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kari_marie's review
2.0
I would have really enjoyed this book but Deb's response to how Lynette treated Ella just ruined it for me. The rant below is a spoiler.
Ella was forced to join and give up not just her money but part of her magic and Deb acted like the coven was still great. If my friend was being forced to join a group I would not willingly and happily join as well. I would join to help protect them. That dynamic ruined the book for me. How cam Deb do that to her best friend who has been there for her for years.
Otherwise I would have given this a 4 stars.
I edited this review because there were some major annoying typos. I should not write reviews on my phone. I am still mad about this book and Deb months later. 3/2/18
Ella was forced to join and give up not just her money but part of her magic and Deb acted like the coven was still great. If my friend was being forced to join a group I would not willingly and happily join as well. I would join to help protect them. That dynamic ruined the book for me. How cam Deb do that to her best friend who has been there for her for years.
Otherwise I would have given this a 4 stars.
I edited this review because there were some major annoying typos. I should not write reviews on my phone. I am still mad about this book and Deb months later. 3/2/18
carol26388's review
1.0
Ah, QuarantineBrain™. I'm going to miss you. That casual, passive acceptance of the way the days blended into each other, and the passive way I could let books flow over me without engaging. Despite finding a number of interesting elements in the first Ella Grey book, Stone Cold Magic, Dark Harvest Magic took everything that was redeemable in the first and threw it out the window.
How badly? Well, once again, serious consequences miss the Scooby Gang, except that this time we've roped in Red Shirts to show there are high stakes, although they presumably matter to someone. Ella's low-level magic and low-level job become powered up here, giving her Super knowledge and Super capabilities. The easy, clear cut lines between evil demons and non-evil magic workers is blurred by Ella and a friend using small demons to send a message to each other (so much for her work as a demon-catcher!), without any serious introspection. But most serious and damaging to my enjoyment was a scene where Ella is magically forced into doing something she doesn't want to do, with serious consequences.
Digression. What's the point when you cut your losses on a book or series? I've figured for awhile that I generally want happy endings, with protagonists who aren't generally stupid or thoughtless, but I can live with it if I'm given decent writing, an interesting world and interesting side characters. Start playing too much with that and I get more than a little kvetchy. Then commit an authorial trespass and I'm done. In this case, it was a character binding Ella into a coven in such a way that it had physical, financial, emotional and social consequences. Sounds like rape to me (there are no secrets in the group; there's tithing; there's mandatory practice). To make it worse, though Ella sort-of struggles with it, she ends up 'going along' with it. Her bestie Deb has a hard time seeing how it is a bad thing, because now they are 'together.' It's funny, because for some readers, this won't be a big thing; they'll see it as Ella adapting, or another challenge, or whatever. But for me, it was the choice that broke my enjoyment. I was done.
I should also note, for those who have been following and who have noted that this book is described as a 'paranormal romance,' that in this installment, Ella makes steps forward in one of her relationships... but there's heavy black-out curtains drawn over the scene. Nothing to see here, kids!
She continues to be super-selfish, particularly in taking her partner Damien for granted. When he shares his fears about his family with her (after hearing about her family all the time), here's her reaction: "I shrugged a shoulder. “Eh, let’s not worry about it unless they find a way to press the issue. You’re an adult. You have your own life. We’ll figure it out, right?”
The power-ups in abilities, the TSTL moments, the super-selfish moments, the authorial condoning of an unacceptable behavior all add up to a series I'm comfortable abandoning.
Oh, and as an aside, I don't recommend reading the Goodreads blurb, unless you also plan on forgetting it, because it spoils some of the events in the book.
one and a half stars, rounding down because even writing this is irritating me.
How badly? Well, once again, serious consequences miss the Scooby Gang, except that this time we've roped in Red Shirts to show there are high stakes, although they presumably matter to someone. Ella's low-level magic and low-level job become powered up here, giving her Super knowledge and Super capabilities. The easy, clear cut lines between evil demons and non-evil magic workers is blurred by Ella and a friend using small demons to send a message to each other (so much for her work as a demon-catcher!), without any serious introspection. But most serious and damaging to my enjoyment was a scene where Ella is magically forced into doing something she doesn't want to do, with serious consequences.
Digression. What's the point when you cut your losses on a book or series? I've figured for awhile that I generally want happy endings, with protagonists who aren't generally stupid or thoughtless, but I can live with it if I'm given decent writing, an interesting world and interesting side characters. Start playing too much with that and I get more than a little kvetchy. Then commit an authorial trespass and I'm done. In this case, it was a character binding Ella into a coven in such a way that it had physical, financial, emotional and social consequences. Sounds like rape to me (there are no secrets in the group; there's tithing; there's mandatory practice). To make it worse, though Ella sort-of struggles with it, she ends up 'going along' with it. Her bestie Deb has a hard time seeing how it is a bad thing, because now they are 'together.' It's funny, because for some readers, this won't be a big thing; they'll see it as Ella adapting, or another challenge, or whatever. But for me, it was the choice that broke my enjoyment. I was done.
I should also note, for those who have been following and who have noted that this book is described as a 'paranormal romance,' that in this installment, Ella makes steps forward in one of her relationships... but there's heavy black-out curtains drawn over the scene. Nothing to see here, kids!
She continues to be super-selfish, particularly in taking her partner Damien for granted. When he shares his fears about his family with her (after hearing about her family all the time), here's her reaction: "I shrugged a shoulder. “Eh, let’s not worry about it unless they find a way to press the issue. You’re an adult. You have your own life. We’ll figure it out, right?”
The power-ups in abilities, the TSTL moments, the super-selfish moments, the authorial condoning of an unacceptable behavior all add up to a series I'm comfortable abandoning.
Oh, and as an aside, I don't recommend reading the Goodreads blurb, unless you also plan on forgetting it, because it spoils some of the events in the book.
one and a half stars, rounding down because even writing this is irritating me.
sarah42783's review
4.0
January 30, 2020 Only $0.99 today!
Actual rating: 3.5 stars.
Sooooo, I just finished reading the last instalment in this series a few days ago, which means I should review the present little book and also this little book there and also also that little book there.
Territories to overtake, puny humans to enslave, murderous crustaceans to unleash and all that, ergo I cannot afford to waste my preciously nefarious time crappily non-reviewing all these books individually and stuff.
So what is left for you Little Barnacles to do, you ask? Apart from sobbing to death because you won’t be submitted to yet another one of my humongously fascinating reviews, you mean? Well, I guess you can either:
1) Trust my ever-right, never-wrong opinion, and believe me when I tell you that, although not quite as delicious as book 1 in this series, this instalment here is still slightly a little entertaining.
2) Trust my ever-impeccable, never-despicable book taste, and believe me when I tell you that, although not quite as delicious as book 1 in this series, this instalment here is still slightly a little entertaining.
3) Have some single malt Scotch whisky (scientifically proven to cure all aches and pains, be they moral or physical).
4) Sacrifice a couple of newborn babies in my honor (it’s a nice way to kill time).
5) Have some more single malt Scotch whisky.
6) Sacrifice a few more newborn babies in my honor.
7) Stop being annoying as shrimp and start reading this series already.
8) All of the above.
9) All of the above².
Bye now.
• Book 1: Stone Cold Magic ★★★★
• Book 3: Demon Born Magic ★★★★
• Book 4: Blood Storm Magic ★★★★
[Pre-review nonsense]
Oopsy shrimpsy, looks like I forgot to review this book.Twice. Get to it already I must. Otherwise altogether forget about it I might.
Don't ask.
➽ Full review to come and stuff.
Actual rating: 3.5 stars.
Sooooo, I just finished reading the last instalment in this series a few days ago, which means I should review the present little book and also this little book there and also also that little book there.
Territories to overtake, puny humans to enslave, murderous crustaceans to unleash and all that, ergo I cannot afford to waste my preciously nefarious time crappily non-reviewing all these books individually and stuff.
So what is left for you Little Barnacles to do, you ask? Apart from sobbing to death because you won’t be submitted to yet another one of my humongously fascinating reviews, you mean? Well, I guess you can either:
1) Trust my ever-right, never-wrong opinion, and believe me when I tell you that, although not quite as delicious as book 1 in this series, this instalment here is still slightly a little entertaining.
2) Trust my ever-impeccable, never-despicable book taste, and believe me when I tell you that, although not quite as delicious as book 1 in this series, this instalment here is still slightly a little entertaining.
3) Have some single malt Scotch whisky (scientifically proven to cure all aches and pains, be they moral or physical).
4) Sacrifice a couple of newborn babies in my honor (it’s a nice way to kill time).
5) Have some more single malt Scotch whisky.
6) Sacrifice a few more newborn babies in my honor.
7) Stop being annoying as shrimp and start reading this series already.
8) All of the above.
9) All of the above².
Bye now.
• Book 1: Stone Cold Magic ★★★★
• Book 3: Demon Born Magic ★★★★
• Book 4: Blood Storm Magic ★★★★
[Pre-review nonsense]
Oopsy shrimpsy, looks like I forgot to review this book.
Don't ask.
➽ Full review to come and stuff.
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