Aug 1, 2018: Many of the best urban fantasies use the device of a special youngster first learning about the hidden world to avoid the dreaded info dump, and this device is used fairly seamlessly here, along with other familiar tweaks, such as the mother and uncle talking about whether to tell the boy they have sheltered the truth. The young boy’s friend mysteriously disappears after he senses something evil; an evil fighting mystic agency is dispatched; we learn about the hidden reality and start to get some some life and death magic-based battles. Although its all quite familiar, including concepts such as contracted demons, succubus and witches/warlocks, it seems well written with enough character and individuality to be interesting. There isn’t a ton here yet, twelve listed chapters (but some have separately entered sub chapters making it feel more like 20), and a good bit of the writing goes to in depth descriptions of scenery and mood, but things move fast enough since the one traditional element which is skipped is magic school—with that gone, we move quickly to the action.

Overall, its all fairly well done, and perhaps of the quality of published works, or at least a solid cut above that of most web serials. Perhaps an example of the descriptive prose will help—just keep in mind it isn’t overused:

"The sun hung low in a cloudless sky, painting the landscape that unique shade of orange an artist could spend their life chasing. To Jack, the view of that burnt orange sky reflected from the lake was a reason to breathe. It was an appreciation he’d taught to many people over the course of many years. He looked to his companion and shook his head sadly. If only Lucille could see the sunset like she used to, things might have been so much better for her."

In conclusion, overall, it worked fairly well for me. I’m giving this 4 stars because it feels quite familiar, and maybe also because there isn’t much done yet, but the writing is good.

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