Cold Burn of Magic ~ Jennifer Estep (earc) review[@K_Teen @Jennifer_Estep]

Cold Burn of Magic (Black Blade #1)
K-Teen
April 28, 2015
368 pages
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There Be Monsters Here. . .

It's not as great as you'd think, living in a tourist town that's known as "the most magical place in America." Same boring high school, just twice as many monsters under the bridges and rival Families killing each other for power.

I try to keep out of it. I've got my mom's bloodiron sword and my slightly illegal home in the basement of the municipal library. And a couple of Talents I try to keep quiet, including very light fingers and a way with a lock pick.

But then some nasty characters bring their Family feud into my friend's pawn shop, and I have to make a call--get involved, or watch a cute guy die because I didn't. I guess I made the wrong choice, because now I'm stuck putting everything on the line for Devon Sinclair. My mom was murdered because of the Families, and it looks like I'm going to end up just like her. . .

One of my favorite things about Cold Burn of Magic was likely also the reason I had trouble getting into the story. The book had some excellent female characters, when they weren't tripping themselves up. They were strong, smart and often powerful. Lila, though, seemed to lose a lot of what made her so much fun as soon as Devon entered the story.

She hated him, but she didn't. She was attracted to him, but she couldn't be. She didn't care about him or keeping him safe, but she absolutely did.

Devon and Lila didn't really work for me. I did, later, see them as friends. I knew she was attracted to him - how gorgeous he was, what a truly great person he was but I kind of didn't care. Devon was attractive because Lila said so. She kept reminding me he was hot and nice, but I did't get it as much from the story. I did not dislike him, but he wasn't as well developed as I would have liked.

Felix and Mo were two fun characters and I enjoyed their interactions with Lila. They seemed to fit together well and their friendships seemed good for her character and the story.

The few other female characters in the story held a lot of promise. Especially after how the story concluded and what we now know, I am looking forward to, hopefully, seeing more of them - and more between them - in the next book(s).

The mystery that Lila is trying to unravel didn't feel that mysterious. Maybe the hints were just too heavy handed for me, but I had it basically figured out much sooner than she did.

I also hope we get to see more of the monsters (at least the nonhuman kind) in the next book. I love the idea of real monsters living nearly side by side with the humans, causing trouble, inciting fear but also fascination.

I had some trouble getting into Cold Burn of Magic and I didn't feel enough between Devon and Lila but I love the premise ('mob' families, monsters, literally, in the shadows, tourists coming to see it all) . Some of the characters, the magic and Talents along with relationships begun in this first book have me looking forward to the second.



digital galley received for review, via NetGalley, from publisher

The Beautiful Ashes ~ Jeaniene Frost audio review [@BlackstoneAudio @HarlequinBooks @Jeaniene_Frost @taviagilbert]

The Beautiful Ashes (Broken Destiny #1)
Harlequin
August 26, 2014
304 pages
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Blackstone Audio
Tavia Gilbert, narrator
8 hrs 21 mins, Unabridged
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In a world of shadows, anything is possible. Except escaping your fate.

Ever since she was a child, Ivy has been gripped by visions of strange realms just beyond her own. But when her sister goes missing, Ivy discovers the truth is far worse—her hallucinations are real, and her sister is trapped in a parallel realm. And the one person who believes her is the dangerously attractive guy who's bound by an ancient legacy to betray her.

Adrian might have turned his back on those who raised him, but that doesn't mean he can change his fate…no matter how strong a pull he feels toward Ivy. Together they search for the powerful relic that can save her sister, but Adrian knows what Ivy doesn't: that every step brings Ivy closer to the truth about her own destiny, and a war that could doom the world. Sooner or later, it will be Ivy on one side and Adrian on the other. And nothing but ashes in between…

The Beautiful Ashes is the beginning of Jeaniene Frost's new NA Broken Destiny series. Not a spin-off to her Night Huntress series, this is a whole new series with new characters, new supernaturals and new stories.

Ivy has spent her whole life seeing things that no one else seemed to see. After her sister goes missing, though, Ivy finds out the truth: what she sees aren't hallucinations at all. They're real.

To save her sister, Ivy will risk anything and anyone.

There is quite a bit of background given in The Beautiful Ashes but with it being the start to a series (a paranormal series) I, actually, liked getting the information.  The world Jeaniene Frost has imagined is very creative and well thought out. It's nice to receive some of Ivy's history, to understand what makes her character different. I liked discovering the parts of her past and what brought her to the beginning of the book. It makes her inclusion in this previously unknown side of the world more logical and helps her actions to fit.

What we find out about Adrian's character and those 'parallel realms'  add to the story, as well. It is through Ivy's curiosity that much of the information is unveiled and that seemed a great way for readers (and the character) to find things out.

While the 'journey' of the novel was about Ivy finding and rescuing her sister, the ultimate resolution of the book was a bit underwhelming. While the path to that point made the story possible and the ending is just fine, it isn't what I'll remember about the book.

Both The Beautiful Ashes characters and the world created are intriguing enough and had (more than) enough questions presented regarding their past and their personalities, that I am looking forward to the next book.

Tavia Gilbert does a really nice job narrating. Ivy's character is twenty years old and Gilbert does a good job sounding that age. The different emotions of the character come across very well and both her pacing and diction work nicely and aren't distracting. I have not listened to other Jeaniene Frost audiobooks, but Tavia Gilbert also narrates (nearly all of) those. If you have listened to any, including the Night Huntress series, at least know its the same narrator.

Hounded ~ Kevin Hearne (audio) review

Hounded (The Iron Druid Chronicles #1)
Del Rey
May 3, 2011
289 pages
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Atticus O'Sullivan appears to be a twenty-one year old, tattooed Irish guy living in Arizona running his own occult bookshop. And that's what he wants you to think.

Actually the last of the Druids and tens of centuries old, Atticus is hiding from Aenghus Og. Depending on which of them you ask, Atticus either stole or relieved Aenghus Og of his magic sword. Aenghus Og, despite being the ancient god of love, doesn't have particularly loving ideas in mind when it comes to getting it back - or what to do to Atticus.

In the meantime, Atticus plans to spend his days running his bookshop, staying hunder Aenghus Og's radar, shapeshifting into a hound to hunt with his Irish Wolfhound, Oberon . . . and the occasional dealings with witches, goddesses (including the Morrigan).

He's going to need the help of all of them - including the vampire and werewolves he's come to know through their legal expertise, a bartender, a Hindu witch in possession of someone, and maybe even the tough Irish widow down the street - when Aenghus finally tracks him down after centuries and comes for the sword.



Hounded is, I believe, the first book I've read where the character was a Druid - at least a real one. The secondary characters this introduces as well as the actions taken by Atticus because of this make Hounded different right from the beginning.

Having so many different supernatural characters - witches, werewolves, vampires - also a part of the story was a nice change of pace from most urban fantasies (at least that I've been reading) where there will be one or two beings and the others won't exist or won't be a part of the characters world.

One thing that I didn't know about until I started Hounded and worked for me in the audio version but may not for everyone (and may be different in print), Atticus can communicate telepathically with his dog. Oberon's not like Chet in the Chet and Bernie Mysteries, either. He doesn't lose his train of though or get distracted by sausages, have random word associations, ignore halves of conversations, etc. In other words, Oberon doesn't think the way you'd expect a dog to - or doesn't talk to Atticus the way you'd expect a dog to.

Their conversations are pretty human-like. Oberon's very easily excitable like a dog, has an interesting fascination with Genghis Khan and French Poodles but his sentence structure, etc is more human. On an audiobook, however, it's more than amusing.

The thing I'm still unsure about with Hounded is the female characters. The witches seemed to be looked at negatively and are trouble. The goddesses are naked, looking for sex, having it, etc. The Morrigan is supposed to be scary, intimidating. Naked women can be intimidating, but that wasn't the case in Hounded it  felt like they were there to be sexy, be hot . . . and then maybe fulfill any other role. I'm hoping Hearne's portrayal of the opposite sex (at least the 'attractive' ones - he did very well with Widow MacDonagh - though she's not supposed to have sex appeal) improves as the series continues.

As an audiobook this was enjoyable. Later in the book a few of the characters did sound somewhat similar, but the action was enough that it was always possible to easily tell the characters apart. (And Oberon's voice was, of course, great fun.)


Rating: 6/10


You may also enjoy: Storm Front (Harry Dresden #1) - audio of this series is win!! by James Butcher and Odd Thomas (Odd Thomas #1) by Dean Koontz