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wyntrrose's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
This is an awesome urban fantasy! I highly recommend it. Following a little woman after being awake for 8 yrs she's learned to function in this new world without magic after being asleep for 3 centuries when our world had magic. The world building and powers and the functionality of them and the fact she isn't the most powerful out there but still an amazing warrior and knows how to use everything to her advantage. I loved all the characters and back stories and can't wait for more. Definitely a new favorite!
teresajluvs2read's review
4.0
**I received a copy of this book from Entangled Publishing and Net Galley in exchange for a voluntary and honest review. My opinions are my own and not solicited in any way.**
Magic Dark, Magic Divine by A.J. Locke (Warrior of the Divine Sword # 1)
This is a very modern fantasy with a black heroine and hero who knows how to wield a swords (And Gladiators)then take down creatures, evil men who work at the bidding of the ultimate bad Necromancer who wants to open the portals during the one time of the year that could unleash magic that has been bottled up for 300 years. But Pennrose, Callan, Luce, Gideon and Toji aren't going to let that happen.
There will be surprises for all of them including Toji finding his magical relative, Callan will remember his previous years blocked by his mother, and there will be ultimate sacrifices to keep the portal from opening. Plus Pennrose and Callan will go from sparing partners to their HEA will a climatic ending that will blow you away. I'm anxious to see who gets the next story in the book of the series.
Magic Dark, Magic Divine by A.J. Locke (Warrior of the Divine Sword # 1)
This is a very modern fantasy with a black heroine and hero who knows how to wield a swords (And Gladiators)then take down creatures, evil men who work at the bidding of the ultimate bad Necromancer who wants to open the portals during the one time of the year that could unleash magic that has been bottled up for 300 years. But Pennrose, Callan, Luce, Gideon and Toji aren't going to let that happen.
There will be surprises for all of them including Toji finding his magical relative, Callan will remember his previous years blocked by his mother, and there will be ultimate sacrifices to keep the portal from opening. Plus Pennrose and Callan will go from sparing partners to their HEA will a climatic ending that will blow you away. I'm anxious to see who gets the next story in the book of the series.
tessisreading2's review
4.0
Is it perfect? No. The exposition got a little clunky at times, but the overwhelming concept was cool and the action was fast-paced; the found family was great. Overall a really fun read.
ckjaer88's review
Eugh this is just so boring. It has all the parts to be great, but it just isn't.
inmyhumbleopinion's review
5.0
Magic Dark, Magic Divine is a fantastic first book in a new UF series. I love that the main character is a strong woman of color. This fantasy will take you through time and magic and bring you to a new future. I can’t wait to read the next installment.
sistaharlem's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
informative
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
anisa_akeya's review
4.0
4 stars. I would have loved this more if the Author hadn't crammed what was 3-4 books into one. It felt info dumpy and like it was missing information all at the same time.
lolasreviews's review
4.0
I received a free copy from Tantor Audio and voluntarily reviewed it.
Magic Dark, Magic Divine is one of the best urban fantasy books I've read in a while. I really enjoyed this book and listening to it was an awesome experience. From the first chapter it swept me up in the story and kept me captivated as I wanted to find out what would happen next. The plot was very well done and I really liked how things were foreshadowed and fell in place. I was able to predict a few twists and also was surprised by some even though realizing afterwards how much it made sense.
I liked Penn and seeing how she handled everything. She starts the book off trying to keep the secret of her magic and that she's from 300 years in the past a secret from even her best friends. Then strange things start happening, magic users show up and lose control of their powers and the nightmarish Jigori who eats magic. Penn has a lot to deal with in this book and I liked seeing how she dealt with it. I though her reactions and emotions felt very real, the way she shows her emotions and struggles with what's happening, how she tries to deepen her relationship with those close to her and the way she deal with everything going on. I really felt for her at times as she has to go through some tough stuff. She is a tough warrior, but also has a soft side and really cares for the people around her. While the book has a save the world type of plot, I also liked how it was personal for Penn and it made sense who she got involved.
The side characters are great too and I liked how they play a role in the story as well. I was a bit conflicted about the romance set-up, but I liked how Penn quickly realizes she was wrong about Callan when she gets to know him better and they grow closer. I liked seeing how their romance developed.
The world building was so well done and unique. I liked how the book sticks with 4 different magic classes and then there is dark magic as well. I liked learning about the magic era and also how that past is part of the world today. It made the world feel fresh and unique. I enjoyed learning more about how the different types of magic work and how magic users used their magic. There were also some interesting magic creatures.
I really enjoyed listening to this one. The narrator fit the book well and I really liked how she did everyone's voices. She had quite the variety of voices for the characters and that made every character come even more alive.
To summarize: I really enjoyed this book! This is one of the best urban fantasy books I've read in a while and I liked the unique take on magic. The plot was great with enough foreshadowing that later twists and reveals made sense. I liked Penn as great main character and I enjoyed reading about her and seeing how she handled everything. The side characters are great too and I liked the romance. The world building really stood out to me, it felt fresh and unique and I liked how the world had 4 different types of magic and how the magic era left it's impact in the modern day world. The narrator fit the book well and she had quite the variety of voices for the different characters. I really enjoyed listening to this book.
Magic Dark, Magic Divine is one of the best urban fantasy books I've read in a while. I really enjoyed this book and listening to it was an awesome experience. From the first chapter it swept me up in the story and kept me captivated as I wanted to find out what would happen next. The plot was very well done and I really liked how things were foreshadowed and fell in place. I was able to predict a few twists and also was surprised by some even though realizing afterwards how much it made sense.
I liked Penn and seeing how she handled everything. She starts the book off trying to keep the secret of her magic and that she's from 300 years in the past a secret from even her best friends. Then strange things start happening, magic users show up and lose control of their powers and the nightmarish Jigori who eats magic. Penn has a lot to deal with in this book and I liked seeing how she dealt with it. I though her reactions and emotions felt very real, the way she shows her emotions and struggles with what's happening, how she tries to deepen her relationship with those close to her and the way she deal with everything going on. I really felt for her at times as she has to go through some tough stuff. She is a tough warrior, but also has a soft side and really cares for the people around her. While the book has a save the world type of plot, I also liked how it was personal for Penn and it made sense who she got involved.
The side characters are great too and I liked how they play a role in the story as well. I was a bit conflicted about the romance set-up, but I liked how Penn quickly realizes she was wrong about Callan when she gets to know him better and they grow closer. I liked seeing how their romance developed.
The world building was so well done and unique. I liked how the book sticks with 4 different magic classes and then there is dark magic as well. I liked learning about the magic era and also how that past is part of the world today. It made the world feel fresh and unique. I enjoyed learning more about how the different types of magic work and how magic users used their magic. There were also some interesting magic creatures.
I really enjoyed listening to this one. The narrator fit the book well and I really liked how she did everyone's voices. She had quite the variety of voices for the characters and that made every character come even more alive.
To summarize: I really enjoyed this book! This is one of the best urban fantasy books I've read in a while and I liked the unique take on magic. The plot was great with enough foreshadowing that later twists and reveals made sense. I liked Penn as great main character and I enjoyed reading about her and seeing how she handled everything. The side characters are great too and I liked the romance. The world building really stood out to me, it felt fresh and unique and I liked how the world had 4 different types of magic and how the magic era left it's impact in the modern day world. The narrator fit the book well and she had quite the variety of voices for the different characters. I really enjoyed listening to this book.
charlie_smiles's review
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0