Meagen Today I’m excited to be sharing my thoughts on Magnified by Mell Eight. This is book one in the Magnified Series and I think it’s unique and worth a read!
This book is shelved under LGBTQIA, Romance, and Sci Fi & Fantasy…which means it’s got a little bit of everything going on, so much to love!
This post contains affiliate links to products or services I think are great! If you click through and make a purchase I make a small commission at no cost to you, thank you!
I was able to access this ARC copy of Magnified by Mell Black through NineStarPress and NetGalley. All opinions are my own. #Magnified #NetGalley
What is this book about?
Here’s the blurb from the publisher, NineStarPress, about Magnified.
On her deathbed, Yani’s great-grandmother reveals she has one last story from her past to tell: that of his great-uncle Yakov, who helped her survive the Nazis. It’s a story of vampires and werewolves he can scarcely believe—and in the wake of his great-grandmother’s death, Yani discovers the story is far from over.
The world of vampires and werewolves isn’t a safe place for a human, even one with Yani’s unusual family history. With danger at his door, the smart thing would be to run, but much like his great-grandmother, Yani has never been very good at running away—especially with his loved ones and the whole world at stake.
What did you love about this book?
I loved the characters in this book. Yani and Aaron are wonderful and I really enjoyed getting to know them. Brandon and Luke are fun and so cute. There’s enough romance later in the book that my fantasy romance loving heart was satisfied 🙂
I also really enjoyed the fantastical elements of the book. I liked the vampires and the vamp hunters. I enjoyed the supernatural coalition and everything that Mell Eight built into the magic system for the book. Those parts of the world I was very into!
The familial elements in the story were great. I think we can all relate on some level to those family ties and the feeling of not knowing when to push against them and when to lean into them. It was a heartwarming part of the story for me and I liked that!
I was thrilled with the layering of stories and I liked the parallels the author was drawing between the vamp hunting and the holocaust! In that respect I liked the contemporary tie in of the worlds. No shocker here that I prefer fantasy but for that layering to work we needed the contemporary world so that was a win for me.
The characters and their perseverance are truly amazing. I think it’s one of the main things that really kept me enjoying this book. If you like characters who are tough and unrelenting, who power through when they should logically just give up and turn around, you’ll enjoy these characters!!
What did you not love about this book?
I wouldn’t say I didn’t like the historical elements, I just struggled with them (no ones fault but the public school system here in PA) so that was a little dense for me to wade through.
At certain points I felt like the book just jumped from one story to the next. The stories go together but there is a certain point where there’s a shift and we feel like we’re in a whole new book.
I didn’t hate that, I was much more into the fantasy side of this world than the contemporary world anyway so I tended to devour the last 2/3 of the book much more quickly than the first bit but it’s there and it’s noticeable. Not a deal breaker for me but worth noting for others to keep in mind.
Will you read more in this series?
I think I will revisit the series as it continues. I don’t think I’ll re-read this one but like I mentioned above I really loved the characters and I wouldn’t mind seeing where their story goes next.
The epilogue definitely leaves this story open to a continuation. I feel like the book ended well enough though that if you really didn’t like it or didn’t want to move on with the series you wouldn’t be disappointed.
For those of you looking for a standalone novel I feel like it wraps well enough that you could consider the story finished without being up nights wondering 😉
Overall opinions of Magnified by Mell Eight:
I am a sucker for books that feature stories within stories within stories. Nested stories are nothing new, they’ve been around for as long as we’ve had stories to tell. The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern is an amazing example that comes to mind quickly because I read it last year and it’s gorgeous.
I think another thing that drew me to this story was the inherent tale of loss. We know going in that there’s going to be death and I’m not necessarily drawn to that but it’s relatable and you need that kernel of connection when dealing with sci-fi and fantasy…at least I do!
The characters were my favorite part of this book. They were rich and flawed and relatable and they are what kept me reading when I wasn’t super into the world from time to time.
Overall this was a solid 3-3.5 star read. The plot and world could have been a bit stronger for me but the characters carried it and the shift in stories about 40% in kind of drew me back in enough to make it more enjoyable.
The book did have a few moments where it felt like one story just abruptly ends and another begins, it was odd but it tied in enough that I felt like I could keep reading. Worth noting in case that kind of thing throws you when reading!
Where can I buy this book for myself?
You can get this book on Amazon for pre-order on Kindle! Depending on when you see this it’ll be available for regular purchase as it releases on March 1, 2021!
Kindle Unlimited Membership PlansWhat can I read after Magnified by Mell Eight?
You can check out everything that Mell Eight has published right here. This is a brand new author for me and I’ll definitely be checking out A Little Fairy Dust which is an anthology of magical tales (yes, please).
Some of the other titles include Kelpie Blue, The Supernatural Consultant Series, Ge-Mi Part 1 & Part 2!
Looking for more reviews to check out?
Check out these other book reviews and bookish posts. I think you’ll love them! Make sure to let me know in the comments what kinds of books you like to read and what you’d like to see more of.
I’d love to hear about your favorite books, I’m always adding to my TBR (to be read) pile so leave those suggestions below!
