A great debut, gothicy, tense, brooding, with smouldering romance, The Temptation of Magic has taken some of the more popular YA tropes and managed to bring something new to the genre.

I was so pleasantly surprised by this, I read it in the midst of a bit of YA fatigue, every YA fantasy I'd been reading seemed to have the same kind of characters, the same fantasy beings, the same kind of romances, this had those familiar elements, featuring fae, a powerful female central character, a brooding male love interest with hunting tendencies and supernatural powers, but the world and the premise felt new and one thing I absolutely loved was the supporting characters and their dynamic with Nicole, our FMC. Where other FMCs are different to those around them, feel misunderstood, or in need of escape or a purpose, Nicole has friends, a family who know what she is going through and share her stakes in the wider conflict, and she starts off with a purpose, and all of this carries through everything she does, it really brought this to a different level. Throw in a smidge of academia and art history and I had everything I needed.

Another testament to how good this was, how it surpassed my expectations, is that it included the ... actually this is a spoiler <spoiler>fated mate trope </spoiler> which is something that I've got pretty tired of, especially with how it makes the MMCs behave, I find the romance just loses it for me from some of the books I've read at least, but this worked! The trope is actually a part of the mystery, part of the plot and something for the characters to solve, it also leads to the brooding, the tension, in a way that many romances with the same trope miss out relying on the trope itself to carry the day, but I actually cared for these characters, and I love the way the second book is heading.

I am absolutely in love with this book. The characters are amazing, and the way different species of creatures are woven into the world is so captivating. I couldn't get enough and already want more.Nicole is such a badass—bold, smart, and totally inspiring. And Kyan is officially my number one book boyfriend. The story has many of my favorite romantasy tropes but avoids those annoying pitfalls that leave me with the ick. Particularly that Kyan was an emotionally intelligent man. I seriously can’t wait for the next book in the series.

It was difficult for me to get into this book and I kept getting confused, but about 30% in the plot started to pick up and I began to enjoy it. Interesting worldbuilding and magic system, and I liked the art aspect of the setting. The Temptation of Magic is a good debut work—it lacks some depth and would have benefited from a tighter pacing, but these things don't really detract from the story.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an e-ARC copy of this book, in exchange for this honest review.

Thank you very much to Netgalley and the publisher for accepting my request to read and review this book! The Temptation of Magic was one of my most anticipated books of 2024!

I loved the sound of this one, and even though the book didn’t work for me 100% I definitely still think the overall premise is original and intriguing. I loved the dark academia vibe and the painting study elements a lot.

However, my issue with this book was the writing itself, with particular words often being repeated in describing things, overly specific descriptions of things I didn’t feel warranted it, and overall occasional word vomit that I felt like skimming.

I know for a fact that this was a ME problem not a book problem as I have heard many people say they really enjoyed the writing in this!

But it did mean with world building that sometimes it felt like we were being slammed with a lot of information, I would have loved to have had things introduced a bit slower to ease the reader in.

Back to the things I did enjoy! I definitely did not expect the mates element of the book, nor the steamy elements, which I have to say were a pleasant surprise for me! I expected a different kind of “supernatural” and was pleasantly surprised. A forbidden romance in general is also hard to mess up!

But overall, considering this was a debut as well, this book is definitely impressive and I think the rest of the series will be highly anticipated esp with the cliffhanger at the end of this one!

Ohhh, this was the dark academia romance of my dreams. The gothic art vibes were *chef's kiss.* I really love romantic dynamics where the heroine thinks that they're mortal enemies and the hero is bemused/halfway in love with her. The heroine's large, boisterous, and loving family was also great. Normally fantasy protagonists are lonely orphans so having a supportive base was really nice to see.

Thankyou to Netgalley and HarperCollins UK, HarperFiction | Magpie for a free e-arc in exchange of an honest review.

I didn't have many expectations for this book going in as YA isn't something i generally gravitate to however when i saw it was going to be a Fairyloot pick it prompted me to see what it was like. I enjoyed this so much more than i anticipated. The magic system was really interesting and i liked finding out about the different creatures. The characters were really likeable and i liked the side character dynamics a lot. Dark academic atmosphere done well and had really good pacing- definitely recommend the audiobook too.

4 Star and ill definitely be reading the sequal

I was fascinated and intrigued by the book and storyline i like that it incorporated art and history. I'm actually looking forward to the next book!

Thanks to Netgalley and Harper Collins UK for a copy of the book in exchange for an honest opinion.

The Temptation of Magic was exactly what I needed to get out of my reading slump. It reminded me of the early 2000's YA paranormal books I used to enjoy reading.

I was immediately drawn into the book and found it hard to put down. The pacing was great and I loved the main character, Nicole. I found it easy to root for her, and the romance between her and Kyan was great as well. Fans of slow burn and enemy to lovers will eat this up. The tension between the two had me on the edge of my seat!

The world Scott painted was so fascinating and layered. I enjoyed getting to learn more about it as the story progressed.

I would recommend this to both romantasy and paranormal romance lovers alike.

3.5 ⭐️

a good debut novel, the temptation of magic follows nicole as she battles to uncover a centuries old conspiracy while fighting against her primal magic and against her feelings for a hunter who works for the very organisation she’s trying to destroy. set in a contemporary time, in a small cornish town, it was full of folklore, art history and mythology. this is a book for the dark academia fans and the cosy readers!

for a debut writer, the prose was well written, the imagery good enough that you could imagine exactly what was happening and feel it too. kyan and nicole’s relationship buildup felt natural - the chemistry and tension were certainly not lacking!!

though i did feel at times that the storyline felt slow - especially in the middle. it took me a while to get through it as a result. nevertheless, i’m excited to see nicole and kyan’s story progress in the next novel!

My thanks to Netgalley, Harper Collins and Megan Scott for my advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

I went into this not really sure of what to expect, but came out absolutely loving it. It pulled me in and I finished it in two sittings - only because real life prevented me from reading it in one!

The story is really creative, and I love the way that art history was woven in in a way that felt organic to the story. The plot twists that arose were a lot of fun, and though I worked out one of the bigger ones about halfway through, it didn't detract from the way it was revealed and how it came about. I cannot wait for the next book, because I really want to see where the story goes from here!

4.5/5

DNF @ 20%

I don't know if it was me, but I couldn't connect with this story. I tried more than once to continue it, but every time I wasn't very tempted to go on. Plus, I found it difficult to understand what an Empyreal was. But again, maybe it was a "it's me, not you" problem.

This book is overwritten and full of tropes, as well as having a bad case of "telling not showing". It was slow and boring and I could not get into it. I could see from the start that it might be a book I'd have to endure rather than enjoy, so I put it down.

A new author and the start of a new fantasy series. Nicole’s family live a life of secrecy trying not to divulge who they are to humans or be discovered by the wake. Nicole is an Empyreal but has not transformed and is trying to do everything in her power not to as others could sense her. Kyan, one of the Wake’s best hunters is sent to where Nicole lives and the two of them become entwined in helping solve each others mysteries.
At first this book, (or maybe it was me) was a little bit slow as I got to understand the creatures and where the story was going. Once I got over that I got invested and it was hard to put it down.

Thanks to #NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book. I’m looking forward to reading any more that may be released.

This was an absolute delight!! While it did take awhile to get into, once I did I could not put this book down!! I adore Kyan and Nicole and their relationship was so so sweet. However, despite me loving the romance so much, my main highlight was the beautiful family bond between Nicole and her family, it was absolutely everything and struck so deeply.

I honestly couldn't even tell this was a debut because it was written so beautifully and this has me even more excited to read Megan's future works!! I can't wait for book 2.

Thank you NetGalley for the arc.

To be honest, I try to read this book and not DNFed it, but I can't anymore. I think it's something more about me not being able to get into the story and not so much the book itself. I couldn't even enjoy the story. For some reason, I could only read one chapter a day because I was bored.

The major problem I saw in the 40% I was able to read was that the magic system was confusing. Too much information was thrown at the reader and I couldn't understand it so much. Maybe it was a me problem only, but I couldn't understand it at all.

I'll try in the future to give it another chance. I really was expecting it to be one of my best reads of the year because it has everything I enjoyed, but right now I'm not enjoying it and I don't want to force myself into it just to finish hating it.

For a debut novel this book was a great read. The book does start off a little slow whilst setting the scene but once the action picks up I was full immersed in the story.
It had great world building, an intricate magic system, romance and plenty of action.
I’m hoping In the future books we do get a little more depth to the descriptions as I like to visualise when I read and i found it was a little hit or miss in this book for me unfortunately but it was still a fantastic read.
I really enjoyed the dual POV as I find you get so much more from the characters.
I loved the forbidden slow burn romance between Nicole and Kyan. I liked that it wasn’t forced but you could feel the tension building between the two and it came across so well.
Overall a great read and I’m already looking forward to the next book!

Thank you to the Publisher, Author and Netgalley for an eARC copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This was such good book for a first published book.
I loved the magic and the world that author managed to create.

Loved the plot and the characters a lot and seeing how they are supposed to be enemies but they have to work together.
also them falling hard and no return from that but...

THAT ENDING WHYYYY

Thank you NetGalley and the Publisher for this ARC in exchange for a honest review.

I fought the urge to DNF this book since the beginning, but unfortunately, after reading the first 40% of the novel, I couldn’t force myself to keep reading and I gave up.
“The Temptation of Magic” is a supernatural fantasy romance set in the small town of Eastwood which follows Nicole’s dangerous life as an Empyreal— more or less, predators who keep the world safe from other dangerous and murderous magical creatures— who’s running from the Wake— a tyrannical organisation composed of Empyreals— after her mother’s death.

The novel’s vibes can be compared to the early 2000s tv series and books in vogue at the time: it could be seen as the child of Supernatural, The Vampire Diaries and Twilight. These are the concepts that this book evoked since when I read the plot, but I didn’t imagine it could result into a melting pot full of intriguing ideas, different from the actual result. The premises were good, but the execution wasn’t as great as I expected. The trend of fated love, centuries-old love interests, and unnerving main characters never convinced me, and yet I’m sure that there are countless readers who would love these settings and vibes.

I wish to address the magic system and the world building first. I found it confusing since the beginning, a lot of informations were thrown at the reader since the very first page, leaving me overwhelmed and annoyed. Despite the constant info-dumping, I find the concept of Empyreals and the whole organisation and function of the Wake quite unclear. The Empyreals are described as immortal creatures, born to hunt and kill by transforming themselves into the being they are hunting. They’re also forced to join the Wake and be their mindless soldiers, fighting for them while never thinking about their past or their actions. They’re puppets who don’t seem to have some kind of common sense, or a mind of their own for what matters. The author doesn’t acknowledge any kind of weak point common to every Empyreal, instead she emphasises their strength and the endless list of powers they possess. Weaknesses are fundamental when creating a magic system otherwise it could appear far-fetched.
I also don’t understand why it seems to me that only Nicole cared about the safety of her family, meanwhile her father, her older brother and younger sister didn’t actually care enough to help her. She met another Empyreal, a dangerous one for instance, and they don’t appear affected by the problem at all. Yes, they’re concerned, but it ends there though.

Another great issue is the writing style and the whole pacing of the beginning of this novel. Megan Scott tried to give a sort of dark academia nuance to Eastwood and the university attended by Nicole, but the lack of an immersive and descriptive prose turned the setting into nothing more than a forgettable background. The writing style felt flat and detached, making the reading slower and difficult at times.
The slow-paced prose and the amount of information given since the beginning of the book didn’t help the reader to appreciate the characters and the vibes.
I enjoyed the artistic side of the plot and learning about the paintings and the history behind them, as well as what they hid. Unfortunately, this mystery wasn’t enough to keep me hooked to the story.

Nicole can’t be called an unlikeable character because she wasn’t characterised enough. We know her background, her motives, the reasons behind her reactions and decisions for everything she does is connected to her past and what happened to her mother, but is there something more about her? Other interests other than the mad search to find the last clue left by her mother? Her whole life is focused on one single purpose and I found it quite unrealistic and boring.
The same can be said for Kyan. He’s the best Empyreal, the Wake’s dog and it’s repeated over and over again until it’ the only personal trait I can think about when considering him. He’s the classic grumpy male character that hides a dark and haunting past. I didn’t dislike him, he simply didn’t meet the current standard I have for bookish boys.
I can’t fully judge the romance in this book, but it was probably my favourite thing. The enemies to lovers was there, such as the right tension and slow burn, ideal to build the perfect romance. I would have enjoyed it, if not for the rest of the story. It simply wasn’t my cup of tea.

All in all, I really wanted to love this novel, my expectations were high but I don’t think that I’m the right audience for “The Temptation of Magic”. I recommend it if you really like romantasy books with a lot of romance and if you don’t mind slow-paced books that don’t focus on descriptions and on the magic system. If you liked Supernatural and The Vampire Diaries, and especially if you miss the early 2000s vibes, then you should give it a chance.

Megan’s debut is everything I wanted it to be and more! Lush prose, tension-building romance, gritty action, and a fantastic magic system all set to the backdrop of museums! What more could you want from a story?!

We follow Nicole who is fascinated with paintings which in this world can display the hidden world of Empyreals.

We then are introduced to kyan who was sent to hunt down a dangerous spectre, thus beginning our story where the two put on their detective tasks and get to work finding the spectre and a very valuable painting that the spectre took off with.

The story is told through duel POV with Kyan and Nicole as our characters.

The characters weren’t very interesting to read about- they felt very dull and lacked any personality to keep you interested.

I did enjoy the unique aspect of this book about the paintings.

The world building could have been better. Throughout the book I couldn’t really picture where we were located.

There were scenes throughout that picked up my enjoyment but shortly after I found myself bored with the characters until the next eventful scene.

If it sounds interested I would recommended it but overall I felt like it was a lacklustre average read