Review: Magic Academy

Magic Academy by Jillian Keep
Age Group: Adult
Genre: Fantasy
Release Date: December 9, 2013
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Book Description:

Out of a young woman’s ambition comes a love triangle that could destroy more than her heart. Firia has always wanted to be a witch, but even though she’s a natural in magic, there’s a problem: She’s human. 

Considered by the elven elite to be inferior, Firia needs an edge to be accepted into the Magic Academy. Out of sheer desperation, she summons the demon Varuj, a terrifyingly gorgeous spirit who helps her win the entrance competition. But at what price?

As the commanding demon does everything he can to penetrate every aspect of her innocent life, Firia still finds herself drawn to her study partner, Mae’lin. Not only is the sweet elf completely different from the powerful Varuj, but their relationship is forbidden.How is she supposed to choose between the demon she owes her life to and the innocent elf who makes her a better person?

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"Magic Academy" by Jillian Keep is the story of a human girl, Firia, who longs to succeed at magic in a world where the most powerful sorcerers are elves, and humans are second class citizens. She even goes as far as to summon a demon (named Varuj) in order for her to achieve her goal of getting admitted into one of the prestigious magic academies.

I would have loved to see more of the human/elf relationship in this book. Keep made it clear that the elves are the ones in charge here, but why is that? More back story about the society they live in would have done wonders for the world building, and would have made more sense about how everyone treated one another.

It seemed that even though the elves are described as being better at magic than humans, that's not necessarily the case. Instead of it being because they're elves, it seemed to have to do more with their financial status. Those wealthy enough to be able to afford private tutors were the ones who excelled at the magic, while those poorer ones (whether they were humans or elves) were the ones who struggled. In any fantasy novel, world building is key, and I would have liked to see a bit more with "Magic Academy".

Something else that I would have liked to see more of was characterization of some of the supporting characters. The elf Mae'lin who Firia starts a relationship with is a perfect example. Over and over we hear about how "sweet" he is, but after I finished reading I still didn't feel like I knew much about him.

There are some instances where the point of view briefly changes from Firia to other characters such as Varuj. This could have been explored to a greater extent, instead of just a few instances thrown in. If we jumped into the heads of other characters a bit more we would have been able to get those other traits and motivations that we weren't getting when it was just Firia telling the story.

Now let's talk about the "love triangle" in this book. I already mentioned that Firia starts a relationship with the elf Mae'lin, but she also starts one with the demon she summoned, Varuj. I'm going to preface this by saying that I'm Team Mae'lin all the way. I mean, the other option is a freaking DEMON. No matter how sweet Varuj's words were to Firia, I can't help but think he has ulterior motives (again- DEMON) that might not be that pleasant. It's obvious he's looking out for his own power, but it's not so obvious whether he actually cares about Firia or he's just using her.

I've read other reviews that praise Varuj for his sex appeal and how awesome he is, and I have to disagree. He did some unthinkable things (to Firia's father as well as her best friend) and there's no going back from that. And as for his "sex appeal"? Some of his sex scenes can only be constituted as rape (when she says no she means no, Varuj, and putting a spell on her doesn't change consent). How can someone pick this demon over Mae'lin? It's obvious that this is just the first book in a series, and I hope that Firia grows some brains and realizes that Varuj is not the exotic prince she sometimes thinks he is, and sees that Mae'lin is the one that has her best interests at heart.

Even though I might have detested Varuj, I enjoyed reading "Magic Academy". I had fun rooting for Mae'lin, and liked seeing all of the different magic that went into the academy. Even though this is about people at a magical school, this is not a Harry Potter knock off (so if that's what you're looking for, you need to look elsewhere). Even though Firia's final test at school reminded me of Harry's labyrinth third task in the Tri-Wizard Tournament (with also the feel of Hunger Games thrown in), this is not a children's book. "Magic Academy" is most certainly for those adults (LOTS of sex towards the second half) who want to get their magic kick. 

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Author Bio:

Jillian Keep is a young author that always has her head in the clouds. She writes fantasy, romance, and new adult fiction for her wonderful fans.

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