Tag Archives: #Magic

Adventure, Fantasy, Romance, Young Adult

Britain, Kristen: The High King’s Tomb (Green Rider) (2007)

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Cover art by Donato Giancolo

Once again my son and I enjoyed reading Kristen’s work together. As I have said before, Kristen Britain’s writing makes reading aloud a thoroughly enjoyable experience. Her prose flows through my eyes and out of my mouth with no effort on my side.

We are both fans of Karigan G’ladheon’s adventures however unlikely they might be. In The High King’s Tomb you will find plenty of action and political scheming. It is always interesting to see how two sides can be equally certain of how right their points of view are. Following along with Grandmother’s fight for the Second Empire is an excellent lesson in just that. Both the followers of the Second Empire and Sacoridia are certain that their way is the right way. I am on Karigan’s side, of course, as she is the one I have followed all along. But it is easy to see how it could have been the other way around if Grandmother/the Second Empire had been the ones whose story had been told as a fight for the right side.

Another new player is the Raven Mask. Noble-women swoon and wish for a visit by him in their budoirs or bedchambers. But he is a thief, a thief who is going to have his values challenged.

I love Karigan’s teaching experience with Fergal. Two stubborn people travelling together makes for funny situations and lessons in patience for them both.

Alton is another person who has had his patience tested. Getting into the Tower just isn’t working for him and he is getting more and more frustrated. All of the effects of the poisons of Blackveil have not worn off yet. Thankfully he gets Dale Littlepage (another Rider) up by the wall. She gets him out of his self-pitying funk.

It is strange how some writers manage to give so much to their readers. Kristen Britain has a talent that has given my adult son and me the opportunity to spend some fun time together.

My reviews of books 1 (Green Rider), 2 (First Rider’s Call), 3 (The High King’s Tomb) and 4 (Blackveil)

Adventure, Fantasy, Romance

Elsa, Sandra: Through The Waterfall (Guardian of the Realm) (2012)

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Cover design by ?Sandra Elsa?

When I first started reading Through the Waterfall I thought it would be a regular Young Adult novel. It is, because it is about young Tess – 17 years old. If you have problems with sexually explicit scenes then consider yourself warned.

Young Tess lives with her grandmother. She has since both parents were killed in a car-accident. Grandmother is a witch and Tess seems to have strong witchy powers herself. One day she is sent to hunt for toadstool from a fairy ring and to her surprise she finds not only that but also fairies.

In fantasy fairies can be so many things. Anything from being cute and cuddly to being not so cute and cruel goes. The ones in Through the Waterfall fall in the category lovely, self-centered and willing to do a lot to get their own way. The fairies in Through the Waterfall want Tess as a guardian of their realm. Protection against predators wanting the fairies as fingerfood will be the job of the guardian.

Tess does not like “Others” (elven world). The car accident that her parents died in was caused by an “Other”. That makes Tess less cooperative than the fairy king wishes. She has demands that need to be met before she will consider taking on the position of Guardian.

I liked Tess’ first meeting with the fairies. Because she has power she is attractive to the fairies, but that power also makes it possible for her to both see and catch them. She wasn’t all oooh, la, la about them. The relationship between Tess and Trey was kind of predictable. He was a hottie, so it had to be he who Tess ended up with. I wonder if any of our heroes/heroines ever end up with average looking partners? Probably not.

Other than that Through the Waterfall was an above average fantasy novel that I enjoyed reading.

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Fantasy, Humour, Short story/novella

Drayden, Nicky: Fire, Fangs and Brimstone (Delightfully Twisted Tales) (2011)

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Delightfully Twisted Tales Kindle cover
Cover design by Creative Commons

Fire, Fangs and Brimstone consists of the four short stories: With Good Intentions, Lilitol the Curmudgeon, Hellhound Rescue and Blue Moon.

With Good Intentions was first published by Necrotic Tissue in 2009. Bureaucracy is bureaucracy whether you are on Earth or in Hell.

Lilitol the Curmudgeon was first published by Bards and Sages Quarterly in 2011. We get to see “X-mas” from the point of view of Jilgar, the dragon.

Hellhound Rescue was first published by Flash Scribe in 2009. Not all pets are easy pets.

Blue Moon is a tale about love and exes and sacrifice.

Nicky Drayden har written short stories full of humor and quirckyness. It did not take long to get through the collection and I enjoyed the journey.

Fantasy, Mystery, Romance, Science Fiction, Thriller

Gay, Kelly: Shadows Before the Sun (Charlie Madigan) (2012)

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Cover art by Christian McGrath

Shadows Before the Sun is the 4th installment of the Charlie Madigan series. Whether it is the final one remains to be seen but it did represent an ending to me.

Charlie needs to go to Elysia to find Hank. She did promise him that at the end of The Hour of Dust and Ashes. Their friendship is too important to leave anything to chance and the words of ambassadors. Right now Hank needs a friend who is willing to break the rules to get to him. Charlie and Allessandra, the Oracle, end up as travelling companions. They both consider the other a severe test of patience.

The world of Elysia turns out to be as bad as the Earth Charlie is from. There is plenty of political maneuvering, power-plays and mayhem. But there is also help from unexpected quarters.

Charlie’s character has grown during her trip through these four novels. With her growth has come a better understanding of other people and perhaps even an ability to see them as individuals and not just part of some great mass that she has to keep safe.

We get action with plenty of fighting and some sex. I guess both could be considered somewhat adult in content.

My journey with the Charlie Madigan series has been a pleasant one. Shadows Before the Sun is easy to read, difficult to put down and fits the other three novels well.

Announcement from Kelly Gay: “8/1/12 — There’s been some talk about SHADOWS BEFORE THE SUN being the final book in the series. Guys, nothing like this has been decided or announced. Official news will come straight from me. I’m usually contracted 2 books at a time. Shadows completed my second two-book contract. This does not mean I’m done writing the series or that I won’t go back to contract.”

My reviews on books 1 (The Better Part of Darkness), 2 (The Darkest Edge of Dawn), 3 (The Hour of Dust and Ashes), and 4 (Shadows Before the Sun)

Fantasy, Mystery, Romance, Science Fiction, Thriller

Gay, Kelly: The Hour of Dust and Ashes (Charlie Madigan) (2011)

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Cover art by Christian McGrath

Does Kelly Gay keep up her good work in The Hour of Dust and Ashes? Yes, she most definitely does. She has that rare ability of being able to keep her writing tight, very tight. That and her spelling and grammar helps the reader keep from being distracted. Add to that a pretty good plot, fun characters and talent and you have the flow.

Charlie Madigan is an interesting character. She is a believable woman in a fantastic yet believable world. Yes, this is all science fiction and fantasy, but the plot is about recognisable problems and her characters are flawed and gifted like the rest of us. Fanatics are fanatics and greed is greed.

Charlie suffers from a save-the-world-all-on-her-own syndrome. That makes it easy for her to take the blame for her sister’s ash addiction. It is true that Bryn got addicted to ash while helping Charlie out, but Charlie tends to forget that Bryn has her own will and this is creating trouble between the sisters.

When ash addicts begin taking their own lives, Charlie becomes desperate to make certain Bryn stays alive. Thus far the hunt for a cure has led nowhere. When Charlie goes to the oracle, Allessandra for help, she is told that she will need sylphs. On to Charbydon she must go and Hank and Rex get to go along with her.

Rex (the ex-jinn now revenant), Brimstone (the hellhound) and Hank (the Adonai) make themselves better known to us. We also get to see Charbydon at its best and worst. No wonder the people there think of Earth as a vacation spot.

We get tons of action and some of the fighting is explicit. If you don’t like that, consider yourself warned.

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My reviews on books 1 (The Better Part of Darkness), 2 (The Darkest Edge of Dawn), 3 (The Hour of Dust and Ashes), and 4 (Shadows Before the Sun)

Fantasy, Mystery, Romance, Science Fiction, Thriller

Gay, Kelly: The Darkest Edge of Dawn (Charlie Madigan) (2010)

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Cover art by Christian McGrath

Christian McGrath’s portrayal of Charlie Madigan is gritty and strong complementing the writing of Kelly Gay. Gay’s writing continues to engage me as a reader. She maintains the balance between too much and too little keeping her novel tight and well-written.

The Darkest Edge of Dawn begins where The Better Part of Darkness left off. Atlanta became more in tune with the Charbydons living there. Charlie feels responsible for the “accidental darkening” and in a sense that is true. So, being the kind of person she is, Charlie sets a goal of saving Atlanta.

 As we all know, the world is full of nutters. Being from Charbydon or Elysia makes no difference. Crazy people are found among all races. Sadly, some of the crazies go serial. In The Darkest Edge of Dawn Charlie and Hank investigate a warehouse where a dead body was found. Both find the place creepy and for good reason. In this lovely warehouse a pile of dead bodies and a pregnant hellhound is discovered. Something is off about the mound of bodies.

That was the second problem Charlie feels the need to save the world from. On a more personal level, the changes in her DNA are worrisome. What is she turning into and how is she supposed to control the powers she seems to have gained?

Trying to deceive your own daughter works like a charm unless she is psychic. And guess what, Emma is psychic. When Will died and his body was taken over by Rex, Charlie decided that they had to wait until Emma was ready before she could be told. Talk about messed up life. But Charlie also has the pleasure of having a hellhound living at her home, a hellhound that Emma has a mysterious link to.

That’s not all that is going on in Charlie’s life. Her sister Bryn was affected by the drug Ash while trying to help Charlie. Now she has to take regular doses of the drug in order to stay alive.

Charlie’s partner, Hank, still has his voice modifier fused to his neck – joy of joy – hindering his ability to be a proper Elysian.

One of the things Charlie has trouble with is accepting help from others. She is going to need help in The Darkest Edge of Dawn just as she did in The Better Part of Darkness. I get that. Asking for help is difficult even when it is obvious assistance is needed. Just because you are adult age, does not necessarily mean that you are able to act maturely. I guess that is part of the reason why I like Charlie so much. She is vulnerable and strong, prejudiced and willing to look beyond those prejudices.

I think Charlie Madigan could a be a good role model for young women out there.

My reviews on books 1 (The Better Part of Darkness), 2 (The Darkest Edge of Dawn), 3 (The Hour of Dust and Ashes), and 4 (Shadows Before the Sun)

Adventure, Fantasy, Mystery, Romance, Short story/novella

Cheney, Kathleen J.: Snow Comes to Hawk’s Folly (Tales From Hawk’s Folly Farm) (2010)

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Cover design by
Kathleen J. Cheney

Imogen married her Guaire O’Donnell from Iron Shoes. Their puca heritage has made their son Patrick (2yrs) adept at unbinding. Unbinding is a good way to keep your parents and the staff on their toes. Soon he will have a playmate in the child Mary Stewart is close to giving birth to. Then a mysterious man turns up in their parlor.

Snow Comes to Hawk’s Folly is fantasy but mostly about family (blood or otherwise). Love, worry, fear, anger and pride were all part of their family cocktail.

Sometimes the past comes and bites us on our behinds. Do we let what has happened control our reactions today?

As with Iron Shoes, Snow Comes to Hawk’s Folly was written in minor key. Everything takes on a different texture when words are played on the black tangents.

My review of Iron Shoes

Originally published in Panverse (2010)

Fantasy, Mystery, Romance, Thriller

Alexander, Cassie: Moonshifted (Edie Spence) (2012)

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Moonshifted is as delightful as Nightshifted. Moonshifted remains as dark and gory as Nightshifted and keeps on being just as fun to read.

Edie’s life has changed after all of the happenings in Nightshifted. Her perspective has widened and her prejudices have been challenged.

Due to an accident Edie witnessed during her lunch-break, she becomes involved in a battle between two were-wolf clans. Little does she know where her instincts will lead her.

Her vampire connections keep on popping up, and not in a pleasant manner. In a sense Edie seems rather self-destructive. However, once we get to know her, we find that it isn’t so. Yes, she is attracted to rather “interesting” men. Yes, she tends to run towards danger. But her motives are anything but self-destructive.

Like I said about Nightshifted: Edie is a wonderful character and someone I would have liked to have met.

Good job Cassie Alexander. You have done it once again!

Fantasy, Mystery, Romance, Thriller

Monk, Devon: Magic Without Mercy (Allie Beckstrom) (2012)

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Cover art by Larry Rostant

I think this is my favorite Allie Beckstrom cover thus far. There is something about the atmosphere in it.

Devon Monk keeps on writing well. As a reader, following Allie’s journey from lonerhood to a leadership position among her friends has been a fun ride. Monk has managed to keep her characters alive without slowing down the pace of the novels.

Things are really moving along now. The Authority has officially decided to go for Allie. All of her friends and near-friends have to make a choice as to who to follow. Because they are rebels, we know what the choice will be. But their fight to overcome the opposition while at the same time figuring out how to battle the magic plague is going to challenge all of their abilities.

Allie is affected by the magic plague. Whenever she pulls it in she gets sick and ghosts turn up. Ghost magnet is what she is. She and her father have come to an arrangement – that sounds really weird considering their co-habitation. Anyways. Zayvion still loves her and Shame is her best friend. Shame and Terric still haven’t come to terms with what they are, or rather Shame hasn’t quite. He would go down fighting.

Jingo-Jingo is his same old creepy self. Mwah, hah, hah. A regular old Dracula is what he is. Eli is/was a bad guy – or maybe we could say a guy with very special interests. But he is important to the game, so Shame and Zayvion are stuck with him.

I look forward to reading the conclusion. As long as Devon Monk keeps the quality of her work at the level that it has been, then I have something to look forward to.

My reviews for books 1 (Magic to the Bone), 2 (Magic in the Blood), 3 (Magic in the Shadows), 4 (Magic on the Storm), 5 (Magic at the Gate), 6 (Magic on the Hunt) and 7 (Magic on the Line)

Fantasy, Mystery, Romance, Thriller

Monk, Devon: Magic on the Line (Allie Beckstrom) (2011)

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Cover art by Larry Rostant

I wonder if they used the same method for Devon Monk’s covers as they have for Jean Johnson. Jean Johnson was kind enough to explain that her publishers had gotten the photographer and model together for a session and taken tons of pictures. Pictures from this session are what the publisher uses to design the covers. I know Devon Monk has some say in the design of her covers. You will usually find some kind of reference to Portland on the cover.

It really is too bad, but we are getting closer to an ending. Two more books to go and there we will be. I’ve grown to care about our Allie. She knows that what she does has consequences, yet she goes ahead anyway. I guess paying the price for magic for so long has made her willing to pay the price for other choices as well.

There are two other characters that I have enjoyed thoroughly. These are Shame and strangely enough Stone. Stone the gargoyle.

The new leader of the Authority, Bartholemew Wray, is not a fan of Allie and her gang of followers. If he could get away with closing the lot of them, he would. Allie certainly does not trust Bartholemew. This makes for a conflict-filled situation for Allie, and some of her choices will affect those she cares most for.

Her Hounds are loyal to Allie to an extent that she had not expected of such loners. They are doing their best to protect her because they see a good thing they simply cannot lose in Allie.

I think this is part of what I’ve really enjoyed about the Beckstrom series. These characters are a gang of rebels (with the exception of Zayvion). In the end, he, too, will have to make some incredibly difficult choices. These rebels seem to be more in touch with reality than the Authority and as such they reflect the way I see the world in general. But the Authority had better watch out, because choosing a fight with this gang might not go as they wish.

My reviews for books 1 (Magic to the Bone), 2 (Magic in the Blood), 3 (Magic in the Shadows), 4 (Magic on the Storm), 5 (Magic at the Gate) and 6 (Magic on the Hunt).

Fantasy, Mystery, Romance, Thriller

Monk, Devon: Magic in the Shadows (Allie Beckstrom) (2009)

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Cover art by Larry Rostant

There is especially one character in Magic in the Shadows that I want to point out. In Magic in the Blood Allie managed to bring alive a gargoyle. Stone, the gargoyle, is a wonderful “pet”/”friend” for Allie. Our block-building dude. I love him.

Another one is Shame (Shamus Flynn), our self-destructive but ever so loyal friend. I don’t know why, but characters that get into “trouble” are incredibly fun. Shame is the prankster of our trio/quartet.

Zayvion has a larger part than the other two – naturally. He is Allie’s second half (so to speak). A lot of the Allie Beckstrom series describes the growth that these two characters go through (well the rest of them as well). Monk manages to give us characters that grow and she explores human nature in all its glory and horror.

Allie’s problems are not over. The voice in her head is not helping her at all. As the series is told in 1st person, we get to view all of Allie’s incredibly dense moments, but also those moments when she gets to show what she is good for.

The Authority is very interested in getting Allie to deal with the voice in her head. They feel threatened by it. But it comes in useful when Allie has to fight with a magically created “demon”. Allie’s ability to store magic in her bones is a phenomenon no-one quite understands. Her lack of ability in controlling her magic makes it necessary for her to get help – through the Authority.

 

Adventure, Fantasy, Romance, Young Adult

Wright, Melissa: Pieces of Eight (Frey Saga)

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Cover art by Robin Ludwig

Pieces of Eight is the second book of the Frey Saga trilogy. What we saw in Frey was someone whose world had been turned upside down. What she thought had been self-evident truths, weren’t. For some reason she was hunted as the witches of “the good ol’ days” were.

When we begin Pieces of Eight Frey realises just how little she knows about who and what she is. But what she thinks she knows is that there are seven other elves who are there to protect her. But even they raise doubts in Frey’s mind. I guess that would be the problem with memory loss. Who do you believe?

In Pieces of Eight the Grand Council is still hunting for Frey because of her supposed abilities. Yet Frey is in no way able to utilise these abilities properly. She is getting better at fighting but magic – not so much. There is plenty of action and frustration in the novel.

Melissa Wright writes well. She gets Frey’s frustration across to me as a reader and her fear of the Grand Council is believable.

Fantasy, LGBTQ+/GRSM, Romance, Short story/novella

Diemer, Sarah: The Witch Sea (2012)

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Artist: Herbert James Draper

I love this cover. It illustrates perfectly the longing of the witch in the novel. In my head that is what The Witch Sea is about. Longing to belong, to have someone to love and to love you back.

Being responsible for holding the magical net surrounding her island is becoming a difficult task for Meriel. She is no longer certain of the beliefs that her mother and grandmother have tried to imprint on her.

Both Meriel’s longing and the longing of the sea-people shines through Diemer’s prose. Very minor-key and absolutely lovely.

The author makes a point of this being a lesbian fantasy short story. Once it was pointed out to me, I could see it.

The Witch Sea won first place in the Kissed by Venus Fresh Voices short story competition.

Adventure, Fantasy, Romance, Young Adult

Cole, Laura R.: Unleashed Fury (Blood Runes) (2011)

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The spilling of blood as a way to power is certainly a topic that more than fantasy writers have embraced, war being the first thing that comes to mind. In fantasy the spilling of blood for power generally comes in relation to either war or magic. In the case of the Blood Runes’ novels we are talking about magic.

Laura R. Cole has written a trilogy about the attempted awakening of the old Dark King. The Dark King had become so powerful through his use of blood-magic that he could not be killed, only put to sleep.

In the prologue we are introduced to a couple of semi-awakenings of the Dark King. He really wants to wake up and come into the world again to wreak his special kind of havoc.

One of our main characters is Jezebel. Jezebel is power-hungry and does not let anything hinder her. Her problem is that she is easily manipulated (all the while thinking that she is the one doing the manipulating).

The other character that we meet the most in Unleashed Fury is Layna. Layna is the unassuming and stunning servant who ends up having unexpected powers. She is humble and pretty much everything else that a HERO is supposed to be. Her main problem is that she is Jezebel’s servant and Jezebel is not the best master to have.

The action parts of this novel were great. There was plenty of it and it was well-written. Jezebel’s character was fun. She is so wrapped up in her own world-view that she just does not see even the most obvious signals that she might be wrong. My problem, as usual, lies with the mushy bits. I don’t get them – plain and simple.

Adventure, Fantasy, Mystery, Short story/novella, Young Adult

Clement, J.A.: The Other Nereia (On Dark Shores) (2012)

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Cover artwork based on a photo by Jeffrey van Rossum
J.A. Clement is the author for the novel The Other Nereia. The Other Nereia is book no 2 of the On Dark Shores serial. I see an omnibus of books no. 1 and no. 2 has been released.

I enjoyed The Other Nereia as much as I enjoyed The Lady. Clement kept her minor-tone throughout the novel. Flowing authors make my reading experience about as enjoyable as sinking under water. There is just something about feeling the water close over my head that makes my head so happy it wants to stay there forever. See what you did to me Ms. Clement.

In trying to run away Nereia woke a feeling of community in Scarlock that had been missing for quite a while. Mr. Copeland senses this and it stirs his paranoia and insanity even more. Poor Blakey (yes, I feel sorry for him and his mom) is left trying to make things less awful for the population. Poor Nereia is left with very few choices in what to do. Novel two is a terribly wonderful novel.

Having read as many books as I have, I still find myself caring for the characters and being able to dive into worlds created in another person’s mind. If that isn’t magic, I don’t know what is.