5 ⭐️
1 🌶️
Upper YA

Nicole is an Empyreal in hiding. Empyreal have the ability to kill any deadly supernatural but her powers have yet to be activated and she never wants them to be. If her powers ever get activated The Wake (the organisation that governs supernatural) will force her to become an huntress. Or kill her.
Nicole hides in a small British university town until Kyan an Empyreal arrives in town hunting and putting her freedom a risk. They are forced to work together, when his target steals the artwork that Nicole is trying to study to find out the secret she’d sure her mother left for her, before she was murdered.

Absolutely loved this, the plot with the mystery element. The romance and the tension all perfection.
Loved the world building and the characters too.
Can’t wait for book 2 and need it now!

Thank you Netgallery & Harpercollins for the eARC

I absolutely adored this book!! All the elements I love in a fantasy were there and I was completely hooked; I had a hard time putting it down and I still think about this book a lot!
What will you find in this novel?

✨ An atmosphere like A Study in Drowning. The novel is set in a small village in Cornwall, England, and I love this region! It is very conducive to a mysterious and dark ambiance, perfect for fans of dark/paranormal academia.

🖼️ Old-school paranormal romance vibes, like Shadow Hunter, with a plot revolving around a secret organization consisting of powerful immortal beings called 'Empyreals', who are hunters. Moreover, the originality of these beings is that they transform according to the prey they are hunting.

✨ The Da Vinci Code vibes with an investigation focused on artworks and their hidden secrets. The emphasis on art makes this novel unique; one has to decode paintings to reveal their hidden 'supernatural' messages.

🖼️ A cool group of protagonists, including a mermaid, hunters, and Seers. I really liked this group and am looking forward to seeing how each character develops further.

✨ A 'forbidden' romance between our two main protagonists, Nicole and Kyan. The former does not want to be detected by the Wake and hides with her family, suppressing her powers, while the latter is the most powerful hunter of this same organization. I absolutely loved the romance, the tension between these two was truly explosive; the scenes were superbly written, it was fire. We're talking 'upper YA' so there are some steamy scenes (more towards the end) and it was simply perfect for me.

Thanks again to NetGalley for providing me the ARC :)

The Temptation Of Magic is a unique upper YA paranormal fantasy book that follows our FMC Nicole (Hello, namesake) in her quest to find out the last piece of the puzzle that her mother left her. Nicole lives in a small university town consisting of both humans and different paranormal creatures such as seers, sirens et cetera.

Nicole herself is an Empyreal, a rare hunter with abilities to kill any deadly supernatural creature by becoming them. Growing up, her family tried to protect her from the order that collects people like her called “The Wake”, it’s the organization that governs supernaturals. When found, other Empyreals are bound to bring them to the Wake. If they refuse to take their oaths, they will be killed.

Nicole’s mother believed there was a different agenda and so, Nicole is trained to keep out of their way and is constantly on the run. After all, the only thing that can kill an Empyreal is another Empyreal. Sadly, her mother was killed and so Nicole and her family picks up where her mother left off. She believes the mythological art collection at a local manor contains a final message from her mother. When the last clue - a name and place - falls into place and she meets Miss Westmoore, she’s finally granted access to the collection and was given a key to the manor. However, she too, dies a mysterious death and Nicole is alone again.

At least, that’s what she thinks, because not long after, she is met with a ‘nephew’ of Miss Westmoore - The Wake’s most skilled Empyreal, on his own hunt. When they find out that his prey has stolen the painting that Nicole needs, they are forced to cooperate. Suddenly, danger is a lot closer than she ever anticipated and Nicole needs to play this game with utter caution, enduring the temptation of her magic, while securing the last bit of information she so desperately needs. Because the moment she transforms for the first time, the Empyreals will know and come for her.

What I liked:
The concept is very unique!
I like the mix of the paranormal intertwined with the human world and the hidden images behind historical paintings that only they can see. However some humans do have a “hunch” and change it into art, not knowing it is in fact ‘real’. For them it’s like a creative way to process the things they don’t understand (yet). I loved all the little clues and the mystery surrounding it .I personally really love to get into the minds of more than one character, so I really appreciate it’s written with multiple pov’s. The slow-burn was also written very well. I loved the interesting ‘creatures’ and this book includes several like Seers, Sirens, Spectres, Empyreals, Hearthea, Finfolk and more! The idea of a secret governing party and the switching allegiances is also a great asset to the story. Let the scheming begin!


What I disliked:
I feel like a lot of the readers will probably have problems with the pacing of the book. It’s a rather slow build and nothing much happens. The beginning starts off strong and intriguing. But the middle part of the book is - sad to say - just kinda boring. Beautifully written, but still boring. You just feel like nothing at all is happening and it kinda drags on. Around the 75% mark it starts to take off again and things finally are cleared up and steered into a different direction. But I’d say that between 25 and 75% it’s all véry slow. I really do believe the pacing could be the book's only downfall. It’s a more complex read than most YA, so I think the author was fair in classing this as upper YA.

In short:
The book is written in third person and has mostly two pov’s; Nicole and Kyan’s. But towards the end, there’s also a ‘Ronan’ pov. It’s classed as YA, but I definitely agree with the author’s mention of it being more ‘upper’ YA due to the characters age, but also the more complex story and the way it’s written. There’s a little bit of (sexual) tension and a sprinkle of spice, but sex-scene free, in case you’re looking for a clean read. I do however think the next installment will probably contain more of it. If you’re into historical, murder mystery, slow-burn/forbidden romance in a supernatural setting with a hint of dark academia, this may be a book you’d enjoy!

I think I'll land on a 3.5⭐ for this one.
There's nothing wrong with the writing style, the concept of the story, the detailing.
The pacing is a huge issue - and I'm not one that dislikes slow builds in books - but I really hope the author takes the feedback and invests a little more in that department. I wanna feel like I'm being taken on a journey, to be invested in the story, but for quite a bit it just felt like nothing major happened.

How could I not love a book where the hunter and the would-be hunted find themselves fighting feelings and falling hard? That deliciousness of Nicole keeping her secrets close to protect herself and her family from the very man she’s helping, and Kyan having no idea the danger he poses for the woman whose secrets he wants to unravel. They work together against a formidable foe, searching for answers and discovering unexpected truths along the way. The world they live in has dystopian elements in the form of the powerful and anonymous overseers of the magical world, but in the setting of a cosy Cornish town by the sea and it university, the dystopian doesn’t have a strong influence beyond the danger Empyreal Kyan poses to Nicole. I enjoyed waiting to see what would happen with the dark plot that was unfolding, and between Kyan and Nicole. The threat of transformation hung in the air and it was impossible to know whether Nicole would manage to escape her encounters with the Spectre and with Kyan without revealing herself. It was tense! I look forward to see where the series takes us next.

I received a free copy of this book. All views are my own.

"The Temptation of Magic" is the first installment of "Empyreal", a ya contemporary fantasy series with dark academia overtones, written by Megan Scott and currently in progress. A novel that combines folklore, mythology and art, creating an extremely bewitching and enchanting plot, embellished with captivating and evocative prose.

The story takes place in the town of Eastwood, in present-day Cornwall, in a context full of supernatural creatures from the folklore of different nations. The supernaturals live among unaware humans and are ruled by the Wake, an organization as powerful as mysterious that uses the Empyreals to provide order and security. The Empyreals are essentially the predators of predators and once awakened must join the organization or die. I was deeply fascinated by this intricate and well-described world building, full of mysteries all to be discovered.

Nicole and Kyan, protagonists with their respective third person povs, convinced me! I found them well portrayed and in-depth, with excellent development. Nicole is a nineteen-year-old Empyreal who lives hidden in Eastwood, attends art school and loves to paint. She is not yet awakened and has no intention of doing so. Kyan, on the other hand, is an Empyreal with several thousand years behind him, the most skilled in the service of the Wake. He loves hunting cruel creatures, protecting people, motivated by great dedication. When the two meet, their respective worlds are turned upside down. Nicole is scared of the Empyreal, but at the same time begins to feel attracted to him. Kyan, in turn, has never placed importance on relationships, on emotions, yet he struggles to ignore his interest for her. As the story continues, Nicole and Kyan begin to grow dangerously close, and between a powerful enemies to lovers, a tasty forbidden love and a slow burn very slooow I swooned so much!

All in all, "The Temptation of Magic" is a fantastic start to the series and I can't wait to read the sequel!

Thank you to the Publisher and NetGalley for giving me an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The blurb had me hooked, but I had to fight the DNF urge to finish this book.
There's a story in there, a good story, but it's hidden and muddied. While I understand and appreciate the world and lore building the constant adding of elements on top of elements just felt like over kill. To be honest there was so much added that it made the story feel bogged down.
And then the writing. It wasn't bad, but it needed another go through with a red marker for over used phrases and repetitions.

I didn't like the overly sweet family parts or the mates trope. Both felt forced and unnecessary in everything else that was offered.

I won't be picking up the rest in the series.

It took me a while to get into it as I didn't really vibe with the writing style, but I did appreciate the moments between Kyan and Nicole. The romance sort of worked for me, but the pacing felt too rushed.

I was really often distracted by how difficult this book felt to read for me and I can't quite pinpoint what was responsible. 😂 A lot of the dialogue felt kind of wonky to me and I feel like this lacked the atmospheric vibes I was hoping for, but it really could've been my mood. I think there were nice ideas, but execution could have been a lot better.

Still a pretty decent YA though!

omgomgomgomgomgomgomg

This is my newest obsession because I have not stopped thinking about Nicole and Kyan since I finished this book.

This book gave me the excitement. You know the feeling you get when you're starting something huge and you just know it will consume you and other people will love it too? I cannot wait for you guys to read this one!!

It was wonderfully written, the tension was off the charts and there were constant super high stakes which kept me enthralled. If I wasn't reading this book I was thinking about it.

If you do ONE thing today, it's adding this to your tbr. You can thank me next week when it releases and it consumes you like it did me! I am desp waiting for the release so I can get my hands on a physical copy!

This is definitely more like 4.5-4.75 stars. It was emotional and unique. I really enjoyed the multi POV as it gives us the FMC’s point of view where her and her family are in hiding from the supernatural governance “The Wake” who use Empyreyals as soldiers hunting and protecting the world. The FMC Nicole and her family believe the wake to be dangerous and her mother has led her on a treasure hunt of sorts to find clues that might save her family.

We also get the MMC Kyan’s POV and he is an Empyreal working for The Wake and his path crosses Nicoles due to a supernatural hunt in Nicole’s town.

The book has some enemies to lover vibes with mystery, secrets and betrayal. The concept of the book and the supernaturals/supernatural powers are very unique. I thoroughly enjoyed this and cannot wait for the next book!!!

The blurb of this book sounded very interesting, but the execution felt flat on all front. The plot was pretty boring and the characters weren't memorable either.

4 stars - I thoroughly enjoyed this debut novel by Megan Scott. Although I found the start quite complex to understand, I found the story to be unique and the magic system engaging. I really loved how the history and secrets were hidden within art, I think it added a really interesting concept to the story.

I cannot wait to read the next instalment to this series. I think there is so much left for us to uncover and understand about different characters histories.

Also, can we take a minute for the cover of this book.. stunning!

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I don’t know what it is but I really couldn’t get into this book. It had everything I tend to love - enemies to lovers, dark academia, art history, fantasy - but something about the characters and the writing style didn’t resonate with me. I guess being an elder millennial, I’m a bit over the young woman falling for the broody 1000’s year old man and secret societies. DNF’d at 30 percent, which is a shame because I really wanted to like this.

Thank you NetGalley and Harpercollins UK for the opportunity to read the arc copy of The temptation of magic.

I was very intrigued to read this book, due to its supernatural, mythical vibes and it did not disappoint, however I did struggle with the pace of this storyline at the start it took me a while to really get into it, but then I really got into it.

I enjoyed reading the connection between Nicole and Kyan characters, and how they worked closer together, to find a deeper plot and in turn bringing them closer to each other.

What I really wanted to see more in this storyline was reading a deeper connection into Nicole’s family and there dynamic, maybe more about there relationship together. The story around this was very much about family but as a reader we never got to see the relationship between them being explored . If that could have been added this would have been everything I wanted in this book.

However that being said, I really enjoyed it and the ending was perfect the storyline lead nicely to the next book.

I really, REALLY enjoyed this book. The magic system is so interesting, the world building is great but I simply loved the MCs so much. I want to let my thoughts settle a bit before writing a full review - but please send ANYTHING else Megan Scott writes my way, I am so excited to be able to recommend this book to anyone who will listen.

4.5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

When i found out this book was on the may fairyloot box i knew i have to have her, and when i got approved to read it , mhmhmhm delicious

It kept me on my toes and i really returned to it every time i had a chance to read. It is true that the action i slow in the beginning and you have to have patience to read this but once you get through maybe 45% of the first part then the rest is pretty damn good . I love the blending between celtic mythology and academic/art studying( obsessed with it in fact)

Nicole was a force honestly she was the only character that drew me in from the beginning because kyan i feel like his character only in the end of the book is starting to develop or show us his true nature.
The side characters was something that i enjoyed reading about and not gonna lie, i was starting to doubt one of them and thought he was a traitor but im glad it didn’t happen 🤭


The cliffy…….. i don’t even know when the next book is coming but i can’t wait for it

So if you love dark academia, art, enemies to lovers, found family look no further


Thank you netgalley and HarperCollins uk for the arc 🫶🏻🫶🏻🫶🏻

The Temptation of Magic is built on the foundations of hidden magic of the world beneath our feet. With dual POV, it's an enemies to lovers and we have to wonder if they can make it to the other side. Immediately, I loved the idea of the power and persuasion of art - since that's part of Nicole's academic work. Additionally, The Temptation of Magic is a symbol of the sentiment that if we play it safe, how will we ever learn, to grow, to find our own limits?

A well-written, easy to read dark academia, with elements of supernatural beings mixed in.

While it was a bit difficult for me to get into at first, the world building elements not 100% grabbing hold of my attention, once the main characters meet and the plot begins to kick off, it was very easy to read and flowed very well. I definitely preferred Kyan's POV rather than Nicole's, though once Nicole accepted herself, it was fun to see both.

I don't know how I feel about the whole 'mates' thing, since it was a great start into a budding romantic interest for them both that sudden alters into a compulsion because of what they are. While I understand the need for it, as a method to overcome an external oath, perhaps I'm just not a fan of the whole soulmates thing.

The ending was dealt with nicely, leaving a cliffhanger but wrapping up as much as they could without copping out to throw it all into the next book. I definitely want to know more about the Wake, as well as understand why Callum is so fixated on Freya.

I look forward to reading the sequel in the future.

What happens when your biggest secret just so happens to be the thing that can help keep the world and your family safe? The Temptation of Magic follows Nicole, a not yet transformed Empyrial, as she tries desperately to find her mother's last coded message - but what begins as a simple task of examining artworks quickly evolves into a life or death game against a sinister Shade. Not only that, but she must keep her secret from the Empyrial whose blood oath requires him to bring in any newly found Empyrials to the shady Wake organization...

I found the first half of the book pretty slow, and at points it felt repetitive. The brooding glances and fear about her secret were so frequent it lost its initial impact. However, the storyline was interesting and I thought the mystery was established really well. This first part of the series gives just enough answers that you'll be wishing for the next book straight away. I can't wait to see what happens in the next year for both Nicole and Kyan.

This has some elements of horror and gets pretty dark at points, but is not ever overwhelmingly gruesome and is filled with so much family support, strong friendships, and blossoming romance that there is something here for everyone.

If you like stories about hunting monsters, fated mates, and age old conspiracies, this is a book to check out.

Unfortunately, I have had issues with my netgalley which has meant that two books, including this one could not be downloaded on to my shelf. I have contacted customer support and will update this review if I am able to read through book.

Thank you Magpie and NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review!

1.5!

I was told that this book had the vibes of a CW show, like The Vampire Diaries or Teen Wolf, and so my interest was piqued. Unfortunately, while I do think it has those vibes, it didn’t ever quite work for me.

The Temptation of Magic is nostalgic in the way that YA and teen dramas from the 2010s are, and I think Scott did a good job at creating that overall vibe. I appreciated that Nicole had multiple different people to rely on and strong relationships outside of her romantic one, and I think the overall premise is interesting. Still, at the end of the day this was not a Kerry book—for me, it never really captured the magic that made The Vampire Diaries compulsively watchable and there were a lot of times where I felt myself rolling my eyes. Nicole was a fine protagonist if a bit annoying, though I did find I struggled with Kyan. Scott’s creatures are interesting, and I think Empyreals are a neat concept, but at the end of the day it’s another teen girl x old as hell immortal man and while that’s fine it also didn’t bring anything new to the table for me, so it was rather… bland on that front (though… I guess I did feel at times Kyan was impressively brainwashed). Things are a little more interesting when Callum arrives, but even then I felt sort of whatever about the story.

The writing/prose didn’t really do it for me, either, but it read quickly and was easy to follow. I don’t really know how much I buy into someone being over a thousand years old and still believing in things like certain organizations always being morally correct or the idea that there is an objective right and wrong. I hope that Scott writes more complexities and nuances as her trilogy progresses, though I’m not certain how confident I am that she will—the overall conspiracy is interesting, but Kyan’s perspective on the Wake is bland and surprisingly juvenile. I also do not personally do well with mate tropes—I’d been informed that this one would pop up here before I started, but otherwise it would have definitely come as a surprise. The romance didn’t particularly grab me and I wasn’t drawn to any of the characters but I definitely see there being a large audience for this.

This was an interesting concept that wasn’t executed in a way that worked for me, and while I thought it was rather uninteresting, I think there will be a lot of appeal for people interested in paranormal romance, older YA (or like… New Adult, if we’re still using that category distinction), and people who think they’d enjoy The Vampire Diaries vibes meets dark academia aesthetics.