HideAuthor: Bailey Bradford Title: Hide Series: Spotless 1 Genre: Paranormal Fantasy Pairing: M/M Rating: One Petal On the Author's Website: http://baileybradford.com/books/spotless/hide/#.WNfvvI61uHo Summary: When you think you’ll never fit it, never be whole, love can show you a truth you’ve never seen. Adal has been abused all of his life. The only person who cared for him was his brother, Steven. Without him, Adal would have been killed long ago. After he and Steven are sent on a mission for their twisted father, they learn they’ve been pawns in an evil plot all along. And that their father has been slowly killing them, one pill at a time. Steven leaves Adal to seek revenge and secure safety for them in the world. Adal is astounded to find out he has a mate. A halfbreed like him shouldn’t have anyone to love, should he? Dorso Rodriguez doesn’t know what hit him, literally or figuratively. A fun-loving guy, he wakes up with a knot on his head and a strange, sexy, scarred man who’s scared and defiant and intriguing. Together they embark on a journey to defeat the demons from Adal’s past. Maggie's Review:
I received this book as an ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Dorso wakes up with a big bump on his head and Adal next to him, claiming they're mates. Dorso had gotten mixed up in Adal's effort to save his friends, but he doesn't mind because Adal is the man he's always been searching for. Except, defeating Adal's father and overcoming his past might just be too much for them both. If there is a cliche or stereotype about shapeshifters, it was found in this book. Insta-love, insta-sex, mind reading, sharing feelings, evil father who is also the alpha, etc., it was all in there. Dorso and Adal have sex before they've even asked for each other's names because the mating bond has tied them together. The utter cheesiness of it all cheapened their relationship and made all the other struggles they would have to endure for their relationship to continue feel utterly ridiculous. The author tried to inject some seriousness into the story, but then Dorso started calling Adal honey (who at this point he had known for all of twenty minutes and had sex with twice in that time frame) and I started laughing and ended up putting the book down. The worst part of the book was the sex because it was used as the only means for character building. If the sex were in conjunction with other means to give the characters depth, I could have accepted it, but every time we learn something about one of the characters it's during a sex scene. Normally if the sex scenes are poorly written I'm happy enough to skip them and get back to the plot, but since the plot was occurring only during the sex I found myself missing large chunks of the book. It wasn't worth struggling on, so I'm sad to say I was not able to finish reading this book. Maggie's Recommendation: I couldn't finish reading this book. Every single cliche or stereotype about shapeshifters I can think of was squeezed into the first few chapters and the author unfortunately used sex as the means for character and plot building instead of actual writing finesse. Overall, this book was very poorly written and I therefore cannot recommend it.
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Recipe for Magic Author: Agatha Bird Title: Recipe for Magic Series: None Genre: High Fantasy Pairing: M/M Rating: Four Petals On the Author's Website: http://www.agathabird.com/ Summary: Connor Roth is a fire mage who’s going places. He's powerful, popular, and he has a plan. But his plan for fame and glory is disrupted when the Oracle sticks him with Landyn Glendower for Senior Trial. This is an act unprecedented in their school's history. Landyn is a water mage, and everyone knows mages with opposing elements can’t work magic together. Connor is left with a choice: work alone and fail or swallow his pride and work with Landyn to find a way to combine their magic in a display the Archmages will never forget—if they don't get kicked out of school in the process. Maggie's Review:
Connor Roth is arrogant and brash, but given his magical power over fire and his magical lineage he has every right to be. Until the Oracle pairs him with Landyn, a nobody who has water magic. Except, Connor quickly realizes that making assumptions really does make him an ass and his arrogance might not be deserved. The question is, will he learn those lessons in time for the trials he has to work with Landyn on? I regularly check Agatha's website to see if there has been an update to Greg the Vampire (which I desperately want to be completed) and happened to see that Recipe for Magic had been released a while ago. I immediately started reading and I have to say that I loved every bit of this book. The characterizations were so vibrant that I was laughing along with their jokes and crying along with their pain. I was immediately pulled into the story because of how much depth Connor and Landyn both had and because of how interesting the changing dynamic between them was. The plot itself was well-written, but it felt a little lacking in comparison. It was short and sweet, and I definitely enjoyed reading it, but it was also completely predictable. There weren't any twists and every turn I foresaw coming. I know that this was a young adult novella and the plot in many ways reflected that, but I can't help wishing that this were a short story prologue to a longer, more in-depth series to come. Maggie's Recommendation: I've been reading Agatha's online works for years and was overjoyed to learn about this book being published. It was definitely worth that joy as the characterizations pulled me into what was a truly wonderful story. The plot lacked depth, and I can't help hoping that there might be a larger series to come, but overall this was a fun, quick read and I definitely recommend it. The Merman's Kiss Author: Tamsin Ley Title: The Merman's Kiss Series: Mates for Monsters Genre: Paranormal Fantasy Pairing: M/F Rating: One Petal On the Author's Website: http://mates4monsters.com/ Summary: Even monsters need a mate. After the death of her child, Brianna seeks to end her life within the ocean’s final embrace. Instead, she falls into the arms of a sexy, sleek-tailed monster. He’s wild, seductive, and sets her blood on fire every time he touches her, and soon she begins to need him for more than his magic to breathe underwater. He might just give her a new reason to live. Zantu has evaded the mate-bond for thirty-five years, dodging promiscuous mermaids with vile intents. Unlike mermaids, mermen bond for life, and Zantu refuses to accept the heartbreak most mermen die of. That is, until the glint of gold catches his eye, and a simple salvage mission turns to passion. Now he’s bonded to a human, and begins to wonder if bonding to the right mate might not be so bad. The problem? A finless female won’t live long among the dangers of the sea. Now Zantu must choose between keeping her at his side, and keeping her safe. Either way, he’s sure he’ll end up with a broken heart. Maggie's Review:
I received this book as an ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Brianna is depressed because her baby was stillborn and her husband's emotionless so she tries to kill herself. Zantu happens upon her as she's drowning and the mate bond between them is in place before he even realizes it. Brianna's chances of surviving the underwater world as a human dwindle every day, but Zantu giving her a chance at life by returning her to the human world still means losing her forever. The second scene of this story begins with Brianna jumping into the ocean with weights tied around her waist. She can't live with her husband and her lost child any longer so she decides to end it. Yet, as she reaches the bottom she realizes that maybe she wants to live after all. Somehow in her desperate attempts to untie the ropes she manages to take off all her clothes, which means she's completely naked when Zantu happens to swim by. They have sex immediately despite the fact that Brianna is drowning and of course it's the best sex Brianna has ever experienced in her life. If you're noticing a touch of sarcasm there, you're right. After reading this scene I put the book down and refused to pick it up again. Using attempted suicide as a plot device to allow the two main characters to have sex is boorish and, quite frankly, disgusting. Additionally, the writing was so poor that Brianna's emotional state that led her to such a drastic act wasn't the least bit believable. She didn't read as depressed or desperate, instead she read as selfish and extremely one dimensional. Maggie's Recommendation: After reading the first two scenes of this book I put it down and refused to pick it up again. The writing was extremely poor and using suicide as a plot device to allow the two main characters to have sex was completely disgusting. I absolutely do not recommend this book. Arrows Fletched with Peacock Feathers Author: Claudia Quint Title: Arrows Fletched with Peacock Feathers Series: Part of LT3's My Dearest Enemy Collection Genre: High Fantasy Pairing: M/M, M/F, Poly (M/M/F) Rating: Two Petals On the Author's Website: https://claudiaquint.wordpress.com/biblography/ Summary: Notthingham suffers under the ruthless enforcement of the Sheriff, who is determined to live up to his title and forget the difficult childhood that left him orphaned and destitute. Then a charismatic bandit named Robin Hood crashes through his bedroom window and leaves the Sheriff's ordered world thoroughly shattered—and threatens to steal the Sheriff's not so hardened heart. Maggie's Review:
I received this book as an ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Working as the Sheriff of Notthingham is a thankless job when the Prince and the Abbot are bent on sucking the people dry through excessive taxation and it's the sheriff's job to collect those taxes. Then Robin Hood appears, stealing from the rich and getting into the hearts of everyone, including the sheriff whose job it is to catch and hang Robin. The sheriff knows it can't end well. The premise for this story was very interesting, but the execution unfortunately less so. I did enjoy the characterizations. The struggle the sheriff had to go through regarding what he had to do for his job for the Prince and Abbot versus what he had to do to keep the people safe was very interesting. That struggle is probably the only reason I finished reading this, thankfully short, story. My biggest issue with this story was the writing style. It was overly flowery as if the author was trying to prove their worth as a writer by using big words and as many metaphors as humanly possible. One of the ones that had me snorting with disgusted laughter was when the author called a sip of wine "divine fermentation". The problem with this type of writing style is that it reads as very fake, as if the author was more interested in the words on the page than on the soul of the book. There was also a lot of telling instead of showing in this story. For example, one of the integral things that guided the sheriff's life was an ongoing tryst he had with a monk prior to becoming the sheriff. Instead of a proper flashback with all the desperately needed character building and emotion, the author instead summed up the scene in a few short sentences. The story lacked in depth, emotion, and anything for the reader to connect with because of that. Maggie's Recommendation: The premise of the book of the sheriff versus Robin Hood is one I was anxious to read, but after reading it I cannot recommend it. The language was overly flowery, there were more metaphors than emotion, and most of the story lacked flow thanks to too much telling instead of showing. Daja's Book Author: Tamora Pierce Title: Daja's Book Series: Circle of Magic 3 Genre: High Fantasy Pairing: None Rating: Three Petals On the Author's Website: http://www.tamora-pierce.net/books/dajas-book/ Summary: Outcast Trader Daja, along with her fellow mages-in-training, journeys from Winding Circle to the Gold Ridge Mountains, where drought threatens widespread famine. There, Daja creates an astonishing object: a living metal vine, and Daja's dealings with her former people reawaken a longing for familiar ways. Daja must choose - should she return to the Traders or remain with the Winding Circle folk who have become her family? Maggie's Review:
As a Trader exiled from her people because of her perceived bad luck, Daja has learned to live in happiness with her new family at Winding Circle. When her magic accidentally creates a living tree made out of metal in front of a Trader, the Trader's can't help wanting to buy it and Daja can't help wondering if she could leave her new life to return to being the Trader she once was. Every single scene where the Traders had to find a way to talk to Daja, which they couldn't do directly or risk contracting her bad luck, was so interesting to read. The culture and traditions involved that eventually allowed Daja to start the lengthy process of trading her living tree were so detailed I couldn't help believing in their fear and sympathizing with Daja. This is the first book where the emotion of the characters began to fill every page, instead of just the occasional scene. What I find particularly compelling about this book and this series is the diversity. Daja is black, Tris and Sandry are white, and Briar is somewhere in between, but their skin color doesn't matter in the least. Every color of the human rainbow is effortlessly represented, but in such a way that the normality of having people of so many different skin colors coexisting in harmony is woven into the page. Reading it here and loving what I was reading made me yearn to have that happiness represented in the real world. Maggie's Recommendation: This book is the first in the series where the emotions of the characters began to fill the pages, which I loved. I also really loved the amount of diversity and the normality of it, which is such an unfortunate rarity in our world. I definitely recommend this book. Sparkwood Author: Daria Defore Title: Sparkwood Series: Part of LT3's My Dearest Enemy Collection Genre: Paranormal Fantasy Pairing: M/M, Bi Rating: Three Petals On the Author's Website: https://dariadefore.squarespace.com/sparkwood Summary: Finn has never trusted fairies, so it's no surprise to him when his twin brother turns up dead, probably by magical means. What he doesn't expect is an invitation to the funeral—in the fairy realm—and a chance to find out who killed him. Investigating Luke's death is probably the stupidest thing Finn has ever done, and soon he's up to his neck in fairy trouble. In the midst of it all is Robin, the fairy who's supposed to be watching out for him—but who just might have had something to do with Luke's death. Maggie's Review:
I received this book as an ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. When his twin is killed by fairies, Finn wants nothing more than to find the murderer and bring them to justice. When he's invited to the funeral the fairies are holding, Finn goes in the hopes of solving the mystery. Instead, Finn is accidentally embroiled in fairy politics and he quickly starts to realize that the longer he stays with the fairies, the sooner he'll end up dead like his brother. I enjoyed the world building of this story a lot. The differences between the human town named Sparkwood versus the fairy town also named Sparkwood were very interesting. I particularly liked how the fairies tried to emulate the human side, but everything was just slightly off so Finn kept getting lost. The way the fairies were described with the strange eyes and the way they walk provided a lot of depth to the overall story. While I did enjoy reading this book, I never felt like I was compelled to continue with it. It was missing a hook to yank me into the story. Part of that was because I couldn't identify with Finn. He's sullen and confused and generally unlikable, which made it difficult for me to follow his story. The relationship with Robin never gelled for me either. Maggie's Recommendation: I really liked the world building of the fairies in this story and the depth it provided, however I couldn't connect with any of the characters, which made it difficult to finish. I do recommend it because overall I did enjoy reading this book. The Backstagers Author: James Tynion IV Illustrator: Rian Sygh Title: The Backstagers Vol. 1 Series: The Backstagers Genre: Paranormal Fantasy Pairing: Unknown Rating: Three Petals On the Author's Website: http://blog.boom-studios.com/2016/07/the-backstagers/ Summary: All the world's a stage . . . but what happens behind the curtain is pure magic literally! When Jory transfers to an all-boys private high school, he s taken in by the only ones who don t treat him like a new kid, the lowly stage crew known as the Backstagers. Not only does he gain great, lifetime friends, Jory is also introduced to an entire magical world that lives beyond the curtain. With the unpredictable twists and turns of the underground world, the Backstagers venture into the unknown, determined to put together the best play their high school has ever seen. Maggie's Review:
I received this book as an ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. In a first for Magnolia Reviews, I am reviewing a graphic novel made available on Netgalley. Unfortunately, the Netgalley version of this title only offered the first twenty-five pages of the story. I was essentially given the first chapter and told to provide a full review. I was able to get a feel of the characters and the plot, but it honestly wasn't enough. I can say that I did enjoy what little I was given and that I absolutely would like to read more, but without the full story I can't give this book anything higher than three petals. Jory is feeling upset and alone after his mother changes jobs and he has to start at a new school. His mother insists he join a club to make some friends, so Jory heads to the theater club hoping to become an actor. Then he meets the cliquish and rude actors and is sent to retrieve an item for them. He heads backstage where he is introduced to a strange world of magic. I've been where Jory was, walking onto the stage for the school musical and being ignored by the snobby actors because I was a mere costume designer. The book over-emphasizes the level of snobbery to a slightly ridiculous amount, but I found myself empathizing with Jory regardless. I liked him as a character and found the rest of the people working backstage to be equally interesting. The rest of the story I had issues with. The strange magic backstage is never explained, nor are the rest of the characters given full introductions. Without that needed information the story falls completely flat. The lack is most likely because most of that happens in chapter two and I was only provided chapter one. Maggie's Recommendation: Recommending this story is very hard because I was only provided the first twenty-five pages on Netgalley. I liked what I was given, and the characters and magic were definitely interesting, but without the full story I can't say whether the overall book was good or not. I'll let you make your own decision when the full story eventually comes out. The Northern Heart Author: Sasha L. Miller Title: The Northern Heart Series: Kingdom Curses 2 Genre: High Fantasy Pairing: M/M Rating: Three Petals On the Author's Website: http://www.sashalmiller.com/?page_id=281 Summary: Several weeks ago Emmerich saved the royal family—but at great cost to himself. He keeps going into trances and wandering off, and the problem is getting worse. If they don't figure out a solution soon, whatever's wrong will kill him. As if that's not enough, the person stuck babysitting him is a man he desperately wishes had wanted him for more than one night. Pearce is at his wits end trying to save the man he cares about. Nothing he tries helps for more than a moment, and each time Emmerich falls asleep and slips into a trance, bringing him back out requires greater and greater magic—if the trance doesn't kill him first, waking him most certainly will. Maggie's Review:
I received this book as an ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. After Emmerich saved the royal family in the prequel, he's been afflicted with a strange sort of curse. He can't access his magic and he randomly goes into a trance. To figure out what's wrong with him, Emmerich is sent to the northern wall with Pearce, a man tasked with helping to heal the broken wall and whatever has been broken inside Emmerich. Yet, the magic at play is much more involved than a simple curse, so saving Emmerich and the country might not be possible. This should have been a four star review. Everything about this book was wonderful. The characterizations were dynamic and interesting with each person having a unique personality. I also really liked the world building where magic and different cultures meld seamlessly, or not so seamlessly as the case with the elves has turned out to be. The plot was also well written, with interesting twists and turns I didn't see coming. All of that was more than sufficient for this book to absolutely deserve all four stars, however there were two serious issues I had to dock a star for. The first was the lack of description. I looked closely and not once did I see a single description of Emmerich or Pearce. What colors are their eyes or their hair, or what shape are their noses? I understand that they were most likely described in the prequel, but just because this is a continuous series doesn't mean readers don't need the reminder. I purposefully reread Heart of the Kingdom, the prequel, in preparation for The Northern Heart, but even with only a few days between reading I couldn't remember what Pearce looked like at all. Certainly there doesn't have to be as much detail provided if there is a lot of description about a character's looks in a previous book, but there absolutely has to be something and The Northern Heart didn't have it. Second, the ending was so abrupt that I found myself flipping back and forward on the last pages of my ebook to double check that I hadn't missed something. As I was reading I was getting all hyped up for a big battle as the final climax to the story, and then it ends. I don't doubt there will be a sequel at some point, but this wasn't a cliffhanger. Had it been, I might have been willing to wait for the next book to see what happens, but now I'm not even certain whether the next book will have the missing battle. At the very least, The Northern Heart needed an epilogue of some sort to tie the ends together. Maggie's Recommendation: The characterizations, the world building, and the plot were all phenomenal and made for a great read, however the lack of description and the abrupt ending hurt my overall enjoyment of this book. I do recommend it, but I can't help hoping the next book in the series will be better. Author: Rob Thurman Title: Basilisk Series: The Korsak Brothers 2 Genre: Sci-Fi Pairing: M/F Rating: Four Petals On the Author's Website: http://robthurman.net/new/the-chimera-novels/ Summary: Stefan Korsak and his genetically-altered brother have evaded the Institute for three years. When they learn the new location of the secret lab, they plan to break in and save the remaining children there. But one of the little ones doesn't want to leave. She wants to kill... Maggie's Review:
Stefan and Misha have settled into a new, quiet life in hiding. The institute where Misha was held captive wants him back and the members of the mafiya Stefan abandoned are equally eager to find him. Life in hiding is boring, but it's a type of boring Stefan and Misha have learned to appreciate, until boring suddenly becomes dangerous. I can't tell you how many times I've reread this book. Mostly that's because of how much I enjoy reading the characterizations. Stefan, Misha, and Zilla are so engaging and their antics so much fun. I also liked how Thurman managed to pull humor into everything that was going on no matter how dire the situation. The plot itself was a bit rough for me. It feels a little jumpy every time Misha tells things to Stefan, but not to the reader, or Misha tells the reader he's hiding something, but doesn't tell the reader what that might be. It adds to the suspense, yet at the same time the convention of it is a little frustrating. Maggie's Recommendation: I've lost count of how many times I've reread this book. The characters are so engaging and the humor in the story is so much fun. The plot can feel a bit jumpy at times, but overall I always enjoy reading this story and absolutely recommend it. Stolen Ink Author: Holly Evans Title: Stolen Ink Series: Ink Born 1 Genre: High Fantasy Pairing: M/M Rating: Three Petals On the Author's Website: https://chaosfoxwriting.wordpress.com/books/ Summary: I’m Dacian, a tattoo magician, and my life went from my biggest concern being finding a pretty guy to fall into bed with at the end of the week to everything falling apart around me. There are two problems in my life. Number one – I’m an ink magician, the thing of myths. A lot of very powerful people would love to get their hands on me, and I have no intention of letting that happen. Number two – A tattoo thief came to my city, and the magical community has decided that I’m the guy to stop them. Somehow, I have to catch the thief without letting my secret out of the bag, and that’s even harder than it sounds. Maggie's Review:
I received this book as an ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Dacian is an ink magician, a type of magic so rare that he is forced to hide what he is in order to stay out of the clutches of the government so they don't try to take advantage of his powers. He hides himself as a simple tattoo magician, bringing to life the tattoos underneath people's skin. Then Dacian learns he's not the only ink magician in town, except the other one is stealing tattoos and killing people. Stopping him is the only way to save Dacian's family, but doing so might reveal his secrets to the world. The entire concept of the tattoo art in this book was magnificent. The idea that a tattoo is a calling from underneath a person's skin and when the tattoo is ready to be revealed a person goes to a tattoo magician to bring the animal free. One of Dacian's tattoos is a cat who is sometimes a picture under his skin and at other times is roaming around killing mice like any non-magical cat. Other tattoos instead allow a person to shapeshift. It's a very elaborate system of magic and somehow Dacian's power as an ink magician ties in. That was the part of the story I was disappointed with. There is so much wonderful description of the world building and the various magics in that world, yet when Dacian is trying to learn how to better control his own ink magic, the only description given as to how he learned a new bit of power is that he read it in a book. I was also disappointed in the sudden time skip without explanation. The skip needed to happen in order for Dacian to gain control over his power, yet there was no depth given as to why the bad guy had suddenly stopped killing for that length of time. It felt a bit like a cop-out. Maggie's Review: This story had some of the most unique and intricate magical systems I've read in a while and I really enjoyed learning about them, but they lacked description on a personal level. I do recommend this story because I enjoyed reading it, but I'm hoping for a little more depth into the magic types in the sequel. |
Magnolia's Reviews
Maggie reviews paranormal and fantasy novels and novellas. She also interviews authors and hosts giveaways. Archives
April 2018
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