Venators: Magic Unleashed

Venators, Book 1

By: Devri Walls

Narrated by: Daniel Thomas May

Length: 10 hrs and 20 mins

Publisher's summary

The dark unknown beckons.

Rune Jenkins has a long-standing infatuation with anything from the supernatural world, and she's trying to hide it. If she doesn't, she angers her reckless twin brother, Ryker, and starts feeling like her own sanity is slipping. But the closer she gets to Grey Malteer - an old friend who waves his fascination with fantasy like a flag - the harder it becomes to stifle her own interest.

The supernatural suddenly invades their reality when otherworldly creatures come hunting for the three college students. With help from a mysterious savior, Rune and Grey escape but must follow Ryker's abductors into an alternate dimension, Eon, and discover their true identities.

They are Venators, descendants of genetically enhanced protectors and sentries between Eon and Earth. In this world of fae, vampires, werewolves, and wizards, power is abundant and always in flux. Ryker is missing, and Rune and Grey are being set up as pawns in a very dangerous game. The three must find their way through and out of Eon before it consumes them.

©2018 Devri Walls (P)2020 Tantor

VERY GOOD START TO A NEW SERIES

Awesome storyline. Daniel Thomas May did an excellent job with his narration/performance and brought the characters to life. The story flows smoothly and there were lots of action and emotions. Kept me engrossed right through the night! I've already bought book 2 and will be starting on it. Devri Walls is an excellent writer and I hope there will more of his books to come.

Good book

I love the story was good but the reader suck. Just saying but good book

Fast-paced fantasy with some issues

TW: Sexual Assualt, Child Abuse, Abuse, mention of slavery, mention of forced prostitution, Victim blaming verbiage.


When I was approached about this book tour, I knew I needed to jump in. Magic Unleased is right up my alley, and I couldn't wait to get started. I ended up low on time, so I snagged the audiobook so that I could read it while reading a few other books in between. The narrator did a good job of portraying the characters, though, at times, his voice bordered on monotone.

Devri Walls sure knows how to write a vast world. The descriptions were great, and at times I felt like I was walking around with Rune & Grey. The setting itself was well done, and I liked to see the author's interpretations of the supernatural characters. My favorite was how the fae were portrayed. They weren't sweet, helpful things but tricksters. I just loved it.

The characters were also well done. I wanted to get to know more about Grey and Rune, and I liked seeing how they interacted with all of the characters. I enjoyed the side characters, as well. It seems like everyone, for the most part, was three dimensional. I will admit, I struggled with how young Grey & Rune acted though this is more of a me issue and not a book issue.

The one thing that didn't sit well with me was some of the victim-blaming verbiages in a specific scene. I felt that the character had every right to be upset, and I feel like she was gaslit because she didn't just accept that something "had" to happen. This scene soured me on the book, and I have to admit, I almost DNFd right then and there. After that scene, I started to notice just some of the ways that Rune was treated, and I hated how she was consistently berated instead of helped.

Though I did find some faults with this book, I ended up pushing through. In the end, I enjoyed the world that created. It was fun to see a more sinister side of faeries, and I enjoyed how fast-paced the plot was. I'm not sure that I will continue in the series, but I do understand why so many people have enjoyed it.