Conjured by Sarah Beth Durst

Conjured
Written by Sarah Beth Durst
Mystery, Urban Fantasy
Published October 1st 2014
384 Pages
Thank you to Bloomsbury Australia 
Eve has a new home, a new face, and a new name, but no memories of her past. She’s been told that she's in a witness protection program. That she escaped a dangerous magic wielding serial killer who still hunts her. The only thing she knows for sure is that there is something horrifying in her memories the people hiding her want to access, and there is nothing they won’t say, or do, to her to get her to remember.

At night she dreams of a tattered carnival tent and buttons being sewn into her skin. But during the day, she shelves books at the local library, trying to not let anyone know that she can do things, things like change the color of her eyes or walk through walls. When she does use her strange powers, she blacks out and is drawn into terrifying visions, returning to find that days or weeks have passed, and she’s lost all short term memories. Eve must find out who and what she really is before the killer finds her, but the truth may be more dangerous than anyone could have ever imagined.

The rules are simple, no contact with anyone from her past, no phone calls or letters. But most importantly, not to tell anyone about the case or her past, which is easy for Eve as she can't remember who she is. She's been placed into the Witness Security Program through the Agency, a government agency that ensures her safety as long as she adheres to the rules. But Eve isn't an ordinary teen. She's extraordinary.
Eve raised her hand towards the birds on the wall. 'Fly', she whispered.
Living with a surly special agent ensures that Eve won't receive special treatment, and she's put to work in the local library shelving books. But it's more than the books that pique Eve's interest, when she meets the incredibly charming Zach, the librarian assistant that barely pauses for breath. Zach is a mortal young man in a world of magic he couldn't begin to comprehend. While Eve navigates her feelings towards Zach, her safety is being compromised between the Agency and a group of teens with magical powers of their own. With her memories lost and her mind betraying her time and time again, Eve is left feeling not knowing who to trust.

My Thoughts


Conjured was a blend of mystery and fantasy, with contemporary elements and eerie flashbacks. I enjoyed the darker side of Conjured, but overall I struggled to really immerse myself within the storyline. Eve is as whimsical as she is magical, and although readers may struggle to connect to her character, her thoughts are among the loveliest, not to mention eerie, that I've had the pleasure of reading. 
Around me, the landscape looks like quiltwork with patches of pale and dark. Strings of light, like the wisps of the carnival, lace through the fields and over the hills like luminescent embroidery.
It's the memory flashbacks that Eve experiences that lured me into the storyline. A dark and magical carnival, where she recalls thoughts of a children's Storyteller that cared for her seemingly like a mother figure. There is a killer targeting children and teens that puts Eve in the line of danger. But when a group of magic infused teens try to recruit her to their cause, and that's where I begun to lose interest. I needed more creepy carnival and less teen romance. The introduction of Victoria, Aidan and Topher who are involved within the Agency, seemed awkward and unnecessary. Perhaps to create conflict or an alternative love interest I'm assuming. What I absolutely adored was the flashbacks.

Eve struggles to maintain memories and can't remember where she originated. The figments she begins to remember are incredibly poetic, I absolutely adored the deliciously dark carnival setting, but sadly the glimpses we see throughout the storyline were too few and far between. Overall, I felt as though the synopsis promised a delicious and dark suspense, but sadly delivered more of a contemporary teen romance with fantasy elements. Lovers of magic realism will enjoy this one. 

24 comments

  1. Sorry you didn't really enjoy this one. It sounds like it could have been really good if it focused more on the creepy aspects and less on the romance parts. I'm not always a huge fan of romance in YA books.

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    1. Me either really. I enjoy a light romance in fantasy and dystopians, just as it breaks up the heavy storylines but only if it's natural. A fair few of my favourite titles have little to no romance in them as well. Sometimes it really hinders, rather than adds to the storyline.

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  2. I was just WEIRDED OUT by this book. And it was hard to understand/know any of the characters with Eve losing her memories all the time. Did you notice the person-narration shift though? At the beginning it's in 3rd person, with the flash backs in 1st. At the end the WHOLE THING is in 1st. Flashbacks and narrative. Is there like a reason?? Or...I'm just weirded out??

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    1. I know, right. I don't know if it was an attempt to create quirk, or it was just a little too ambitious. I loved the flashbacks and thought first person narrative really should have been carried on throughout, one of the reasons I found it hard to connect to Eve as well. It would have added more intrigue to the storyline, rather than just vague characters sadly.

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  3. Awww nooo! I hate when the romance eclipses the actual story and the super fun premise suddenly becomes the background. I love a good mystery but if this one is nothing more than a teen romance then perhaps I'll just avoid it. Sorry it wasn't a good one! But thank you for the fantastic and honest review, Kelly! <3333 x

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    1. The teen romance dominates so much of the storyline, that's it's difficult to really see the storyline beyond the drama. I think if the romance had of been replaced with a friendship, it would have allowed for far more character development as well. Sarah Beth Durst is definitely an author to watch though, when her imaginative world shone through, gosh it was beautiful. Her use of language was incredibly poetic.

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  4. eeeh this doesn't sound like something i'd be wanting to read then! I also got this one in the mail but if it's just mostly about the romance? Meh.

    Lovely review, Kels! <33

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    1. The last quarter is pretty good, but sadly for me it wasn't enough to rescue the romance. I really was hoping throughout that it would have risen above the teen drama and morphed into that thrilling dark magic realism that the synopsis promised, but unfortunately it wasn't enough for me. Give it a go though, you know how I am with books. I usually don't connect to the ones that everyone else seems to love.

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  5. I remember reading this last year and was confused as hell with the storytelling. It frustrated me because just when I thought I'd get even a tiny bit of what's going on, it gets snatched away again! I did like the twist and the revelations when it was finally revealed but I wasn't enough for me to get over being so frustrated over 80% of the book. I do agree that it focused too much on the romance too. Great review Kelly!

    And I love the tweaks you did on your design, it's so clean and crisp now :)

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    1. Thanks Amir. I like to change it up every once in a while, keeps me blogging.

      I felt the same way. Her memory loss was felt even more as the storyline moved back and forth between first and third person narratives for me, it was one of the reasons I felt disconnected throughout the storyline.

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  6. I think I'm gonna pass up on this one. I like being entertained and working my brains out on mysteries... But I hate being confused or clueless. This sounds like something that will make me feel that way so... no. Thanks for this review, Kelly. :)

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    1. It's an odd one. It wasn't that it was outright confusing, but just didn't allow me to form any kind of connection to the characters or storyline. I would have preferred more suspense and less drama too. Give it a go though, overall I think the general reading public will enjoy this one, it just wasn't my thing.

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  7. I'm not sure about this one. To be honest, the cover turned me off completely and I never bothered to read the blurb, but once I read it did sound interesting. So now I'm on the fence about it. I love romance in the novels I read but that doesn't mean I'm going to like everything that has romance in it. And I'm not that into the murder mystery. But it's moved from a no to a maybe so thanks for your review :)

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    1. I love hearing that readers will still give it a go even though it didn't work for me, as we're all so different with what we enjoy. The romance was verging on instant love, where it really could have been quite whirlwind and magical. Really looking forward to seeing what you think of it Rochelle.

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  8. But the blurb sounded so good! Not to mention that Laini Taylor gave her seal of approval! Damn, what a shame. I'm not fussed on mainly romance focused novels, so I might give this one a go later on. It's a bummer you didn't enjoy it as much as you would have liked :( <3

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    1. It totally did. I was super excited to start this one and jumped in with both feet so eagerly. The synopsis promised a dark and delicious suspense, but I think that was lost within the teen drama and romance. The flashbacks are well worth picking this up. I'd love to see the author venture into high fantasy.

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  9. Darn the premise of this one sounded awesome though :( And I quite liked "Vessel" by the same author. I've had my eye on this one but most of the reviews I've read so far haven't been flattering. I may just skip it.

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    1. I was utterly sucked in as well. It sounded incredible but unfortunately for me, it didn't deliver. I think if you enjoy light teen contemporaries with a touch of magic realism, you'll enjoy this one. I'd just expected a little more.

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  10. It's so frustrating when a books description sounds amazing but isn't what you thought it was going to be! This sounds really amazing and then when I read your thoughts on it I was like "oh, thats not what I thought" and i'll probably be giving this one a miss! Shame, I love a story with a serial killer!

    Great review as usual <3

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    1. I would have enjoyed it far more if the killer was the main plotline, but it felt as though it was there just to generate a side interest to the story sadly. Give this one a go though, there's plenty of reviews on Goodreads that have absolutely loved it (also Laini Taylor did as well), unfortunately it just wasn't my thing.

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  11. Wow, I really love the sound of the dark carnival setting the the putting together memories, but I don't know about the whole contemporary romance sort of deal. I guess I'll have to prepare myself when I read it, I guess. Thanks for the rundown Kelly!

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    1. I loved that part too Jeann, but unfortunately the contemporary aspect overran the storyline a bit too much for me. It's more contemporary, with a magic realism twist. The suspense really doesn't make much of an appearance until the last few chapters. Looking forward to seeing what you think of it.

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  12. Damn, I got this in the mail as well but the cover and synopsis sounded so weird to me I immediately shelved it. The carnival setting sounds intriguing, especially as a Halloween read, but it sucks that it's so far and in between. And the romance...*stab stab* WHYYYY. Thanks for the honest review Kels, not sure I'll be picking this one up anytime soon.

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    1. I was really excited to read it when it arrived, I'm really disappointed that I couldn't get into it. The magical aspects and flashbacks were so lovely. I really hope the author brings out a high fantasy novel, the deliciously dark parts were fantastic, but just not enough to engage me in the contemporary side.

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