magic

Book Review of The End of Magic by Mark Stay

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Title: The End of Magic

Author: Mark Stay

Review by: Dani Hoots

Rating: 5/5

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Back cover:

Two powerful mages. One steeped in privilege, the other bound by a moral code. Their world is thrown into chaos by the end of magic.

‘What will you do when the magic is gone?’

Sander Bree is a royal mage. He lives an easy life advising the king on matters of court and politics, yet he still complains that he’s stuck in a rut.

Rosheen Katell is a wandering mage and, with Anzu her griffin, she’s worked hard to build a reputation as a trustworthy truth seer. She never lies, never kills.

Very soon, their magic will be gone. A cataclysmic event will change their lives and world forever.

Sander must keep a promise that would have been difficult enough with magic, but is a suicide mission without it.

Rosheen is forced to side with a murderous warlord, and her once-solid principles are tested and found wanting. Both will be set against one another in a war unlike anything the world has seen before, in this sweeping fantasy of magic’s ending.

A stand alone fantasy novel for fans of Joe Abercrombie and Scott Lynch

This story is a mix of fantasy, adventure, mystery, and friendship. The main characters must help to save the life of a young girl as she is dying from poison. The only way to do this is to go get mermaid blood. This is not an easy task, especially since something happens and magic is no more.

Stay does a great job weaving in different characters. I really liked Rosheen and her griffin Anzu. She faces a lot of trouble as magic is now gone and she must fight without it. She is an awesome character that I enjoyed a lot!

I definitely recommend to anyone who loves fantasy!

~Dani

 

About the Author

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Mark Stay co-wrote the screenplay for Robot Overlords which became a movie with Sir Ben Kingsley and Gillian Anderson, and premiered at the 58th London Film Festival. Author of the fantasy novel The End of Magic, he is also co-presenter of the Bestseller Experiment podcast and worked in bookselling and publishing for over twenty-five years. He lives in Kent, England, with his family and a trio of retired chickens. He blogs and humblebrags over at markstaywrites.com

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Book Review of Wicked Fox by Kat Cho

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Wicked Fox

Author: Kat Cho

Review by: Dani Hoots

Rating: 5/5

 

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An addictive fantasy-romance set in modern-day Seoul.

Eighteen-year-old Gu Miyoung has a secret–she’s a gumiho, a nine-tailed fox who must devour the energy of men in order to survive. Because so few believe in the old tales anymore, and with so many evil men no one will miss, the modern city of Seoul is the perfect place to hide and hunt.

But after feeding one full moon, Miyoung crosses paths with Jihoon, a human boy, being attacked by a goblin deep in the forest. Against her better judgment, she violates the rules of survival to rescue the boy, losing her fox bead–her gumiho soul–in the process.

Jihoon knows Miyoung is more than just a beautiful girl–he saw her nine tails the night she saved his life. His grandmother used to tell him stories of the gumiho, of their power and the danger they pose to men. He’s drawn to her anyway. When he finds her fox bead, he does not realize he holds her life in his hands.

With murderous forces lurking in the background, Miyoung and Jihoon develop a tenuous friendship that blossoms into something more. But when a young shaman tries to reunite Miyoung with her bead, the consequences are disastrous and reignite a generations-old feud . . . forcing Miyoung to choose between her immortal life and Jihoon’s.

This book caught my eye at the book store, as I do love foxes and folklore. At first I thought it was the Japanese Kitsune, but I found out it was the Korean gumiho! I haven’t done much research in Korean folklore and looked forward to learning more and reading a fantasy book about it!

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The characters in the this book are well rounded, made sense, and evolved throughout the story. There are a lot of Korean terms, which I think is awesome for bringing you into a culture as language is essential. Luckily there is a glossary in the back to help you figure out the terms, but most made sense by context, and a lot of dishes are now on my to-cook list.

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I also loved the story of the gumiho that was weaved in, and how you were slowly given the folklore of this creature. I also loved learning about the different powers, magic, and religion in the area and how it was never info dumped, but gradually introduced.

A definite recommendation from me! Check it out!

~Dani

Book Review of Captivated by J.R. Thorn

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Captivated

Author: J.R. Thorn

Review by: Dani Hoots

Rating: 3/5

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Back cover:

Four sexy vampires. One mortal-born witch. An ancient secret that will test them all.

I’m not a very good witch. It’s not my fault. Being born a mortal sucks and my black cat familiar follows me around like a security blanket. All the other coven brats make fun of me.

My vampires don’t seem to mind. They pose as my mentors and get Aunt Sandra off my back. My initiation into the Royal Covens is only three days away. They’re supposed to teach me how to hide what I really am: a reincarnation of some ancient and powerful witch. I think they’re just telling me that to get in my pants.

What my vampires don’t hide is their hunger for me, both for my blood and my body. That dangerous kind of thrill is going to get me into serious trouble.

Captivated: Royal Covens Book 1 is a medium-burn reverse harem romance and part of a 3-book series.

This book has a great idea but I feel it wasn’t executed very well. There were a lot of characters who weren’t consistent and a lot of stuff wasn’t well research. Although magic in fiction can be whatever you want, there wasn’t enough put in to catch my interest. There were only three or four flowers/herbs mentioned when plants were supposed to be big in getting energy, and the blood magic was inconsistent in that everyone used blood but then someone was considered a rare blood witch. Then she used runes, which is cool, but never named a rune, and never described a rune, and didn’t explain what the runes were. This made me lose interest as there didn’t seem to be much research or world-building. Also slicing large sections is getting old in fiction in general, even if you can heal fast. It is unnecessary for blood magic and would be very, very messy.

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I did like the vampires and the idea that they are her guardians was pretty cool. I just wished I could find out more about them, and wished they weren’t quite as resistant in helping her when they are supposed to be her guardians. The grammar and writing was done well and it was easy to read. Recommend for people wanting a different take on the vampire x witch genre.

(Also, this is not for young adults as there were many sex scenes)

~Dani

Book Review of Woof Woof Story: I Told You to Turn Me Into a Pampered Pooch, Not Fenrir! by Inumajin

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Title: The Alchemist Who Survived Now Dreams of a Quiet City Life

Author: Usata Nonohara

Review by: Dani Hoots

Rating: 5/5

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Back cover:

After being worked quite literally to death, corporate slave Routa Okami’s dying wish is to be reborn as the well-loved pet of a rich family. When a compassionate goddess actually grants his wish, Routa commits himself to the lazy, carefree, all-you-can-nap lifestyle of a pampered pup-complete with a beautiful owner and all the delicious food he can eat! But as Routa grows…and grows…and grows…he realizes something is terribly wrong. With his enormous body, razor-sharp teeth, and fierce visage, it’s painfully obvious that he was reincarnated not as a dog but as a giant wolf. And not just any wolf-the legendary wolf king Fenrir!

This is a cute story about a wolf who wants to be a pampered house pet… that was once a human man. It sounds crazy, and weird, but it is really fun, full of adventure and mystery, and you are wondering what could possibly happen next. He thinks he is a puppy reborn, but soon finds out he is a scary wolf.

But let’s be honest here, who doesn’t want a pet wolf?

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All in all, this story is really fascinating, the world is well built, and the characters all make sense. It is only 170 pages long, so it is a nice short read, perfect for busy lives.

~Dani

Book Review of The Alchemist Who Survived Now Dreams of a Quiet City Life by Usata Nonohara

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Title: The Alchemist Who Survived Now Dreams of a Quiet City Life

Author: Usata Nonohara

Review by: Dani Hoots

Rating: 5/5

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Back cover:

A girl out of time, a fish out of water
Alchemists used to be a dime a dozen in the Kingdom of Endalsia, so Mariela was never particularly special. But her skills were put to the test one fateful day when a horde of monsters came stampeding from the nearby forest. In a desperate attempt to escape the horror, the young alchemist put herself in a state of suspended animation that lasted just a little longer than she’d planned-an entire two hundred years! Needless to say, there have been some big changes, and biggest of all: Mariela is now the sole alchemist in the entire kingdom. Her one wish in this strange new environment is to get back her quiet, leisurely, low-key lifestyle!

This is a great story about an alchemist who wakes up from a spell and 200 years have gone by. She is trying to figure out how the world works and not let anything know what happened to her. This story does a great job in showing how the spell affected her, and the reasons she is trying to have a calm life.

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The world building and magic in this series is quite interesting and I think the author did a great job in weaving it together, and it all made sense. The second book is already out and I am excited to read it!

Definitely check it out if you like Japanese-style fantasy! Or fantasy in general!

~Dani

Comic Review of Grimoire Noir

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Series: Grimoire Noir

Written by: Vera Greentea

Illustrated by: Yana Bogatch

Published by: First Second

Rating: 4/5

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Description:

Bucky Orson is a bit gloomy, but who isn’t at fifteen?

His best friend left him to hang out with way cooler friends, his dad is the town sheriff, and wait for it—he lives in Blackwell, a town where all the girls are witches. But when his little sister is kidnapped because of her extraordinary power, Bucky has to get out of his own head and go on a strange journey to investigate the small town that gives him so much grief. And in the process he uncovers the town’s painful history and a conspiracy that will change it forever.

The art for this series really caught my eye and is why I ordered it through my comic book store. I also really like any story with witches and like to see what kind of magic an author decides to use. In this story, all the girls in town are witches and have their own different types of power—some can use fire, some can fly, some can turn invisible, and so on. No one can leave the town either, that way the witches would be confined to the area and protected from the outside world.

But who wants to be confined, am I right?

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There is a lot going on in this story and I felt some parts weren’t completely flushed out and lot was left open. I don’t mind some parts to be left open for sequels and such, but I felt like it ended a little abruptly and there were still a lot of unanswered questions. Most of it was the chase and everything, but then in the last few pages it just kind of all happened and was resolved. There needed to be a little more clues and things to be revealed before how it ended. I enjoyed it a lot though and definitely recommend it.

I felt for the character Chamomile and how she was written. I probably cared about her more than the main guy, and I’m still not sure about their past and what had happened between them. It didn’t seem like something that would end a friendship like they had and I wished we learned a little more. All in all, the art was beautiful and there was enough of the story that it kept me reading until I finished it, as I wanted to know what happened next.

Check it out and let me know what you think in the comments!

~Dani