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veronica87's review against another edition
4.0
Well, that was fun. This was originally written as a weekly serial and laid out as if it were a television show, albeit written in traditional story format rather than as a script. Four authors undertook to write 16 "episodes" comprised of 5-6 chapters per episode, with each author writing their own episodes. You'd think the result would make for a jarring transition of writing styles when moving from one author's episode to another's but it really didn't. It all flowed rather well.
The story deals with magic, demons, and a secret organization within the Vatican that is tasked with keeping dangerous magic from entering the world. Pledged to this cause is Team Three: a hacker, an archivist, a fighter, a priest, and a newly recruited cop. Much as with a television show, I found myself getting more and more sucked into the misadventures of Team Three, complete with interesting twists and reveals.
Overall this felt like a mix of actual televisions shows, Warehouse 13 and The Librarians - with a bit of Haven thrown in. A second season is already written and available for purchase as individual episodes at Serial Box publishing but I'm torn between diving in right now or waiting for all of season two to be published in a single volume (as they've done with season one). Either way, I'll continue to follow Team Three's adventures.
The story deals with magic, demons, and a secret organization within the Vatican that is tasked with keeping dangerous magic from entering the world. Pledged to this cause is Team Three: a hacker, an archivist, a fighter, a priest, and a newly recruited cop. Much as with a television show, I found myself getting more and more sucked into the misadventures of Team Three, complete with interesting twists and reveals.
Overall this felt like a mix of actual televisions shows, Warehouse 13 and The Librarians - with a bit of Haven thrown in. A second season is already written and available for purchase as individual episodes at Serial Box publishing but I'm torn between diving in right now or waiting for all of season two to be published in a single volume (as they've done with season one). Either way, I'll continue to follow Team Three's adventures.
justiceofkalr's review against another edition
3.0
Almost four stars, but this took me a while to get really interested in, so not quite there. It's also a huge read, which is kind of intimidating. I almost gave up fairly early on because I wasn't sure I wanted to dedicate as much time to it as the page count necessitated. It pretty much feels like a whole season of a TV show written as one huge tome. I will definitely look at picking up the next book though because once I got sucked in to it, it was a lot of fun.
flapjack77's review
adventurous
dark
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
shalia's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Love this series! Magic in the modern world, realistic characters who aren't OP, and a very interesting storyline make a stunning story
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence
Moderate: Gore
Minor: Death, Cursing, and Sexual content
aidenbhall's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
marhelman's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
informative
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
ceskykure's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
CAWPILE SCORE
C-5
A-6
W-8
P-7
I-8
L-7
E-9
TOTAL-7.14/10
CAWPILE
<b>Characters</b>
Characters are good, they start and mostly stay as tropes, but for the first season it works and while not 100% changing are still good.
<b>Atmosphere</b>
The feeling facing down every demon or entity was very exciting and engaging. Made me feel like I was there. However the main base could’ve been anywhere and it wouldn’t have changed anything description wise for me.
<b>Writing</b>
Great writing. Very nicely blended style and word usage. Very good lines
<b>Plot</b>
Starts as Monster of the week and then shifts into season villain, with a twist as it’s the HAND and not Mr. Norse like I thought it would be.
<b>Investment</b>
Very invested. I love Monster of the week and this style of storytelling
<b>Logic</b>
I thought there was a loose thread at the beginning when she shuts the book, but that was very neatly taken care of throughout the book.
<b>Enjoyment</b>
Enjoyed this very much.
<b>Misc</b>
I will be talking about it on Libromancy https://libromancy.podbean.com/ on 04/09/2023
jessicafee86's review against another edition
Had way to much going on when I started this one. I plan on finishing it when I have time to read a physical book instead of just listening to audiobooks
jhstack's review against another edition
4.0
Interesting approach to supernatural urban fiction - namely 1) co-written by 4 authors and serialized like a TV series but flows rather well, and 2) Vatican secret society that protects the world from evil demons trapped in magical books. I need Season 2 ASAP!