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dawn_marie's review
2.0
I should have enjoyed Magic Ops by T.R. Cameron a lot more than it did. It had lots of the aspects that I enjoy in my urban/supernatural stories: magical task force, wizards and mages, lots of cool gadgets, dwarves, elves, and trolls (on my!), and a health sense of having its tongue firmly ensconced in its cheek. Alas, there were far too many misses to make this a truly enjoyable read.
Since this is our world, just with magic, there was really no need for world building. The magic systems is squishy at best, with no apparent rules on how it operates, what its limits are, or how items can be imbued.
The characters aren't developed beyond various stereotypes and troupes: plucky heroine, wise-cracking partner, snarky best friend, evil mages, bad ex-boyfriends . . . . and so on. I do not think that it is a good sign when my favorite character was the dog. The plot is a simple "must stop bad" storyline with some magical elements tossed in. The writing style is simple and straightforward.
Where the story misses for me is the overuse of pop culture references and the tediously snarky banter. I enjoy good snarky banter (hello, Harry Dresden (from Jim Butcher) and Zameria Wilson (from Shannon Mayer)) when it is done well and sparingly, but this was just bad and overly done. Every character was snarky (really, who snarks at their potential new supervisor during job interview?). And I really didn't need to hear Sylvester Stallone quotes all the time.
There was no pacing to speak of - the entire story was an series of action sequences occasionally interrupted by explanation of magical gadgets or bad conversations. I never felt that any character was in any danger of being hurt (no matter how bad their fighting style, really - who throws their gun at an adversary) never mind being killed.
Magic Ops wasn't awful, but neither was it particularly good.
Since this is our world, just with magic, there was really no need for world building. The magic systems is squishy at best, with no apparent rules on how it operates, what its limits are, or how items can be imbued.
The characters aren't developed beyond various stereotypes and troupes: plucky heroine, wise-cracking partner, snarky best friend, evil mages, bad ex-boyfriends . . . . and so on. I do not think that it is a good sign when my favorite character was the dog. The plot is a simple "must stop bad" storyline with some magical elements tossed in. The writing style is simple and straightforward.
Where the story misses for me is the overuse of pop culture references and the tediously snarky banter. I enjoy good snarky banter (hello, Harry Dresden (from Jim Butcher) and Zameria Wilson (from Shannon Mayer)) when it is done well and sparingly, but this was just bad and overly done. Every character was snarky (really, who snarks at their potential new supervisor during job interview?). And I really didn't need to hear Sylvester Stallone quotes all the time.
There was no pacing to speak of - the entire story was an series of action sequences occasionally interrupted by explanation of magical gadgets or bad conversations. I never felt that any character was in any danger of being hurt (no matter how bad their fighting style, really - who throws their gun at an adversary) never mind being killed.
Magic Ops wasn't awful, but neither was it particularly good.
pjonsson's review
3.0
This is a fairly decent start to a new series. It has a quite likable main protagonist and a decent enough story with a fair promise for future books. It is however very much a setup and introduction which I guess is fair enough for the first book in a series.
The book did never really wow me though. It kind of never took off for me. The main protagonist seems to be carrying some baggage and appears to be reluctant to really delve into the realm of magic. She does indeed have some magical power and I definitely hope that future books will show that there is more to her powers than she has presented so far.
I really did like the troll that she, unwittingly, bonds with. So far it gave a comic element to the story without being overly silly. Also, it looks like the troll might eventually become a good addition in the bad-guy’s-ass-kicking department.
I also did like the various people surrounding our hero and the federal agent element of the story. They all seems to be competent, no bullshit people and I really liked the absence of any political crap and bureaucratic red tape.
I will not hesitate to pick up the next book in the series to see where this story goes.
Oh, one final point. This is another one of these books where Michael Anderle apparently felt he had to put his name on the cover however, I have no doubt that the book is actually written only by T.R Cameron and Martha R. Carr.
The book did never really wow me though. It kind of never took off for me. The main protagonist seems to be carrying some baggage and appears to be reluctant to really delve into the realm of magic. She does indeed have some magical power and I definitely hope that future books will show that there is more to her powers than she has presented so far.
I really did like the troll that she, unwittingly, bonds with. So far it gave a comic element to the story without being overly silly. Also, it looks like the troll might eventually become a good addition in the bad-guy’s-ass-kicking department.
I also did like the various people surrounding our hero and the federal agent element of the story. They all seems to be competent, no bullshit people and I really liked the absence of any political crap and bureaucratic red tape.
I will not hesitate to pick up the next book in the series to see where this story goes.
Oh, one final point. This is another one of these books where Michael Anderle apparently felt he had to put his name on the cover however, I have no doubt that the book is actually written only by T.R Cameron and Martha R. Carr.
feelingferal's review
3.0
Meh. Not great but not bad. For sure not my jam though. Heavy on the federal agent angle. There is magic but it doesn't have the feel of a fantasy book.
marilanoire's review
adventurous
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
4.75
I was looking forward to this book since I already read Cait‘s story and knew some of the characters from there. It’s what I expected and I liked it. I’m not sure of the setting yet, but it’s the first book in a series and our characters will relocate in the next book, so let’s see if I like it then.
feliciabooks's review
1.0
NO no no nope. not going to finish this.
the MC is a badass... I get it..... and she has secret magic that nobody can know but the first opening she gets she uses it with witnesses, dumbass.....
she is a FBI agent but the action en lingo she uses is so predictable it isn’t fun to read.
They she goes to a new squad where she is going to ‘’train’’ but the next day she is in on a ‘’op’’ and almost in the lead… yeaahh convincing.
This new group she is going is supposed to be the best of the best. It is really hard to believe she is better then all of them on her first day!
DNF
the MC is a badass... I get it..... and she has secret magic that nobody can know but the first opening she gets she uses it with witnesses, dumbass.....
she is a FBI agent but the action en lingo she uses is so predictable it isn’t fun to read.
They she goes to a new squad where she is going to ‘’train’’ but the next day she is in on a ‘’op’’ and almost in the lead… yeaahh convincing.
This new group she is going is supposed to be the best of the best. It is really hard to believe she is better then all of them on her first day!
DNF
avigail's review
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
Magic Ops is a book about a sci-fi United States that, with the human world, are magical creatures and federal agencies who are more secret than the FBI. I liked aspects of the plot but didn't realize this was part of a larger world.
The truth I believe the only character I truly enjoyed is Rath, the troll. Especially the interaction he has with Max, the dog that Diane adopts.
The truth Magic Ops gets from me 2.5-stars not my cup of tea; sci-fi is a hit or miss for me.
The truth I believe the only character I truly enjoyed is Rath, the troll. Especially the interaction he has with Max, the dog that Diane adopts.
The truth Magic Ops gets from me 2.5-stars not my cup of tea; sci-fi is a hit or miss for me.
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