Spell Weaver Author: Megan Derr Title: Spell Weaver Series: Part of LT3's Peacock Collection Genre: Fantasy Pairing: M/M Rating: Four Petals On the Author's Website: This book is not currently posted on the author's website. Summary: Myka's dream was to someday own his shop, making and spelling suits that were prized throughout the world. Instead, he rejected an apprenticeship with a master who proved to be reprehensible—and untouchable—and lost everything. Now, he works in a derelict shop in the wrong part of town, and it's only a matter of time before he's caught spelling without a license or thrown out by his odious landlord. The only bright part of his days are the occasional visits from his best client, Johan, a man who works in the palace and always brings the finest suits to have spelled. When he accidentally leaves behind an invitation to the royal ball, Myka takes it, determined to have one evening where he can enjoy himself—and perhaps even spend time with Johan as something other than a spell weaver. Maggie's Review:
I received this book as an ARC through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The fairy tale plot is one Derr does well and despite writing many different stories set in that theme every single one Derr releases reads as unique and interesting. Spell Weaver is another such book. Myka is a poor tailor, except his job isn't to sew suits, it's to sew spells. Every stitch he puts into a suit adds a layer of magic that Myka skillfully weaves to make his clothing even more exotic. The magic in the book was definitely the best part. I've never read about someone adding spells to clothing with so much depth before and the way Derr included even minor details like the gloves the highest caliber of spell weavers wear to denote their rank was wonderfully written. However, the magic in the book was also limiting in a way. Derr built a world around Myka, his shop, and his magic, but it was clear from the first moment that there was a much wider world to explore. There were hints of possibilities, of additional magics and peoples out there, but Derr kept this story entirely confined to this one, singular bit of magic. It felt like this story could go to amazing heights with just a touch more depth to the world, and instead it remained simply good and entertaining. The limiting works because this is clearly meant to be only a short story, but the squandered potential is a shame. I also enjoyed the romance in the book. Myka is mooning over Johan, who brings his suits to be spelled at Myka's shop. As with most fairy tales, circumstances occurred that allowed Myka to go to the ball and maybe find his true love. The romance was sweet, with enough depth to be believable, and I liked how Myka and Johan worked together. Maggie's Recommendation: Spell Weaver is yet another wonderful fairy tale themed story from Derr. It is unique with interesting magic and a well-formed romance. I did think the depth to the world building was a touch lacking, but overall I enjoyed reading this story and I do recommend it.
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Discount Armageddon Author: Seanan McGuire Title: Discount Armageddon Series: InCryptid 1 Genre: Paranormal Pairing: M/F Rating: Four Petals On the Author's Website: http://seananmcguire.com/da.php Summary: Ghoulies. Ghosties. Long-legged beasties. Things that go bump in the night... The Price family has spent generations studying the monsters of the world, working to protect them from humanity—and humanity from them. Enter Verity Price. Despite being trained from birth as a cryptozoologist, she'd rather dance a tango than tangle with a demon, and is spending a year in Manhattan while she pursues her career in professional ballroom dance. Sounds pretty simple, right? It would be, if it weren't for the talking mice, the telepathic mathematicians, the asbestos supermodels, and the trained monster-hunter sent by the Price family's old enemies, the Covenant of St. George. When a Price girl meets a Covenant boy, high stakes, high heels, and a lot of collateral damage are almost guaranteed. To complicate matters further, local cryptids are disappearing, strange lizard-men are appearing in the sewers, and someone's spreading rumors about a dragon sleeping underneath the city... Maggie's Review:
Discount Armageddon is difficult to describe. It's a study in contrasts. Verity, the main character, is a hardened cryptozoologist who spends her nights prowling the rooftops of New York City looking for magical creatures. She helps those that are in trouble and kills those looking to make trouble. Yet, she's also a professional ballroom dancer. The balance between getting the tango competition right and finding a costume that will allow her to hide a gun just in case was very interesting. The humor in the book was also an interesting balance McGuire managed. Between the constantly celebrating mice, the ridiculous issues Verity kept running into, and the constant jokes scattered through the pages this book should have come across as irreverent, yet somehow the book managed to stay serious enough that when there were difficulties that by necessity were devoid of humor I wasn't totally thrown by the sudden difference. It takes a lot of skill to keep that balance. Overall I did enjoy the plot of this book. I believed in Verity's cause to keep the magical creatures of the world safe and her fight to keep the dragon from destroying the city was also well formed. I particularly liked the depth to the world building: there were mentions of her family fighting magical creatures in multiple states as well as other magical instances occurring around the world. Every mention outside of Verity's small slice of the world added believably to the sometimes ridiculous things she encountered, which kept the story grounded. I was less impressed with the romance in the book. Dominic De Luca is essentially a giant cliche. He's a very handsome man, strong, and raised by the bad guys so his brain's a little scrambled. All Verity needs to do is show him the light and suddenly he's her lover. There is some depth to him, but it wasn't really explored in this story. I'm hoping that is something McGuire will be rectifying in a future book in the series. Maggie's Recommendation: I do recommend this book. It was funny without going over the top and the plot was interesting. The romance needed a touch more depth to be believable, but overall I enjoyed reading this book. Wet Heat Author: R.D. Hero Title: Wet Heat Series: None Genre: Paranormal Fantasy Pairing: M/M Rating: Two Petals On the Author's Website: http://www.rdhero.com/book/wet-heat/ Summary: Most omega werewolves want a mate and pups, but Lee Aung prefers an unconventional party-boy lifestyle. Yet at forty-two, he’s stopped going into heat, which means he’s expired goods—no longer a fertile, young omega that alpha wolves drool over. So Lee uses Wet Heat, a synthetic pheromone, to reel in the alpha hookups. After losing his job at the bank, Lee can’t afford to keep up his Wet Heat habit. His solution: scam free samples by pretending to be a happily mated test subject at Wet Heat headquarters. There, Lee spends two years being interviewed by the reserved alpha scientist, Cain, who at thirty-two is unmated and—up until this point—content with that. Cain never really felt his alpha instincts, nor took part in the usual alpha/beta/omega social dynamics. But after discovering that Lee has been lying about his unmated status for two years, Cain finally admits that for the first time, he wants to court an omega. Unfortunately, he’s picked the one omega who doesn’t want to be courted. Maggie's Review:
I received this book as an ARC through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Wet Heat was a very odd book. I liked it, I think, but it was definitely strange. Lee is an omega wolf, which means he's supposed to be weak and needy. That's okay because alpha wolves are programmed to do everything in their power to help the omega wolves in whatever way they need. That means if Lee is standing at the side of the road looking forlornly at a line of cabs, an alpha wolf that Lee has never met before in his life will ensure Lee gets a cab and will pay for it too. It sounds kind of ridiculous as I'm writing it, but Hero made it feel realistic in the story. Her characters were easily the best part and their belief in the way the system works helped make me believe it. I did have a number of issues with the story. Foremost was the total lack of world building. Hero delves into the dynamic between alpha and omega over and over again as if hammering home a point, yet never fully explains what type of creatures these people are. They are human in shape, yet they're called wolves. There was no indication that they change shape, and I couldn't tell if the entire world was comprised of these creatures or whether regular humans lived with them too. It was a bit confusing, to be honest, and threw me out of the story a few times when I got distracted trying to figure it out. The abruptness of the romance also threw me. You have one guy, an alpha, who appears to be Ace and another guy, Lee, who wants nothing more than to play the field and have fun. That's why Lee goes to so much effort to get wet heat. Yet, the second these two men meet in a romantic context suddenly they're perfect for each other and they can't fall into bed and what is essentially marriage in this culture any faster. There was some drama and whining that slowed it down somewhat, but there was no doubt in my mind where they were going to end up. Admittedly, Hero did try to explain it somewhat, but it got lost underneath yet another hammering of the role of the alpha versus omega. Maggie's Recommendation: Overall I did like this book, however it had a large number of flaws. The world building was almost non-existent and the romance was far too contrived. Should Hero write another book set in this world and include the world building this story lacked, I might change my review. I do recommend this story because it is an enjoyable read. Fire Touched Author: Patricia Briggs Title: Fire Touched Series: Mercy Thompson 9 Genre: Paranormal Pairing: M/F Rating: Five Petals On the Author's Website: http://hurog.com/books/ Summary: Tensions between the fae and humans are coming to a head. And when coyote shapeshifter Mercy and her Alpha werewolf mate, Adam, are called upon to stop a rampaging troll, they find themselves with something that could be used to make the fae back down and forestall out-and-out war: a human child stolen long ago by the fae. Defying the most powerful werewolf in the country, the humans, and the fae, Mercy, Adam, and their pack choose to protect the boy no matter what the cost. But who will protect them from a boy who is fire touched? Maggie's Review:
At this point in the series things are beginning to settle down. The romance has been established, the villains all put into play, and the politics that surrounds the conflict has long ago been explained. Even the magic, which is intricate and very interesting, does not require any further explanation. This is the point in a series when some authors rest on their laurels and let the hard work of the previous books carry the subsequent ones. When that happens, books can become boring and repetitive to the point that I have stopped reading a series I ended up falling out of love with. Luckily, Briggs doesn't fall into that trap. Mercy knows things aren't over. The politics between the fey, the werewolves, and the rest of the world are in flux and she is caught right in the middle of it. When a troll decides to destroy a bridge, she quickly realizes that there are much more than three players in the game. The fey are fractured into many different groups each with their own nasty agenda. If she and the ones she loves are going to survive, Mercy will need to find a path through the crazy politics and magic. I thought everything about this book was amazingly crafted. There is a ton of depth and emotion, as well as humor that had me laughing out loud. Nudge. I liked the new magic that Briggs added with the human child and the dynamics he brought to Mercy's home, so nothing felt stagnant at all. I did think the ending was a little too easy, that Mercy was able to figure it all out far simpler than her usual exploits, yet I also finished the book with the feeling that it wasn't actually over yet. There is clearly so much more to come with this series and I am eagerly awaiting the next book. Maggie's Recommendation: I highly recommend this book and the entire series. The magic that was introduced in the book was very interesting and I enjoyed the overall plot a lot. This book gave me the feeling that there was so much more to come in the future, which only makes me exited for the next book even more. Damned If You Do Author: Marie Sexton Title: Damned If You Do Series: None Genre: Paranormal Pairing: M/M Rating: Four Petals On the Author's Website: http://mariesexton.net/books/book-list/damned-if-you-do Summary: The path to temptation is paved with a hellish amount of paperwork.Soul acquisition is a drag, but if Abaddon doesn’t catch up on his quota, he could bedemoted to scooping poop for the Hounds of Hell. With a deadline hanging over him, he heads for the Bible Belt, looking for the perfect combination of sweetness and challenge.Seth is a blind musician, part of a traveling tent revival. He’s cute, mystically talented, and quotes the Bible at every turn. His soul is pure enough to fill Abaddon’s quota for months to come, and Abaddon is determined to claim it.The problem? There’s the revival foreman who watches Abaddon’s every move.Then there’s the mystery of Seth’s many unusual talents. Lastly, there’s Abaddon himself.He’s beginning to like Seth a bit too much. Maybe Seth deserves something better than damnation.But Hell’s agenda isn’t negotiable, and time is running out. If Abaddon doesn’t play his cards right, he could condemn both of them to the worst fate of all—an eternity apart. Maggie's Review:
I received this book as an ARC through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Damned If You Do was equal parts hypocrisy and hilarity, which made it a fun read all around. Seth lives in a revival that swindles people out of their money through religion. Yet, Seth honestly and truly believes in God and the teachings of the bible. When Abaddon ascends from Hell to find a pure soul to corrupt in order to maintain his quota, he can't help being drawn to Seth's beautiful soul. The push and pull between Hell's quota, Seth's righteousness, and Abaddon's need to figure Seth out made for a very interesting and engaging story. The best part of this book was definitely the descriptions of Hell. Abaddon constantly had to deal with a perpetually full inbox at work, endless paperwork and red tape to jump through, constantly noisy neighbors, and a terrible commute to and from work. Meeting Seth was so jarringly different I immediately believed it when Abaddon couldn't make himself take Seth's soul. The story only blossomed from there. My only complaint about this book was how short it was. The world was so rich and the plot so nuanced there was easily potential for a longer story. Sometimes keeping a story short and contained within a world so vast and wonderful makes the story feel slightly stilted. Unfortunately I felt that in Damned If You Do. However, there were clearly strides made for a sequel, so I have hope to see more books set in this world. Maggie's Recommendation: I do recommend this book. It was a ton of fun to watch Abaddon struggle with Seth's purity and I found that the depth of the world-building was amazingly well constructed. My only complaint was that the story wasn't long enough, but that didn't detract from how much I enjoyed reading it. Vision in Silver Author: Anne Bishop Title: Vision in Silver Series: The Others 3 Genre: Paranormal Fantasy Pairing: M/F Rating: Five Petals On the Author's Website: http://www.annebishop.com/b.vision.silver.html Summary: The Others freed the cassandra sangue to protect the blood prophets from exploitation, not realizing their actions would have dire consequences. Now the fragile seers are in greater danger than ever before—both from their own weaknesses and from those who seek to control their divinations for wicked purposes. In desperate need of answers, Simon Wolfgard, a shape-shifter leader among the Others, has no choice but to enlist blood prophet Meg Corbyn’s help, regardless of the risks she faces by aiding him. Meg is still deep in the throes of her addiction to the euphoria she feels when she cuts and speaks prophecy. She knows each slice of her blade tempts death. But Others and humans alike need answers, and her visions may be Simon’s only hope of ending the conflict. For the shadows of war are deepening across the Atlantik, and the prejudice of a fanatic faction is threatening to bring the battle right to Meg and Simon’s doorstep… Maggie's Review:
A word of warning before I delve into my review. This book is dark fantasy and Bishop is known for characters and magical powers that revel in blood. It can be graphic at times. This book in particular has scenes of cutting, descriptive character death, and specific mentions of rape. I don't want to trigger someone by recommending a book that may hurt them, so if you know you have any issues with those sort of things, please tread carefully. After freeing the cassandra sangue, the battle for their lives should be over, yet from page one it is very clear that isn't the case at all. Desperate women with a terrible addiction and no concept of how to live free lives inevitably leads to death, which the others realize only too late to save many. Meg is the only chance they have of saving dozens of lives and she knows she must do everything in her power to help them. Yet, the politics of the world are swirling around again as humans and others contend for land and resources. A great battle is brewing, slowly and carefully approaching the peaceful world of the others and Meg hangs in the balance as the only one that might save them all. To say I was hooked from the first page is a little obvious, but very true all the same. This book met the high bar set by the previous books in the series and easily surpassed them. No matter how many times I've reread this story I'm still on the edge of my seat for every single page. I desperately want to know how Simon and Meg will get through every obstacle and what they'll have to deal with as repercussions for surviving. The focus of this book was on the others as a whole. Who they are as a people, a culture, and the differences between each species. I also liked learning the distinction that the others in the Courtyard are merely the vanguard to help keep the unbelievably powerful others living in the wilderness separate from the humans. It provided a layer of depth to the story and let this story stand on its own inside a series of excellent books. Maggie's Recommendation: I absolutely recommend this book and this entire series, although I do have to warn that it is dark fantasy and therefore bloody. This book stood out because of the depth it gave the others and the plot that kept me hooked all the way through. No Remedy Author: Christine D'Abo Title: No Remedy Series: Bounty 2 Genre: Sci-Fi Pairing: M/F, M/M, Poly (M/F/M) Rating: Three Petals On the Author's Website: http://christinedabo.com/noremedy.html Summary: For months, Mace Simms has been seeking an antidote for the poison killing her mentor. Her only hope is Alec Roiten, a brilliant scientist hiding on a backwater planet. Posing as a research assistant, Mace offers the elusive genius all the help she can, ignoring the explosive chemistry between them. Soon they’re close to a cure. But then Alec’s former love Byron shows up, attempting to claim a bounty on Alec’s head, and all that careful research gets left behind when they’re forced to flee. And when Byron realizes the tip-off about Alec was a ruse by his rivals to lure him out into the open to kill him, the bounty hunt turns into a three-person scramble for survival. Byron wants his old lover back, Alec is consumed by a haunting secret about the poison he’s desperate to defeat, and Mace is caught between them. But she’s beginning to think that’s exactly where she belongs as the three are drawn together in their race against death. Maggie's Review:
I received this book as an ARC through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Mace is on a mission: find the cure for the poison that's killing her best friend and mentor before it's too late. She finds a scientist hiding away on a desolate planet to help her, but when bounty hunters appear they have to run. Luckily, they take Byron, one of the bounty hunters, with them and a threesome erupts. Overall I liked this story. The characters are well written with dynamic personalities and quirks that make each one distinctly interesting. The plot as they try to stay alive when it seems like everyone is trying to kill them kept my interest the entire book. There were surprising twists that had me on the edge of my seat, desperately wanting to know more. All of that made for a fun read. Unfortunately, not all the book was excellent. If you've read my review of the first book in this series, you'll remember I had some issue with the amount of rather pointless sex tossed into the story. No Remedy takes this to a new, terrible level. They're desperately running from the bad guys, in the middle of an epic chase scene, and the main characters escape through a gate in space that jets them into another dimension. Yet, the scientist has injected himself with a drug that makes him desperately horny every time he goes through a gate. How convenient. Of course, they then have to stop everything to have a graphic and extended three-way. It broke the flow of the story, stretched the believably of the plot, and overall was completely unnecessary to the story. There is a time and place for sex scenes, but D'Abo seemed to throw one in whenever there was a slight lag in the story. It got so bad and so repetitive that I started skipping the pages and pages of sex just so I wasn't completely thrown out of the story. Maggie's Recommendation: Overall I did enjoy reading this book, which is why I recommend it. The characters were dynamic and the plot catching. However, the sex was so poorly timed for the flow of the plot and so repetitive it severely hurt my overall enjoyment. Codex Born Author: Jim C. Hines Title: Codex Born Series: Magic Ex Libris 2 Genre: Paranormal Pairing: M/F, F/F Rating: Two Petals On the Author's Website: http://www.jimchines.com/project/magic-ex-libris/ Summary: Isaac Vainio’s life was almost perfect. He should have known it couldn’t last. Living and working as a part-time librarian in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, Isaac had finally earned the magical research position he dreamed of with Die Zwelf Portenære, better known as the Porters. He was seeing a smart, fun, gorgeous dryad named Lena Greenwood. He had been cleared by Johannes Gutenberg to do libriomancy once again, to reach into books and create whatever he chose from their pages. Best of all, it had been more than two months since anything tried to kill him. And then Isaac, Lena, and Porter psychiatrist Nidhi Shah are called to the small mining town of Tamarack, Michigan, where a pair of septuagenarian werewolves have discovered the brutally murdered body of a wendigo. What begins as a simple monster-slaying leads to deeper mysteries and the discovery of an organization thought to have been wiped out more than five centuries ago by Gutenberg himself. Their magic rips through Isaac’s with ease, and their next target is Lena Greenwood. They know Lena’s history, her strengths and her weaknesses. Born decades ago from the pages of a pulp fantasy novel, she was created to be the ultimate fantasy woman, shaped by the needs and desires of her companions. Her powers are unique, and Gutenberg’s enemies mean to use her to destroy everything he and the Porters have built. But their plan could unleash a far darker power, an army of entropy and chaos, bent on devouring all it touches. The Upper Peninsula is about to become ground zero in a magical war like nothing the world has seen in more than five hundred years. But the more Isaac learns about Gutenberg and the Porters, the more he questions whether he’s fighting for the right cause. One way or another, Isaac must find a way to stop a power he doesn’t fully understand. And even if he succeeds, the outcome will forever change him, the Porters, and the whole world. Maggie's Review:
To say I was disappointed in this book doesn't nearly encompass my feelings. After the first book in this series I was intrigued by the unique magic and the world Hines created for his characters. It was some of the most interesting magic I've seen in a while and I immediately went and got Codex Born to continue reading. What I forgot was the parts of the first book that I honestly didn't like and unfortunately they were all prominent in this book to the point that I struggled to keep reading. Isaac honestly isn't a likeable main character. He tries hard, but he trends towards being vapid even though he's portrayed as a smart man. He's also mean and ignorant, which is something he admittedly is trying to overcome, but it doesn't make him more endearing to me. The romance was also a struggle to believe. Isaac is in love with Lena and Lena with him, but Lena is also in love with a woman so Isaac shares Lena. It's awkward, poorly explained, and the emotion the situation should encompass isn't really present. The book feels very stilted because of that. The magic I loved was still very interesting and that is the only reason I finished reading this book. The bad guys Isaac is fighting in this book have found a new avenue to attack, co-opting a psychopath and convincing another group of magic users that they can find freedom if they work with him. The plot is a bit convoluted, but it kept me reading until the end. I just don't know if the plot and the magic is enough to get me to read the next book in the series when everything else was sub-par. Maggie's Recommendation: While the magic was extremely interesting and the plot was engaging, the characterizations and the romance were painful to read. I did like the plot of the book, however with so much I also didn't like I can't recommend it. Angel's Power Author: Erin M. Leaf Title: Angel's Power Series: Angel Shifters 2 Genre: Paranormal Fantasy Pairing: M/F Rating: One Petal On the Author's Website: https://erinmleaf.com/books/angel-shifters-series/angels-power/ Summary: Ariel doesn’t understand why her wings are changing colors. She doesn’t know why energy flickers through her and she doesn’t have time to worry about it. Demons are loose and she must help her brother lead their People. When Suriel, the angel sorcerer, arrives and offers his help, Ariel’s immediate attraction to him confuses her. She wasn’t looking for a mate and is afraid to commit to anyone while her wings are damaged. And the demons are out there, waiting for the angels to show weakness… Suriel doesn’t want a mate. His power is strong, but very unstable and he is terrified that he will hurt someone if he lets anyone get too close. The only reason he came to Castle Archangel is to help defeat the demons. However, Ariel, the Alpha’s sister, draws him like no other woman ever has. And when she is injured in a battle, he will do whatever it takes to take care of her. Maggie's Review:
The previous book in the series, Angel's Honor, showed potential. It made the angels and their strange powers sound very interesting and I wanted to learn more about them. That is the only reason I picked up Angel's Power and I regret it. Angel's Power had every weakness I disliked about Angel's Honor and squandered any chance I had of liking it by adding in vapid characters to the terrible plot. Ariel starts off interesting. She's a strong female character sitting on the council of angels and advising their leaders on how to go about rebuilding their society and fighting the demons that are plaguing them. She is also struggling with strange powers manifesting. Aside from the fact that in a book with any depth claims of nepotism would be flying (Ariel is Gabriel's sister and that's the reason she got the council position), Leaf appears to quickly forget all of Ariel's strengths. Once she meets Suriel, the insta-love of her life, she turns into an utter idiot. She tries to snare him by wearing low cut shirts and batting her eyelashes and then doesn't understand why Suriel thinks she's a moron. But that's okay because they're insta-meant for each other so the happily ever after sex happens despite the fact that they haven't bothered to work out any of their differences. There's also a side-plot about demons invading the human world. Like the previous book, this one doesn't bother to give any explanation about what demons are, why they're bad, and why the angels have to fight them. Instead, Ariel and Suriel automatically jump into a fight that had no meaning to me as a reader. Maggie's Recommendation: There was zero depth in this book, the characters were vapid, and the plot was almost nonexistent. I struggled to finish reading it because it was a painful experience. I cannot recommend this book and will not be continuing with the series. |
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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