Official Review: High Summons by Eli Celata
Posted: 25 May 2020, 12:11
[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "High Summons" by Eli Celata.]
High Summons, by Eli Celata, is the first book in the Warlock of Rochester series. Centered around Jon Blythe, a college student who is half-human, half-magic user, whose world is turned upside down when he witnesses a fight between a wizard and a demon.
For most of his life, Jon had only known a few facts about magic since his mom, a non-magic user, barely spoke about magic or about Jon’s dad, a wizard who had disappeared from their lives when Jon was at a young age. So when he comes across a man shooting flames from his arm at a monster-like figure, his curiosity propels him to find out who this man was. As he starts to learn more about magic and the world of demons and magic users, he starts to hone his skills of magic. But when a group of dangerous dark magic users threatens to destroy the peace at his city, it’s up to Jon and his new mentor, Jordan, to stop the evil forces before they take over his town.
The world-building was believable, but I was confused at some of the descriptions of the demons. The descriptions of characters and demons were detailed, but a lot of the demons were introduced at once so it was hard to keep track of them. The story is told from Jon’s perspective so he was just starting to learn about the world of magic. However, some of the explanations were not explained very well so I often had to reread a few sentences for it to make sense. Also, I felt like some of the dialogue was dry so that the plot plodded along at a slow pace. Besides that, what I like most about this book is that it has a different twist on how angels and demons are usually portrayed which makes it unique.
Additionally, I like Jon mainly because of how he was portrayed in the book. He had his struggles and desires as he tried to balance his normal life with his magical life. This made him relatable and likable. The way he questioned the world around him due to his inquisitive nature helped to build up his development as a character. On the other hand his mentor, Jordan, seemed to be mysterious and emotionally closed off at times. This added to his persona as a wizard and helped to build Jon’s character.
Overall, I would rate the book 3 out of 4 stars. It was interesting enough for me to finish the book but some parts were lacking. There were a few grammatical errors, but they did not detract from the book. I would recommend this book to readers who like reading urban fantasy books.
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High Summons
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
High Summons, by Eli Celata, is the first book in the Warlock of Rochester series. Centered around Jon Blythe, a college student who is half-human, half-magic user, whose world is turned upside down when he witnesses a fight between a wizard and a demon.
For most of his life, Jon had only known a few facts about magic since his mom, a non-magic user, barely spoke about magic or about Jon’s dad, a wizard who had disappeared from their lives when Jon was at a young age. So when he comes across a man shooting flames from his arm at a monster-like figure, his curiosity propels him to find out who this man was. As he starts to learn more about magic and the world of demons and magic users, he starts to hone his skills of magic. But when a group of dangerous dark magic users threatens to destroy the peace at his city, it’s up to Jon and his new mentor, Jordan, to stop the evil forces before they take over his town.
The world-building was believable, but I was confused at some of the descriptions of the demons. The descriptions of characters and demons were detailed, but a lot of the demons were introduced at once so it was hard to keep track of them. The story is told from Jon’s perspective so he was just starting to learn about the world of magic. However, some of the explanations were not explained very well so I often had to reread a few sentences for it to make sense. Also, I felt like some of the dialogue was dry so that the plot plodded along at a slow pace. Besides that, what I like most about this book is that it has a different twist on how angels and demons are usually portrayed which makes it unique.
Additionally, I like Jon mainly because of how he was portrayed in the book. He had his struggles and desires as he tried to balance his normal life with his magical life. This made him relatable and likable. The way he questioned the world around him due to his inquisitive nature helped to build up his development as a character. On the other hand his mentor, Jordan, seemed to be mysterious and emotionally closed off at times. This added to his persona as a wizard and helped to build Jon’s character.
Overall, I would rate the book 3 out of 4 stars. It was interesting enough for me to finish the book but some parts were lacking. There were a few grammatical errors, but they did not detract from the book. I would recommend this book to readers who like reading urban fantasy books.
******
High Summons
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon