Review of The Devil Pulls the Strings

[Daniel Oluwabiyi]

[Following is a volunteer review of "The Devil Pulls the Strings" by J. W. Zarek.]

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4 out of 4 stars

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The Devil Pulls the Strings by Joseph W. Zarek is an urban fantasy novel. When the completion of a prophesy causes Missouri local, Boone Daniels to unintentionally injure his jousting rival and friend, Flynn Michaels during a jousting competition at the Renaissance Faire, Boone makes a promise to Flynn to travel to New York to cover for him in his band, The Village Idiots at a gig. On getting to New York, Boone encounters Professor Stone’s assistant, the French violinist, Sapphire Anjou and together they witness the death of Professor Stone outside his home before having to flee from his murderers. Engulfed in a mad world of murder, time travel and magic, Boone joins the Lavender and Roses Society and together with Sapphire Anjou begins a quest to recover and destroy all three pieces of Niccolo Paganini’s music required to summon the Devil: 24 Caprices, Le Streghe and Cantabile. Will they be successful even while other dark forces are at work?

  I thoroughly enjoyed reading The Devil Pulls the Strings and I believe Joseph has outdone himself in writing this. I would definitely be reading more of his books after this. I enjoyed the way he exquisitely describes every occurrence and minute detail that play a role in the plot as it moves forward. Joseph’s use of words gives the reader little trouble in imagining the scenario being played out and fully captures one into his world. I also loved his incorporation of Onomatopoeia into the book as it also helps one fully grasp what is being read. The characters were also very good, especially Boone and his will to put others first, even if it means facing his fears.

Although this was a brilliant book, there are a few areas I feel should’ve been better than they were in the book. The first two characters we were introduced to in the book; Laureus and Professor Stone has little to no involvement in the book past their introduction and I feel the book would’ve been better with them involved.

I rate this book 4 out of 4 stars. Even without the involvement of Laureus and Professor Stone, the book was still very interesting as it had many other merits to make up for it. It is a very good book for anyone looking to read fantasy.

I recommend this book for those who love fantasy novels and also those who believe in the supernatural and in unconventional occurrences. The book can be read by a wide audience as it did not have any sexually explicit scenes and had minimal profanity.

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The Devil Pulls the Strings
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[Rita Nuncia]

I do enjoy reading fantasy novels not to talk of a mixture of fantasy and supernatural. This book seems very interesting and your review is well detailed too. Nice!

[Oyedele Tomijane]

The plot of the story is full of intrigue. I could see that from the review already. I'm definitely checking this out. Thanks for the Great review.

[Boohoo31]

I've always wanted to read this book. The plot sounds interesting to me. Great review!

[IniOluwa N]

Nothing will stop me from getting this book. The book is amazing and your review is wonderful.

[Stephanie Kanu]

I didn't enjoy reading this book as much as this. It had a great plot, refreshing humor, interesting characters and a bunch of evil villians to boot. But the story writing style wasn't just it for me. It fell flat. All in all it's a good book.

Thank you for this interesting review, I enjoyed reading it.

[Stephen Ogunwale]

Your review looks inviting but based on popular opinions about this book, I think I'll let this be. But then, great review.

[Peace10]

I’ve read this book. Your review is on point. I love the chemistry between Boone and Sapphire. The book is great.

[Nwaka Chukwuemeka]

I don't know why I don't like the cover page of the book, but the storyline of this book negates the cover page. Great review.

[Oluwapelumi Rachael]

Interesting cover, captivating title and en equally intriguing storyline. Thanks to your review, I've developed the urge to read this book. I hope I enjoy it as much as you did.