decent characters with magic and a little Stockholm syndrome
356094
Reader thoughts: Fun magic and plot. Good characters with decent hearts.

I like how open and earnest Aven is, and how much Miara keeps thinking he'll make a good king. He really should have put his kingdom above Miara, though, and escaped when he could.

I liked Miara, too. I think it was her self-sacrificing way of pretending to dislike Aven to convince him to try and escape. She has more abilities than Daine, though (see Wild Magic), but seems less useful. Maybe it's because her magic takes more energy, or maybe it's because of the slave brand, but I just think it's because Daine was better at figuring out to use small abilities in big ways. I mean, Miara kept going into fights bare-handed, but she should have been a dragon or something! (Or done like Daine and turned her eyes into eagle eyes, her ears into rabbit or bat ears, and her hands into something with claws.)

I didn't like the frequent nudity, even if it was mostly accidental (or happening to catch each other bathing), and that's probably the main reason I put 4 stars instead of 5. There was also more romantic feelings in gushy paragraphs than I wanted. (Not a lot, more anything more than a sentence or two is more than I want.) Plus, Miara and Aven kept dreaming and thinking about kissing each other. I just had to metaphorically roll my eyes at them.

I liked the magic. It had its limitations (it took a lot of energy, which could only be replenished from nature). It was also categorized well (air mages have anything to do with weather, including lightning, while creature mages can talk to animals/humans and heal them and change their form) so that no one was too powerful and the powers didn't overlap much.

The plot was slow. It takes nearly the entire book for Miara and Aven to walk back to the one place. Miara should have kept flying them every day. They did run into trouble, but the book just wasn't very tense. It was too easy. And the star magic thing seemed a little out of the blue.

Oh, and Anara and Miara and Mara sounded WAY too similar. They were hard to keep straight.

Writer thoughts: Stockholm syndrome in books is nothing new. It happens often enough with romance, but it is still a fun plot device. You have two people prepared to hate each other (or at least be enemies), and then they end up falling in love despite everything. Maybe it's to show off the power of their love, that they overcame their initial enmity! Or maybe it's just supposed to be surprising (no) or to add depth in some way.

Here are some other books that have well-done Stockholm syndrome, where the captive falls in love with the captor. I guess it's basic Beauty and the Beast or something.

The Shadow Queen
Dare
Truthwitch
Closed Hearts
Knife of Dreams

(I may have stretched the definition a little, and I know there are more, but these are the ones I know right now.)
619489
I have had this book on my to be read pile forever and was excited to finally get to read it.  It was a quick read and a decent story.  I had some trouble engaging with the characters and thought the plot was okay but not great.

This was a decent story about a modern day teen, Jack, who finds out he is the heir to magical warrior powers.  He ends up drawn into the political machinations of modern day wizards and enchanters.

This is very much one of those classic types of fantasy where a character in a modern day world finds out they have magical powers that tie back to centuries old magic.  It wasn't all that unique but it was decently done.  The story was fairly engaging and it was interesting to watch Jack unravel the mysteries of his power.

I personally don't plan on reading more of this series, I just didn't find the setting or idea all that engaging and I had some trouble relating to the characters as well.

This story is self-contained and wraps up nicely.  I think middle grade/teen boys might enjoy this series a bit more than I did.

Overall a decent fantasy story.  The storyline is pretty typical of a number of middle grade/YA books where a young person in our world finds out they have strange powers and get embroiled in ancient politics.  I think middle grade/YA boys who love fantasy will enjoy this more than I did.  I don't plan on reading future books in this series.
3471961
I wasn't quite as enthused about this one, but it did have a lot of good things going on.  Although I wasn't that fond of the characters, I really liked the World.  The style of writing is good.  The plot is interesting, especially for the first book in a series.  The book is a decent length, and ends well.

I don't know if I'd pay the normal pricing for this series;  but if I caught them at a discount I'd probably continue with the series, because I did like this one.
845654
3.5 stars, actually.

This is a lovely little historical romance (with a bit of magic) with the particular flavor of "bookish" gentleman meets lady-like thief and they set out to learn magic from each other and solve a mystery.

The gentleman has two really, good friends who are definitely Alpha-heroes-in-waiting for their own books.

It might just not have been to my taste. Firstly, the steam level is rather low. I do like low-steam romances (Jane Austen, Georgette Heyer) but then I want a bit more society-banter than was present here. I also have high expectation for my magic-infused romances, I want the magic to have consequences for the main characters, either creating difficulties for a woman wielding magic, or having the relationship impacted because of it.

Em and Thomas have a lovely, mutually supportive relationship. Which is great. However, it's not my personal taste in romances. I love tension, and Em seemed to have a decided lack of tension in her life, even her ne'er-do-well thief compadres and uncle seem to support her intention to leave them and also seem to face no societal consequences for her association with them.

So, as I said, a lovely little historical romance, but the amount of tension and steam wasn't to my personal taste.
2011765
Magician: Apprentice is the first half (with some added material) of Raymond E. Feist's fantasy classic Magician, originally published in the early 1980s and broken into two books in the mid-1990s, when Feist's work was gaining a snowballing audience.  Magician deals with the early life of two boys, Pug (the title magician) and Tomas, his more physical pal, both destined for great - or interesting - things.  Apprentice follows these two boys from the early parts of their lives, at about 12 years old, to their late teens.
Pug, the main character, is the bookish sort chosen as an apprentice magician in his remote outpost town.  Buddy Tomas is chosen to be a member of the Duke's guard, the profession obviously more preferable to the average teenaged boy.  Pug discovers that he isn't very good at magic, as he's barely able to work the simplest spells, even though his teacher's magical instruments say the exact opposite - that the boy is brimming with power.  A clue to this power is unleashed when Pug must protect the Duke's daughter (who happens to be his own age, and attractive to boot) from trolls and he manages to torch them all with fire from his hands.  Nice!
After establishing Pug's character and the relationships between the others, the Tsurani - invaders from another planet (and plane of existence, it seems) whose planet is hopelessly weak in resources.  Fearing the death of their culture and civilization, they employ powerful wizards (Great Ones) to create "rifts" to other worlds and times, so that they may hunt for the resources they lack.  It seems Pug's world of Midkemia is ripe for the picking, so before Pug has a chance to grow up, he's whisked off in the middle of an all-out war between the two worlds.  With the help of elves, dwarves, and other standard fantasy fare, the Midkemians prepare to defend against the invaders, while Tomas discovers an ancient secret that turns him into something other than a human and Pug is captured by the Tsurani and made to be a slave.
Feist's work is epic, no doubt about it.  The story starts off almost child-like and simple, with a small world full of wresting and games and a pretty girl that everyone likes.  It soon turns much uglier, and as Pug grows up and his concerns become more adult, so too does the mood of the book shift from the relative innocence of his personal youth to the gritty reality of war.  Feist has a likable, easy-reading style, and his enjoyment and knowledge of the world he's created is evident in every page.  Many fantasy books are only half-formed worlds with half-formed characters, or great worlds with paper-thin characters.  Feist has his cake and eats it too in Magician, making a world as real as Middle Earth and memorable characters about whom it's easy to care.
Magician is a great read for the fantasy fan, and if you find the book a little immature at the beginning, it's only because Feist employs this device to get into the head of his main character and show the difference in concern between Pug the youth and Pug the adult later in the series.  If you buy Magician: Apprentice, Magician: Master is a must: the two cannot be read apart, unless you like torturing yourself with cliffhangers.
Final Grade: B+
1494664
Wren Valere is a Retriever. Using her Talent to channel "current", she performs what an everyday joe would call magic. Usually, she can get in, retrieve what the client has requested, and get out, no strings attached. This retrieval is special. She must obtain the notes of the mad scientist who created one of her best friends-P.B., a "demon" who has saved her life more than once-before those notes are grabbed by people who would enslave him.

There are actually a couple of stories going on here. Early in the book, Wren encounters the familiar scent of her mentor and father-figure, Ebenezer, whom she had previously presumed dead. Don't get me wrong, I love Gilman, and I enjoyed this book; however, this plot line suffered from too much tell and not enough show. I felt hammered with repetitive ruminations about Neezer and what he meant to Wren. I got it after the first couple shots, really. It seems space was wasted here that would have been better spent in the heads of the bad guys from the primary plot.

That said, this book is still some lovely stuff. I enjoyed the interstitials with Sergei in therapy. Wren and Sergei have long been a favorite fictional couple, and it's nice to see them working on normal (relatively) relationship stuff. I always favor series with non-magical romances; nothing is forced by fate. No "I knew she was my lifemate the moment I scented her" claptrap.

The main plot, though it needed more bad-guy time, is also a keeper. We find out more about P.B.'s mysterious past, with a hint that there may be a little more Talent science in the future. In addition, a nifty new character, in the form of a curious Federal agent, is introduced.

While I wouldn't exactly call this book a break, it is a lot less frantic than the last two, and that's completely welcome. I expect this series is beginning to wind down after six installments, and Gilman is getting ready to hand the baton to Bonnie and the Paranormal Scene Investigations series, which begins next year with Hard Magic.
3043044
Our heroine Maggie lives in a relatively standard "split world" (standard if you read much contemporary fantasy!) where the Earth we know has no magic and the other dimension does. All the cool creepy crawlies and hot elves come from the magic side. Maggie's job, as a child of both sides, is to drag people who are magic, or monsters who are magic, back to the magic side so they can't cause trouble and eat humans. She can do this because she has the ability to cross when she wants or needs to while other people have to go through an approved transfer point. This is a focal point in the story as it progresses and it is explained well.

The heroine is fun to "listen" to as she narrates her dimensional-hopping adventure. That makes it sound SF, but it's pure urban fantasy, on the light side. The hero is an elf who is assigned to hire her to do a job for the elf queen, and at first she doesn't want to work with him. But of course she grows to depend on his presence as he does hers. I expected him to be stronger or more alpha than he turned out to be, since that's what one generally encounters in this genre, but he remained in the back seat to the heroine's plot. Romance-wise, if that is a trope you like in a book, the hero and heroine's interactions have the blossomings of a future romance but not yet an "HEA".

I could not give this book more stars because one of its primary flaws was in the editing. The dialogue in particular was incorrectly punctuated, and it jerked me out of the story. The author's style was relatively facile otherwise, without an abundance of typos.
1055472
Blood Faerie was a decent urban fantasy/mystery story. The whole human/faerie buddy cop team was hilarious. Well, it wasn't necessarily funny in the context of the story, but I thought the idea was funny. I could totally see a spin-off show based on Munro and Eilidh.

I enjoyed the descriptions of the fae and their magic. It's always nice to see books where faeries are given proper respect, and not reduced to tiny, Tinkerbell-like creatures. It's one of the few book trends in recent years that I've fully supported. "Faerie" covers a wide variety of magical creatures. It's so boring to just stick with the image of tiny, winged women.

Munro and Eilidh were fun as the main focus of the story, though it would have been nice to see more of them interacting with each other. As far as introductions go, though, theirs was pretty good. I also loved the bundle of insanity that was Cridhe, and, again, I wish more of the story had been focused on him. For instance, why did he see his dead father, and did the ghost not remember that Cridhe killed him? Why was his father exiled? Do any of the other fae remember him? How did Cridhe manage to find so many druids? I guess all of that wasn't essential to the plot, but I really would have liked to find out the answers to those questions.

The ending closes up the plot for this book nicely, while leaving enough of an opening for more books in the series. I'd definitely read more, just for the buddy cop aspect.

(Follow my book reviews at: [...]
1587163
Katsa has been blessed with a gift for killing, "a grace."  She is forced to play the role of thug enforcer for the king. She ends up fighting a different battle.

I think I would have liked Graceling more a few years ago in my teen/pre-teen era. It was somewhat sanitized since its target audience is younger than me. It's a great start for a series and I felt that perhaps the story itself could have been longer, but again it's for a younger audience so I understand. Unfortunately, it lacks a certain amount of intensity and depth, which make some other YA books much better.

The magic system in this book isn't so much magic as it is simply those who have special abilities so perhaps more akin to super heroes rather than a magic system. It's certainly an interesting take on how something like this would impact a world.
2060883
*****3.5 stars****

I liked this premise of this story, it was something unique and was a neat twist on the usual fantastical magic tale.  Addison was moving into the home left by family she'd never met, discovering powers she never knew she had, and was the catalyst spark to bring about major change in the small town of Soul Harbor--bringing back magick to the families that her mother had left powerless, and potentially starting a war between the elementals and a spell-casting Hoodoo family.  It was one unforgettable housewarming!!

Addison discovers her magick through the gorgeous and oh-so-friendly Kace, who was more than happy to show her the power she held within.  As her corresponding element, just by touching they triggered the magick within each other, and it was sexy!! Kace was a tempting morsel, and he and Addison were quickly hooked on feeding off the energy they ignited.  It was admittedly very insta-lust here, but it was steamy enough to fog up the windows and tasteful at the same time.  There wasn't a lot of depth here with any of the characters, and Addison didn't really stand out as a remarkable heroine, but I did like them together and of course the idea of being complementary elements that complete each other was a fascinating twist.

I loved the concept of the four elements only working when they were together, meaning that when Addison's mother left town, she left the other three elementals without the use of their powers.  Addison's return meant their line, which was herself, Kace, Adam, and Callie, were again balanced and could "initiate", meaning they would be able to use their magick. Yep, very cool!  I couldn't decide if I liked Adam or not, because he's got what seems to be a naughty/nice personality going on here and it made me nervous that he's not to be trusted.  It'll be interesting to see how he reacts to having control over his magick down the road.

As far as the actual magical elements to the plot, this isn't one of those stories crammed full of hocus pocus.  It was more of a subtle introduction to this world of elemental powers, and while I liked that it didn't take over the storyline, I think more was needed here.  As with the character development, I felt like we just skimmed the surface of what we're supposed to be getting a full view of.  I was intrigued by the scenes where Addison tested out her magic, or when forces around her showed their powers, but there just wasn't enough of a foundation for what was happening in the storyline. Hopefully as the series goes on more will be unearthed about what this magic really is and how Addison's being a catalyst will change their future.

Final thoughts: This was a fun New Adult paranormal read, and magic fans will enjoy the unique spin!

Quotes:

If only she knew, Angela thought to herself, how right of a thing she was actually doing.  Pulling her newborn daughter tighter against her chest, Angela traced her eyes over every soft curve, every patch of pink skin, memorizing even the most minute details. ~Loc 97

"Do I need to kiss you again for you to believe?  Because I have no problem with that, you know." He cocked an eyebrow at me.
Why did he have to be crazy?  He was too gorgeous for this. ~Loc 746

Vera made a gagging noise. "Ugh, it would be the only stuffy bookstore in town and not someplace of actual value...like a clothing store where you can get a wicked discount, or even a shoe store." ~Loc 943
13984
The story was well planned out, and didn't leave you feeling like the villains were idiots or deeply flawed characters that destroyed themselves, but rather pushed forward with their motives, made good use of their resources, but were ultimately beaten by the more prepared and equally clever hero.

The character motivations needed work since most characters could really be described in a dozen words or less as to what drives their decisions, but the wide variety of characters does a good job of obscuring the lack of depth. Despite there not being much character development outside of the main character, and there being perhaps too many clever asides to the reader, the story kept me gripped and the explanations of how magic is intended to work in this world makes the learning for the character more than just some literary hand waving.

If you're like me and you care more about the story and entertainment than the deep feelings, then you'll enjoy this read.
2599195
The Magic Wakes blends sci-fi and fantasy elements to build an intriguing world and interesting characters. Talia's world, Sendek, is richly described and is a sound backdrop and foundation for the story. Talia is a strong, capable heroine, but she is also a relatable, very human character: brilliant without arrogance, brave in spite of uncertainty and terror. Landry was a hunky and competent hero. I felt like their relationship skipped a few stages (from fighting to kissing to being desperately in love--the switches just felt too stilted), but their dialogue and camaraderie were enjoyable to witness and they were both well-written, strong characters. Jaron was somewhat of an anti-hero but was probably the most sympathetic of them all--he was the most complex of the characters but the least developed. I would have liked to hear more of his story.

I thought the author did a good job with the ethical dilemmas inherent in the story line; they were addressed if not resolved. Each of the characters and races had depth and driving force. With the exception of one character, there was no "absolute" good or evil--to an extent, each character was multi-layered and wrestled with the good and evil within themselves.

The reason I only gave the book three stars is because, while it was an engaging and enjoyable read, there were parts that were clunky and sequences that had rough edges. In some ways it read more like a draft than a polished novel: there were a few conflicts that resolved far too easily, the romance occasionally felt forced, and the story lacked a certain smoothness--the events didn't always flow naturally. I also wish the ending had been more complete: I'm assuming the author left room for another novel, but she could have done that while still briefly explaining what Talia's plans are for the mages (my theory is she's going to send them to colonize Sendek's moon). This may not be an issue for anyone else, but there were a handful of spelling errors and many sentences in need of commas or semicolons. Perhaps this is only true for the Kindle edition, but the run-on sentences were frequent.

Overall, it was a pleasant read and an interesting world. I would like to see another book that delves deeper into the politics and culture of Sendek, deals with the aftermath of the dragumon invasion, and explores the newly-found powers of the mages.
4200051
Spies, magic, arranged marriages, and a richly developed mythology with a nuanced world. Cold Magic certainly intrigued me enough to make me want to continue following Cat on her adventures.
As a brief note, the tone at times was a bit dry, and the action lukewarm, so it didn't have everything you could ask for in a fantasy novel. This can make for slow reading, although it didn't really detract all that much from the overall appeal of the book, at least for me. The plot's packed with sufficient intrigue, betrayal, and romance to keep the pages turning, and while Cat's narration may not always have the easy flow of a character speaking in a modern dialect, it does help to maintain a certain level of consistency in the reader's feel of the time period and thus add to the textured feel of the fictional world. Overall I enjoyed Cold Magic and was eager to continue to follow Cat's journey in Cold Fire.
4720407
Not bad.

Unlike some of the complaints I've heard, I actually very much appreciated the personalities and dynamics of each character and feel like they didn't do too bad of a job reflecting the different elements each personality was supposed to represent.

Clementine was a decent heroine with a confusing past (if you can even call it a past) and an unsure future. Her mother is gone, her home is gone, nearly ten years of her life are gone and now she's come back to a brand new world and a brand new body to discover that, other than her two childhood friends, no one seems to remember that she ever existed. Her world is unsure, strange, and a bit on the creepy side. A crazy man lives across the street, there's a "too magical for its own good" hollow just a few pastures away, and people seem to be pleased with themselves for hating her.

Some great inclusion (without being over the top) of "witchy" elements such as the 5 pointed star, what each point represents, and then the tarot deck. A bit of a grittier and less fantastical depiction of magic, or the "craft" as its called, without getting too outrageous.

A great depiction of how blind and ignorant hate can get people carried away to doing awful things.

Was hoping for something a bit more robust, and was interested in learning more about each of the "humors", how they effected their people, and what each individual was actually capable of all around, but it didn't expound on that. The author didn't go into much detail about the connection between Clementine and Fisher, either, though they dreamed about each other from a young age and for years.

The romance between Clementine and Fisher actually seemed rather realistic considering their circumstances, individual personalities, and their connection to separate "humors". Their "spiritual" connection was never fully explained, though, and Fisher's behavior towards Clementine in the presence of others was quite teenagery in the beginning, though he seems to make up for it later. Again, would have liked a little more explanation about what in the world was going on with these two in particular.

Basically I would be expecting a second book, but I'm pretty sure this is a Stand-Alone, so I'm a bit disappointed not to get to learn more.

However, the book wasn't anywhere near horrible and I do quite enjoy Brenna Yovanoff's style. If there ever was a second book in this series, I would read it. I do also plan on reading her other works.

Certainly worth the read.
3631549
Melissa Caruso's "The Tethered Mage" (Book 1 of new series, Swords and Fire) was more enjoyable than I had expected. I kind of expected the usual YA fantasy of cute girl with special powers meets up with cute boy and they have to save the world. This story is somewhat in that vein but there are worthwhile twists that keep it all interesting.

Amalia Cornaro is aristocracy in the Raverran Empire. Her mother is powerful politically so Lady Amalia is expected to be politically astute (or learn to be) because that is her heritage. From the first chapter's opening salvo, she saves a town from being incinerated. This event changes her current course as the person who nearly incinerated the town has magical power which means she is meant to conscripted in the Raverran army and given Amalia's actions have linked to the girl so she too is tied to the army.

Oh and there is a cute guy. And this all happens in the first chapter.

I liked Amalia and cute guy Marcello, but the one with the bite is Zaira, the thief with the mage-mark who has tried to avoid being conscripted into the army by hiding her power. That's the thing with this story. Perhaps the three do need to help save Raverra but with its nasty politics and nastier leaders, you wonder if it is worth it.

That's probably what I liked best. Even if it was telegraphed early on who the baddies are, it isn't like Amalia and Marcello work for good people either. Zaira is a reminder that it is a crap hand that she's been dealt all because of Raverra's laws. So there is that constant push-pull while reading that made it all the more interesting to me.

I'm a little disappointed that the next book seems to be from Amalia's first person narration again. I was kind of hoping that we'd get Zaira's narration but there is probably a good reason for it and as such, I still look forward to the next book.
942728
A nice little fantasy about a farm boy who finds himself in a connected world where he a Mage. The only thing I didn't like was that I found it a little repetitious at times. Other characters kept going on about how he could do things that had never been done before and was changing magic as they knew it. There was a lot of talk about practicing different spells and changing them. The characters were interesting and you came to care for the good guys and hate the bad guys. Over all a diverting read.
1555496
This is a fast-paced, well-plotted book with some truly magical moments. It provides a plausible background and sequel to the legend of the Pied Piper. I am giving it only four stars for two reasons, one minor and one major.

The minor problem is one that might have the intended audience of pre-teens giggling: to create a suitable wounded man (the Fisher King or Grail Knight or whatever) to carry the story, Ms Weatherill gives Finn (who has been disobedient) a curse that makes him bleed for three days and three nights every month. Has this author, who is apparently female, never heard of menstruation, sometimes called The Curse? Why bleed for  three days and nights, and why monthly (at the end of which he feels really bad about his body and his mood ...) ?

The major problem has to do with the switch in perspective among characters. Normally, I don't mind this, and it is pretty effective in this case. However, it ends up putting this story (like the classic "The Secret Garden" and Cunningham's "The Hours," to name a few of many examples) in the category of heroine stories hijacked by male characters. Many readers finish "The Secret Garden" wondering whatever happened to Mary, the little orphan girl whose story the reader follows for most of the book. The really important story in "The Secret Garden" ends up being about a boy who, with the quasi-magical assistance of another boy, gains the use of his legs and achieves a positive relationship with his father. The same thing happens in "Wild Magic." Marianna, a fairly plucky girl, has a good run of following the piper and getting turned into a fox, but she's not important to the story once her brother's perspective takes over. Once again, the boy, with the quasi-magical assistance of another boy, gains the use of his legs and achieves a  positive relationship with his father. (There are no living mothers in either tale. As they say, you can't have a mother and an adventure ...) To add insult to injury, it turns out that Marianna has a little bit of useful magic herself, but it's not as big or interesting as her brother's magic. She's not important to the story any more, and she (unlike her brother) won't get any more adventures.

I think most kids won't pick up on these problems. Certainly most boys won't. But I can't recommend the book whole-heartedly to girls.