Review Bright Blaze of magic by Jennifer Estep

9:39 AM
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Review Relics of Camelot by LH Nicole

9:30 AM
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Review Dark Heart of Magic by Jennifer Estep

Back in March I did and ARC review of Jennifer Estep's newest YA book COLD BURN OF MAGIC. Well, Addicts, I'm back with an ARC review of the second book in that wonderfully addictive series! DARK HEART OF MAGIC is wonderful and fantastic and will suck you in so deep you can't put the book down until you've read it twice! So read on Addicts to learn more!

Dark Heart of Magic (Black Blade #2)

by Jennifer Estep

Something Wicked This Way Comes...

As a thief, I stick to the shadows as much as possible. But when the head of the Sinclair Family picks me to compete in the Tournament of Blades, there's no escaping the spotlight—or the danger.

Even though he's my competition, Devon Sinclair thinks I have the best shot at winning what's supposed to be a friendly contest. But when the competitors start having mysterious "accidents," it looks like someone will do anything to win—no matter who they hurt.

As if I didn't have enough to worry about, mobster Victor Draconi is plotting against Devon and the rest of my friends, and someone's going around Cloudburst Falls murdering monsters. One thing's for sure. Sometimes, humans can be more monstrous than anything else...

It's no secret I love Jennifer Ester's work. Her Mythos Academy series was A-MAZ-ING, and now her Black Blade series has joined her YA arsenal. DARK HEART OF MAGIC is the 2nd book inthe series, and I think my fav so far. (Probably because I finally got my kiss between Lila and Devon!!!)

No they don't get married, but if you're a fan of those two like I am that scene is such a payoff!
DARK HEART OF MAGIC is sizzling, fun, action packed goodness topped with a healthy dose of comic snarkiness. In case you need a refresher, here's a quick breakdown of the main characters to look out for. [But if you want a more in depth look at the characters go to my review for COLD BURN OF MAGIC, book 1]
Lila Meriweather is our heroine with the rare and powerful Talents of Soul Sight and Transference. Who wouldn't want to be able to know what everyone's feeling by looking in their eyes? Or be able to use other's Talents against them in battle?
Devon Sinclair is the swoony hero with a serious chivalrous-heart-of-gold-Prince-Charming complex, who also happens to be a badass fighter to boot! He is also the son of the matriarch of the Sinclair family, as well as it's Bruiser (the second most powerful position behind head of the family---and speaking of "family" this whole series is based around a fictional town with magic that is controlled by different families--aka mob families-- with the Sinclair's and Dragoni's being the most powerful) Devon also has a rare Talent: Compulsion. Meaning he can make anyone do whatever he wants them to do just by telling them to do it.
DARK HEART OF MAGIC is set a few weeks after the end of book 1 and focuses on a yearly tournament, held by all the families, for the public to see. Imagine the Renaissance Fest mashed together with the Gladiator games of Rome--minus the killing of the losers. DHOM is chalk full of murder, though surprisingly it doesn't feel like too much killing. I've read books where killing seems to happen just for killing sake, but not so here. Everything that happened was perfectly designed to have some sort of impact on the books plot and the overall series arc.
Another great thing about DHOM was Deah. She's the "Juliet" of the bad guy's family--the Draconi's--and actually a much stronger character that I thought her to be in the first book.
Yes, we get to see all the original characters from book 1 but we also get introduced to a new set of characters, including Deah's mother! I can't even begin to say what I want to about her because it's a total spoiler, but I will say WOW!
Jennifer Estep knows how to make you feel for her characters in her writing, one of the things that always has me hooked to her books. In DHOM we also met Katia, another new character, who seemed a bit odd to me at first but then immediately, I liked her. As her story went on I just wanted to give her a hug....at least until..... Ok, can't go there, slight spoiler. Even still she is one of my surprise fav characters of DHOM
Overall DARK HEART OF MAGIC was even more fantastical than Cold Burn of Magic and I need to get a hold of book 3, like right now, to see how this wonderful trilogy ends. This one is definitely one of my top 5 Addiction books!
~DynoMoon

Jennifer Estep is a New York Times bestselling author, prowling the streets of her imagination in search of her next fantasy idea. Jennifer writes the Elemental Assassin urban fantasy series for Pocket Books, the Black Blade young adult urban fantasy series for Kensington, the Mythos Academy young adult urban fantasy series for Kensington and the Bigtime paranormal romance series for Berkley

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9:20 AM
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Review LEGENDARY AND CLAIMING EXCALIBUR by L.H. Nicole

5 star

Alright Addicts, it's Friday and the last of my week long reviews. I thought I'd end this week of high rated reviews with a series that became more than a slight addiction for me over a year ago. I will say right now L.H. Nicole, author of LEGENDARY and CLAIMING EXCALIBUR--books 1 and 2 of her YA king Arthur series--is a friend. BUT that only came about after I read her books. I promise you, I am not rating her books so highly because of our friendship. I truly LOVE and am addicted to the way she tells this story. So read on my fellow Addicts!

Legendary (Legendary Saga #1)

by L.H. Nicole

Aliana Fagan spent her childhood traveling the world, dreaming of legendary heroes and mythical lands. But after the sudden death of her parents, she hides behind the safety of her camera and her art until a vivid recurring dream compels her to dig into her father's research about Avalon and Camelot. When she is hurled into a magical realm by forces she thought were only the stuff of fairy tales, she finds herself thrown into an adventure she could never have imagined. Nearly everything she thought she knew about Arthurian legend was wrong. The independent eighteen-year-old is shocked to find that the people of Avalon think that she is the Destined One, the only person who can summon King Arthur back to life from his hidden chamber. Most surprising of all is that it's up to her to lead the Knights of the Round Table on an epic quest-an adventure that will transport them across the seven magic realms to reclaim all that has been lost so they can defeat the evil Mordrid for good. But first, she must bring the ancient warriors into her world and reunite them with their lost brothers. Chaperoning the legendary knights-with-a-chivalry-complex as they navigate the modern world is a constant challenge, and she certainly never thought she'd be caught between her intense feelings for the noble Sir Galahad and her growing friendship with the King. To fulfill the prophecy, Aliana will have to discover the meaning of friendship, bravery, loyalty, true love, and forgiveness. But can she do it all in time to save the realms from Mordrid's impending Armageddon?

GOODREADS

Claiming Excalibur (Legendary Saga #2)

by L.H. Nicole

Aliana Fagan has done what many thought impossible: she’s awakened King Arthur from his fifteen-hundred-year sleep, reunited the Knights of the Round Table, and even beaten Mordrid and Morgana LeFay in battle.

But the Destined One’s quest has only begun.

Before the knights can "unearth and reclaim their lost relics" they must survive the trip to Charleston, South Carolina and meet the newest member of the Round Table. If King Arthur’s men thought Aliana and Lacy were tenacious, they'll be even more surprised by Dawn, the third member of the fem-trio.

Deadly secrets, unexpected allies, and a traitor lurking in the shadows await Aliana and the new Round Table as they continue their search for Excalibur. Their only clue is a beyond confusing poem from a mysterious book that speaks of a terrifying creature guarding the legendary sword. Trying to build a somewhat normal relationship with Sir Galahad adds a whole new level of complexity to Aliana’s task, especially when several among them suspect the White Knight may not be wholly himself. Her friendship with King Arthur grows closer, and when circumstances become intense, he may finally get the chance with Aliana that he’s been pining for.

Mysteries, legendary quests, and haunting memories will either unite the members of the New Round Table or fracture their bonds. Aliana and her crew only have seven months before the planets align and Mordrid can seize the power he needs to conquer the seven realms. Can the Destined One keep her new family together and lead Arthur to his destiny of saving the realms? Or will a centuries-old plot for revenge finally spell the king’s end?

GOODREADS

MY REVIEW:

Since this is a two book review I will try to not give away too many spoilers. Many of my Addicts know I have a major thing for King Arthur stories/TV shows so when I found LEGENDARY by L.H. Nicole, over a year ago I was thrilled. So many King Arthur stories are historical or some kind of retelling of the King and his Knights and Merlin. The reason this book stood out so much, for me, was that this is NOT a historical and NOT a retelling. It is a totally original, rich, enthralling series packed with everything you could want in a book. The author really took the legends and made them her own with amazing plot twists, vibrant and fantastical worlds, and characters that will stick with you long after you finish the books.
To quote the author, this is a continuation of King Arthur's story, in modern time.
There is just SO SO SO much I want to say about these two books but I know I can't drag on too much so I'll hit the highlights.
When I bought LEGENDARY I admit it took me a few weeks to pick it up, but once I did.....WOW, I read through the first book in the series in one night and was left dying for book 2.
This series has set up one EIPC universe--or the seven realms, as its referred to in the books. At first I was like this is going to be too much, but thankfully, in LEGENDARY, we only see two realms--our real one, the mortal realm, and Avalon.
What King Arthur story is complete without Avalon? None, IMHO. Point to L.H. Nicole.
Our heroine, Aliana is not your typical teenager. She seemed to have grown up sheltered, for girl that traveled the world with her globe trotting parents. She was pretty broken when she first stumbles into Avalon and her destiny as the prophesied "Destined One". (Yeah, I rose a brow at that one too, but it ended up working in the end.) Despite her emotional state she is a strong, slightly smart mouthed character who is way braver than she gives herself credit for. I LOVED her, she's so easy to relate to and her voice is a fun one to listen to.
Then she finds and saves a Dragon, who seems like a he could be a cousin to Mushu. And, more importantly, she saves Sir Galahad. WOW, talk about alpha male hero. I love him; but I'll get to him in a second. Back to Aliana. She also ends up reviving King Arthur and once they return to our world, the pace picks up and the Knights of the Round Table seem to just come out of the wood work! Not that that's bad, I love the whole huge cast, I just wish the scenes where they appear could have been drawn out more.
I have to do King Arthur next. OMG, what a king. This King Arthur also isn't the typical medieval Arthur, no no, this is a Roman Britain era King Arthur, and I just can't get enough of him, seriously, I needed more! His character was well developed, he's strong and resilient and charismatic, but I really wanted more scenes that were focused on him. At least that was how I felt in LEGENDARY. When I finally got to read CLAIMING EXCALIBUR I got exactly what I wanted and man was it swoon worthy.
Back to Sir Galahad. Like all YA books we need to have our hot heroes and Galahad is chief among them. He's brooding and a total he-man, and man that first kiss he lays on Aliana..... I needed a fan it was so hot. Setting aside his hotness, I think my favorite thing about Galahad was his loyalty to Arthur, his brother knights and now to Aliana. I think my favorite scenes were actually when he was learning about modern technology and the world today. I was flat out dying when he talked about breaking a cell phone!
Of course we also have the other knights: Lancelot and Merlin (yes he is a knight as well as a Druid!) and then there's the others. Here's where it gets really unique. All the knights--except Merlin and Lancelot Galahad and Arthur--are reborn into the modern world.
I may have lost you here, but I promise it's a really simple explanation. Arthur and his men made a deal with Titania, queen of the Fae, to save Arthur's life after Mordrid nearly killed him and did kill most of his men. The knights who died in the original battle of legend: Gawain, Owaine, Leyon and Percival were all reborn in our time, with no memory of who they were. Until Aliana finds them and Merlin restores their memories.
I said before that we have a very large cast, and I'm talking about more than just the knights. There's also Aliana's two best friends Lacy and Dawn. Dawn doesn't come until book 2 CLAIMING EXCALIBUR but they are kicka$$ in their own rights. I don't think such large cast would have worked as well without the paragraphs at the beginning of each chapter. Another thing I love about these books: each chapter starts with a glimpse into another character, including the bad guys Mordrid and Morgana! It was so great to see little bits form the other characters and get their take on things. Outside of the depth each character has, these paragraphs made the cast so much more. I especially love the ones from Galahad and Arthur because they're so swoon worthy :)
LEGENDARY is a little slower (only int he very beginning) than CLAIMING EXCALIBUR, but both books are packed with drama, tension, action, comedy, loyalty, hot guys, betrayal, epic bad guys and battle scenes, wicked cool magic and heart fluttering romance.
Warning--this is a love triangle and insta-love BUT they are all done in a slightly different way, and if you pay enough attention at the end of book 1 and through out book 2....well, I get the feeling that the "instal-love" may not be like we think it is. But that's just my own thoughts. I can't get L.H. to confirm or deny. I guess I'll have to wait for book 3 and 4 to see if I'm right. One thing for certain: I will be getting my hands on those next books ASAP and in any way I can ;P
Overall this series is perfect for teens, lovers of YA, BBC's Merlin, King Arthur, epic fantasies and romance. I will say that there is some very heavy situations talked about in the book and there are plenty of death scenes. So I recommend teens under 13 don't read unless their parents have looked it through first.
:)

~Dynomoon

9:00 AM
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Review Cold Burn Of Magic by Jennifer Estep

5 star

Hey Addicts! One of the first reviews I did, when I started reviewing books was of Jennifer Estep's MYTHOS ACADEMY series. I absolutely loved it!! <3 <3
So when I heard that she had a new YA book: COLD BURN OF MAGIC, the first in her new trilogy BLACK BLADE coming out I started to get excited. Then when I saw it available on NetGalley to review I got even more excited. And when I got that magical email that said I had been approved to receive a review copy I freaking lost my sh!t I was so excited!!
Let em fan girl here for a minute:

And boy oh boy, once I started it.......well you'll see below. Read on Addicts!

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. . .

Goodreads

MY REVIEW:
I had very high hopes for COLD BURN OF MAGIC by Jennifer Estep---something to fill the void in my Addiction left by the end of her Mythos Academy series. I was NOT dissapointed! I sat down and devoured CBoM in only 4 hours! This book was a 5 star for me after only the first 5 chapters, that's how good it is!
COLD BURN OF MAGIC is set in the real world, but a world that knows "magic" and fairy tale creatures exists. But not everyone has magic, or Talents, as they're called. The town Lila lives in is known as the most magical place in the USA. The entire city is divided by the magic wielding "families" (can we say mafia families dividing territory?) the two most powerful families are the Draconi's and the Sinclair's, the Draconi's are the unquestioned top dogs (because of many horrible and nefarious deeds and actions; AKA bad ass Mafioso's with a healthy dose of psychopathic tendencies.) The Sinclair's are the second up and though still dangerous and scary, they at least have hearts.
Lila Meriweather is one of my more favorite heroines of late. She's spunky, smart--like street and strategy smart-funny, lover of bacon and can kick all kinds of butt! She's also an orphan, living in the basement of a public library and getting by as a thief for her only "family" member left; Mo. She is such a great blend of strong, but soft and very easy to relate to.
Devon Sinclair is Lila's hero opposite and he's a refreshing change from the many heroes in YA. Yes he's gorgeous, strong and a wicked fighter--did I mention every character knows how to fight with swords? Black Blades to be precise, but more on that later. Devon has a very rare and powerful Talent that makes him one hell of a prize because if someone (the Draconi's) stole his Talent, oh boy......major bad things would be coming everyone's way. (And this is where the Black Blades come back into play, but I don't want to give too much away) Because of his power, his mother shelters him a lot, and he always restrains himself, which at times makes him appear weak, but then when he gets pissed we see he's pretty bad ass. The fact he has that vulnerability, and the fact that despite the power of his Talent, it can be somewhat easily deterred, I think is what gave Devon such a fresh and unique feel to him.
Lila met Devon after incidentally saving his life and she get made his new body guard. Well, maybe saying "made" is too nice a way of putting it. Way too nice!
There's so much more I want to absolutely gush over: characters, plot, the mysteries, the romance.....OMG. But I don't want to put out any spoilers, so I'll only say these last few things.
Cast of characters: AMAZING, the good and the bad!
Felix Morales-Devon's bestie and member of the Sinclair family. Funny, flirt of the century and total Romeo, literally.
Mo-Lila's fence, pawn shop owner and last parental figure. he's an old friend of her late mom's and the appropriate blend of sleazy and loyal.
Deah Draconi-daughter of the psychopathic evil leader of the Draconi family. Spoiled princess, or at least that's what this Juliet wants people to think.
Oscar- Lila's personal Pixie helper, AKA her own personal butler. But don't get this Pixie pissed off, he can be one grouchy cowboy. (yes i meant to say that)
Jennifer Estep had brilliantly weaved one heck of an amazing story chalk full of romance, secrets, great battle scenes, several theft and B&E scenes and pulse pounding action.
Truth: I've already read this book three times and I'm probably gonna read it again this weekend. Yeah, I'm beyond addicted.
I only have two complaints. 1 I was dying for Devon and Lila to get more, and steamier love scenes, and 2 I want the next book like NOW! I cannot recommend this amazing book enough. If you love magic realism, fantasy, action, snarky heroines, comedy, romance, mysteries, and cool as hell heists......COLD BURN OF MAGIC is perfect!

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I hope you Addicts enjoyed learning all about my newest squee worthy addiction and that you will soon share it with me!! My only thing----WHY DO I HAVE TO WAIT UNTIL WINTER FOR THE NEXT ONE?!?!?!?!!?
~Dynomoon