Amy Goodnight is determined to be the face of normality among her family of witches. However, that can’t help her when she ends up house-sitting on her aunt’s Texas ranch. Corpses keep turning up, the handsome cowboy next door is a pain in her rear, there are ghosts lurking, and if Amy can’t learn the truth behind a centuries-old murder, she’ll never have any peace. Not to mention, someone wants the truth to remain hidden, at any cost. With her customary blend of humor and paranormal drama, Clement-Moore delivers an intriguingly strange ghost story/murder mystery. Come for the plot, stay for the characters, and leave satisfied.
Archive for category Wizards, Mages and Spellcasters
After years of being the only mundane in a clan of witches, Tamsin Greene has discovered her own potent set of Talents, along with a prophecy that puts her at the heart of her family’s destiny. When her enemy, Alistair Knight, journeys back in time, Tamsin follows in order to thwart his plans to change the past. As she goes undercover in the stronghold of a rival family of witches, she tries to avoid their wicked ways while recruiting her own ancestors. Ultimately, Tamsin’s actions in the past will influence generations to come, and decide her own fate. While the tale spans centuries and affects entire families, it wraps up Tamsin’s personal story in a satisfying manner.
Cassel Sharpe has problems: The girl he wants has been cursed to love him against her will, he’s secretly a powerful curse worker, and his family has been using him without his knowledge. Extricating himself from this mess will take some doing, and that’s before the Feds pull him in to help investigate and avenge his brother’s murder. Unfortunately, he’s short on people he can trust, torn between family and the law, and running short on time. Intricately-plotted and full of sharp turns, this is one twisted tale of magical crime and punishment, mixing urban fantasy with a hint of noir.
Struggling to master her newfound magical abilities, Lily continues to work with the Adepts, a secret group of mages dedicated to protecting the innocent and battling the Reapers, mages who exploit others for power. With Chicago as their battleground, the two factions clash repeatedly. Meanwhile, stranger things than mages are stalking the streets at night, threatening to cause real trouble. Lily’s also determined to uncover her parents’ secrets, and still find time to date here werewolf boyfriend. With so much on the line, something’s bound to give. With an interesting premise and a host of memorable characters, this series fails to disappoint. I’m looking forward to each new entry.
Anastasija Parker always figured she was just a late-blooming True Witch, and she’d come into her powers eventually. Unfortunately, when she turns sixteen and she’s still as boring as ever, she figures that’s it. No powers, no coven, no dice. And then her long-lost father turns up, and drops a bombshell: Ana is half-vampire, half-witch, the product of an ill-advised tryst all those years ago, and it’s time for her to claim her status as vampire princess. Now she’s caught between two worlds, with both parents trying to influence her choice, attracted to two different guys, and oh yes, a renegade faction of vampires determined to kill her. The casually irreverent narrative voice makes it easy to underestimate this story of a teen caught in the ultimate parental dispute, and the main character isn’t the most sympathetic, but it’s an interesting story nonetheless. Part romance, part drama, fleshed out with interesting supporting characters (my favorite: Taylor, the geeky Somali who totally rocks the colorful hijabs), it’s a nice start to a new series.
Dancia Lewis has lived her entire life trying not to be noticed, trying to hide the strange power that lashes out of her whenever someone she cares for is in danger. Thus, she’s surprised when the Delcroix Academy, a place for the truly elite, awards her a scholarship. Once she’s there, she’s drawn into a shadowy world of hidden talents and powers just like hers, a world in which nothing is as it seems. But do they have her best interests at heart? That’s what she’ll have to find out … the hard way. A strong start to a promising new series, it’ll be interesting to see where things lead, now that we have some answers. Quite enjoyable, if not spectacular.
It’s all fun and games for college drop-out and professional fry cook Samhain “Sam” LaCroix, until Seattle’s most powerful necromancer recognizes the power Sam didn’t even know he possessed. Now Sam’s the target of his rival’s dark ambitions, and has to get his act together before he finds out what’s worse than death. Deadly serious, yet playfully tongue-in-cheek, McBride’s debut features an interesting set-up populated by entertaining characters, making for an attention-grabbing story.
After Spirit White’s family is killed in a car accident, she’s claimed as a legacy by the mysterious, yet prestigious Oakhurst Academy and taken away to her new home. There, she learns of her as-yet-unmanifested magical powers, and falls in with an eclectic group of fellow students. But when Spirit and her friends realize Oakhurst has a long history of disappearances, they conduct a dangerous investigation into the school’s secrets, which brings them into conflict with an ancient menace and a traitor among the faculty. While the set-up is solid and the plot fast-paced, there’s little to distinguish this from others in the Magic School sub-genre; hopefully, future entries in the series will improve on this initial impression.
Bad boy brothers Nick and Alan are back for more demon-killing, mage-hunting excitement when their friends Mae and Jamie call for help against the threat of the Obsidian Circle, a homicidal group of mages set on recruiting Jamie against his will. But now that Nick’s embraced his true nature as a demon himself, he may be an even greater threat. When it comes to dealing with supernatural threats, everyone has a plan and betrayals lurk around every corner, along with sparks of attraction and uneasy alliances. With its dark imagery, seductively dangerous characters, and unpredictable plotting, this sequel to The Demon’s Lexicon is bound to appeal to readers looking for an edgy thrill.
When disgraced witch Sophie Mercer screws up once too often, she’s sent to Hecate Hall, a reform school for troublemaking witches, faeries, and shapeshifters. Even as she befriends her roommate, the lone vampire student, she runs afoul of a would be coven of ambitious witches, acquires a ghostly mentor, flirts with a handsome warlock, and struggles to master her abilities. Something deadly is lurking in the shadows, and Sophie may be the key to stopping it before the body count gets out of hand. With a solid story, believable characters, and a fast-paced plot, this is a thoroughly enjoyable read from a promising new author, and the start of a fun series.