The Lost Art of Magic

By: John Kovacich

Narrated by: Theresa Dale

Length: 11 hrs and 52 mins

Publisher's summary

Magic has been lost for centuries, and when 16-year-old Destiny stumbles upon it, she accidentally unlocks it for all the descendants of the ancient clans, but some of them want it only for themselves and are willing to kill to keep it.

©2012 John Kovacich (P)2021 John Kovacich

Reviewed By Rabia Tanveer for Readers’ Favorite

The Lost Art of Magic by John Kovacich is a young adult novel with a heavy dose of fantasy to make it more interesting. Destiny Boutin knows her family once consisted of some great witches with unparalleled magical powers. However, things change just before her 16th birthday when she discovers magic is still very real. They become further complicated when Destiny releases it into the world and makes it accessible to some descendants of the magic wielders. Caught between a rock and a hard place, Destiny has no one who can guide her with her magic. Destiny not only has to learn to master magic, but she also has to be one step ahead of the people who are hellbent on destroying her. Can she find some guidance before it is too late?

The plot of the story is brilliantly composed and exceptionally executed. I am in awe of John Kovacich’s ability to write about time travel and magic. It is a tall order to fill but John Kovacich does it with incredible ease. The universe building is superb as well as his character development. Destiny proves to be an excellent student who learns to control her powers with the type of guidance she gets. The dialogues are brilliant, and the descriptions are just as good. I love how Destiny is not perfect; she has flaws, and that aspect makes her so likable. The Lost Art of Magic by John Kovacich is a phenomenal novel. Theresa Dale narrates the story with a passion. The cadence of voice and her enunciation are perfect for Destiny’s character. Ms. Dale performs with her heart and soul, bringing the story to life. There is a lyrical quality to her speech that makes the audiobook even more entertaining.

Exceptional content and Amazing narrating!

This is my second time "reading" this book (via Audible the second time). I really liked the choice of narrator as I've found that to be a real turn-off for me for other audiobooks. I like the way John writes. It really flows, I'm not lost character-wise or plot-wise especially when I have to put this down for my "normal" day. When I first read the title I thought that magic isn't something I'm into and it might not appeal to me. I was immediately engaged by Destiny Boutin's character. What she has to learn is shown to the reader through the lessons she has to learn, the people she has to interact with, and her growth as a woman. I like the strong female lead that she has both in her grandmother, her mother, and her mentor(s). Thanks John, you truly have a gift.

Magic Comes to the Bayou

The Lost Art of Magic, written by John Kovacich, is a coming of age story set (mostly) in the swamps of Louisiana and tells the story of Destiny Boutin, a young girl who lives with her nana. Her family has a long, rich heritage of being descended from witches from long ago, with only the faintest hints of magic ability now left.

The book opens with a bang, where Destiny is set upon by some unknown intruders into her house on the bayou, before quickly flitting back two weeks to show us how she got there.

Over the course of the book, we watch as she grows into her powers. While a lot of the book is set in the present time, much of it is spent in the past as Destiny uses her latent witchcraft ability to talk with witches from long ago, to experience and learn from them.

The witches have mortal enemies in dark wizards. For reasons as old as time, they've been at war, and at some point, their war brought the loss of magic from both sides.

There's a lot going on, but the plot is easy enough to follow along as it flicks back and forth through time. After the initial opening, I thought the book was going to be a little slow for my tastes, but it soon reeled me in like a bayou catfish. Kovacich built the tension slowly but with enough urgency and intrigue it kept me listening long after I should have gone to sleep.

Narration by Theresa Dale was excellent. With a lot of deep-south accents and phrasing, it would have been easy to trip over but I think she did well. A few minor quality issues I detected towards the end. Nothing major, just a couple of spots of background noise, not enough to pull me out of the story but enough to make a note of.

In all, this was an interesting story with interesting characters and a rich backstory for the world. The ending left me a little bit wanting. I thought there were a few loose ends that needed closing more than there was. We got glimpses of the future, and I think we could have done with a little more closure on these than we got.

I was given this audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review. I have not let this gift affect nor influence my opinions of this audiobook and have left an honest review.