Hidden Magic, The Eldritch of Hallows, Book One
by Elana McDougall
Independently Published, 2020
ISBN-13: 979-8645296032
761 ppg.
I don’t normally read erotic fantasy, and normally, when I come across the first such scene in a book, I stop reading. One exception I made was when a friend gave a book to me; I skipped over the naughty scenes.
Another exception is when the story, not the graphic sex, is what pulls me into a book. That’s exactly what happened when I started reading Hidden Magic by Elana McDougall. I was hooked on the first page. When the naughty scenes came up, I skipped over them, and kept reading!
What was it exactly that had me hooked on this story? Oh, so many things!
Book One in The Eldritch of Hallows series, Hidden Magic is a fantasy story teeming with suspense, excitement, laughter, magic, love and friendship. The main character, Sasha Petrova, was on the run. Who was she running from? Why was she trying to stay hidden? She was running from some guy named Edward — but why? I later found out and this was a huge part of the story. In fact, it brings an issue into focus and I appreciated how the author used this as an important aspect of the story.
The character Edward is the villain in the story, and he is written so well. When he was talking about how he wanted to “discipline” Sasha, I laughed and wondered if this was the first time he had a red-headed fiancée.
It should be noted that the town Sasha ends up in, Hallows, is not your ordinary out-of-the-way village. It’s actually populated by supernatural beings: Mages, trolls, and shapeshifters. In fact, it’s more of a sanctuary for the outcasts who have magical abilities. This is one of the things I loved about the story! A whole town where it’s normal to use magic and to have special powers. If only our real world society was this way!
Another thing I liked about this story is that the characters are portrayed so realistically. The characters really come to life in this story. I liked the character, Sebastian, and I was thrilled to learn that we get to learn more about Sebastian in Book Two! (And of course, I quickly grabbed a copy of it!)
What I liked best of all is how some people in Hallows -- Aunt Amelia, Gwen and even Jake -- accepted Sasha into Hallows like she was one of their own. I adored Aunt Amelia, who is a blind fae, and her support animal, Honey. The scene where Honey is super-concerned about Aunt Amelia after she experiences a fall was just so heartwarming. But, yes, Sasha is definitely accepted by MOST of the people in Hallows, and this helps her to establish a bond with them. Even during a time she is afraid and thinks about running again, her heart breaks over the idea of leaving her new friends behind. They are friends who are like family to her, and for Sasha, who was orphaned at a young age and raised in foster homes, this family bond is at one point important to her but at another point, questionable, having gone from one foster home to another. This, too, is a major issue in the story, and the family bond thing becomes a major part of what happens at the end of the story.
The climax of the story was amazing and it was written so very well! I was on the edge of my seat and even though I kept being interrupted while I read it, I kept going back to finish reading it. Wow! What a scene!!
The ending of the story was great, too. It brought happy tears to my eyes.
The whole story just came full circle. There were no unanswered questions and everything was covered in great detail. It was a very satisfying read — even without the sex.
Hidden Magic would appeal to fans of magical realism. It’s also a novel I would recommend to anyone who likes to read stories of mages and shapeshifters. It was an amazing story that I really enjoyed reading.
Five stars
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