I won a copy of Waking Magic, by Martha Carr and Michael Anderle through Goodreads.
Description from Goodreads:
There are some on our planet who believe you can’t handle the truth, so the truth has been hidden for millennia. The only problem is the truth is coming back… Early.
Some of the crazy history shows on cable TV might not have the answers, but at least they ask the right questions.
Homicide detective, Leira Berens is in a race against a magical force with a mischievous troll by her side with a penchant for swearing.
The stakes are real. And so is the magical world she just visited.
An elven prince is dead, a timebomb as a necklace is loose in her world, and her mother may not be crazy.
It’s a lot. But with help from unexpected places, Leira is going to accomplish more than she ever thought possible.
Welcome to The Revelations of Oriceran.
Because some believe you can’t handle the truth.
Review:
I was bitterly disappointed by this. Let me start with a little bit of a rant. This is labeled as the first book in a series, book 1. But I picked it up and was completely confused, lost. The story had obviously started somewhere else. How can that be if this is book one, I asked.
Well, apparently there is a book .5. Now, I have no problem with .5 books (or however you want to labeled something that comes before book one). This is the place for a prequel. But if the story is part of book one, if it’s necessary to read and understand the story, then I firmly believe this is not a prequel, it’s not book .5. IT IS BOOK ONE. So, I take some serious issue in how this author has chosen to number the books. I couldn’t pick up book one and find the start of a story. I couldn’t easily catch up or follow it. This is a serious problem for me. Especially since it doesn’t really end either. So, I didn’t get a complete beginning or ending.
Outside of that (for me) one big issue, I also thought the book rushed and unfocused. Tell me, if you have a few short days to find someone and a magical object would you take the time to go bowling? As an author, would you dedicate pages to someone’s trip to CVS?
There was very little in the line of plot progression, character development or world building. (Maybe it’s all in that previous book, which only further supports my assertion that it should be book one.) I’ll grant that the characters were likable and the troll cute. But you never get to know them.
The writing is mechanically fine and I don’t remember too many editing errors. But I have no desire to continue the series.
Edit: Another reviewer, who did read the ‘prequel’ stated that it is the “the first 3 or so chapters of the book, despite being published separately.” I’ll add that it’s not even a freebie. So apparently you have to pay for the first 3 chapters of this book separately. That’s a big FAT “no” from me.