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3.92 AVERAGE
3.92 AVERAGE
The first time I read Dime Store Magic, I thought the pace was too slow, and after having the kick-ass fighter Elena Michaels narrating the first two books, it took me some time to adjust to the decent-but-not-asskicking, way-in-over-her-head Paige Winterbourne, who abhors violence and is quite idealistic. Also, she is not a werewolf, so the story took us away from the Pack and into the feuding world of cowering Coven witches and mostly power-hungry sorcerers. Then there's the unfair-things-happening-to-the-main-character thing, which I hate.
But the spellcasting world with its background and limitations are as interesting as the werewolf one, and Dime Store Magic makes a great reread, especially as I grew to appreciate Paige and her tumultous relationship with her 13-year-old ward, Savannah.
But the spellcasting world with its background and limitations are as interesting as the werewolf one, and Dime Store Magic makes a great reread, especially as I grew to appreciate Paige and her tumultous relationship with her 13-year-old ward, Savannah.
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Gryffindor geeks in love and found family adventures. Paige and Savannah and Lucas are all equally as delightful as each other in unique ways. I don't always love everybody so that is GREAT. Also Paige's storyline is so genuinely interesting???
It was my first foray into this kind of paranormal fiction. It was a fast and entertaining read.
This book focuses on a Paige, a coven witch, and her struggle to retain custody over her thirteen-year-old ward, Savannah. Savannah was the daughter of a witch who practiced dark magic and fraternized with many supernaturals whom the coven considers highly undesirable. One such undesirable, a sorcerer named Kristoff Nast, shows up claiming to be Savannah's father. Paige struggles with nasty rumors, her coven's prejudices, and outright attacks from various parties, as well as winning over the trust and affection of her ward.
Dime Store Magic was kind of slow going for me. Partly because I've been insanely busy, and partly because it has a pretty slow moving plot. I don't at all mean to imply that it was boring, because I found it quite entertaining, just that is isn't as lightening fast as your typical fantasy novel. I really enjoyed the details about witches and sorcerers and they're history, the process of spell work, and Paiges quest for lost magic in ancient grimoires.
The part of this book that I liked the most, however, was the character building and the relationships. Paige is pretty young (23?) and untried, and not physically tough at all. She certainly wants to be a stronger witch with more offensive magic, but that's something she has to work very hard at. Furthermore, offensive magic is against the rules of the coven. Added to this, she's trying to figure out how to raise a teenage girl. Paige and I are of a similar age group, so I found myself imagining what I would do if asked to care for someone like Savannah. The conclusion I came to was that the task would be herculean. But Paige does her best, and she does start to make some genuine emotional connections with Savannah.
The romantic interest of the book is Lucas Cortez, a lawyer working on Paige's case. His strengths, like Paige's, are more intellectual than physical. He's smart, articulate, and a bit of a nerd. I thought they were a good match. Although it isn't a romance novel with a happily-ever-after ending, I was satisfied that something meaningful was happening there.
So in sum, while it took me a little longer than anticipated to finish this book, I really enjoyed it. It has a different tone from Bitten or Stolen, and in my opinion that was a positive thing. 4.5 stars.
Dime Store Magic was kind of slow going for me. Partly because I've been insanely busy, and partly because it has a pretty slow moving plot. I don't at all mean to imply that it was boring, because I found it quite entertaining, just that is isn't as lightening fast as your typical fantasy novel. I really enjoyed the details about witches and sorcerers and they're history, the process of spell work, and Paiges quest for lost magic in ancient grimoires.
The part of this book that I liked the most, however, was the character building and the relationships. Paige is pretty young (23?) and untried, and not physically tough at all. She certainly wants to be a stronger witch with more offensive magic, but that's something she has to work very hard at. Furthermore, offensive magic is against the rules of the coven. Added to this, she's trying to figure out how to raise a teenage girl. Paige and I are of a similar age group, so I found myself imagining what I would do if asked to care for someone like Savannah. The conclusion I came to was that the task would be herculean. But Paige does her best, and she does start to make some genuine emotional connections with Savannah.
The romantic interest of the book is Lucas Cortez, a lawyer working on Paige's case. His strengths, like Paige's, are more intellectual than physical. He's smart, articulate, and a bit of a nerd. I thought they were a good match. Although it isn't a romance novel with a happily-ever-after ending, I was satisfied that something meaningful was happening there.
So in sum, while it took me a little longer than anticipated to finish this book, I really enjoyed it. It has a different tone from Bitten or Stolen, and in my opinion that was a positive thing. 4.5 stars.
Nothing wrong with the book. Just am not a fan of witch stories. Tried really hard to continue the series but can't
I was a little leery going into the third book of the Otherworld series since I loved the character of Elena and the werewolves from book 1 and 2 so much. However, I surprisingly grew to like both Paige (the narrator, a witch) and Savannah (talented witch teenager) in this novel. Lucas (sorcerer), while the manner in which he spoke could have been seen as annoying by some, sounded very much like a lawyer. Plus, at the beginning he was trying to be even more lawyerly to convince Paige to let him help, so I easily accepted his style. His role in the book was welcomed, as he did bring calm to many of the situations. Plus, I look forward to the interactions of Paige and Lucas in future books.
As for Paige, I thought she handled the growing chaos in her life well, especially since her mother passed less than a year before and she was still heartbroken. She was just 23, caring for a thirteen-year-old girl. Sure that may sound easy to some people but Paige was an only child, aka not used to siblings or parenting. Then on top of that Savannah is a highly gifted witch who surpasses Paige in probably all categories of witch knowledge. I felt the way in which Savannah acted, especially as a gifted child/teenager, was rather authentic. Savannah was not a normal child or even a normal witch, that should be taken into consideration. I truly do not understand the harsh reaction to either Paige or Savannah in the reviews. I thought both characters were likeable and realistic. And this is coming from a person who wants nothing to do with child rearing!
Overall, the story moved along well and was entertaining. I know that these novels are said to be able to be read in any order you desire, but I especially recommend reading Stolen prior to this novel. Stolen certainly helps set up the world in which these characters live even further than this novel. Also, I generally do not care for "magic" but Armstrong makes it much more interesting than other authors I have read. It made me want to get my very own grimoire! ;)
As for Paige, I thought she handled the growing chaos in her life well, especially since her mother passed less than a year before and she was still heartbroken. She was just 23, caring for a thirteen-year-old girl. Sure that may sound easy to some people but Paige was an only child, aka not used to siblings or parenting. Then on top of that Savannah is a highly gifted witch who surpasses Paige in probably all categories of witch knowledge. I felt the way in which Savannah acted, especially as a gifted child/teenager, was rather authentic. Savannah was not a normal child or even a normal witch, that should be taken into consideration. I truly do not understand the harsh reaction to either Paige or Savannah in the reviews. I thought both characters were likeable and realistic. And this is coming from a person who wants nothing to do with child rearing!
Overall, the story moved along well and was entertaining. I know that these novels are said to be able to be read in any order you desire, but I especially recommend reading Stolen prior to this novel. Stolen certainly helps set up the world in which these characters live even further than this novel. Also, I generally do not care for "magic" but Armstrong makes it much more interesting than other authors I have read. It made me want to get my very own grimoire! ;)
A ridiculously fast re-read, done mostly to keep my mind of a building headache. It's done well enough. I found the story interesting. I just remained amazed that Paige could be so naive. Mistake after mistake, and the classic romantic "throw your rescuer out on his heels" mistake. Still, maybe small town living and thinking help explain some of that.
I like Paige more now? I wish there had been more/better development of Paige and Lucas. Also, how happy am I that there is diversity! I also really like Savannah--Armstrong does a great job at capturing that teenage turmoil and the whole supernatural superiority thing very well.