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3.92 AVERAGE
3.92 AVERAGE
I am such a sucker for supernatural, strong, sexy women.
I’ve been whizzing through Armstrong’s werewolf books, but this definitely didn’t appeal to me in the same way. Paige’s isolation and the way in which everyone turns against her just felt too artificially-induced. The info dumps that worked well in Bitten were a little too much here: in Bitten they were not just about werewolf history but about Elena’s history, allowing us to slowly uncover why she was the way she was and why her world was the way it was. Here, it’s just potted histories of spells and sorcery, neither of which I care all that much about. Savannah is also intensely obnoxious, which I guess is reasonable for a teenage girl but makes a lot of the decisions Paige is making kind of incomprehensible: Savannah isn’t being trustworthy and she is causing damage that could hurt/kill people.
I love the characters in this series and I am really fascinated with the fantasy aspect to the story. I am looking forward to the mystery that will be uncovered. The writing was really good and helped develop the storyline.
Dime Store Magic is the first Otherworld novel from the perspective of a character other than Elena. In this case, our point-of-view character is Paige, who was introduced in the previous book. It’s been 9 months since the events of Stolen, and Paige is struggling with her newly inherited responsibilities as Coven leader and being a 23-year-old parenting the 13-year-old Savannah Levine.
Kelley Armstrong’s talent for writing unique and well-developed characters shines again. Paige is clearly distinguishable from our previous point-of-view character Elena, with different strengths and weaknesses yet no less compelling as a character. This shows through in even small details like wardrobe preferences. Where Elena is athletic and cares nothing for fashion, Paige is curvy and chooses dresses and skirts and feminine underwear because her mother was a dressmaker. This is true of the male characters as well.
More details of the Otherworld are revealed as readers learn alongside Paige about the sorcerer Cabals when Savannah’s father attempts to get custody of her. There is a long and complicated history between witches and sorcerers (think Inquisition), but it quickly becomes clear that the Coven’s fear is causing them to become the very things they claim to be against.
There is a strong theme of mothers throughout the book. Paige and Savannah are both grieving the deaths of their respective mothers in Stolen. Paige takes her responsibility as Savannah’s guardian very seriously, but she wrestles with the difference between what Paige’s mother taught Paige and what Savannah’s mother taught Savannah. Savannah tries to follow what her mother wanted for her, but Paige’s ideological confusion and the onset of puberty make things emotionally fraught.
I was curious to see if no longer being the same age as Paige and Lucas would make me identify less with them, but I still found their struggles relatable. In fact, I found the way people treated them as incapable due to their youth just as infuriating as ever.
The story satisfactorily wraps up all of the needed plot points while still leaving plenty of seeds for future books. What will be the fallout with Savannah’s biological family? What (if anything) will become of the American Coven? The series maintains its steam, so I eagerly continued on to the next book.
Rating reviewed 1/20/2023.
Kelley Armstrong’s talent for writing unique and well-developed characters shines again. Paige is clearly distinguishable from our previous point-of-view character Elena, with different strengths and weaknesses yet no less compelling as a character. This shows through in even small details like wardrobe preferences. Where Elena is athletic and cares nothing for fashion, Paige is curvy and chooses dresses and skirts and feminine underwear because her mother was a dressmaker. This is true of the male characters as well.
More details of the Otherworld are revealed as readers learn alongside Paige about the sorcerer Cabals when Savannah’s father attempts to get custody of her. There is a long and complicated history between witches and sorcerers (think Inquisition), but it quickly becomes clear that the Coven’s fear is causing them to become the very things they claim to be against.
There is a strong theme of mothers throughout the book. Paige and Savannah are both grieving the deaths of their respective mothers in Stolen. Paige takes her responsibility as Savannah’s guardian very seriously, but she wrestles with the difference between what Paige’s mother taught Paige and what Savannah’s mother taught Savannah. Savannah tries to follow what her mother wanted for her, but Paige’s ideological confusion and the onset of puberty make things emotionally fraught.
I was curious to see if no longer being the same age as Paige and Lucas would make me identify less with them, but I still found their struggles relatable. In fact, I found the way people treated them as incapable due to their youth just as infuriating as ever.
The story satisfactorily wraps up all of the needed plot points while still leaving plenty of seeds for future books. What will be the fallout with Savannah’s biological family? What (if anything) will become of the American Coven? The series maintains its steam, so I eagerly continued on to the next book.
Rating reviewed 1/20/2023.
Good characters, interesting premise, way too much exposition.
This one was really slow for me. I just didn't connect with the narrator as I had with the earlier two books.
Love how her relationship grows with Lucas, how fierce and independent she is, and how she care for Savannah!
I absolutely loved this book. This had so many twists in the plot and so much happens. Paige is amazing and I hate what happens to her. I hate how Savannah is so willing to use her powers for evil and how Paige is trying so hard to help her. I hate how Paige is blamed for murder after an evil group goes on a killing spree. I hate how the group is trying to get Savannah to join them and how she is so willing. I love Paige and how she deals with everything. 10 stars!!!
adventurous
funny
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes