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Escape from Magic
Clara is the perfect little witch. No skipping school, no partying, and absolutely no dating. Her greatest dream is to land the lead in the high school musical, Grease. After graduation her life will be all witch council rules, an arranged marriage, and babies. Blah, blah, blah. Then she meets Sam at auditions. The hot as hell transfer student is definitely the Danny to her Sandy.
Injured, Sam needs to try something different than sports. Tired of the military preparation his father pushes on him, he auditions for the school musical. What began as a defiant whim becomes much more when he meets Clara. But the beautiful girl has secrets. Dangerous secrets.
Clara can’t risk her family and fall in love with an ungifted. She can’t defy the council laws. But love has a way of not following the rules.
Their path is dark and holds more danger and pain than Clara could have imagined. She will travel far from the stage and across the world. The question becomes, who will escape and who will be the hunter?
Injured, Sam needs to try something different than sports. Tired of the military preparation his father pushes on him, he auditions for the school musical. What began as a defiant whim becomes much more when he meets Clara. But the beautiful girl has secrets. Dangerous secrets.
Clara can’t risk her family and fall in love with an ungifted. She can’t defy the council laws. But love has a way of not following the rules.
Their path is dark and holds more danger and pain than Clara could have imagined. She will travel far from the stage and across the world. The question becomes, who will escape and who will be the hunter?
- GenresRomance
302 pages, ebook
Published October 20, 2022
2 people are currently reading
35 people want to read
About the author
Emily Bybee
11 books31 followersEmily Bybee grew up in Colorado devouring stories of all kinds and began writing at the age of twelve. She went on to get her degree in Environmental Biology before she picked up the pen again and still has a deep love of science.
Her debut book, Fractured Magic, is a paranormal romance about a defective witch. It is the first in the six book Unstable Magic series. She is currently working on projects in multiple genres as well as the next book in her series and a few novellas. Feel free to check out her free prequel to the series, Rebel Magic, on Book Funnel.
Her debut book, Fractured Magic, is a paranormal romance about a defective witch. It is the first in the six book Unstable Magic series. She is currently working on projects in multiple genres as well as the next book in her series and a few novellas. Feel free to check out her free prequel to the series, Rebel Magic, on Book Funnel.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 36 reviews
January 4, 2023
Thank you to Emily Bybee and Katie and Brey PA for providing me with a digital copy of this book. This is my honest review.
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This is my second Emily Bybee book and I enjoyed it just as much as the first! Escape from Magic delivered on the action, the thrills, the romance, and the magic 🙌🏽
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I loved that we got to see more of Clara as a person in this book. Her story is very compelling and incredibly sad. Clara is so resilient, both physically and mentally. Think Bucky Barnes if he could blast you with magic. 😂 Despite how fast they fell in love, I also really enjoyed Clara and Sam’s relationship. I wish I could elaborate, but no spoilers!
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I also really loved how Emily Bybee expanded on the magic in the Unstable Magic universe in this book! While we’ve been able to see normal witch magic and Defect magic at work before, I like how the magic in this book was so closely tied to Clara’s brain, not just mentally but physically. It’s something I’ve never seen in a magic system before, so I really enjoyed it.
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Overall, I would say this book was a definite win! 🙌🏽 If you’ve read other Unstable Magic books or you’re simply looking for a new magical book to pick up, give Escape from Magic a shot!
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Escape from Magic is the fifth book in the Unstable Magic series. It is available for purchase in ebook and paperback format. It is also available through Kindle Unlimited.
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This is my second Emily Bybee book and I enjoyed it just as much as the first! Escape from Magic delivered on the action, the thrills, the romance, and the magic 🙌🏽
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I loved that we got to see more of Clara as a person in this book. Her story is very compelling and incredibly sad. Clara is so resilient, both physically and mentally. Think Bucky Barnes if he could blast you with magic. 😂 Despite how fast they fell in love, I also really enjoyed Clara and Sam’s relationship. I wish I could elaborate, but no spoilers!
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I also really loved how Emily Bybee expanded on the magic in the Unstable Magic universe in this book! While we’ve been able to see normal witch magic and Defect magic at work before, I like how the magic in this book was so closely tied to Clara’s brain, not just mentally but physically. It’s something I’ve never seen in a magic system before, so I really enjoyed it.
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Overall, I would say this book was a definite win! 🙌🏽 If you’ve read other Unstable Magic books or you’re simply looking for a new magical book to pick up, give Escape from Magic a shot!
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Escape from Magic is the fifth book in the Unstable Magic series. It is available for purchase in ebook and paperback format. It is also available through Kindle Unlimited.
December 5, 2022
3.5 stars. The blurb from this book captured my attention right away. It promises an urban fantasy with a touch of romance, and I'm all for those kinds of stories. Give me the girl with magic who is trying to conform to two sets of societal norms while falling in love with someone who sits outside of her magical scope. And this book does.
What I will say is that as much as I like the concept of this book, the execution is where it falls a little flat for me. I found the beginning to be slow and drawn out as we get the typical "here we are in high school, here comes the hot new guy, and oh my god he likes me too?!" sort of scenario. It was fine, but didn't really do anything for me in terms of endearing me to the characters or really pushing the plot forward. In fact, a lot of early interactions that could have been great for relationship building between the two MCs is just kind of glossed over.
Honestly, I think if the book had started nearer to the middle when the main conflict really begins, it would have been much more compelling. Starting at that crisis and then unravelling the past would have been far more emotionally shattering, and I feel there would have been more shocking reveals. As it stands, there's no real big reveal that delivers hard, emotional punches and leaves me gutted. Instead, we're just following the characters through a sequence of events.
Overall, it's a good book. I haven't read the others in the series, but they seem like interconnected standalones rather than sequential reads. I don't feel like I was missing any details from this world or the characters. It was the storytelling itself that could have used some fine tuning for me.
What I will say is that as much as I like the concept of this book, the execution is where it falls a little flat for me. I found the beginning to be slow and drawn out as we get the typical "here we are in high school, here comes the hot new guy, and oh my god he likes me too?!" sort of scenario. It was fine, but didn't really do anything for me in terms of endearing me to the characters or really pushing the plot forward. In fact, a lot of early interactions that could have been great for relationship building between the two MCs is just kind of glossed over.
Honestly, I think if the book had started nearer to the middle when the main conflict really begins, it would have been much more compelling. Starting at that crisis and then unravelling the past would have been far more emotionally shattering, and I feel there would have been more shocking reveals. As it stands, there's no real big reveal that delivers hard, emotional punches and leaves me gutted. Instead, we're just following the characters through a sequence of events.
Overall, it's a good book. I haven't read the others in the series, but they seem like interconnected standalones rather than sequential reads. I don't feel like I was missing any details from this world or the characters. It was the storytelling itself that could have used some fine tuning for me.
January 17, 2023
I thank Author Emily Bybee and @katieandbreypa for an ARC of the book and I am voluntarily leaving a review. I love witchy books and this one did not disappoint! Witches and an epic,sweeping romance to boot? Ok, I'm in! Clara is a witch and it's her last year of high school. Wanting to go out with a bang she auditions for "Grease",hoping to finally get the lead role. Sam,a new student gets the role of Danny and Clara is instantly smitten. This seems to be a mute point as Clara is already promised to someone else. As feelings grow between them and Sam finds out she's a witch,danger looms for him and her whole family if the council finds out. Clara decides to leave but Sam insists on going along. Things go horribly wrong and the pair is separated when the witcher's council finds them. Clara endures a tortuous punishment that doesn't seem to have an end. When it finally does,the twists and turns will continue to keep you turning the pages to find out what happens next. So good!!
January 7, 2023
I enjoyed reading this short sweet book, the pace and timing of events just worked perfectly to keep me intrigued!
This gave me 'A Walk To Remember' vibes and holy shit it was one of my favorite movies growing up 🤤 aside from the magic element, everything else was basically this movie 😂
The main characters were likable and easy to root for, and Sam was just perfect because he helped Clara grow instead of just pull her off her feet with his shining armor on 😂
The world building was so beautiful and the magic so well described! This is a new favorite and I'm excited to read the rest of the series, ALTHOUGH, I wasn't at all bothered by it being a series, in fact, I was happy because there was more of this world, you can still read this as a standalone though!
I recommend this!
Thank you to @katieandbreypa and @Emilybybeebooks for providing me with an ecopy for reviewing!
This gave me 'A Walk To Remember' vibes and holy shit it was one of my favorite movies growing up 🤤 aside from the magic element, everything else was basically this movie 😂
The main characters were likable and easy to root for, and Sam was just perfect because he helped Clara grow instead of just pull her off her feet with his shining armor on 😂
The world building was so beautiful and the magic so well described! This is a new favorite and I'm excited to read the rest of the series, ALTHOUGH, I wasn't at all bothered by it being a series, in fact, I was happy because there was more of this world, you can still read this as a standalone though!
I recommend this!
Thank you to @katieandbreypa and @Emilybybeebooks for providing me with an ecopy for reviewing!
January 1, 2023
Title: Escape From Magic
Author: Emily ByBee
Series: Unstable Magic book 5
Rating: ☆☆☆☆
This is the second book in this series that I've and while this was a good story it doesn't hold a candle to Droplets of Magic.
The story had everything you would imagine from the title as well as from the others books. (If you've read any of them before this one.) While you can read this as a standalone, it's always nice to start from the beginning just so you have a sense of what's happened in the past and in case some of the characters were in the previous books.
I enjoyed the characters, the magic system and I enjoyed the overall storyline. I do wish some parts of the plot had more depth to them, instead it felt as they were skimmed over. Over all this was a good, quick read.
Author: Emily ByBee
Series: Unstable Magic book 5
Rating: ☆☆☆☆
This is the second book in this series that I've and while this was a good story it doesn't hold a candle to Droplets of Magic.
The story had everything you would imagine from the title as well as from the others books. (If you've read any of them before this one.) While you can read this as a standalone, it's always nice to start from the beginning just so you have a sense of what's happened in the past and in case some of the characters were in the previous books.
I enjoyed the characters, the magic system and I enjoyed the overall storyline. I do wish some parts of the plot had more depth to them, instead it felt as they were skimmed over. Over all this was a good, quick read.
December 29, 2022
Clara is a perfect, rule-following witch. That is until Sam is in the picture. She unexpectedly falls for him, and since he's an ungifted, that's a big no-no. Him finding out she's a witch makes things worse, for Sam, Clara, and Clara's family.
To protect her family and Sam, Clara decides to run, but Sam won't let her go alone. Can Clara out-run and out-wit the witch council?
This book had so many twists and turns that I didn't expect. There were a lot of emotions too.
In the end, will true love win?
Thank you to the author and @katieandbreypa for making it possible to read this book. While I did get a copy for free, the review and opinions are my own.
To protect her family and Sam, Clara decides to run, but Sam won't let her go alone. Can Clara out-run and out-wit the witch council?
This book had so many twists and turns that I didn't expect. There were a lot of emotions too.
In the end, will true love win?
Thank you to the author and @katieandbreypa for making it possible to read this book. While I did get a copy for free, the review and opinions are my own.
January 13, 2023
I received an arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.
The beginning of this book was fantastic. It did a wonderful job of setting up the main character, her personality, the world she lived in, the conflict of the story, and her love interest. I was invested to see what would happen once her love life clashed with the reality of the arranged marriage assigned to her, and while I knew nothing good would happen based on the synopsis of the book, I was not expecting most of the details to be glossed over with a basic "she was controlled and retreated from her mind" in order to skip most of the details in order to get back into the romance faster.
I get that we mostly want to spend time with MC and her getting closer to her love interest, but the time skip just felt too abrupt for me. Once the story got back, it went back to giving details and explaining what was going on, but I was stuck still trying to work out all that had happened in the years she had been traumatized in her own head.
The beginning of this book was fantastic. It did a wonderful job of setting up the main character, her personality, the world she lived in, the conflict of the story, and her love interest. I was invested to see what would happen once her love life clashed with the reality of the arranged marriage assigned to her, and while I knew nothing good would happen based on the synopsis of the book, I was not expecting most of the details to be glossed over with a basic "she was controlled and retreated from her mind" in order to skip most of the details in order to get back into the romance faster.
I get that we mostly want to spend time with MC and her getting closer to her love interest, but the time skip just felt too abrupt for me. Once the story got back, it went back to giving details and explaining what was going on, but I was stuck still trying to work out all that had happened in the years she had been traumatized in her own head.
December 21, 2022
This is the fifth book in the unstable magic series. You can read this book on it's own however, I would recommend reading the other books first. The first third of the book feels like a different book than the last two thirds of the book. It's like a sweet YA romance and then everything goes wrong and we are in a drastically different book. However, you need the backstory told in that first third of the book to be invested in Clara's story. And it tells how the sweet wholesome Clara Stark becomes the infamous Clara Stark that you see in the other four books.
The author gives you a few good emotional gut punches with this one. I love how the core group of characters are featured and I love the amazing female relationships. This series loves to take those seen as weak and turn them into an asset. I love the depth of the characters and how the heroes have faults and make mistakes.
This book is great for anyone that enjoys magical realism and redemption stories.
The author gives you a few good emotional gut punches with this one. I love how the core group of characters are featured and I love the amazing female relationships. This series loves to take those seen as weak and turn them into an asset. I love the depth of the characters and how the heroes have faults and make mistakes.
This book is great for anyone that enjoys magical realism and redemption stories.
December 27, 2022
This is book 5 in the Unstable Magic series - I have not read the 4 previous books and honestly, I felt like maybe I was missing some elements, but I was able to immerse into the story fairly easily without feeling lost, everything is described well and you get a real handle on the universe fairly quickly.
I really liked this whole book. It was a different spin on what I normally think of as "witches" and I really enjoyed all the characters. Clara is a good girl who just wanted to get the lead part in the high school musical and her entire world is turned upside down, all in the name of love. Clean romance and some light violence but nothing to gore filled.
Off to go sing Beauty School Drop Out into a hair brush.
I really liked this whole book. It was a different spin on what I normally think of as "witches" and I really enjoyed all the characters. Clara is a good girl who just wanted to get the lead part in the high school musical and her entire world is turned upside down, all in the name of love. Clean romance and some light violence but nothing to gore filled.
Off to go sing Beauty School Drop Out into a hair brush.
December 31, 2022
Escape from Magic is book 5 in the Unstable magic series and I think it’s Emily Bybee’s best book in the series so far. Clara is a fantastic main character and this book had me gripped from start to finish. It had everything from romance to peril to magic and I would definitely recommend this book. I would suggest reading the first books in the series first as it does add a lot more depth to the characters but it can still be read as stand alone. I can’t wait for book 6.
I received a free ebook of this novel. This review is my honest opinion and is written voluntarily. Thank you to @KatieandbreyPA for arranging this book tour.
I received a free ebook of this novel. This review is my honest opinion and is written voluntarily. Thank you to @KatieandbreyPA for arranging this book tour.
January 6, 2023
3.5 stars!
When Clara has to run away to save Sam and her family, Sam goes with her. Once they're found out, Clara is taken by the witches council and used to do their bidding.
15 years later and Clara is woken up from the fog of being the councils assassin. To atone, she tries to save a child from the council and hopefully help the love her life remember her.
I really did love Sam and Clara's love story. I like the idea of a reluctant heroine trying to do the right thing to save those she loves. Even if she has to put a little acting into it. 😉
When Clara has to run away to save Sam and her family, Sam goes with her. Once they're found out, Clara is taken by the witches council and used to do their bidding.
15 years later and Clara is woken up from the fog of being the councils assassin. To atone, she tries to save a child from the council and hopefully help the love her life remember her.
I really did love Sam and Clara's love story. I like the idea of a reluctant heroine trying to do the right thing to save those she loves. Even if she has to put a little acting into it. 😉
December 28, 2022
My rating for this book is 4.5 stars rounded up to 5.
Bybee has done it again. Her story twists and turns, taking the reader on a journey of love, betrayal, heartbreak, and revenge. I was hooked from the beginning.
Clara was a character after my own heart, only wanting love and to protect her family, and Sam was the perfect match for her. After being introduced to her in Droplets of Magic, I loved getting the chance to learn more about Clara.
Even though this is a book in a series, it can be read on its own, but I'm sure you'll want to dive into them all!
Bybee has done it again. Her story twists and turns, taking the reader on a journey of love, betrayal, heartbreak, and revenge. I was hooked from the beginning.
Clara was a character after my own heart, only wanting love and to protect her family, and Sam was the perfect match for her. After being introduced to her in Droplets of Magic, I loved getting the chance to learn more about Clara.
Even though this is a book in a series, it can be read on its own, but I'm sure you'll want to dive into them all!
January 3, 2023
This was book 5 in the Unstable Magic series. I started andfinished this in the same day it was that good and easy to read. It could beread as a standalone. While it’s nice to have some background on othercharacters, each book is focused on a different pair in the series, so I reallydidn’t feel I was missing anything. I have read the prior book but not the onesbefore this one. Her writing is so smooth, action packed, and just the imaginativeways she finds the use of magic is so cool. She adds romance to the story butit’s not the main plot, which I appreciate. Her ability to build the worldswithout being overly worded and taking away from the action is perfect. Ilove the idea of the witches, ungifted, underworld and the way they all clashedtogether in one giant fun rollercoaster of action. I highly recommend thisseries if you love YA, Fantasy, and action type books!
January 5, 2023
amazing
This book had me hooked from the moment I picked it up. I couldn’t put it down. The story of Clara and Sam is so heartwarming and heartbreaking and I loved it !!! Now I need to find out when the next book will be out. Least I hope will be another one. I feel like these characters have so much more to do !!! Thank you so much to the author Emily Bybree and Katie&BreyPA for allowing me to be a part of the review team !! Couldn’t have asked for a better story !!
This book had me hooked from the moment I picked it up. I couldn’t put it down. The story of Clara and Sam is so heartwarming and heartbreaking and I loved it !!! Now I need to find out when the next book will be out. Least I hope will be another one. I feel like these characters have so much more to do !!! Thank you so much to the author Emily Bybree and Katie&BreyPA for allowing me to be a part of the review team !! Couldn’t have asked for a better story !!
January 7, 2023
This book will take you on such an incredible journey. Your heart will be filled, shattered then filled again. I fell head over heels for Clara, Sam and all of the characters. I was so invested that I had such a hard time putting it down. Thank you for sharing this beautifully written story with me.
January 9, 2023
A little more tame than I’m used to reading nowadays. But I did enjoy this book.
Clara and Sam’s story definitely had its speed bumps. Probably due to the fact she’s a witch and deals with a Council that you can guess controls too much.
First book by this author I’ve read and I’m quite intrigued to read the other books in the series. Clara is fantastic FMC and loved her whole persona. Her and Sam found their HEA which warmed my heart.
Clara and Sam’s story definitely had its speed bumps. Probably due to the fact she’s a witch and deals with a Council that you can guess controls too much.
First book by this author I’ve read and I’m quite intrigued to read the other books in the series. Clara is fantastic FMC and loved her whole persona. Her and Sam found their HEA which warmed my heart.
December 19, 2022
Started with a grease play and progressed nicely with action. It was an interesting read. Though I am not big on magic I found I quite enjoyed the story. The gore and violent bits aren't much, it was glossed over. You should definitely check it out. Its worth the read.
January 4, 2023
I absolutely loved this book.
The world created by Bybee is mesmerizing, the characters are authentic, and their struggles are so real. This book makes a person frustrated that they might need to stop and sleep instead of continuing to read on and finish the story. Completely envelopes the reader!
The world created by Bybee is mesmerizing, the characters are authentic, and their struggles are so real. This book makes a person frustrated that they might need to stop and sleep instead of continuing to read on and finish the story. Completely envelopes the reader!
January 16, 2023
Such a great mixture of fantasy and adventure with a love story tucked neatly inside. I love a book that has conflict from the very beginning and this book was exactly that. I devoured this in one sitting and I'm ready to go binge the rest of the series! The character development was great and I fell in love with Clara and Sam. I'm so glad I gave this book a chance.
January 23, 2023
I haven’t read much fantasy or Sci-fi since two years ago. Reading this book has really brought me out of my one genre slump.
It was a pretty fast paced book but it hit all the right spots and even though I haven’t read the other books in this series we still get a sense of the world building so it’s not confusing. I loved the way the world was set up and I loved the characters. There where a few twists I wasn’t anticipating but they made it much more interesting.
All in all this book was such a refreshing reading experience from what I’m used to and I recommend it to anyone who likes witchy type books and anyone who likes second chance romance without any spicy scenes.
It was a pretty fast paced book but it hit all the right spots and even though I haven’t read the other books in this series we still get a sense of the world building so it’s not confusing. I loved the way the world was set up and I loved the characters. There where a few twists I wasn’t anticipating but they made it much more interesting.
All in all this book was such a refreshing reading experience from what I’m used to and I recommend it to anyone who likes witchy type books and anyone who likes second chance romance without any spicy scenes.
January 2, 2023
I received this book as an Arc. I really loved this book. The twist were great. I wasn’t expecting how things were turning out which I loved. It doesn’t always have to be a happy book. I can’t wait to see what happens.
December 21, 2022
3.5
I can't say I enjoyed this one as much as Droplets of Magic but I did still enjoy it. The writing makes it so easy to read. It was nice to see some back story behind one of the characters we met in the last book. And to see this other POV of this story. Thanks to @KatieandBreyPA for this opportunity.
I can't say I enjoyed this one as much as Droplets of Magic but I did still enjoy it. The writing makes it so easy to read. It was nice to see some back story behind one of the characters we met in the last book. And to see this other POV of this story. Thanks to @KatieandBreyPA for this opportunity.
December 17, 2022
*4.5 - so much fun to read! A bit cheesy in some places but I can’t fault it really since most first/high school love stories are. I loved the world, the characters and the magic spells Clara does are really cool. Action-filled and romantic.
January 4, 2023
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
Book 5 of The Unstable Magic Series
I have not read any of the other books in this series & I can attest that this novel can be read as a stand-alone!
This book is a fast-paced YA Fantasy story with elements of romance, thrilling action, and emotional peril. The beginning had me fooled that this was going to be a high school age YA novel and I was pleasantly surprised! I couldn't put this one down. 5/5 💘⭐️
Book 5 of The Unstable Magic Series
I have not read any of the other books in this series & I can attest that this novel can be read as a stand-alone!
This book is a fast-paced YA Fantasy story with elements of romance, thrilling action, and emotional peril. The beginning had me fooled that this was going to be a high school age YA novel and I was pleasantly surprised! I couldn't put this one down. 5/5 💘⭐️
February 3, 2023
📚Book Review☕️:
Escape from Magic by Emily Bybee
(This is the fifth book in a series, but it can be read as a stand alone)
Hello my fellow #bookdragons! My second review of the year is a fast paced, heart felt fantasy! I really enjoyed this one, it’s very well written and the characters are extremely likable, that being said, I did feel that some parts were a little lacking in the story, it glossed over quite a bit, and felt rushed because of this. But I understand that not everyone wants to write a tome, a la Sarah J Maas lol, and I don’t think it took away from the story at all. If you love fantasy, romance, and nice endings tied with a bow, this is for you!
Thank you to @emilybybeebooks & @katieandbreypa for kindly sending this ARC to me.
*my opinions are my own
Escape from Magic by Emily Bybee
(This is the fifth book in a series, but it can be read as a stand alone)
Hello my fellow #bookdragons! My second review of the year is a fast paced, heart felt fantasy! I really enjoyed this one, it’s very well written and the characters are extremely likable, that being said, I did feel that some parts were a little lacking in the story, it glossed over quite a bit, and felt rushed because of this. But I understand that not everyone wants to write a tome, a la Sarah J Maas lol, and I don’t think it took away from the story at all. If you love fantasy, romance, and nice endings tied with a bow, this is for you!
Thank you to @emilybybeebooks & @katieandbreypa for kindly sending this ARC to me.
*my opinions are my own
February 6, 2023
This isn't my first rodeo when it comes to the Unstable Magic series, and surely won't be my last! I love love LOVED this, even more so than the last book. A backstory I didn't know I needed. More magic and adventure and everything else you could want. It's part of a series, but worked well as a standalone, so don't let that stop you from picking it up NOW! So great I finished it within 24 hours 🔥🔥🔥
February 16, 2021
Terrific story, great characters... Loved the Pyrhic choice Clara had to make. Looking forward to the next installment!
October 7, 2021
Dude I was so shocked by this one I was like what? It's a really good story you should read it
December 31, 2023
I wasn't actually supposed to read this book, and it wasn't quite the type of book I normally read, but I'm glad I gave it a shot!
Escape from Magic, by @emilybybeebooks is actually the 4th in a series, but was relatively easy to read as a stand alone. The story follows Clara, a 17 year old Witch who is trying to hide her magic, star in a school musical and enjoy the last few months she has of freedom before she meets the man she is set to marry once she turns 18. Falling for her co-star, Sam, wasn't part of the original plan, but when everything suddenly starts to fall apart and her 3 year old niece is now at risk, Clara and Sam try to find a way to silently disappear, together!
The story starts out as a YA romance that has very minimal paranormal references but changes about 1/3-1/2 way in when Clara is discovered by "the council" or the people in charge of the witches. The second half or so of the book is about fighting/killing witches and putting spells on people and fantasy is really not my thing. I did stick with it, though I was definitely fairly confused, and I think that for a fantasy/paranormal-loving reader this would be a great book! I thought the writing was good, there was a good amount of detail and I kept thinking "this would make a really cool movie" so I was able to follow the story and visualize things fairly well even though this is not my comfort zone for reading comprehension haha. 😂
Thanks to @katieandbreypa for reaching out and asking for a few more people to read this book, otherwise I probably wouldn't have given it a try and I liked it a lot more than I expected to. I would definitely recommend this book for YA and adult readers who enjoy paranormal/magic/witch themed stories with some YA romance thrown in.
Escape from Magic, by @emilybybeebooks is actually the 4th in a series, but was relatively easy to read as a stand alone. The story follows Clara, a 17 year old Witch who is trying to hide her magic, star in a school musical and enjoy the last few months she has of freedom before she meets the man she is set to marry once she turns 18. Falling for her co-star, Sam, wasn't part of the original plan, but when everything suddenly starts to fall apart and her 3 year old niece is now at risk, Clara and Sam try to find a way to silently disappear, together!
The story starts out as a YA romance that has very minimal paranormal references but changes about 1/3-1/2 way in when Clara is discovered by "the council" or the people in charge of the witches. The second half or so of the book is about fighting/killing witches and putting spells on people and fantasy is really not my thing. I did stick with it, though I was definitely fairly confused, and I think that for a fantasy/paranormal-loving reader this would be a great book! I thought the writing was good, there was a good amount of detail and I kept thinking "this would make a really cool movie" so I was able to follow the story and visualize things fairly well even though this is not my comfort zone for reading comprehension haha. 😂
Thanks to @katieandbreypa for reaching out and asking for a few more people to read this book, otherwise I probably wouldn't have given it a try and I liked it a lot more than I expected to. I would definitely recommend this book for YA and adult readers who enjoy paranormal/magic/witch themed stories with some YA romance thrown in.
January 12, 2023
Overall Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
(Slightly above average)
Summary: The book starts with Clara, a gifted witch in high school. At this time, all she hopes to do is land the lead role in the school musical before graduation and arranged marriage. Her world is flip upside down when she falls in love with a hot ungifted human, Sam. Gifted and ungifted people are not allowed to be together, which cause problems with the witch council. Fifteen years of Clara's life was taken from her by the council. She hopes to amend what she has done in those 15 years and find her true love, Sam again.
My thoughts:
I really liked the concept of the book, but the execution was slightly above average. The beginning of the book was slow and very high school love. I felt like there could of been more depth to Clara and Sam's relationship during that time, instead there were parts skipped over and all I got from them really was that they were attracted to each other. I didn't see the depth and growth of love that I would of liked to get me invested in their relationship more. The main conflict was definitely the highlight of the book. There were a few plot twists towards the end, but nothing heart wrenching. Overall, there were some good parts and a few others that I would change. It's an easy, clean read that I would recommend to certain people.
I didn't read the other books in the series. From what I read, they are interconnected standalones and I didn't feel like I missed out on anything, but definitely will go back and read the other books before making the this conclusion.
Lastly, thank you Emily Bybee and Katie and Brey PA for an ebook copy of this book. This review is my honest opinion.
(Slightly above average)
Summary: The book starts with Clara, a gifted witch in high school. At this time, all she hopes to do is land the lead role in the school musical before graduation and arranged marriage. Her world is flip upside down when she falls in love with a hot ungifted human, Sam. Gifted and ungifted people are not allowed to be together, which cause problems with the witch council. Fifteen years of Clara's life was taken from her by the council. She hopes to amend what she has done in those 15 years and find her true love, Sam again.
My thoughts:
I really liked the concept of the book, but the execution was slightly above average. The beginning of the book was slow and very high school love. I felt like there could of been more depth to Clara and Sam's relationship during that time, instead there were parts skipped over and all I got from them really was that they were attracted to each other. I didn't see the depth and growth of love that I would of liked to get me invested in their relationship more. The main conflict was definitely the highlight of the book. There were a few plot twists towards the end, but nothing heart wrenching. Overall, there were some good parts and a few others that I would change. It's an easy, clean read that I would recommend to certain people.
I didn't read the other books in the series. From what I read, they are interconnected standalones and I didn't feel like I missed out on anything, but definitely will go back and read the other books before making the this conclusion.
Lastly, thank you Emily Bybee and Katie and Brey PA for an ebook copy of this book. This review is my honest opinion.
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