Review of The Devil Pulls the Strings

[Fredrick Felix Mnjala Maneno]

[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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When Boone Daniels accepts to do his friend Flynn a favour by performing at a concert in New York he has no idea what is in store for him. Flynn gets hurt during a joust with Boone and gets laid up in hospital. When he asks Boone to go to New York to perform in his place, Boone accepts readily and sets off to meet with Professor Stone who is supposed to give him the details on the performance. Professor Stone is murdered brutally just as Boone arrives at his doorstep and things begin to take a supernatural turn as he and Sapphire Anjou, Stone's assistant and intern try to get away from the killers. Boone finds himself in a world of vampires and demons and of travelling through portals to different timelines and dimensions as he is introduced into the world of the Lavender and Roses Society, a society charged with the protection of antiquities and sacred, magical, mystical relics, ruins and objects from falling into the wrong hands like the Unholy Ancient Order of Dragons and Nymphs who are bent on summoning the devil using Paganini's music. Boone has to act fast to find a way of thwarting the Unholy Ancient Order of Dragons and Nymphs before all of New York is destroyed by Baba Yaga who is after Sinti. Can he find Paganini's music in time to stop Sinti and his minions?

The Devil Pulls The Strings by J.W.Zarek has an excellent plot which is well laid out and is properly developed. The characters are fantastically imaginative and creatively fleshed out. The book's timeline flows well and the reader is able to follow the narrative easily enough even when the story moves back and forth in time. The author employs some subtle humour which is really refreshing. The book has also been professionally edited and has no grammatical errors or typos as far as I could see and this makes it an easy read. This adds to the enjoyment of the book. The dialogue is delivered in a way that does not make it seem forced or contrived and this is also a plus for me in the book. The book gradually builds up to a really explosive climax while keeping you glued to the pages with all the strange happenings that Boone encounters.

Though there was nothing to really dislike about The Devil Pulls The Strings some parts were reminiscent of other works by other authors for example the elevators that could move sideways and the description of the domovoi. This somewhat gives the impression of a lack of originality. All the same it does not detract from the overall enjoyment of the book because of the author's development of the plot.

I would give The Devil Pulls The Strings a rating of 4 out of 4 taking into consideration the flawless editing and the well developed plot.

I would recommend the book to anyone who enjoys fantasy novels. The plot is also very well developed and anyone just enjoys a good story with an excellent storyline would most likely enjoy this.

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The Devil Pulls the Strings
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[Peter Ebunola]

I like this book, the way it is filled with murder, crime, fantasy and portal travels.