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The Hidden Order of Magic: Shaken #1
Rise of Magic
When magic and monsters are involved, the cost of every misstep skyrockets. The claws and fangs of those monsters are right in front of Lia, worse, in the face of those humans who can't even save their own lives.
With her magic, she should be fine... until she isn't. The monsters are the problem until there is something more. A man showed up, he and his magic are even more of a problem--he should not exist, at least in the book of her world. He offers help, tempting when she needs the monsters gone, but she may not be ready to pay the price. It doesn't help at all when the man has his own secret, a secret that can set her world on fire. Ready for an action-packed urban fantasy story with a slow-burn romantic subplot that fans of The Dresden Files and Jessica Jones will love? These snarky and fun characters are waiting for you.
Previously published as The Hunter.
With her magic, she should be fine... until she isn't. The monsters are the problem until there is something more. A man showed up, he and his magic are even more of a problem--he should not exist, at least in the book of her world. He offers help, tempting when she needs the monsters gone, but she may not be ready to pay the price. It doesn't help at all when the man has his own secret, a secret that can set her world on fire. Ready for an action-packed urban fantasy story with a slow-burn romantic subplot that fans of The Dresden Files and Jessica Jones will love? These snarky and fun characters are waiting for you.
Previously published as The Hunter.
286 pages, Paperback
First published January 21, 2021
About the author
June Leung
14 books3 followersJune Leung is an author of urban fantasy novels. She is always busy writing stories that appear faster than she can jot them down. When she is not writing, she is in the gym lifting weights or playing with her piles of stuffed animals.
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
January 10, 2021
“The Collision” is the first book in “The Hidden Order of Magic: Shaken” by June Leung, an urban fantasy that blends magic and police work into a compelling story, following the struggle of magic wielder Lia (MC) to merge her magic and her work as a detective to fight monsters. And while her powers surely help the outcome, they occasionally also act as a monster magnet, as for instance in her latest case, that has Lia and her team fighting a group of monsters, whose cunningness equals everything she can come with. The city is rapidly overfloowing with monsters with only Lia’s team to stop them.
June Leung writing style is fast-paced, focused on action and the development of the main character, who is interesting and a good fit for UF.
June Leung writing style is fast-paced, focused on action and the development of the main character, who is interesting and a good fit for UF.
April 9, 2021
Note: I received an ARC of this book from the author in exchange for a voluntarily and honest review.
Original review on my blog Boekensteeg
The Collision is the first part in June Leung's The hidden order of magic: shaken series and also her debut. In this urban fantasy you are taken into the work of the main character Lia.
Lia's daily activity is to fight monsters that are terrorizing the city. However, after the impact of the meteorite there seems to be no way of stopping it. The monsters seem to be coming from every direction, and they are becoming more and more dangerous. Lia and her clan face a fierce battle with these monsters, and together they try to figure out what is causing this sudden increase in monsters. But during a fight, her magic seems too little to help her, and then suddenly a mysterious very powerful boy named Adrian comes to the rescue. Who is this Adrian? And how did he get such strong magic? Why must its existence be kept a secret from the clan?
The Collision is a book full of adventure, tension and magical combat. However, I sometimes had the feeling that there is not a good balance in the story. Because although the action and tension increased throughout the story, it was often not exciting enough to be able to keep my full attention on the story.
Lia is a very strong main character, but as soon as you get to know her better you find out that she has a small heart. She will do anything for her best friends, and is eager to do everything she can to fight the monsters. However, Lia does not understand everything about her own magic, which sometimes makes her seem a bit insecure in the fights. Adrian, on the other hand, is very private, but also very confident. He knows very well what his magic is and what he can achieve with it. However, he also has a past that he does not talk much about. These two characters really help each other to discover themselves and put their past behind.
I would have liked to read more about the clan and their past and because it is kept in the background I had the feeling that I sometimes missed some information. The story really focuses on Lia, Adrian and hunting the monsters. However, most of the topics and relationships remained superficial, and I hope that the second part The Menace will have more depth.
All in all, The Collision is a decent debut, with a lot of potential. I am certainly curious about what the next parts in this series will bring.
Original review on my blog Boekensteeg
The Collision is the first part in June Leung's The hidden order of magic: shaken series and also her debut. In this urban fantasy you are taken into the work of the main character Lia.
Lia's daily activity is to fight monsters that are terrorizing the city. However, after the impact of the meteorite there seems to be no way of stopping it. The monsters seem to be coming from every direction, and they are becoming more and more dangerous. Lia and her clan face a fierce battle with these monsters, and together they try to figure out what is causing this sudden increase in monsters. But during a fight, her magic seems too little to help her, and then suddenly a mysterious very powerful boy named Adrian comes to the rescue. Who is this Adrian? And how did he get such strong magic? Why must its existence be kept a secret from the clan?
The Collision is a book full of adventure, tension and magical combat. However, I sometimes had the feeling that there is not a good balance in the story. Because although the action and tension increased throughout the story, it was often not exciting enough to be able to keep my full attention on the story.
Lia is a very strong main character, but as soon as you get to know her better you find out that she has a small heart. She will do anything for her best friends, and is eager to do everything she can to fight the monsters. However, Lia does not understand everything about her own magic, which sometimes makes her seem a bit insecure in the fights. Adrian, on the other hand, is very private, but also very confident. He knows very well what his magic is and what he can achieve with it. However, he also has a past that he does not talk much about. These two characters really help each other to discover themselves and put their past behind.
I would have liked to read more about the clan and their past and because it is kept in the background I had the feeling that I sometimes missed some information. The story really focuses on Lia, Adrian and hunting the monsters. However, most of the topics and relationships remained superficial, and I hope that the second part The Menace will have more depth.
All in all, The Collision is a decent debut, with a lot of potential. I am certainly curious about what the next parts in this series will bring.
April 6, 2021
**I received an Advanced Reading Copy from the author, and am leaving this review of my own accord.**
I very seldomly pick up urban fantasy; the fantastical elements are put in scenarios much closer to reality, which makes the characters and their stories feel that much less real. Clearly, my drug of choice among the fantasy genre is the epic/high kind or the dark kind.
After reading the blurb, I figured there was no harm in trying the story once. After which I came to the realization that I opened my entry with, as above.
The book has absolutely no flaws, it is perfectly edited, and no plotholes whatsoever. It's just that I had a block between myself and the main character Lia, and could not relate with her.
Sometimes, it started feeling monotonous since the sentence formats did not change much. The content being narrated was different, of course, but the phrases in which it was being delivered remained flat.
What I loved absolutely were all those instances where the author described nature, and its beauty, and how it brought peace to Lia. I felt calm and completely at ease with myself while reading those parts. She painted those natural pockets really beautifully with her words.
There is no cliffhanger and the main mystery with which the story starts gets resolved by the end. Also, since this is the first of a series, the events are put in place to hint at a larger theme and make the reader look forward to the next book. Will I read the next one? Yeah, definitely. But because there is nothing like a series left unfinished to keep me unsatisfied. I need to know the reasons for their actions, and how it all ends.
I very seldomly pick up urban fantasy; the fantastical elements are put in scenarios much closer to reality, which makes the characters and their stories feel that much less real. Clearly, my drug of choice among the fantasy genre is the epic/high kind or the dark kind.
After reading the blurb, I figured there was no harm in trying the story once. After which I came to the realization that I opened my entry with, as above.
The book has absolutely no flaws, it is perfectly edited, and no plotholes whatsoever. It's just that I had a block between myself and the main character Lia, and could not relate with her.
Sometimes, it started feeling monotonous since the sentence formats did not change much. The content being narrated was different, of course, but the phrases in which it was being delivered remained flat.
What I loved absolutely were all those instances where the author described nature, and its beauty, and how it brought peace to Lia. I felt calm and completely at ease with myself while reading those parts. She painted those natural pockets really beautifully with her words.
There is no cliffhanger and the main mystery with which the story starts gets resolved by the end. Also, since this is the first of a series, the events are put in place to hint at a larger theme and make the reader look forward to the next book. Will I read the next one? Yeah, definitely. But because there is nothing like a series left unfinished to keep me unsatisfied. I need to know the reasons for their actions, and how it all ends.
January 25, 2021
I really like urban fantasy books and I always look for something new in this genre. When Author contacted me and asked that I want to read "The Collision", new Author and new book in urban fantasy environment I said YES. Thank you so much June for this and I hope next book will be even better than first book. I'm waiting for it!
Action starts from first page where we recieve information about main problem: Zitanas, city, and citiziens are attacked by bloodthirsty monsters. Main character Lia with her team tries to safe peopla and resolve the mystery: from where those monsters come and why they are here. A lot of things make place during the chapters, but sometimes I had impression that plot is uneven: the pace of action descends and rises, doesn't hold the reader's attention all the time.
Big advantage is magic system. We have magic based on the elements and it's a white magic, but we have also dark, black magic. Characters are not the most powerful in the world, but they need to constantly improve their skills to harness their magic. Moreover, they can't use all magic which they want because they are connected with the specific element.
Main character Lia was a hard piece to bite for me becasue she is totally different than all urban fantasy heroines. Of course she can kill monsters and use her magic to safe the world, but in the same time I had impression that she is totally lost in this magical world and she doesn't know what to do. Even if she decided to help friends with investigation, she has a lot of thughts that maybe she won't get involved in this after all. I didn't feel connected with her and I didn't care what will happen with her.
Much more intresting character was for me was Adrian. He has very intresting magic and history. Even if we didn't recieve a lot of information about him, I'm curious what he hides.
Lia's friends from William's organization are mentioned, but we didn't know a log about them becasue plot is focused on Lia and Adrian + monsters hunting.
Lia and Adrian realation is weird, sometimes funny and last few chapters made me scream becasue I expected something and it didn't happen.
One thing was so annoying for me: Lia's eyes lit up and her eyebrow raise so many times, that I had a feeling that she is all the time in shock.
My overall thoughts: it's a debut with very big potential. All notes which I marked here are something what can be improved in next books. Everybody starts somewhere and if everybody will start with the same plot's ideas as June Leung our reading world will be full of really good books.
Definately it's not a typical urban fantasy where main character is a worrior, confident in her abilities and magic. It's a fresh wind in urban fantasy, but we will see how this series will develop.
I will definately take next book from the series and read it because I'm intrigued what will happen next.
Action starts from first page where we recieve information about main problem: Zitanas, city, and citiziens are attacked by bloodthirsty monsters. Main character Lia with her team tries to safe peopla and resolve the mystery: from where those monsters come and why they are here. A lot of things make place during the chapters, but sometimes I had impression that plot is uneven: the pace of action descends and rises, doesn't hold the reader's attention all the time.
Big advantage is magic system. We have magic based on the elements and it's a white magic, but we have also dark, black magic. Characters are not the most powerful in the world, but they need to constantly improve their skills to harness their magic. Moreover, they can't use all magic which they want because they are connected with the specific element.
Main character Lia was a hard piece to bite for me becasue she is totally different than all urban fantasy heroines. Of course she can kill monsters and use her magic to safe the world, but in the same time I had impression that she is totally lost in this magical world and she doesn't know what to do. Even if she decided to help friends with investigation, she has a lot of thughts that maybe she won't get involved in this after all. I didn't feel connected with her and I didn't care what will happen with her.
Much more intresting character was for me was Adrian. He has very intresting magic and history. Even if we didn't recieve a lot of information about him, I'm curious what he hides.
Lia's friends from William's organization are mentioned, but we didn't know a log about them becasue plot is focused on Lia and Adrian + monsters hunting.
Lia and Adrian realation is weird, sometimes funny and last few chapters made me scream becasue I expected something and it didn't happen.
One thing was so annoying for me: Lia's eyes lit up and her eyebrow raise so many times, that I had a feeling that she is all the time in shock.
My overall thoughts: it's a debut with very big potential. All notes which I marked here are something what can be improved in next books. Everybody starts somewhere and if everybody will start with the same plot's ideas as June Leung our reading world will be full of really good books.
Definately it's not a typical urban fantasy where main character is a worrior, confident in her abilities and magic. It's a fresh wind in urban fantasy, but we will see how this series will develop.
I will definately take next book from the series and read it because I'm intrigued what will happen next.
March 18, 2021
Interesting take on Urban Fantasy. There are magicians in this reality that are part detective, part enforcers. Our main character Lia has powers and dispatches baddies but seems to not quite understand the dynamics of the world she has been thrust into. This makes for an interesting premise. The book really hits it's stride in the last few chapters, setting it up for more books in the series.
I received a copy of this book from the author, all opinions are my own.
I received a copy of this book from the author, all opinions are my own.
May 2, 2021
I am a complete newbie to this author and this beautiful cover caught my eye and drew me in. I am all about the fantasy genre so I figured I would give it a shot. This book was beautifully written. Amazing storyline with in depth world building and character descriptions. The FMC is resilient and strong. Overall I enjoyed this read. And I will most likely read book 2.
April 8, 2021
This book caught my interest from the start. Lia is amazing but has some self doubt on if she is cut out for the roll she is taking on. The details are very vivid and sucked me in like I was in the story I can't wait to see where this series goes.
September 3, 2021
Lia is a magician in a clan that fights monsters. It actually feels very much like a CSI-type detective story, except there is magic. Lots of magic. Different types of magic. And monsters, which I already mentioned. But apart from the monster-bashing, we get a glimpse of the relationships within the clan, co-workers who have become friends and even family. Additionally, apart from the clan (and potentially others like it), magic is rare in the world, so it needs to be hidden from humans, even the ones whose lives the magicians are fighting to save.
But then a mysterious man shows up in front of Lia and insists that she keep their meeting secret from the clan. His magic is stronger than hers and very different. Against her better judgment, she begins to spend more time with him, trying to learn what it is that makes him different, and what power he might offer her. Is her clan lying to her or is she at risk of making a deal with the devil?
I really liked this book. It was different. There were definitely places where the pacing could use some work, but it really picked up in the second half of the book. It also felt like I jumped into the middle of the story and it was assumed I would know who certain characters were, but as the book continued, I found myself liking the different sorts of characters more and more. I'm curious where the series will lead and look forward to watching how June develops as a writer.
I received an ARC from the author and reviewed it willingly.
But then a mysterious man shows up in front of Lia and insists that she keep their meeting secret from the clan. His magic is stronger than hers and very different. Against her better judgment, she begins to spend more time with him, trying to learn what it is that makes him different, and what power he might offer her. Is her clan lying to her or is she at risk of making a deal with the devil?
I really liked this book. It was different. There were definitely places where the pacing could use some work, but it really picked up in the second half of the book. It also felt like I jumped into the middle of the story and it was assumed I would know who certain characters were, but as the book continued, I found myself liking the different sorts of characters more and more. I'm curious where the series will lead and look forward to watching how June develops as a writer.
I received an ARC from the author and reviewed it willingly.
July 24, 2021
I loved the story between Lia and Adrian and how they came about together.
The mix of magic and detective work is right up my street. I loved Lia as a fmc and how she came across. I would have loved to know a little more about her back story and how she came to find out she was magical and what happened.
I would most definitely read book 2 as I would like to know what happens next and if the clan either find out she is like Adrian or William sees them together.
The storyline is great and has a good few twist and turns in it.
The mix of magic and detective work is right up my street. I loved Lia as a fmc and how she came across. I would have loved to know a little more about her back story and how she came to find out she was magical and what happened.
I would most definitely read book 2 as I would like to know what happens next and if the clan either find out she is like Adrian or William sees them together.
The storyline is great and has a good few twist and turns in it.
December 1, 2021
I downloaded The Collusion (also called The Hunter), book 1 of the Hidden Order of Magic: Shaken series, as a free ebook from Amazon. I assume this book has undergone rebranding, as my version was called The Hunter, but it was listed elsewhere as Collusion. I only made it 80 percent, I just couldn't bother to finish. Lia never really caught my interest and the dialog dragged for me. Others may like it, so it receives a neutral rating.
May 1, 2021
I enjoyed reading this magical action adventure, a great start to the series, a story filled with suspense, mystery, action, magic, secrets, sexual frustration, adventure and a cliffhanger ending. Looking forward to book two to find out what happens next in this magical mystery action series.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
June 28, 2022
This was an entertaining read and a good start to a new series. The character work and story line were well written, however I was not a fan on the lead female character and hope that she grows up in the next book(s).
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
May 12, 2021
I found it a very slow story.I would still read other books by this author.
May 28, 2021
Great world building, entertaining, action, packed, exciting, page turner, Wonderful characters. enjoy the ride.
March 10, 2022
This is the first book I have read from this author and ii was not disappointed. Well written and well worth reading.
February 11, 2024
Love it
This was a very good read. I loved all the characters and the storyline, too. This will be one I will reread agaim.
This was a very good read. I loved all the characters and the storyline, too. This will be one I will reread agaim.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews