Curses, Foiled Again Author: Sera Trevor Title: Curses, Foiled Again Series: None Genre: Paranormal Pairing: M/M, F/F Rating: Three Petals On the Author's Website: http://www.seratrevor.com/coming-soon.html Summary: Felix is a vampire—a fierce creature of the night who strikes terror into the hearts of everyone unlucky enough to become his prey. Or at least, that’s what he thought was true, until he met John. John is completely unimpressed with Felix, much to his dismay. Felix becomes fixated on proving his ferocity to John—and when that doesn’t work, he strives to make any impression on him at all. John is a witch, and as all witches know, vampires are notoriously stupid creatures who only have the power to hurt those who fear them. Besides, he’s under a curse much more frightening than any vampire. Felix’s desperate attempts to impress him annoy John at first, but gradually, they become sort of endearing. Because of his curse, John has pushed everyone in his life away. But Felix can’t be hurt, so there’s no harm in letting him hang around. Felix is technically dead. John has nothing left to live for. But together, they might have a shot at life. Maggie's Review:
I received this book as an ARC via the author in exchange for an honest review. Felix is a vampire and it is well known among the magical community that vampires are not very intelligent. John quickly figures that out about Felix, but that doesn't stop the feelings from slowly developing between them. Then John learns about the evil trying to take advantage of him and Felix and he knows that to defeat that evil he might have to sacrifice everything, including his relationship with Felix, just to survive. I really liked the personalities in this story. Felix is a bit too dense to be believable, but at the same time his sheltered and privileged lifestyle almost makes his complete lack of understanding about the world make sense. John is perfectly down to earth in contrast. Their relationship just plain worked because their personalities meshed so well together. The romance part of the plot was therefore really well done, however the fighting the bad guy part was abysmal in comparison. The bad guy was definitely a bad person--that much was made more than clear--but I still didn't believe in him. Nor did I feel that his actions, particularly in regards to John, made sense. Unfortunately, this lack greatly effected the ending of the story and left me feeling disappointed. Maggie's Recommendation: The beginning of the book when the romance was first introduced and began to grow was really enjoyable. The ending, unfortunately, was much less so. I do still recommend this story, but I wish the end had a bit more finesse.
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Getting Wilde Author: Jenn Stark Title: Getting Wilde Series: Immortal Vegas 1 Genre: Paranormal Fantasy Pairing: M/F Rating: Three Petals On the Author's Website: http://www.jennstark.com/getting-wilde/ Summary: Using her well-worn Tarot deck, magical-artifacts hunter Sara Wilde can find anything—for a price. And the price had better be right, since she needs to finance her own personal mission to rescue several young psychics recently sold on the paranormal black market. Enter Sara’s most mysterious client and occasional lover, the wickedly sexy Magician, with a job that could yield the ultimate payday. All she’ll have to do is get behind Vatican walls… and steal the Devil himself. But play with the Devil and you’re bound to get burned. Pressure mounts for Sara to join the Magician’s ancient and mysterious Arcana Council, as militant forces unleashed by even darker powers seek to destroy all magic—including the young psychics Sara is desperate to keep safe. The Council may be their only hope. . . but it could also expose Sara’s own dark past. From the twisting catacombs of Rome to the neon streets of Vegas, Sara confronts ancient enemies, powerful demigods, a roiling magical underworld about to explode… and immortal passions that might require the ultimate sacrifice. But oh, what a way to go. No matter how the cards play out, things are about to get Wilde. Maggie's Review:
Sara is just trying to save gifted children from some sort of evil that is gathering them up and selling them to the highest bidder where the children are then slaughtered for their magic. It's hard work, but it's also rewarding and she's not doing too badly on her own. Then a pair of children are taken and she has to work with the mysterious Council to save them. Sara knows that once she's working for the Council it's too late to go back, but she doesn't know just how too late for her it really is. I have to admit that overall I did enjoy reading this story. The unique use of tarot cards as a magical device was very interesting and I liked how the culture that is unique to the world of tarot was also intertwined with the plot and with Sara's personality. That is what kept my interest the most. However, as is very evident in the summary, this story was full of cliches. The problem with cliches isn't that they've been done so often before, it's that it makes the story predictable. If an author relies too heavily on them, as Stark did here, without adding their own unique touch or twist, the story loses a level of excitement. It started to drag about halfway through and never really picked up again. Maggie's Recommendation: I'm honestly not sure whether I recommend this story. The use of tarot cards as the magical device in the story was very interesting, but the story itself was predictable and dragged a bit. I guess since I didn't immediately jump to pick up the sequel, I will say that I do not recommend this story. The Uncrossing Author: Melissa Eastlake Title: The Uncrossing Series: None Genre: Paranormal Fantasy Pairing: M/M Rating: Four Petals On the Author's Website: https://www.melissaeastlake.com/ Summary: Luke can uncross almost any curse—they unravel themselves for him like no one else. So working for the Kovrovs, one of the families controlling all the magic in New York, is exciting and dangerous, especially when he encounters the first curse he can't break. And it involves Jeremy, the beloved, sheltered prince of the Kovrov family—the one boy he absolutely shouldn't be falling for. Jeremy's been in love with cocky, talented Luke since they were kids. But from their first kiss, something's missing. Jeremy's family keeps generations of deadly secrets, forcing him to choose between love and loyalty. As Luke fights to break the curse, a magical, citywide war starts crackling, and it's tied to Jeremy. This might be the one curse Luke can't uncross. If true love's kiss fails, what's left for him and Jeremy? Maggie's Review:
I received this book as an ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Luke's powers allow him to fix all types of bad magic spells and his family's dept to the Kovrov family means he has plenty of opportunity to use that power. Then he meets Jeremy and realizes that even his great strength might not be enough to save them both from the forces building to kill them. I really liked this book despite the fact that it had many flaws. The world building of gangs controlling parts of the city, in this case the Russian/Ukrainian gang of the Kovrov's, and fighting with other gangs was no doubt based on reality. I could feel that depth and appreciated everything it added to the story. However, the world building was also the greatest weakness. The magic that was inherent in the story was never fully explained. How it came into existence, how they learned to use it, or even how the curses worked. I could have used a lot more detail to fully flesh out this story. The plot was the same, with wonderful fairy tale aspects that kept my interest the entire way, but just lacking enough detail for me to be able to give this story a full five petals. Maggie's Recommendation: I really liked a lot about this story and I do recommend it. The world building and the plot were really interesting, but lacked in detail, which is why I couldn't give this story five petals. Street Magic Author: Tamora Pierce Title: Street Magic Series: The Circle Opens 2 Genre: High Fantasy Pairing: None Rating: Two Petals On the Author's Website: http://www.tamora-pierce.net/books/street-magic/ Summary: It's been four years since Briar Moss began his training as a plant mage, but he still hasn't put his past behind him. Wandering through a Chammuri market, Briar comes across a street girl using powerful magic to polish stones for a merchant. He resolves to find her a teacher. But Briar understands the city's gangs as well as he understands Evvy, the young mage. When gang warfare breaks out in Chammur, Briar discovers that the fiercest gang is seeking a stone mage to lead them to hidden gems. Briar once believed gangs offered protection, but now he and his mage may offer the only protection Evvy can count on. As Briar is swept up in a bloody conflict, he must decide whether he's ready to make the final step away from his former life as a "street rat." Maggie's Review:
Briar and his teacher Rosethorn are traveling the world to learn about new magic. Leaving his family behind is hard for Briar, but he's excited for the adventures the future will bring him. The only problem with that is the politics of the city he lands in aren't as friendly as the one he left, and he and his new student Evvy might end up getting killed by the strange machinations. This is my least favorite book not only of this second series, but of all the series set in this world, which is a shame because before this book Briar was my favorite character. I do admit that learning about a new country and the culture and society of that country was really interesting. Briar's particular perspective as an ex-thief trying to learn how he fits into it all was also well done. What I didn't like was the overall plot and how Briar and Evvy fit into it. I felt the plot was predictable, which made the overall story feel boring. Plus, while Briar starts off the story with his usual aplomb, his personality quickly gets lost beneath the plot. Evvy only made things worse. Her personality was extremely off putting and the way she made Briar lose himself was annoying. I'm noticing a theme with this series where the new characters/students lack in personality and am hoping the trend will stop with the next series. Maggie's Recommendation: This was definitely the weakest story in the entire series. The plot was predictable and everything I loved about Briar in the past was subsumed by his unlikable student. I do still recommend it because the overall series is good, but I wish there was more to like in this one book. Pale Light Author: L. J. Hamlin Title: Pale Light Series: None Genre: Paranormal Pairing: Poly, M/M/M Rating: Three Petals On the Author's Website: http://www.ljhamlin.com/ljs-books/ Summary: Elijah and his father Joshua find a young werewolf, Jayden, when his entire pack and family were murdered. They take in and train Jayden to hunt the supernatural with them. Elijah has a secret; he's fallen in love with Jayden, but he dares not tell a soul. Elijah's sometimes lover, Chogan, is working a case with them. Chogan's unexpected attraction to Jayden forces Elijah to confront his feelings. What does it mean for the three men's lives? And just what is lurking in the woods? Maggie's Review:
I received this book as an ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Werewolves are violent creatures who hunt humans as part of their entry into adulthood. Finding a family of werewolves who are pacifists is unexpected, but when they are all killed except for Jayden, Eli and his father decide to take Jayden in as part of their supernatural hunter team, except even Jayden's extra strength might not be able to save them I liked the overall premise for this story: the good werewolf learning to exist in a world of bad ones amid a family that hunts bad supernatural creatures. Their work together as fighters and their experiences against various magical creatures built a very interesting world that pulled me into the story immediately. Unfortunately, the story also suffered from a lack of detail. For example, as a group of hunters that travel the country fighting bad creatures, they seem to throw money around like they don't have to worry about it. Yet, they don't have jobs nor appear to be the least bit concerned about the expenses. Details like where the money was coming from add depth and realism to the story, which this one consistently lacked. Maggie's Recommendation: Overall I did enjoy this story and I recommend it. The basic premise was interesting, however it lacked in details that would have provided depth and realism to the story. Blood and Ink Author: Holly Evans Title: Blood and Ink Series: Ink Born 2 Genre: Paranormal Fantasy Pairing: M/M Rating: Three Petals On the Author's Website: https://chaosfoxwriting.wordpress.com/ink-born/ Summary: It turns out that saving the day comes at a cost. In this case, my home in Wildrun. Oh, and my freedom. Keirn called in a few favours with his friend, Fein. In return for a new life and some help hiding the fact that I’m an ink magician, we belong to the elf that runs half of Prague. Some rumours say he runs half the continent. There’s an art thief in town, and Fein’s decided it’s my job to find and stop them. I didn’t dare point out that I’m a tattoo magician, not a detective. The real problem is, I’m terrified that this is a slippery slope, and I don’t like where it’s going. Maggie's Review:
I received this book as an ARC via the author in exchange for an honest review. Dacian's magical abilities as more than just an tattoo mage means he and his friends had to run from their home. They've settled into a new home in Prague, but they've become indebted to the ruler of their new home and repaying that debt just might cost them their lives. This story definitely kept my interest. Like I said in my review for the first book, this series has some of the most unique magic I've ever read. The ink magic and the magical networks as a whole are incredibly interesting and I loved every little bit of extra information given throughout this story. Dacian's use of and fight against the ink network was exciting and definitely the best part of the book. That said, the rest of the descriptions were completely lacking in this story. It's been a while since I read the first book in this series and I found that I've forgotten basic descriptions of how things work, what the characters look like, and even some of the minor characters from book one. Unfortunately, none of that was provided in this book. Old characters reappeared without any sort of reminder of who they were and why they were important. Even when Dacian and Keirn were introduced living in their new home there wasn't a single mention of why they had needed to move. I'm not asking for a complete retelling of the first book, but a couple reminders here and there to jog my memory would have been very helpful. I was also curious about Dacian's complete lack of actual secrecy about his magic. It's mentioned a number of times how careful he has to be about keeping the truth secret, yet over and over again he opens his mouth and tells people all of it. I thought he didn't want Fein to know the truth, yet he indiscriminately told two people who will absolutely go tell Fein. I found this to be a very odd plot hole and can't help wondering what it means for book three. Maggie's Recommendation: The magic in this series is some of the most unique I've ever read and that is the main reason I really enjoyed reading this book. While I do recommend it, I have to warn that you will need to have recently read book one in the series for this book two to make much sense as very little detail or description is provided as a reminder. Angels of Istanbul Author: Alex Beecroft Title: Angels of Istanbul Series: Arising 2 Genre: Paranormal Fantasy Pairing: M/M Rating: Three Petals On the Author's Website: http://alexbeecroft.com/the-arising-series/ Summary: Wallachian nobleman Radu is recently arrived in Bucharest with his vampire parents. Welcomed as an eligible bachelor, he’s introduced to the enchantress Ecaterina, whose salon is Bucharest’s centre of magical expertise. But when Ecaterina’s brother dies of a mysterious new plague, it’s clear to Radu that his parents have not been idle. Soon Bucharest is in the grip of an undead epidemic—a less than ideal time for Ottoman Sultan Mahmud, Wallachia’s overlord, to call Bucharest’s nobility to assemble their armies in Istanbul for a holy war against Britain. The Wallachians have long resented their Ottoman overlords, so Radu seizes the chance to eliminate them while also ridding Bucharest of the undead: he leads an army of vampires to Istanbul and sets them to feed on the Turks. As Radu’s demons gut the city of Istanbul, their plans become horribly clear. This is only the start. With the Ottoman armies under their control, the undead are poised to suck the life out of the whole world. Radu, his lover Frank, and Ecaterina are appalled at what they’ve unleashed. But they may be too late to stop it. Maggie's Review:
I received this book as an ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Radu and Frank are forced to travel to appease Radu's undead parents--and to keep the vampires from killing Frank. They know the evil they're bringing into the city, but neither Radu nor Frank understand just how deadly a poison the vampires really are until it's far too late. I know I said this in my review for the first book in this series, but it's worth saying again. The world building is amazing. Beecroft took true history and true historical myth and weaved it together with an extra touch of magic to create something truly wonderful. Every tidbit about the world that was revealed kept me hanging on the edge for more. That said, the world building was also this story's greatest weakness. The amount of detail that went into each and every page also slowed down the pace of the story. There were times when it dragged, when I was waiting page after page after page for any sort of plot to pick up. That made it difficult to read at times and it took me forever to get through this book. This book honestly reminded me of The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova, which was a very well-written book based on similar vampire histories and myths, and which was also incredibly slow to read. Maggie's Recommendation: Despite the plot being incredibly slow to pick up, the world building of true history and myth coupled with magic kept my interest. The book was hard to read at times, but overall I did enjoy it so I will recommend it. |
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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