The Magic Shop

By: Justin Swapp

Narrated by: Steve Barnes

Length: 11 hrs and 29 mins

Publisher's summary

Some family secrets can't be unseen.

Marcus and his twin sister, Ellie, live in the loft above their grandparents' magic shop - the one all the rumors are about. He's all too familiar with the hand buzzers, card tricks, and fake vomit kits. He thought he had seen it all until he stumbles upon his grandfather hiding something in a secret room behind the family tapestry.

Now Marcus and Ellie must unravel a dirty laundry list of family secrets, and are thrown into a sinister world that has been hidden from them their entire lives. Not only is the family business a front, but Marcus has to develop his powers before the Dun-Bahr find him and assimilate the magic he was born to protect.

How will Marcus evade his enemies, and save his family?

It all comes down to what's hidden at the Magic Shop.

©2016 Justin Swapp (P)2016 Justin Swapp

Captivating

Narrator was excellent! Storyline kept twisting and turning to keep the audience intrigued. Highly recommend!

So Much More Than I Was Expecting!

When I first started listening to this book I was thinking I would be listening to more of a middle grade or young adult type book. I think this book is much more adult then young adult. It took me a little while to get into it, but once you enter the world that Swapp has created you are adventuring ALL OVER the place. So many exciting characters, places, plot twists, creatures, and the list could go on and on. It truly is more than just a magic shop. I really cannot wait to see where this story goes to in the second book.

Steve Barnes does a fantastic job with the several voices he creates flawlessly, perfectly, and accurate every single time. His emotional inflection is well done as well. I was very emotional throughout this book a lot due to his performance.

I did receive a copy of this book at my request, and I have voluntarily left this review.

Coming of Age in the Magic World

A story containing magic, wizardry, betrayal and coming of age in the magic world. Marcus and Ellie are two children born into the magic world without knowing it. When things start to go awry in their world, they soon discover the truth piece by piece. They must go through several challenges including rescuing their beloved grandfather, Marcus discovering his true powers, saving their uncle and many others. Well written story easy for adults and young adults to enjoy. Note: there is music intertwined throughout the storytelling in the beginning of the chapters.

Steve Barnes gives a strong performance with clear, articulate characters. He easily captures the listeners' ear and engages the audience.

An interesting take on magic

I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review. That being said, it was a good book. The narrator did a pretty good job voicing all the characters and made it very entertaining. The story was engaging and was a very interesting take on the magic being real story. My only negative feedback was that at the beginning of each chapter, there was a musical intro. It was a little jarring and, to me, distracting. It actually startled me a couple of times. :)

A Wonderful Magical Adventure

I received this book for free. I am voluntarily leaving this review and all opinions expressed herein are mine.

Here, twins Marcus and Ellie live with their grandparents, who own a magic shop. After receiving a review from their school teacher, their grandparents decide that the twins could use a little responsibility by working in the magic shop. The twins are less than thrilled with the idea. One day Marcus sees his grandfather take a customer to a secret room. He is curious about it. Marcus also sees there is a magic shop across the street with lines around the block - so what are they doing to pull in all these customers? One day, the twins are left alone in the shop when a customer makes a request for some unique magical items. Marcus takes him to his grandfather's secret room and sells one of the artifacts from the room, believing this will help his struggling family. However, when he tells his grandparents, he realizes how wrong he was and his family is not quite what had believed.

This is a book for the entire family. It has a lot of twists and turns as Marcus and Ellie try to help their grandparents and get the magical artifact Marcus sold back. This story is completely engaging as you learn about magic, how it used and it is more than just slight of hand. This is a wonderful magical adventure - highly recommend! Be warned - the story ends with a set up for the next book in the series [a soft cliffhanger].

The narrator was superb. He has a magical voice with a variety of accents and knack for bringing each of the characters to life. He made a wonderful story even better.

A Fun YA Read/Listen

Marcus and Ellis have been raised by their grandparents. They work in their grand parent’s magic shop where their family eeks out a modest living selling magician’s tricks. Then one day Marcus secretly watches his grandfather open a wall in the shop with magic. Behind the wall is a room filled with real magical objects. Soon Marcus and Ellis’ whole world changes and not for the better. Nothing is what it seems anymore. Magic is real and it isn’t all rainbows and sunshine. Soon more complications, revelations and problems enter their lives because of magic and the family must make some tough decisions. They also must live through some tough consequences. “The Magic Shop is a YA novel, but it is a story that holds up to any age reader. I am not a young adult, but I occasionally pick up a YA story when it catches my attention. This one definitely caught my attention and I look forward to the next book in the series.

Finally, this audio book was provided by the author at no cost in exchange for an honest review courtesy of Audio Book Boom.

Magical!

Twins Marcus and Ellie are old enough to start learning the family business from their grandparents. Marcus is less than enthused at the thought of running the magic shop, but that’s not the family business Gramps and Granny are talking about! Marcus discovers he has a special gift and there are others who’d like to harness his gift for their own use.

The Magic Shop is an exciting listen, it has action, adventure, and thrills. The audiobook is geared towards older adolescence. I found The Magic Shop to be in the vein of the Chronicles of Narnia or Harry Potter, by that I mean all ages will find this book a good listen.

Steve Barnes narrates and what a delight he is! His delivery and pacing is perfect for this genre. He has different voices for each and every character. I always knew which character was speaking and there are a lot of characters to keep track of. Steve added so much energy to this production and made a good story even better. Narrators like Steve Barnes are the reason I continue to say to anyone who will listen, narrators ARE actors! The production quality in this nearly 12-hour audiobook is top-notch.

I'm so glad this book is the beginning of a series because there is so much more to explore in the world created by Justin Swapp.

This audiobook was gifted to me in exchange for an unbiased review!

Fast Moving Magical Thrill Ride

What did you love best about The Magic Shop?

I loved that there were many moral questions involved for the use of magic and consequences involved in the way it was used. The characters had to make choices and face the realities of those choices.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Caleb. He appeared to be a minor character and really he was but as the story goes on you see the sacrifice that he made early in life to try and stop his brother and the cost. He was a true tragic hero.

Which scene was your favorite?

The car ride to the state hospital the children do not want to go visit their relatives. The listener has no idea of who or what is coming and the children are still being bratty self involved teens. It is funny and such a good commentary on society.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

When the children are finally told the truth about their parents. It was shocking and sad.

Any additional comments?

"This review copy audiobook was provided by the author/narrator/publisher free of charge via Audiobook Boom."

Magical twins coming into their magic

Audio version. Magical twins coming into their magic. This started a little slow but it quickly picked up. It's also a cliffhanger, I hadn't known it was a part 1.
The narrator makes the story come to life, he has a soft compelling voice.
This audiobook was given to me for free at my request from the publisher or author or narrator and I provided this voluntary review.
Reasons I enjoyed this book:
Action-packed, Easy-to-read, Entertaining, Original, Page-turner, Unpredictable, Whimsical, Wonderful characters.

Started off ok

Started off interesting and then lost me.To confusing and just didn't hold my attention about half way through,

“I was voluntarily provided this free review copy audiobook by the author, narrator, or publisher in exchange for an unbiased review."