Spellhacker by M.K. England Pages: 416
Published by HarperTeen on January 21, 2020
Genres: Young Adult, Fantasy & Magic
Source: Finished Hardcover from Publisher
From the author of The Disasters, this genre-bending YA fantasy heist story is perfect for fans of Marie Lu and Amie Kaufman.
In Kyrkarta, magic—known as maz—was once a freely available natural resource. Then an earthquake released a magical plague, killing thousands and opening the door for a greedy corporation to make maz a commodity that’s tightly controlled—and, of course, outrageously expensive.
Which is why Diz and her three best friends run a highly lucrative, highly illegal maz siphoning gig on the side. Their next job is supposed to be their last heist ever.
But when their plan turns up a powerful new strain of maz that (literally) blows up in their faces, they’re driven to unravel a conspiracy at the very center of the spellplague—and possibly save the world.
No pressure.
Spellhacker is a young adult standalone fantasy by M.K. England. This book was so much fun! Heists, magic, romance, and a motley crew of diverse characters. Yes, yes, and heck yes! I can see so many people totally falling in love with this novel. Heists, especially heists invovling magic are pretty much irresistible to me, so as soon as I read the summary of Spellhacker, I was all in! And I have to say this book was a blast from start to finish.
In Spellhacker we meet out main character, Diz in the middle of a heist. What are her and her friends stealing? Magic, known as Maz. A heist to steal magic? How cool is that? Spellhacker takes place in a futuristic fantasy world, where magic is nearly extinct. Magic is so rare and scarce that there is a big black market for Maz. Diz and her friends steal it and sell it to buyers. During this heist, Diz and her friends discover a new, more powerful form of Maz and they get sucked in for a new last job. One that instantly becomes much more dangerous. I loved the futuristic setting. I love seeing all the cool technology that authors dream up in future worlds. I especially loved the advancements in communications. Diz and her crew have group chats going all the time, but the group chats get transmitted from the movements in their throats and get displayed across their lenses. The description of the world and the tecnhology were fantastically woven into the story. I felt the world come alive as I was reading.
The group of characters made the story for me. I loved Diz, Remi, Ania and Jaesin. Spellhacker has a wonderfully diverse group of characters and the romance in this story is LGBT featuring a nonbinary character, a bi character, and queer characters. But more important than that, the characters are all a hoot. I loved their humor, their group camaraderie, and the way they all worked together. It gave me invictus vibes, mixed in with Ocean’s 11 vibes all set in a futuristic fantasy world. This book was awesome.
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About M.K. England
M.K. England is an author and librarian who grew up on the Space Coast of Florida and now calls rural Virginia home. When she’s not writing or librarianing, MK can be found drowning in fandom, rolling dice at the gaming table, digging in the garden, or feeding her video game addiction. She loves Star Wars with a desperate, heedless passion. It’s best if you never speak of Sherlock Holmes in her presence. You’ll regret it.
THE DISASTERS is her debut novel. Follow her at www.mkengland.com.
Reading this book contributed to these challenges:
- 2020 New Release Challenge
- Flights of Fantasy Reading Challenge 2020
Jenea's Book Obsession
This is a new one to me and I really like the sounds of it. Diz sounds like a character that I would enjoy!
sherry fundin
this is new to me too, but i do love some chuckles and characters that are unique and fun to get acquainted with. sounds like a winner
sherry @ fundinmental
Leela
It looks like an interesting read.
Desiree Kessler
This sounds like a great read! I’ve already added it to my TBR. My favorite genres are Paranormal Romance, Urban Fantasy & True Crime ❤