Unearthly Magik (Black Cauldron Detective Agency Book #1) by Matilda Reyes – Review by Angela Hayes

Unearthly Magik by Matilda Reyes
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

4 Stars

Unearthly Magik is the first book in the Black Cauldron Detective Agency series by Matilda Reyes. It is a superb urban fantasy full of mages, action, adventure, drama, magic, the supernatural/paranormal, suspense, danger, agendas, wonderful world-building, crime & investigation, tension, secrets, and mystery.
I really loved the premise of the story, and having read a few of Ms. Reyes other books, I couldn’t wait to dive into this one. I loved the characters, the whole supernatural detective agency trope, the missing (powerful and dangerous) grimoire, the plots and agendas, the wonderful world-building of the hidden ‘world’ within New York City, the friendships/banter/quips/antics, the adventure that results from the search for the grimoire, the other ‘jobs’ the agency investigates, and the fact that there is more to come in this series- as I am definitely hooked by Ava and co.
Whilst I did enjoy the story, there were quite a few editing issues with this book that I am sorry to say definitely detracted from my overall appreciation of the whole story. Little things, like missing words, wrong words, unfinished sentences, and repeated info, meant that I was regularly ‘pulled out’ of the story- which left me frustrated. This should/could have been a 5+ Star read, but unfortunately it was let down by simple editing issues.
The story does have a lot going on in it, and has a fairly fast pace, which the author does choreograph quite well. The story easily captured my attention and imagination, and pulled me into a wonderful adventure (minus the editing issues). I also appreciated that the characters were really well-developed individuals with their own unique personalities, quirks, and flaws- who continued to evolve, develop and grow over the course of the story.
I am looking forward to seeing where we go from here. Bring on Book #2!
Happy Reading!

Thank you, Matilda Reyes!

Reviewed by @angelahayes

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