OnlineBookClub.org

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "A Trick of the Light" by Susan Brooks.]

Spearheading the family business can be challenging. For some, it can be downright nightmarish. This is exactly the case in Susan Brook’s fantasy romance novel, A Trick of the Light. The lead character, Wyatt King, delves deep into the world of demon hunting, a profession which has been in his family for decades.

Parental responsibility is thrust upon Wyatt when his sister dies during childbirth and he becomes baby Hannah’s caregiver. Unfortunately, tragedy strikes when Hannah is kidnapped by a demon. Without any clues to follow, Wyatt is powerless until he receives a phone call prompting him to save Meri, a woman with a demonic past. He soon realizes that Meri’s past is closely linked to Hannah’s kidnapping. The pair must work together to stop the demon, Malik, who took Hannah as leverage in order to further his own selfish plans. Can Wyatt trust Meri? Will the pair be able to defeat Malik and save Hannah? Or will their blossoming romance become a distraction? Only time will tell in this supernatural story that weaves together demons, humans, and other paranormal creatures.

Angels and demons are popular characters for fantasy stories. Besides demons and angels, other supernatural characters were included in this book such as imps, saints, and succubi. The author was able to create a diverse realm of supernatural characters on both sides of good and evil. She was also able to closely link them to the human characters in her story. She also incorporated elements of the Bible, such as certain psalms which were read aloud to vanquish demons. In my opinion, this was a good mix of fantasy elements.

Another great feature of this story was Wyatt’s unique hobby of blacksmithing. This really enhanced Wyatt’s character by increasing his masculinity and power. It was also exciting to read about the process of forging a weapon from a chunk of iron. The detailed descriptions in the book proved that this procedure was both well-researched and well-written.

Despite the positive aspects of this book, I was concerned about the story fitting into the romance genre. Originally marketed as a romance novel, I was disappointed to find that fantasy overshadowed the romance. There was only a casual attraction which culminated in one kiss between Wyatt and Meri. Meri’s yearning for intimacy was blatantly portrayed, but this never came to fruition. The majority of the book focused on exploring Meri’s character and defeating Malik. As a result, I found that the romance aspect of this book was severely lacking. Love was a topic of discussion, but it was not expressed between the pair. Honestly, their feelings for one another felt forced because there was no real bonding between them.

Furthermore, Meri’s story took center-stage although Wyatt was the lead character. While Meri’s character was interesting, most of the book explored her perspectives on the events that were happening. Additionally, all of the secondary characters in the book besides Hannah were directly linked to her. Examples included her supernatural father, her friend Lamia, and her pen-pal, St. Germain, who all had important parts to play in defeating Malik. I felt like Wyatt’s character was neglected, especially since his demon-hunting backstory was so dominant in the beginning. His clairvoyant sister was also mentioned, but she never participated in the story.

The error that I repeatedly found in this book was the lack of spacing between certain words. Once this is addressed, it will be error-free since I could not find any other mistakes. I deducted two stars because of the issues regarding the poorly executed romance and Wyatt’s neglected character. Overall, I rated this book 2 out of 4 stars. Despite its shortcomings, it was still an enjoyable novel and it will definitely appeal to fantasy fans. Readers who prefer simple plots and mild romance can also check out A Trick of the Light.

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A Trick of the Light
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Like KristyKhem's review? Post a comment saying so!

I am more of a fantasy fan rather than a romance one, so this book may not be so disappointing for me. Still, I am worried about your comments referring to Wyatt's neglected character. Could it be because the author deliberately wanted to focus on the female protagonist?

The weapon forging is actually interesting. I'm quite interested in strong female character however the author seem to fail in her main goal and fail his main character as well. Thanks for your review.

I think this book sounds appealing, as long as it´s labeled as fantasy/supernatural. If romance isn´t the center plot then it isn´t a romance and that´s that.
However, I do like the demonic topic. I was raised a Catholic and I feel a strange, morbid curiosity for all books that deal with demons and angels, especially if they´re well researched.
Very interesting review, thank you.

It's a fantasy book and my eyes were opened to a lot of things about demons and angels, there is a fact that cannot be denied that the author did an extensive research. I would like to read this book.

I appreciate your interesting review. However, the demon hunting aspect of the plot is not my cup of tea.

I think that there are so many elements to this book, it could be labeled as either supernatural, fantasy or romance. Great review as usual.

This sounds like a beautiful story line, clearly this isn't romance; I love the diversification of Realm....

Great review!

I wouldn't mind that fantasy overshadows romance here, but it is incredibly odd that the main character gets put on the backburner. The flaws don't sound too bad so this sounds like it might be an enjoyable story for those who enjoy reading about demon hunting.

Nice review. Sorry the book wasn't quite what you expected.

The demon hunting aspect, as well as the not so romantic romance book sounds great to me! However, switching emphasis from the lead character to another certainly seems off putting. Regardless, thanks for the review.