Natural Magic

I’ll admit, I rolled my eyes at first—*another* Chosen One story? But *Natural Magic* disarmed me within an hour. Alec isn’t some prophecied savior; he’s a kid who’s spent his life being told he’s ordinary, and his magic manifests like a muscle he didn’t know he had. The way DB King writes it, magic isn’t a tool—it’s an *extension* of Alec’s emotions, which makes every spell feel personal and unpredictable. There’s a scene early on where Alec accidentally *unmakes* a door in a fit of frustration, and Knox’s narration sells the shock so well I actually laughed out loud. That said, the middle act drags a bit. King leans hard into Alec’s isolation, and while it’s thematically fitting, there are stretches where the introspection starts to feel repetitive. I also wished the side characters had more depth—some of Alec’s allies (and enemies) blur together, which is a shame because the ones who *do* stand out (like the jaded monk Brother Tomas) are fantastic. Knox’s performance keeps it engaging, though. His voice for the temple’s elder monks is particularly great—like gravel mixed with dry humor. The production is clean, with no distracting edits, though I’d have loved a touch more atmospheric sound design during the magic sequences to heighten the immersion. Still, this is a rare YA fantasy that trusts its audience to sit with ambiguity, and for that alone, it’s worth your time.