The Magi by Kevin M. Turner

Reviewed by Aimee

Ratings

Content Ratings based on a 0-5 scale where
0 = no objectionable content and
5 = an excessive or disturbing level of content

Guide to Rating System

LANGUAGE

VIOLENCE

SEXUAL CONTENT

ADULT THEMES

Ratings Explanation

Language:  There are a couple of instances of name calling.

Violence:  Elijah is chased by something unknown.  Elijah’s whole family is killed.  Elijah is hit across the face by the chancellor and then hit across his hands with a stick that has thorns on it.  He bleeds.  Someone is trying to whip Samuel.  Samuel mentions that he has been hit before.  Someone almost falls over a ledge but is rescued.  Something is trying to get Elijah.  Samuel is kidnapped and Elijah’s room is thrashed.  A guard is hit and is knocked unconscious.  Hannah is kidnapped and the ropes that bind her hands tear into her skin.  A Maliphist sends lightning and knocks kids off their horse.  One kid is knocked unconscious.  The earth rumbles and breaks apart causing the Maliphists to fall in.  Elijah breaks into a prison, is caught and hit across face.  There is a chase.  The Maliphists and Magi have an encounter using elements to fight each other.  Elijah’s uncle was tortured in prison.

Sexual Content:  A young child is running around naked.

Adult Themes:  Elijah’s family is killed and his Uncle is missing, leaving him alone.  Samuel’s family doesn’t care about him.  Maliphists prey on young boys with problems.

Synopsis

After witnessing his family’s murders, thirteen-year-old Elijah Hawk is left alone, confused and scared.  His instincts saved him, but he couldn’t save his family.  Now he senses someone or something is still after him, someone other than the detective hauling him away to some far-off boarding school.  Through a kind and patient professor, Elijah learns of a new world of people and powers unlike any he has ever known.  The Magi take Elijah in and begin to teach him of their ways.  But, another group of people, the Malaphists, demand that Elijah be theirs and they will stop at nothing to get to him.  When two of Elijah’s friends are taken in place of him, he knows he must do something.  He cannot continue to let people suffer because of him.  But what can one thirteen-year-old kid do?

The Magi was a pleasure to read from beginning to end.  A couple of times I completely forgot I was reviewing because I was so caught up in the book.  There were so many great things to love about this book.  I appreciated the “clean” nature of this book.  There was no swearing or sexual situations that would make me hesitant to pass this book on to my kids.  It was filled with growing relationships of friendship, action and suspense.  Here is my favorite quote from the book.  “The soul is the fingerprint of the Creator.  Once a soul connects to another soul, they unite and become one.  So if your soul is able to access the soul of an element, you can control that element the same way you would control your own body.”  Cool.  This is a family friendly book for all ages.  My thanks to Kevin Turner for offering this book to me for review.  I’ll be looking forward to the next installment!