magic

The Other Merlin (Emry Merlin, #1) by Robyn Schneider

3.5 stars rounded up to 4

This is a fun YA Fantasy re-telling of Camelot. Arthur is an intelligent bookworm that isn’t much of a fighter. Lancelot is a gay castle guard that was demoted from a page (on track to becoming a knight) after a misunderstanding. Both we content bumbling along until Arthur accidentally pulls the sword from the stone, and now everyone thinks he’s some kind of hero. Emry Merlin poses as her twin brother at court to learn magic and serve Arthur. It’s supposed to be temporary, but nothing goes to plan and she’s there permanently. Princess Guinevere is betrothed to Arthur, but neither wants to marry the other.

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January 8, 2023 0

From Blood and Ash (Blood and Ash #1) by Jennifer Armentrout

Ok, I know that I’m way behind everyone else in reading this series, so the last thing you want to do is read another review about this book, but WOW! I loved this book. In it’s simplest form, you can call this book a YA Fantasy Romance. And yeah, it is. But it also has a load of fighting, paranormal elements, magic, and court intrigue.

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September 5, 2022 0

The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna

This is a very cute contemporary paranormal romance book that was a fun, quick, and easy read. Mika Moon is one of just a few witches in Britain and she knows the rules: keep her head down, hide her magic and don’t mingle with other witches so their power doesn’t draw attention. Raised as an orphan, Mika has never felt a part of anything. She had no family, was raised by strangers, and never stayed in one place long enough to make friends or plant roots. Her only bit of rebellion; an online account where she posts videos of herself “pretending” to do magic. She thinks no one actually believes she’s a real witch – until a letter arrives.

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August 25, 2022 0

The Atlas Six (The Atlas Six #1) by Olivie Blake

The Alexandrian Society is a secret society of magicians. Every ten years they pick six of the brightest magicians for initiation, but only five will be selected. The ones that are initiated with gain wealth, power and prestige. The first year is spent together where they are permitted to access the Society’s archives. At the end of the year, they will be judged on their contributions to arcane areas of knowledge and five initiates will be selected for admission.

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June 19, 2022 0

Luna Wolf (The Moon Alpha #1) by G. Bailey

This is a decent first book in a new fantasy paranormal series about shapeshifters at war. Nyx is a wolf shapeshifter that can’t shift. When she turns 18 she’s banished from her pack and is recruited to attend Luna Alpha Academy, a school that accepts rejects from packs and trains them to be magical fighters. Nyx is less than thrilled with the prospect, but having nowhere else to go and desperate to become useful so she can return to her pack, she reluctantly agrees.

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June 16, 2022 0

In Every Generation by Kendare Blake

“Into every generation, there is a Chosen One. One girl in all the world. She alone will wield the strength and skill to stand against the vampires, the demons, and the forces of darkness; to stop the spread of their evil and the swell of their numbers. She is the Slayer.”

3.5 stars rounded up to 4

Let me preface this review by saying that I am a huge Buffy the Vampire Slayer fan. HUGE. As in I own the entire series on DVD (yeah, remember those old things?) and routinely play them in the background while I’m cleaning, getting ready for the day or to go out, or when I want comfortable coziness. I love all things Buffyverse. Sooooo, when I hear of anything related to Buffy, I leap. That is what I did when I got a chance to read this book. And because I’m such a fan, I will both giddily gush with excitement, and be dramatically picky, about all new things “Buffy” in this review.

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January 20, 2022 0

The Amber Crown by Jacey Bedford

This is a really good stand-alone fantasy book. Although the book is 480 pages, it’s a quick and easy read. Told in short alternating chapters from three main character’s points of view, the story sucked me in at the start and kept a steady pace until the satisfying ending.

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January 11, 2022 0

The Excalibur Curse (Camelot Rising, #3) by Kiersten White

This is the last book in an interesting YA Fantasy Retelling of Camelot. In this book, Guinevere struggles with identity issues and her quest to unravel the mystery of her past may cause all to be lost.

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December 17, 2021 0

All of Us Villains (All of Us Villains #1) by Amanda Foody and Christine Lynn Herman

This is an ok YA Fantasy book that pits seven teenagers from powerful magical families in a three-month long champion tournament to win control over a wellspring of high magick. The type of magick the world thought was long gone. Until now, the tournament has been a centuries old secret, but the publishing of a tell-all book about it has garnered world-wide attention. The town is flooded with curious spectators and the champions are provided with new information that may help them win.

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November 20, 2021 0