‘The Last Magician’ by Lisa Maxwell

4 magical stars!

YA fantasy author Lisa Maxwell sweeps us up in a tale that transcends time, centered around the streets of New York City, with gangs and magicians.

‘The Last Magician’ is a wonderful blend of magic and time travel.  In a city torn apart by those who do not possess an affinity for magic - but seek to control those who do – a magical barrier was created long ago, to trap magicians.  In modern day New York City, magic has nearly died out completely. 

Our main character, Esta, has trained as a thief her entire life.  She is able to use her magical affinity to control time, and with the aid of a gem that enhances her affinity, she can also travel through time.  Her teacher and father-figure lays out a course of robberies for her over the years, to accumulate various magical artifacts, in pursuit of an endeavor to change the past and create a more secure future for those with magic.

We first meet Esta in the middle of an exciting heist in 1926.  Soon she is sent back from present day NYC to 1901 in order to stop the Magician from stealing the Book.  The very same Book she is tasked with bringing into present day in order to change things.  However, the gem used to enhance Esta’s affinity cannot exist in two places at the same time, and since it already exists in New York City in the 1901 Esta jumped into, her gem disappears upon arrival.  Much of Maxwell’s book consists of following Esta for weeks in 1901, navigating among the mageus of the time, and their gangs.

The story is told through several perspectives; through Esta’s, through the Last Magician’s, and a few others.  Transitions are easy to follow, and different points of view during a single heist is sometimes appreciated.

What I enjoyed most about ‘The Last Magician’ was the world building, the magic affinities, and the relationships between the mageus in 1901.  I look forward to reading what happens next!

I voluntarily read a Review Copy of this book.  All opinions stated are solely my own and no one else’s.

‘The Last Magician’ will be available in July 18, 2017!

'Ensnared' by Rita Stradling

5 magical stars!

‘Ensnared’ is a fantastic re-telling of Beauty and the Beast.  Perfect for fans of 'The Lunar Chronicles' by Marissa Meyer.  It takes place in the near future, with slightly more advanced technology, including AI systems that run households and self-driving vehicles.

When Alainn’s genius father racks up serious debts between inventing robots and gambling, he takes a job from the wealthy recluse Lorccan, who is already happy with his work.  Rosebud is the AI running his private tower home, a home where no human is welcome.  When Alainn’s father and brother are unable to finish the new robot on time for Lorccan, the robot itself comes up with the idea for Alainn to take her place.  Though Rose was modeled after Alainn and the two appear to be nearly identical, readers must employ a slight suspension of disbelief as Alainn joins Lorccan’s household without him realizing she is human.

As one might expect for a re-telling of Beauty and the Beast, Lorccan, wealthy recluse that he is, is physically scarred.  Turns out he commissioned the life-like robot, Rose, for the purpose of becoming more comfortable with others, so that he may eventually interact with real people, face-to-face.  Even the AI running his solitary tower, Rosebud, encourages Alainn to interact with him; to save him.

‘Ensnared’ takes on a life of its own, advancing beyond the usual Beauty and the Beast narrative, as Rose-the-robot advances past her programming and acts increasingly independently to further her own agenda.

The connections between the characters in this story are sweet and touching.  The robotics and technology are explained with enough detail to be believable.  Though we are not treated to singing candelabras, there are some adorable robot monkeys to look forward to.

I voluntarily read a Review Copy of this book.  All opinions stated are solely my own and no one else’s.

'Ensnared' will be available in May 2017!

‘Blood Rose Rebellion’ (Blood Rose Rebellion, #1) by Rosalyn Eves

3.5 magical stars

In her debut YA fantasy novel, author Rosalyn Eves shows great potential. She combines the real-life revolution in Victorian Era Hungary with a fictional main character, Anna, who seems to be the only member of her family born without magic. Eves provides vivid descriptions for several different types of magic throughout this tale. While the spell work is exciting, the dry writing prevents the book from being truly magical.

I voluntarily read a Review Copy of this book. All opinions stated are solely my own and no one else’s.

‘Blood Rose Rebellion’ will be available on March 28, 2017!

‘Waging War’ and ‘Cheating Death’ (The Immortal Descendants #4-5) by April White

5 death-defying stars!

‘Marking Time’ review.

‘Tempting Fate’ review.

‘Changing Nature’ review.

Spoilers ahead:

‘Waging War’ follows Saira on an incredible journey through time and ends in the mother of all cliff-hangers.  Dive straight into book 5:

‘Cheating Death’ is an excellent conclusion to a delightful and complex series.  Readers finally learn the truth about what happened between the original Immortals, as well as the motivation and connections behind all the pot-stirring Mongers.

‘Cheating Death’ is the fifth and final entry in a completed five-book series about Clockers, Seers, Shifters, War Mongers, and Suckers.  Stay tuned to author April White for a spin-off series in the future! 

‘Cashmere’ (Velvet Trilogy #2) by Temple West

4 stars for the second entry in Temple West's 'Velvet' series.

Whereas 'Velvet' set the stage for life in high school for Caitlin and her friends and provided clear descriptions for demons and a new kind of vampire (rest assured, these are non-sparkly vampires), 'Cashmere' focuses more on Caitlin's fashion internship and her design talents. I can only assume author Temple West has personal experience with fabric, sewing, and fashion; as the descriptions are detailed and vivid.

'Cashmere' picks up where 'Velvet' left off. Readers follow Caitlin, Adrian, Trish, Jenny, et al through the end of their high school year, including an incredible prom scene. Though Caitlin and Adrian spend less time together in this book, readers will appreciate Caitlin's new discoveries of supernatural laws and history, and the time she spends with her internship bodyguards, Kalare and Julian.

Both 'Velvet' and 'Cashmere' are highly recommended to YA supernatural romance fans.

'Cashmere' will be available on February 14, 2017!

I voluntarily read a Review Copy of this book.  All opinions stated are solely my own and no one else’s.

‘Velvet’ (Velvet Trilogy #1) by Temple West

4 red velvet stars

‘Velvet’ begins our tale of Caitlin, whose mother loses her battle with cancer just days before their house is sold and Caitlin moves from Connecticut to upstate New York to live with her Aunt, Uncle, and Cousin in sleepy Stony Creek.  Several pages are incredibly sad, be forewarned if you have experienced a loss recently.

Caitlin’s hot, reclusive, and charming next-door-neighbor is soon revealed to have supernatural abilities.  Adrian is a half-demon, half-vampire, super-smart pop-culture dork with a fun streak and serious respect for his elders.  Over time, he not only explains how advanced chemistry and basic algebra work, but also how vampires come to be and why they need both blood and food to survive.

Much to Caitlin’s delight, Adrian is assigned as her personal bodyguard by the vampire Counsel when his demon father sets his sights on her.  To avoid suspicion from the humans at their high school where she is junior and he’s a senior, they pretend to be a young couple in love.  The two share some really sweet scenes as they start to really fall for each other, though they must to hide their true feelings from Adrian’s family and the Counsel as vampires are forbidden to date humans and are discouraged from interacting with them, under normal circumstances.

I highly recommended this book to YA supernatural romance fans.  ‘Velvet’ is available for purchase, and might be hiding in your local library.

‘Last Stand’ (The Black Mage #4) by Rachel E. Carter

5 magical stars!

‘Last Stand’ is the epic conclusion to Rachel E. Carter’s fantastic ‘Black Mage’ series, wrapping up all four books and one novella.  Links to the earlier books in this series, and book reviews, are provided below.  Please expect spoilers for the series in the below review.

Read the series from the beginning:

'First Year' Review

'Apprentice' Review

'Candidate' Review

‘Non-Heir’ Novella Review

‘The Black Mage’ series has pulled my heartstrings at times along the way, but this entry was by far the most emotional to read.  Carter’s writing is flawless; the challenge comes in accepting Mage Ryiah’s choices and watching the consequences play out.  As this series has advanced, the Mages have kept up with their physical training and magic casting, however, political intrigue has become an increasingly larger part of the plot.  ‘Last Stand’ puts an even larger focus on political intrigue and dealings at court, and the many battles resulting from court maneuvers.

My heart was shattered at the end of book 3, ‘Candidate,’ but the worst was yet to come.  Ryiah and Darren both make difficult choices and go through quite a lot in this book.  I wish their path could have been easier, but the end result was worth it.  Along the way, there are some lovely scenes, including a wedding, and some descriptive-yet-clean romance.  As newlyweds, the witty banter between Ryiah and Darren was a bit more personal, and the romantic teasing had both Ryiah and me blushing.  As always, Carter’s intricate descriptions were one of the high points of her novel. 

I voluntarily read a Review Copy of this book.  All opinions stated are solely my own and no one else’s.

‘Last Stand’ will be available on February 7, 2017!

‘Non-Heir’ (The Black Mage 0.5) by Rachel E. Carter

5 stars!

Excellent addition to The Black Mage series revolving around Prince Darren's childhood.  Readers gain insight to his family history, early training, and everything that goes into 'why he is the way he is' when Ryiah first meets him.  Can be read any time after 'First Year.'

‘Changing Nature’ (The Immortal Descendants #3) by April White

5 time traveling stars!

‘Marking Time’ review.

‘Tempting Fate’ review.

Spoilers ahead:

‘Marking Time’ followed Clocker Saira Elian as she discovered the secret Family lines descended from five Immortals; Time, Fate, Nature, War, and Death.  She was sent to an exclusive private boarding school in London, where these descendants learn more about their abilities as well as receive a general education.  She made friends with Seers and Shifters, and found herself in trouble with Mongers, who seek to ‘police’ within their own species.  Saira eventually learned why she is a target; she is of mixed blood and is dating a Vampire, descended from Death. 

When an evil Monger-Vampire attempted to trap Saira’s Clocker mother in 1888, she and her allies, Archer and Ringo, stepped in for the rescue, at all costs.

‘Tempting Fate’ reunited ‘the gang’ as Saira, Archer, and Ringo traveled to Tudor England and disrupted the same evil Monger-Vampire’s plan to execute Lady Elizabeth Boleyn before she could become Queen.  Saira learned firsthand that permanent disruptions in the timeline are possible and are large-scale disastrous.

The third installment of ‘The Immortal Descendants’ series begins with more daring public displays of aggression from Mongers, as they kidnap dozens of mixed-bloods.  After several failed attempts at abducting both Saira and Archer, the gang escapes back in time, hoping to fix the anomaly that has created the permanent shift in the time stream.

‘Changing Nature’ is the third in a completed five-book series about Clockers, Seers, Shifters, War Mongers, and Suckers.

‘Tempting Fate’ (The Immortal Descendants #2) by April White

'Tempting Fate' takes us back to Tudor England, and brings Clocker Saira and the gang face-to-face with Queen Elizabeth shortly before her reign begins, as they attempt to a thwart nefarious Monger-Vampire plot.

‘Tempting Fate’ is the second in a completed five-book series about Clockers, Seers, Shifters, War Mongers, and Suckers.  Available here.

'Marking Time' review.