Reviewed by Hailey Chen, age 16

Spell Hacker by M.K England

Diz is like any other 18-year-old girl her age living in Kyrkarta. Tight-knit group of friends? Check. Living in a crappy apartment? Check. Running an illegal Maz siphoning gig, therefore stealing from a major corporation? Check. Magic, more commonly known as Maz, used to be a natural resource that anyone could access. But after an earthquake released a magical plague, killing thousands, Maz wound up in the tight grip and regulation of MMC Corporation. It has also become extremely expensive which is why Diz and her crew of three steal and sell it to make a living. The group of friends is ready to go out with a bang, one last job, and then that’s the end of it. But when it quite literally blows up in their faces, they’re drawn into the truth hiding behind the seams, and they quickly discover what secrets have been lurking this whole time.

Spell Hacker is an entertaining, fast-paced book filled with witty comments and retorts. The characters are real and raw, the bantering between Diz and her group of friends is immensely fun to read about, and of course, a little romance never hurt anyone. But while I know that the main character, Diz, is supposed to be flawed, her unwillingness to share her true thoughts and her insanely bad cover-ups can get a bit out of hand at times. It’s realistic given her past and I really do understand that thoughts are not easy to voice but I also wonder if it was just me that felt like she was making things a way bigger deal than they needed to be in terms of communicating. I also wish that the author delved deeper into more gray character types. There was really only one example I could think of throughout the book, even that not really being fully explored, but I had hoped for something other than one big defining villain that was just evil and only evil. Of course, it’s a fast-paced book that isn’t a series, but I had hoped nonetheless. Other than that, if you’re interested in fun dialogue, disastrous queers, conspiracy, and a quick read, this is it for you. It just wasn’t really it for me. ⅗ stars.

3 stars of 5 stars

Find this book in our catalog: Spell Hacker

Catalog Number: YA SF ENGLAND,M

402 pages