Betrayal of Magic (DOMA - Book 1) Review

Title: Betrayal of Magic

Author: Brian Dockins
Illustrator: Onaje Bael
Genre: Fantasy
Age: 13+
Pages: 302 (paperback)
Publisher: Siege Tower Publishing


        Ever since Cadan could remember he was able to use magic. Born in a family filled with magical powers he must train to hone his magical skills while keeping it a secret from everyone else. In a series of unfortunate events Cadan discovers that his world isn't what it truly seems to be. In an attempt to find some answers Cadan travels to New York, and that's where his world truly collapses. When you don't know your own Identity, who do you trust?

        The novel revolved around magical powers and I'm glad that it was as original as it could have been. The spells, even if they seemed familiar, were very unique and brought new battle scenarios that made the book more interesting. In the novel the characters could judge opponent's Ruhk magic powers and it made me enhanced because I felt as if I was judging the outcome of battles which was very unique! Sadly, I felt that there was a limited amount of spells that I got to see and I hope that book two brings more to the table.

        The action goes hand in hand with the magic. It was very well explained and had that adrenaline pumping feeling to it! The novel contained many group battles and the author did a marvelous job going from character to character and back. When I think about it, it almost felt as if I was watching a movie! The action is a very important role in the novel and made the roller coaster ride more enthusiastic.

        While some novels have a hard time to transition their characters, Brian seemed to do it effortlessly. The transition when Cadan is at home and learns magic to the part where he's in Doma was very smooth. It did not feel weird or badly timed. The character had reason and purpose to move on and that's the most important!

        While the book revolved upon friendship and family bonds I would have enjoyed seeing some romance. There were some indications of some blossoming love but it was quite brief. The author could have used this method to his advantage. Even the most sinister of characters would have died for their new love.

        This seems to come up a lot recently in my other reviews but it has to be mentioned. Too many characters is a turn off! It's really hard to get to know every character in a short amount of time. The "good guy group" wasn't too hard to put a face on a name but when you are introduced to different characters you have never seen, during a battle, it's very hard to remember that person. Also when the author introduces characters during battles he can't describe them physically or emotionally, or else he would lose his bloodthirsty action momentum! What I'm trying to say here is 1. don't introduce characters in battle! 2. Take the time to identify characters and make them stick!

        Betrayal of magic was a fantastic read. It made me laugh and even yell out loud a few times! If it can bring that amount of enthusiasm in readers then I'd say it has great potential! A must-read!

Available on Amazon

Rating: 4/5