FeaturedEpic Fantasy

The Other Magic

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Loved it! 😍

A fun and engaging fantasy story featuring intriguing characters and excellent world-building!

The Other Magic, by Derrick Smythe is the first book in the Passage to Dawn fantasy series. It features the story of Kibure, who is a slave, and the magical and extraordinary power he wields. Having this power does not bode well for Kibure, since in this world only clerics are allowed to use such power. Sindri, the priestess who is charged with taking his powers from him, decides instead to let him live for reasons of her own and they team up together.


Without a doubt the best part of the book, in my opinion, was the way in which the author wrote his characters. The dialogue, the characterization, the way they reacted to situations and grew as people was seriously just incredible. I could not put the book down once I fell in love with these characters because I was absolutely dying to know what was going to happen next. While the characters drew me in, the world-building kept me engaged. I never once felt confused or bored while I was reading. From the moment I started reading I was completely immersed in their world. And this is such a little thing, but I also really loved the cover art. This may sound shallow, but I really feel that cover art can really make or break a book. After all, if the cover is not appealing what is there to entice readers to pick it up in the first place? The cover for The Other Magic is what first interested me and I imagine that it will draw the eye for readers in bookstores and libraries when it is published.


The Other Magic was the winner of the Pinnacle Book Achievement Award and was the runner-up of the Independent Publisher Book Award. I wasn’t aware of those facts until after I finished the book but even so I find I am not surprised at all. I actually expect this book to receive more awards in the future. It was just that good. I would recommend this book for anyone who loves the fantasy genre and is looking for a brand-new series that is unique, fun, refreshing, and filled with great characters and world-building. If you are a fan of the writing of Brandon Sanderson, Michael Sullivan, or Terry Brooks than this is the next book you need to read! In fact, Kibure’s story made me think of Kaladin and Bridge Four from Sanderson’s Stormlight Archive series. I think it’s remarkable when great fantasy books remind you of what you loved in other books you have read. Fantasy fans will love this story! It is a must read!

Reviewed by

I am a librarian and a voracious reader with a never ending appetite for books! I read a variety of different genres, though my favorites are fantasy, LGBT fiction, science fiction, and YA. Last year I read over 350 books and there is nothing I love more than reading books and talking about them!

Chapter 1 - Kibure

About the author

Derrick Smythe has been fascinated with all things elvish, dwarvish, and magical since his days of running through the woods with sharpened sticks in defense of whatever fortification he and his brothers had built that summer. Now he writes about it. view profile

Published on December 01, 2019

Published by Indie, December 2019, Podium Audio (Publisher), June 2020

200000 words

Genre: Epic Fantasy

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