Review of The Devil Pulls the Strings
Posted: 21 Sep 2023, 10:21
[Following is a volunteer review of "The Devil Pulls the Strings" by J. W. Zarek.]
I decided to read The Devil Pulls the Strings because the plot sounded so completely original, and I was not disappointed. The Devil Pulls the Strings follows Boone Daniels, a 22-year-old musician and Renaissance Fair fanatic, and Sapphire Anjou, a college music student, as they are suddenly thrown together into a world of secret societies, ancient magic, time travel, and monsters. They are tasked with finding Paganini’s original sheet music, which has the power to summon the devil. As something of a music nerd, I really loved the role music had to play in the story, but I think that anyone could appreciate it, no matter their musical knowledge.
This is a very fast-paced and action-oriented book, and I enjoyed the lack of useless scenes. Although I would have liked a little bit more emotion and introspection from the characters, it was justified as it was told from the perspective of Boone, who has a very nonchalant attitude. This attitude and his witty responses to stressful situations were reminiscent of Percy Jackson. The forays into the past added to the feeling that the characters were just walking into an ancient conflict.
I thought that I would get tired of the author’s occasionally excessive use of onomatopoeia, but I honestly liked the feel it added to the book. It felt like an insight into the way that Boone sees (and hears) the world. This book was also very delightfully unpredictable. I don’t like it when I know what’s going to happen next the whole time I’m reading a book, and that was not a problem with this one. This book was also edited well, the plot was well organized and I only found one grammar mistake. Overall, I give this book a 5/5 rating. I loved the originality and I think I would read it again.
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The Devil Pulls the Strings
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
I decided to read The Devil Pulls the Strings because the plot sounded so completely original, and I was not disappointed. The Devil Pulls the Strings follows Boone Daniels, a 22-year-old musician and Renaissance Fair fanatic, and Sapphire Anjou, a college music student, as they are suddenly thrown together into a world of secret societies, ancient magic, time travel, and monsters. They are tasked with finding Paganini’s original sheet music, which has the power to summon the devil. As something of a music nerd, I really loved the role music had to play in the story, but I think that anyone could appreciate it, no matter their musical knowledge.
This is a very fast-paced and action-oriented book, and I enjoyed the lack of useless scenes. Although I would have liked a little bit more emotion and introspection from the characters, it was justified as it was told from the perspective of Boone, who has a very nonchalant attitude. This attitude and his witty responses to stressful situations were reminiscent of Percy Jackson. The forays into the past added to the feeling that the characters were just walking into an ancient conflict.
I thought that I would get tired of the author’s occasionally excessive use of onomatopoeia, but I honestly liked the feel it added to the book. It felt like an insight into the way that Boone sees (and hears) the world. This book was also very delightfully unpredictable. I don’t like it when I know what’s going to happen next the whole time I’m reading a book, and that was not a problem with this one. This book was also edited well, the plot was well organized and I only found one grammar mistake. Overall, I give this book a 5/5 rating. I loved the originality and I think I would read it again.
******
The Devil Pulls the Strings
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon