Tag Archives: magic

Uprooted

Book Review Uprooted, by Naomi Novik

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I borrowed and audio copy of Uprooted, bu Naomi Novik from the local library.

Description from Goodreads:

Agnieszka loves her valley home, her quiet village, the forests and the bright shining river. But the corrupted Wood stands on the border, full of malevolent power, and its shadow lies over her life.

Her people rely on the cold, driven wizard known only as the Dragon to keep its powers at bay. But he demands a terrible price for his help: one young woman handed over to serve him for ten years, a fate almost as terrible as falling to the Wood.

The next choosing is fast approaching, and Agnieszka is afraid. She knows—everyone knows—that the Dragon will take Kasia: beautiful, graceful, brave Kasia, all the things Agnieszka isn’t, and her dearest friend in the world. And there is no way to save her.

But Agnieszka fears the wrong things. For when the Dragon comes, it is not Kasia he will choose. 

Review:

This is a perfectly fine version of what it is. And what it is, is yet another YA book about a young farm girl (woodcutters daughter, but same difference in context) who is discovered to have magic (but somehow never noticed until a man shows up to tell her about it), is taken to be trained, turns out to be massively powerful and more morally upright that the city folk, and saves the day through determination, perseverance and her amazing goodness. 

Is Uprooted a quality version of this oft told tale? Yes, but is it still the same story I’ve read in dozens of books before this one? Also yes. As a result, I was pretty uninspired by the whole thing. Julia Emelin did a great job with the narration though.

geist

Book Review of Geist (Book of the Order #1), by Philippa Ballantine

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I was given an audible credit for a copy of Geist, by Philippa Ballantine.

Description from Goodreads:

Between the living and the dead is the Order of the Deacons, protectors of the Empire, guardians against possession, sentinels enlisted to ward off the malevolent haunting of the geists…

Among the most powerful of the Order is Sorcha, now thrust into partnership with the novice Deacon, Merrick Chambers. They have been dispatched to the isolated village of Ulrich to aide the Priory with a surge of violent geist activity. With them is Raed Rossin, Pretender to the throne that Sorcha is sworn to protect, and bearer of a terrible curse.

But what greets them in the strange settlement is something far more predatory and more horrifying than any mere haunting. And as she uncovers a tradition of twisted rituals passed down through the dark reaches of history, Sorcha will be forced to reconsider everything she thinks she knows.

And if she makes it out of Ulrich alive, what in Hell is she returning to? 

Review:

I was pleasantly surprised by this one. The cover* left me a bit nervous that it would be more YA than I was looking for, but Sorcha is in her 30s (late 30s, I even think), as is Raed. They were believable, capable adults. I can’t tell you how much I appreciate that. 

The world is an interesting one. There’s a mild romantic subplot (or two) and there’s some witty humor. I was a little less enamored with the plot than I was with everything surrounding it, but still a solid, enjoyable read. 

Lastly, I’m alway iffy about author-narrators. But, with the exception of some annoying swallowing sounds, Ballantine did an excellent job with the narration. 

*If I’m discussing the cover, I don’t know that a lion fits the description of the beast(as I understood it) and every time I look at it, I’m a bit thrown off. 

Book Review: Three Mages and a Margarita, by Annette Marie

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three mages and a margarita

I borrowed and audio book copy of Annette Marie‘s Three Mages and a Margarita through Hoopla.

Description from Goodreads:

Broke, almost homeless, and recently fired. Those are my official reasons for answering a wanted ad for a skeevy-looking bartender gig.

It went downhill the moment they asked me to do a trial shift instead of an interview — to see if I’d mesh with their “special” clientele. I think that part went great. Their customers were complete dickheads, and I was an asshole right back. That’s the definition of fitting in, right?

I expected to get thrown out on my ass. Instead, they… offered me the job?

It turns out this place isn’t a bar. It’s a guild. And the three cocky guys I drenched with a margarita during my trial? Yeah, they were mages. Either I’m exactly the kind of takes-no-shit bartender this guild needs, or there’s a good reason no one else wants to work here.

So what’s a broke girl to do? Take the job, of course — with a pay raise.

Review:

I quite enjoyed this; perhaps not for the reason the author intended, but I enjoyed it all the same. Have you ever seen the anime Fairy Tail? The IMDb page lists its synopsis like this:

Lucy, an aspiring Celestial Wizard, becomes a friend and ally to powerful wizards Natsu, Gray, and Erza, who are part of the (in)famous wizard guild, Fairy Tail.

Yeah, that’s pretty much the exact plot of this book too. The similarities really don’t stop there. The main mage in Three Mages and a Margarita is a pyro-mage. Natsu from Fairy Tail, his ability is fire. Ezra, the one from Three Mages and a Margarita (I have to clarify, because both the anime and the book have an Ezra), is an aero-mage (air). But every time he gets upset the temperature starts dropping. It gets cold….kind of like Gray from Fairy Tail, who uses ice as his element. I could go on.

So, while I did think the story was engaging and I liked Tory. Most of my amusement came from laughing every time I found something lifted straight from my daughter’s favorite anime. (I like it too. Just maybe not as obsessively.) The book does lack a Happy. So, I’m waiting for Tory (or Aaron) to adopt some magical pet in a future book. And I’d be willing to read it, though if Annette Marie really did take such direct inspiration from Fairy Tail, I’d like to see her give the show’s creators some credit.