In the world of the Dominion, even the most innocent aren't spared. Trace is a simple farmer, forcefully conscripted into the great Dominion armies. Perin is a young girl, taken as a slave, her family torn apart. Both have something in common -- the dark magician Karven has chosen them for his experiments, aiming to create the ultimate warrior. His potions, as the two young people find out to their shock, have wildly unpredictable results. Yet as powerful as he is, Karven himself is only an underling to the great and mysterious Overlord. Meanwhile, a group of rebels called the Fringe hide in the shadows, their struggles to overthrow the Dominion seemingly hopeless.

Will Trace and Perin manage to avoid Karven and his powerful minions to find safety? Will they realise their place in the greater destiny of their world before it's too late?

The Force of Magic is told from several points of view: those of Trace and Perin, the two young people at the centre of the tale, Karven the dark magician, and that of Brant, his most powerful general. This perspective gives the reader a chance to see into their emotional worlds, while also tracking the story in different locations. Some aspects of the world, such as the blighted areas of land, seem familiar from other tales, but there's a hint that in later books they will have a unique role to play.

There is some brutality in the story, which I feel makes it more appropriate for an older teen or adult audience. Though, this also gives it an edge that I find lacking in many fantasy plots. The Bible quote at the start of each chapter seemed a bit out of place for a book set in a fantasy world. As well, one of the characters mentions God a couple of times, and I couldn't help wondering if the quotes meant there would be some connection to real-life Earth at some point, or if I was barking up the wrong tree?

Otherwise, the story unfolded at a pleasing pace, and there was a revelation at the end that left me itching to read the next book in the Force of Magic series.

Would I read more by this author? Yes! I look forward to the next installment.

Please note: this book was provided for me to read and review by
LibraryThing's Early Reviewer programme. Many thanks to the author for providing
their work. You can rest assured however, that this is (as always) an honest review!

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Force of Magic was hard to put down. From the beginning there is good vs. evil, action, adventure, and best of all, magic presented in new way. Perrin is an innocent young girl until the Dominion soldiers take her from her family. She gains a protector in Trace, an unwilling and experimented on, soldier. With their new found magic they escape the Sorcerers of the Guild, flee Dominion soldiers, and find hope in a fledgling resistance. At the end of the book there is a huge cliffhanger which had me looking for book 2 immediately. I would recommend this book to middle school libraries where fantasy is a draw. Reading fans of Mull and Riordan will enjoy this book. ( )

This book was won from the author on LibraryThing ,, thank you.
The magic in this book was both unique and interesting with the different effect it had on individual characters. Both Trace and Perin received the thing they most desired but both had very different results. Trace becomes her protector as they try to escape the Dominion soldiers hunting them. The world and the situation they find themselves in are clearly told but then we come to the constant switching of POV, sometimes after only a few sentences. This greatly distracted from the tale. It was also difficult to connect with the characters, just didn't come alive for me. ( )

This story was a fun read and I look forward to reading the next book. It does start a bit slow with the two main characters taking turns telling the story, which was frustrating at times. But the story is interesting and the characters are likable, so I forgave and kept turning pages. This book could use a bit more polish. And I’m not sure where the author was going with the quotes at the beginning of each chapter; maybe that will come into play in the second or third book. This is very much the first book in the series, in that the reader spends quite a bit of time just learning the rules of this world, but it is handled well and is not confusing. I received a copy of this book at part of the Library Thing Early Readers program

I had trouble stopping reading. I enjoyed this book. Highly recommended!
I'm looking forward to the next books in this series! ( )