Wicked Magic, by Margot de Clerk

Characters

Of the characters involved, five took centre stage for me, each making the story memorable in their own way.

Nathan Delacroix is a socially awkward vampire hunter in training, his life ruled by martial arts practice and magical affairs. He is shown to be particularly sensitive to magic, his skin itching whenever he encounters powerful wards, as well as being highly observant. Throughout the story, he proved to be a firm and devoted friend, standing up for anyone no matter if they were supernatural or human. Nathan was the kind of person to always do what he thought was right, even if that meant breaking with tradition in ways that would be punished. He is definitely a character to root for and his story hooked me from start to finish.

Cynthia, Nathan’s girlfriend, seemed just as socially awkward. An athletic and kind girl, her supernatural status is kept secret until a good third of the way into the story (no spoilers here, I promise.) At times, Cynthia seemed a little unsure of herself, not feeling like she measured up to Nathan and his friends given their positions in the supernatural sphere of the world. However, Cynthia was a devoted and caring person and lent the story much heart where it needed it.

Monica, Nathan’s long time witch friend, was undeniably one of my favourite characters. Full of energy, impatient, and impulsive, she grabbed my attention from first meeting and refused to let go. Having lost her parents to a vampire attack, I came to empathise with her character and could therefore understand her distrust of vampires in general. Monica was crafty with magic and particularly passionate about wards. She was always trying to solve everyone-else’s problems, doing her best to protect those closest to her for fear she would lose them too.

Adrian Delacroix, Nathan’s hunter turned vampire uncle, was something-else. His humour was the first thing which struck me about him: he was always able to lighten a tense moment and made me smile and laugh, which immediately warmed me to him. He also proved to be caring and loyal to family, something I wasn’t expecting from a vampire member of a hunter family. Additionally, there was a low grade sadness to him at times, which made me wonder if he regretted having been turned into a vampire, if he longed to return to his former life.

Finally, we get to Benjamin Delacroix, Nathan’s father and vampire hunter. He first appeared as a stern and unaffectionate man, whose coldness toward his son made me wonder if he liked Nathan at all. Benjamin seemed chiefly concerned with the family reputation throughout the story, rather than with what Nathan needed in his life. Furthermore, Benjamin’s values conflicted with Adrian’s throughout the story, creating a great amount of tension between the two brothers. Overall, I thought I would never warm to him until the author proved me wrong at the end. For once, I saw a glimmer of the concerned father underneath, of the man behind the hunter façade, who cared deeply for his son and would stop at nothing to protect him.