Destruction by Sharon Bayliss: A Review

*Disclaimer: I was offered this book to review as a member of the Literary Junkies Book Club
Happy Friday! I hope you guys have a great weekend planned. I'm planning on kicking back, relaxing, heading to the farmer's market and possibly brunch. I love brunch. If I could eat breakfast food for the rest of my life, I'd be happy. I was offered Destruction by Sharon Bayliss to review a little over a month ago and I read it in four days. I'm not kidding. It was such a great story and a really quick read. Check it out...

What Goodreads Says:

David Vandergraff wants to be a good man. He goes to church every Sunday, keeps his lawn trim and green, and loves his wife and kids more than anything. Unfortunately, being a dark wizard isn't a choice. 

Eleven years ago, David's secret second family went missing. When his two lost children are finally found, he learns they suffered years of unthinkable abuse. Ready to make things right, David brings the kids home even though it could mean losing the wife he can't imagine living without.

Keeping his life together becomes harder when the new children claim to be dark wizards. David believes they use this fantasy to cope with their trauma. Until, David's wife admits a secret of her own - she is a dark wizard too, as is David, and all of their children.

Now, David must parent two hurting children from a dark world he doesn't understand and keep his family from falling apart. All while dealing with the realization that everyone he loves, including himself, may be evil.

What I Say:
Destruction is a refreshing take on a story that's been written a hundred times. Character finds out they're not entirely human. Character discovers a pending doom. Character deals with their new life. Character embraces this new life. Good wins over evil. We've seen it in movies, TV shows, books...you name it. The difference with Destruction is that it doesn't have all the bells and whistles. It brings magic back to the earth and using the natural elements which is what I particularly enjoyed.

In Destruction there is this idea that wizards and witches have a choice of whether to practice or not. It's always going to be a part of you but you don't have to let it lead your life. What's great is that the story pretty much revolves around this choice. David's memory of ever being a wizard was erased by his wife which leads him to question if choosing a life without magic is more dangerous than choosing to live a life with it. There's so many details that go into why a wizard might not want to actively use their powers but for the sake of a really long post and giving the entire story up, I'm going to leave it at that.

I feel like many of the difficulties and decisions that the characters have to deal with in Destruction are symbolic of everyday struggles that people have to deal with in real life. The choice to accept or deny your powers could be metaphorical for the path you choose in life. Getting to that end result is on a journey of self discovery. I mean, none of us really have magical powers but we have lots of decisions to make in life. Some are large and some are small but each one defines who we are. More importantly, the way we come about that decision and the way we handle the outcome is a testament to our character. If you keep this in mind while reading Destruction, I feel you will notice the similarities.

Have you read Destruction? What's on your reading list lately?