Gina Rae Mitchell

Venators: Magic Unleashed by Devri Walls Book Blog Tour stopped by my place today. Today is the final day of the tour presented by The Write Reads, and I’m so thrilled to be a part of the fun. You can find all the information you need about the book as well as an interview with the delightful US and International bestselling author, Devri Walls.

Magic Unleashed (Venators, #1) by Devri Walls
Published by Brown Books Publishing Group on 04/10/2018
Genres: Dark Fantasy, Fantasy, Fiction, Suspense
Format: Audiobook, eBook, Paperback
Pages: 416

Six years ago, Grey Malteer was attacked by creatures he thought couldn’t possibly exist. They repeated a word, calling him a name he’d never heard before…Venator. Since then, his life has been a hellhole of secrecy—hiding old pain alongside strange new abilities.

Rune Jenkins has an itch, as she calls it, but it’s more than that. It's an anger that builds up like the inside of a boiler whenever she’s around anything remotely supernatural. The pressure is growing steadily worse and she can’t understand why. All she knows is—her control is slipping.

By order of an unknown council Grey and Rune are pulled through a portal in the St. Louis arch, landing them in an alternate dimension where creatures of myth and legend exist. A realm that calls them, Venators.

Made up of centuries old fae, vampires, werewolves, elves and succubi the council’s corrupt nature becomes obvious as they seek to wield the newly returned Venators as weapons. Wedged in an impossible position, Grey and Rune must decide their fate—do they go against the council’s wishes and help the innocents of this unforgiving land, or face the possibility of execution by the council.

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Purchase links:

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My thoughts:

A fantasy novel is nothing without great world-building and well-developed characters. In Venators: Magic Unleashed, Devri Walls shows off her expertise in this genre. The story grabs you in the first chapter and keeps you turning pages until the end.

When the book begins, Rune and Grey are somewhat typical college students trying to find their way in this world. Before long, they are thrust into a magical realm where they are forced to accept the unbelievable. The pair show steady maturation and growth throughout the story. They become what they must be to survive.

Devri Walls displays incredible world-building skills. Her settings are lush, real, and well-written. The reader is transported along with the protagonists to an alternate reality. The mark of a great book is when the reader doesn’t just read the book, they live it. Be prepared to live every minute of this one. It’s as if you are in the scene of a vividly colored movie.

Book one provides enough closure to satisfy you while setting the stage for the next book in the series. Don’t be surprised if you immediately reach for Venators: Promises Forged.

I recommend this book to lovers of fantasy, suspense, intrigue, and characters you love to fear. Well done, Devri Walls!

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Venators: Magic Unleashed by Devri Walls

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Author Interview:

What motivated you to begin crafting your own YA stories?

I was a theater major and a singer and had taken a break from everything while I was raising my children, but it left massive creative holes in my heart. I was desperately searching for something to fill it. In a strange series of events that are entirely too long to add here, I had the undeniable and unexplainable urge to write a book. It seemed insane at the time. But when I couldn’t ignore it any longer, I started my first project. Turns out, not only could I write; but, writing filled those creative voids better than anything else I’d ever dabbled in. I found my life’s calling completely on accident.

What—or who—inspired Grey, your Venators hero?

Oh, Grey. Grey was a very important character to me. I envisioned him, trudging with his head down, letting his hair fall to cover his features, hunkering down in that trench coat—hiding from the world. And I knew that he had suffered at the hands of abuse. Grey has endured sexual abuse from a young age. It was very important to me that the character in the book dealing with sexual abuse be Grey. It’s a topic not covered nearly enough. There have to be examples for people to read about that tell male victims of sexual abuse that they’re going to be all right. That they are not weak, or dirty or broken or less of a male because of it. The thing that I love the most about Grey is that he doesn’t allow this abuse to define or destroy him. It affects his life in so many ways, but it hasn’t darkened his heart or inhibited his kindness. In fact, it has fed his charity and created a true hero as one who seeks out the broken, the lost
and downtrodden. Grey may feel broken and lost; but, he lifts everyone around him.

What—or who—inspired Rune, your Venators heroine?

Rune was the opposite side of Grey’s coin. In this story Grey came first, he was my original muse. And Rune was everything he once thought he wanted—athletic, popular, came from a wealthy family and your typical, “appears to have it all” kid we all knew in high school. But Grey saw, as we soon do, that her life is not nearly as perfect as it appeared. I wanted a woman who suffers from toxic perfectionism that was forced on her, a girl who was drowning under expectations and responsibilities. It’s such a problem among so many women and the human population in general.

What do you wish you’d known earlier in your career as an author, and what key piece(s) of advice do you have for other aspiring writers?

Honestly? I don’t think I would’ve given myself any more knowledge than what I had. Ignorance kept me going too many times. HA! But I would probably tell myself to relax a little bit more and enjoy the journey. Advice for others… Understand that writing and being a writer as your job are very different things. If you have no desire to ever have a bad review written, to spend time promoting yourself on social media, to help with marketing and working when you don’t want to, then being an employed writer is maybe not for you. But by all means, keep creating stories! You are no less a writer for choosing that path. If you really can’t imagine doing anything else and will pay the price for your career, then go for it.

What influenced your approach to building the book’s otherworldly realm?

Books like Lord of the Rings and Game of Thrones. Although Venators is very different than both of these examples, both books built something enormous, stories with vastly different cultures and geographic features spread across the land. They widened my mental horizons and said, yes—this can be done.

How would you describe your creative process overall?

A hot mess. Wait… am I allowed to say that? Probably ill-advised, but I’m sticking with it. I am very much a “build as I go” kind of writer. This often leaves me with a very messy draft that I loathe. I should point out that it’s very difficult to work on something you hate. I have to go over my stories, again and again, adding and tweaking as necessary until I’ve polished it into something beautiful. I’m reasonably sure this is the most painful way to create art, but it’s the only way I’ve found that allows my creativity to remain as unleashed as possible. With the high fantasy and fantasy blends that I write, being totally free in my imagination has always lead to the most beautiful scenes in the end.

Both on and off the page, you’re passionate about empowering other women; how has that mission informed the characters you create?

I’m so excited to watch Rune on her journey as she tries to shed this old shell and learns to embrace who she really is. For the first time in her life, Rune will have to start making choices for herself. She will trudge through triumph, grief, guilt, and pride, then roll over to do it again. I want to write REAL women. There was a trend in literature for a while to write more women, which was fantastic! But the pendulum swung a little too far the other direction. We started seeing book after book of “kick-butt women,” which translated into invincible, power-hungry, emotionless women. They weren’t the greatest role models as no one besides an AI can actually BE all of those things. I strive to write women who are strong yet flawed—determined, yet emotional. Capable in some areas and weak in others. Because really, what is the point of reading about a fantastic female character you could never emulate or learn from? It’s like our world trying to actually become that Photoshopped, curated version of the pictures in magazines, but reading about a woman who struggles and gets back up again. Now that is inspiring.

What can fans expect next from the Venators series?

Oh. My. Gosh. You can expect everything!!! This series is going to just keep getting bigger and better as Rune and Grey venture deeper into Eon. Book two will deliver big time on what the fans have been begging for, and that is more Beltran! We also get a twisted look into Queen Feena’s Fae garden that has Grey a little “wrapped up,” while Rune is forced to embrace a side of herself she’s not quite ready for. And book three?? Well, let’s just say the games will be of epic proportions!

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Venators: Magic Unleashed by Devri Walls

Purchase information:

Venators: Magic Unleashed (...Shop on AmazonKindle  Venators: Magic UnleashedShop on AmazonPaperback  Venators: Magic Unleashed: ...Shop on Amazon Audiobook Venators: Promises Forged (...Shop on Amazon Book 2

Barnes & Noble

The Book Depository

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More reviews:

Rise: Birth of a Revolution by Mark S. Moore

Storm’s Herald by J.W. Golan

Myth Agent by LA MacFadden

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The Inspire Me Monday Link Party