Tuesday, June 9, 2015

Cold Burn of Magic (Black Blade #1)

Cold Burn of Magic by Jennifer Estep                                                               
Publication Date: April 28

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. .


Jennifer Estep has done it again! Written an book that just takes you away and sweeps you off your feet! I could say this was a great book, but that's not a good enough description. As my beloved Dean would say, this book was

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I have only read Ms. Estep's Mythos Academy series, which was equally amazing, but this woman can write such fantastic story, and you will never get enough. If it's anything like the Mythos Academy series, this will be yet another extraordinary series from this author.

Our main character is Lila, and she is everything you could want in a heroine. She is smart, sassy, and doesn't take anything from anyone. Lila is tough, but also practical and entirely relatable. The one thing I loved about reading from her POV was the fact that the person she showed to the world was a much different person than who she was inside. We all put on a mask sometimes (or a lot of times), and it makes me feel like I am part of the story even more when the character is like this. However, despite her vulnerabilities, she had such a fire and tenacity, that you can't help but admire it. Lila reminds us all that we should fight for ourselves and do what is right, but all the while have our priorities straight (this is something that many characters lack regardless of gender).

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The secondary characters are equally amazing. Every single character has their own personality and isn't just shoved to the side. You'll have a hard time not liking them (even the ones you aren't supposed to like haha).

The plot of this novel is where the book truly shines. Mob families and magic? Monsters?

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Who wouldn't want to read something that original? I found the story to be so fascinating and interesting, I just never wanted to stop reading. The world is intricate, as this is definitely something you haven't read before, but it is never once overwhelming and is written perfectly. I was never confused and by the end, I had a very good understanding of how the world worked. I do wish there was bit more with the monsters and such, but I'm sure that aspect will come into play in future books. I do hope we learn more about the world in future books because it is definitely something unique!

As you can tell, the writing was exceptional. There was a lot of action and suspense, and the romance was not the main focus.

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Yes, you read that right...a book where there is a girl and guy and there isn't tons of smoochy times. This is a major win in my book! The two complaints I had was first: some things were overly described, which did slow some scenes down. However, this was quickly corrected and didn't continue for multiple scenes. Second: the major twist. I easily figured it out. Literally everything about the end. But, I enjoyed this book so much that I didn't even care.

I definitely would recommend reading this novel if you are a fan of fantasy/paranormal books with lots of action. Additionally, if you're a fan of Jennifer Estep, you definitely don't want to miss out on the fun that is Cold Burn of Magic! I can't wait to see what happens next!!



Happy reading :)

~Cassie

4 comments:

  1. I'm just sitting here like, why haven't I read this book yet? It really sounds amazing! Great review!

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    1. Thanks!! And it really is an amazing book! I can't wait to see where this series goes. Definitely go get this as soon as possible :)

      ~Cassie

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  2. I haven't heard of this book before (no idea why because it looks amazing!) and now can't wait to get my hands on it :) thanks for sharing and introducing me to it with your great review

    Most recent post on Enchanted by YA: http://enchantedbyya.blogspot.com/2015/06/review-fire-study-study-3-by-maria-v.html

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    1. Thanks, and I'm glad I could introduce you :)

      ~Cassie

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