A powerful songwick, Lyrawick was handed over as a child to the famous Terista Academy for training—and wound up in the hands of an abusive professor who continues to haunt him. When his best friend Creawick gives him a chance to escape, and rescue a new child from the professor's grasp, Lyrawick takes it, even if fleeing one demon means facing others…
FLAMEWICK
Control is tantamount to being a flamewick, and Creawick has more than most. Fierce, ruthless, and hated by everyone, he considers it a price worth paying if it means he saves innocent children and destroys Terista Academy. When his own son is kidnapped, though, Creawick will have no choice but to rely on all the people he's driven away…
BONUS STORY – FROSTWICK
Starwick's life is a litany of bad decisions, from the people he puts his trust in to those he falls in love with, and everything in between. His latest decision is one he can't regret, but it's also the one that's going to kill him if he and Prince Tyrwick can't find the man responsible and reclaim what he stole. Unfortunately, the more time he spends with Tyrwick, the more Starwick wishes he'd made decisions that might have led to a life where Tyrwick returned his long-buried feelings…
322 pages, Kindle Edition
Published August 24, 2020
15 people are currently reading
15 people want to read
About the author
Megan Derr
283 books2,946 followersMegan is a long time resident of queer romance and keeps herself busy reading and writing it. She is often accused of fluff and nonsense. When she’s not involved in writing, she likes to cook, harass her wife and cats, or watch movies. She loves to hear from readers and can be found all over the internet.
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meganderr.com
patreon.com/meganderr
meganderr.blogspot.com
facebook.com/meganaprilderr
meganaderr@gmail.com
@meganaderr
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
October 30, 2021
I greatly enjoyed this collection of stories set in a a fantasy world where magic is called wick.
The magic itself wasn't all that special in itself, but I liked the addition of familiars and how it changes the names of the magic user.
The special culture around swordwicks confused me a little, since swordwicks do not actually have magic related to swords - their wicks can wary, the only things that seems to make them stand out is a black familiar and that they train with weapons?
But nevertheless, the stories were great. Maybe a bit cheesy and predictable, but this was exactly the sort of comfort read I wanted from it.
Some of the stories are more light hearted than others. I especially liked Songwick and Flamewick, both of which were some of the more heavy fodder ones, but what appealed to me about them -and the overall collection- most was how connected the stories were. Each new character had appeared before, and I liked how there was no shying away from making the villains of the previous story the protagonist of the next. There was always a different side to every issue, no matter how seemingly clear it was.
The magic itself wasn't all that special in itself, but I liked the addition of familiars and how it changes the names of the magic user.
The special culture around swordwicks confused me a little, since swordwicks do not actually have magic related to swords - their wicks can wary, the only things that seems to make them stand out is a black familiar and that they train with weapons?
But nevertheless, the stories were great. Maybe a bit cheesy and predictable, but this was exactly the sort of comfort read I wanted from it.
Some of the stories are more light hearted than others. I especially liked Songwick and Flamewick, both of which were some of the more heavy fodder ones, but what appealed to me about them -and the overall collection- most was how connected the stories were. Each new character had appeared before, and I liked how there was no shying away from making the villains of the previous story the protagonist of the next. There was always a different side to every issue, no matter how seemingly clear it was.
Read
September 24, 2023DNF, stopped at 96% midway through the last story.
1: okay, rushed at the end.
2: So much better!
3. that was good.
4. Could not finish Starwick. Hate both protagonists. Shocking that Creawick was better than this pair.
The overarching issue is that there's too much shaking of others in this series. It's mean and dangerous except, apparently, for snaky dragons.
The specific issue with the last story is that I've only seen things from Starwick's POV, and most of it is not making any sense, which kills any trust I might've had that he can read people well enough to be a shadow for the King. Plus, neither has any respect for the other. Like, none. It's a failure of a story. So I stopped reading.
1: okay, rushed at the end.
2: So much better!
3. that was good.
4. Could not finish Starwick. Hate both protagonists. Shocking that Creawick was better than this pair.
The overarching issue is that there's too much shaking of others in this series. It's mean and dangerous except, apparently, for snaky dragons.
The specific issue with the last story is that I've only seen things from Starwick's POV, and most of it is not making any sense, which kills any trust I might've had that he can read people well enough to be a shadow for the King. Plus, neither has any respect for the other. Like, none. It's a failure of a story. So I stopped reading.
January 24, 2021
Rating (All ratings use a Scale of 1-5) =
3 Stars: each story felt very repetitive. The characters were unique enough, but the relationships felt formulaic.
Blurb = 2
My Genre Scale = 5
Odds if not your genre = 2
Development of: =
*World = 2
*Plot = 3.5
*Characters = 3
What stood out = The familiars, Massey
Mood Type / Appeal to those looking for = Quick stories when short of time and wanting easy reading
Warnings = None
HFN/HEA = Yes, for all couples
Series Notes = Apparently 1st with another to come in 2021
*Reading on? Not sure
*Reading back to back? N/A
*Can be easily read without the previous? N/A
Rating Notes = (SubPlots, thoughts, etc... ) I felt dropped in the middle of a world without a map. Eventually I just had to go with it. There was no background or explanation of the; Wick, the rules, the levels, origin, the naming (way too much use of the word Wick) not of the Kingdoms etc... all of it was confusing or unclear. I felt like I never completely understood things- like why Swordwicks were so reviled (just the gist). Or for that matter; exactly what it meant to be a SwordWick. Is it just an extra talented Swordsman or somehow magical? Told rare to have two wicks but many seem to have two; like in the last story where the bastard prince is a Sword and Charm Wick. Never a real explanation for why Toki was run out of the school. The idea and the world had tons of potential. I loved how the characters were all tied together. It was fine to pass the time. It just wasn't as good as I have come to expect from this author.
**************
Below are my explanations or thoughts on reviewing!
***************
1. I try to take into account and note any common pet peeves often bemoaned by other reviewers
2. "Brain candy' does not necessarily carry a negative connotation in my reviews. It has its uses; to pass time whet tired, on the beach, etc... The problem is when I'm expecting a novel and I get fluff. (What is brain candy? Pure entertainment; It may be formulaic, from an author published quickly like monthly, things escalate fast, and are often solved easily etc.. Publishing industries version of pop music).
3. Blurb rating purpose:
Like many readers, I do not like to think I'm reading one kind of story; just to end up with another. But...I also don't think a book should be docked stars for being as stated. If I don't like stories about "_________", and I choose to read it. I shouldn't give it 2 stars based JUST on my preferences. Unless... it wasn't clear in the blurb.
4. Other Factors that effect my perspective when reviewing:
Since 2009, I have exclusively read m/m. My 1st was in 2007. I am a Kindle diehard, and I never do audio for m/m. I read at least 100+ books a year - with an average length of 220± pages; but the total number of books is usually much higher. My Goodreads lifetime rating (at the start of 2021) was a 3.70 average for 1527 books. Which considering, one should be better at picking out books the more one reads, I feel is an accurate average. I have over 795 reviews within the m/m genre here on Goodreads.
3 Stars: each story felt very repetitive. The characters were unique enough, but the relationships felt formulaic.
Blurb = 2
My Genre Scale = 5
Odds if not your genre = 2
Development of: =
*World = 2
*Plot = 3.5
*Characters = 3
What stood out = The familiars, Massey
Mood Type / Appeal to those looking for = Quick stories when short of time and wanting easy reading
Warnings = None
HFN/HEA = Yes, for all couples
Series Notes = Apparently 1st with another to come in 2021
*Reading on? Not sure
*Reading back to back? N/A
*Can be easily read without the previous? N/A
Rating Notes = (SubPlots, thoughts, etc... ) I felt dropped in the middle of a world without a map. Eventually I just had to go with it. There was no background or explanation of the; Wick, the rules, the levels, origin, the naming (way too much use of the word Wick) not of the Kingdoms etc... all of it was confusing or unclear. I felt like I never completely understood things- like why Swordwicks were so reviled (just the gist). Or for that matter; exactly what it meant to be a SwordWick. Is it just an extra talented Swordsman or somehow magical? Told rare to have two wicks but many seem to have two; like in the last story where the bastard prince is a Sword and Charm Wick. Never a real explanation for why Toki was run out of the school. The idea and the world had tons of potential. I loved how the characters were all tied together. It was fine to pass the time. It just wasn't as good as I have come to expect from this author.
**************
Below are my explanations or thoughts on reviewing!
***************
1. I try to take into account and note any common pet peeves often bemoaned by other reviewers
2. "Brain candy' does not necessarily carry a negative connotation in my reviews. It has its uses; to pass time whet tired, on the beach, etc... The problem is when I'm expecting a novel and I get fluff. (What is brain candy? Pure entertainment; It may be formulaic, from an author published quickly like monthly, things escalate fast, and are often solved easily etc.. Publishing industries version of pop music).
3. Blurb rating purpose:
Like many readers, I do not like to think I'm reading one kind of story; just to end up with another. But...I also don't think a book should be docked stars for being as stated. If I don't like stories about "_________", and I choose to read it. I shouldn't give it 2 stars based JUST on my preferences. Unless... it wasn't clear in the blurb.
4. Other Factors that effect my perspective when reviewing:
Since 2009, I have exclusively read m/m. My 1st was in 2007. I am a Kindle diehard, and I never do audio for m/m. I read at least 100+ books a year - with an average length of 220± pages; but the total number of books is usually much higher. My Goodreads lifetime rating (at the start of 2021) was a 3.70 average for 1527 books. Which considering, one should be better at picking out books the more one reads, I feel is an accurate average. I have over 795 reviews within the m/m genre here on Goodreads.
May 10, 2023
I haven't done a good job transferring from print books to digital. I am sill 99.99% a print reader.
Sadly a lot of Megan Derr's work is e-book only, but years ago I purchased a print copy of her Wick anthology and absolutely fell in love with her work. Since then I have avidly purchased as many of her new print releases as I could get my hands on and purchased used any out of print books that I could find.
Fast forward to 2023 and I discover that Wick, the one that started it all for me, is back in print with a new cover!! I really wanted it. Then I realized it had an additional story in it (Frostwick) that my original copy didn't have and I almost to have it. Then an even more amazing discovery, IT'S AVAILABLE IN HARDCOVER, and obviously now I HAD to have it.
Although the hardcover copy has different cover art than the new paperback I wanted, once it arrived I quickly changed by preferance on cover art because this might be the most visually gorgeous books I own. The pictures do not do it justice!
As for the stories they are still completely fantastic. I so enjoyed my re-read all these years later. Of all the delectable men featured Creawick remains my personal favorite. I love the magical world these men inhabit. Just so much fun to read of their adventures and heartache that lead to true love. The perfect guilty pleasure.
If you're looking for more amazing work by Megan Derr my favorite is her novel The Engineered Throne. (I soooo hope it gets reprinted as a hardcover!)
Her Fairy Tales Slashed anthology is really fun!!! (Have read those twice!)
And my favorite short story of her's is 1000 Victories (Available in print in her anthology Secrets & Spells).
So run and read those! I'll just wait here a while in my swoon, recovering from my happiness overload from re-reading Wick!
Sadly a lot of Megan Derr's work is e-book only, but years ago I purchased a print copy of her Wick anthology and absolutely fell in love with her work. Since then I have avidly purchased as many of her new print releases as I could get my hands on and purchased used any out of print books that I could find.
Fast forward to 2023 and I discover that Wick, the one that started it all for me, is back in print with a new cover!! I really wanted it. Then I realized it had an additional story in it (Frostwick) that my original copy didn't have and I almost to have it. Then an even more amazing discovery, IT'S AVAILABLE IN HARDCOVER, and obviously now I HAD to have it.
Although the hardcover copy has different cover art than the new paperback I wanted, once it arrived I quickly changed by preferance on cover art because this might be the most visually gorgeous books I own. The pictures do not do it justice!
As for the stories they are still completely fantastic. I so enjoyed my re-read all these years later. Of all the delectable men featured Creawick remains my personal favorite. I love the magical world these men inhabit. Just so much fun to read of their adventures and heartache that lead to true love. The perfect guilty pleasure.
If you're looking for more amazing work by Megan Derr my favorite is her novel The Engineered Throne. (I soooo hope it gets reprinted as a hardcover!)
Her Fairy Tales Slashed anthology is really fun!!! (Have read those twice!)
And my favorite short story of her's is 1000 Victories (Available in print in her anthology Secrets & Spells).
So run and read those! I'll just wait here a while in my swoon, recovering from my happiness overload from re-reading Wick!
January 3, 2021
I have been obsessed with Megan Derr for the past month. I started out with short story collections and then branched out from there. This collection is definitely the most magical and contains a lot of elements that I haven't seen in her other novels. I enjoyed a lot about the 5 stories included in this collection, but it is not one of my favorites.
One of my biggest complaints about Derr's work is that it often feels too short and underdeveloped. She does an amazing job worldbuilding in the time that she gives each story, but I am always left to wonder how much more incredible and intricate the worlds would be if she gave them even more time and space to grow.
I was a little annoyed at this collection because the stories, though they contain many of the same characters and side characters throughout, suffered from a lack of or miscommunication. A character I was told to hate in the first story, I had to come to appreciate down the road. That's all well and good, but rather than show me that character development, most of the stories rely in the old "oh, I guess I made assumptions about you that weren't true years ago and my bad." I mean, literally all of the characters do this.
I really liked the worldbuilding in these stories, which saved the collection for me. I'll still keep reading Derr's books and actually hope to read some of the longer ones to see how she develops those worlds. I'm a little wary because some of her short stories have gone into questionable territory (i.e. throuples, incest, and tentacle porn!) for me in the past, so I do plan to keep an eye out so I'm not traumatized again.
One of my biggest complaints about Derr's work is that it often feels too short and underdeveloped. She does an amazing job worldbuilding in the time that she gives each story, but I am always left to wonder how much more incredible and intricate the worlds would be if she gave them even more time and space to grow.
I was a little annoyed at this collection because the stories, though they contain many of the same characters and side characters throughout, suffered from a lack of or miscommunication. A character I was told to hate in the first story, I had to come to appreciate down the road. That's all well and good, but rather than show me that character development, most of the stories rely in the old "oh, I guess I made assumptions about you that weren't true years ago and my bad." I mean, literally all of the characters do this.
I really liked the worldbuilding in these stories, which saved the collection for me. I'll still keep reading Derr's books and actually hope to read some of the longer ones to see how she develops those worlds. I'm a little wary because some of her short stories have gone into questionable territory (i.e. throuples, incest, and tentacle porn!) for me in the past, so I do plan to keep an eye out so I'm not traumatized again.
September 15, 2020
Wick
I really enjoyed these interconnected stories by Megan Derr. The wick and familiar system of magic was interesting and well organized. But the characters and their interactions really won me over especially Toki’s relationship with his brother as well as the clueless pairs of lovers in the subsequent stories. The cluelessness about other people’s feelings would have been tedious except that in each case this was completely in harmony with the self image of each character. Well done and a pleasure to read.
I really enjoyed these interconnected stories by Megan Derr. The wick and familiar system of magic was interesting and well organized. But the characters and their interactions really won me over especially Toki’s relationship with his brother as well as the clueless pairs of lovers in the subsequent stories. The cluelessness about other people’s feelings would have been tedious except that in each case this was completely in harmony with the self image of each character. Well done and a pleasure to read.
November 10, 2020
This was an interesting set of stories about a group of Wicks, each with their own powers and training, and how they found their paths and who they fell in love with along the way.
There were a lot of characters and it's best to read them all in order and one after another, but each character had a distinct voice and it was easy to keep the story straight. There was enough worldbuilding and it balanced well with the introduction of each new Wick.
This author always delivers great and unique fantasies and the Wicks were definitely a treat to read about.
There were a lot of characters and it's best to read them all in order and one after another, but each character had a distinct voice and it was easy to keep the story straight. There was enough worldbuilding and it balanced well with the introduction of each new Wick.
This author always delivers great and unique fantasies and the Wicks were definitely a treat to read about.
September 17, 2023
If you've read Megan Derr before you'll recognise all the good parts in her fairytale stories and all the bad. Some OTT drama at inopportune moments with barely any grovelling but also some really beautifully emotional scenes.
The conversations between familiars and Wicks were delightful, although the role of a familiar was never explained. Do they help focus? Do they have abilities? It was never said just info what happened to the Wicks that abused their familiars and said familiar perished after a time.
This has been edited better than other books of hers so that's always a plus.
The conversations between familiars and Wicks were delightful, although the role of a familiar was never explained. Do they help focus? Do they have abilities? It was never said just info what happened to the Wicks that abused their familiars and said familiar perished after a time.
This has been edited better than other books of hers so that's always a plus.
October 6, 2022
Megan Derr, writing Megan Derr things. Luckily, I like Megan Derr things.
There's an interesting twist on a "Big Misunderstanding" with these stories, (mostly) between brothers rather than MCs, that I thought was actually pretty well done. I usually hate the "Big Misunderstanding" but this time it really added to the connections between the short stories in this volume.
There's an interesting twist on a "Big Misunderstanding" with these stories, (mostly) between brothers rather than MCs, that I thought was actually pretty well done. I usually hate the "Big Misunderstanding" but this time it really added to the connections between the short stories in this volume.
September 7, 2020
Love the Wucks
Another really good book by Megan Derr. It is set up as a series of short stories, and it us, but each story feeds into the next. The difference Wicks each have stories that draw you in and make you want more. Thankfully more is coming in 2021. Thank you Megan!
Another really good book by Megan Derr. It is set up as a series of short stories, and it us, but each story feeds into the next. The difference Wicks each have stories that draw you in and make you want more. Thankfully more is coming in 2021. Thank you Megan!
November 7, 2021
I absolutely love the world this author created with the "WICK". I want more, lol, as always when it comes to this author's stories.
I saw that we are getting DUALWICK? Hopefully soon!
This is a book that I will probably reread over and over again (like the rest of this author's books!
I saw that we are getting DUALWICK? Hopefully soon!
This is a book that I will probably reread over and over again (like the rest of this author's books!
March 1, 2023
omgwtfbbq, this story was awesome!!
Reread in 2017
Reread in 2017
February 16, 2021
Very well written, with meay twists in it and was brilliant
August 21, 2021
A Collection of Tales
Each tell a different portion of an overarching story. Characters from each appear in the remaining stories, so that by the end, we know them all well.
Each tell a different portion of an overarching story. Characters from each appear in the remaining stories, so that by the end, we know them all well.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews