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rjsthumbelina's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
sad
tense
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
5.0
feelingferal's review
4.0
The book is fine. Good even. But it is missing that spark of something that really hooks me. I'll keep reading the series, but I'm not like chomping at the bit to tear through the whole thing. I'm not super invested in any of the characters at this point and actively dislike some of them. And the politics aspect just seems....complicated. And not in a particularly interesting way. But again. The book is fine.
kblincoln's review against another edition
4.0
Still liking this UF set in Boulder, Colorado featuring a "boundary witch" and veteran who is discovering the ways in which her city is shaped by old world politics (vampires, witches, werewolves). In this book, we delve further into Lex's powers (she gets the help of a witch who heals some of her trauma blockage) as well as the politics of Boulder.
And we get some werewolves. There's a short story or something in between the first book and this one that crosses over to Olson's other series in this world and where Lex discovers how her twin sister died...and it wasn't pretty.
I think Olson does an okay job of having Lex remember parts of that so you don't necessarily have to have read the story, but I wanted to! This story has more about werewolves, and witch politics, and Simon became more of a real character for me vs. Quinn.
And it was great that Quinn's love language revolved around making Lex's firearms safer. Such a romantic.
Anyway, in this one Lex is trying to uncover the reason why the old world population in Boulder is feeling uneasy, something to do with magic, and also help Maven keep control without starting a witch/vampire war. There are some betrayals, and some fun fight scenes against a big bad monster, and Lex's primary emotional focus on friends and family is still quite satisfying. I"ll follow her into the next book.
And we get some werewolves. There's a short story or something in between the first book and this one that crosses over to Olson's other series in this world and where Lex discovers how her twin sister died...and it wasn't pretty.
I think Olson does an okay job of having Lex remember parts of that so you don't necessarily have to have read the story, but I wanted to! This story has more about werewolves, and witch politics, and Simon became more of a real character for me vs. Quinn.
And it was great that Quinn's love language revolved around making Lex's firearms safer. Such a romantic.
Anyway, in this one Lex is trying to uncover the reason why the old world population in Boulder is feeling uneasy, something to do with magic, and also help Maven keep control without starting a witch/vampire war. There are some betrayals, and some fun fight scenes against a big bad monster, and Lex's primary emotional focus on friends and family is still quite satisfying. I"ll follow her into the next book.
chllybrd's review against another edition
4.0
I enjoyed getting to know Lex and the other characters of the Boundary Magic series in book one, BOUNDARY CROSSED, and BOUNDARY LINES made me like the world and the characters even more.
Lex has to figure out what is causing the magic to surge in Boulder with the help of her partner. Along the way we get to know some werewolves, we learn more about the characters and we also get a little bit of romance. On the subject of romance, I do like Lex's growing relationship with the vampire. I hope they can keep up the chemistry in future books.
As far as secondary characters go. I think Maven is an interesting character. She can put the smack down, but I find her to be very likable and Lex and her have a very good working relationship so far. Simon and Lily continue to be a huge help to Lex. They both grew on me right away in book one and I always look forward to seeing what they will bring to a situation.
One thing that is really bothering me is that Lex still hasn't told Charlie's dad what is going on and what role Charlie plays in the supernatural world. Keeping him in the dark is not only dangerous for Charlie, but can lead to situations that just happened to happen in BOUNDARY LINES. I hope we don't have to read a whole other book with him in the dark and I hope that he takes the news well.
There was a good amount of action in BOUNDARY LINES. There is a pretty big battle towards the end and it was very well put together. I like that Olson ties her Scarlett Bernard series into this one. If you happen to like that series or are looking for something new, give the Boundary Magic series a try.
* This book was provided free of charge from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Lex has to figure out what is causing the magic to surge in Boulder with the help of her partner. Along the way we get to know some werewolves, we learn more about the characters and we also get a little bit of romance. On the subject of romance, I do like Lex's growing relationship with the vampire. I hope they can keep up the chemistry in future books.
As far as secondary characters go. I think Maven is an interesting character. She can put the smack down, but I find her to be very likable and Lex and her have a very good working relationship so far. Simon and Lily continue to be a huge help to Lex. They both grew on me right away in book one and I always look forward to seeing what they will bring to a situation.
One thing that is really bothering me is that Lex still hasn't told Charlie's dad what is going on and what role Charlie plays in the supernatural world. Keeping him in the dark is not only dangerous for Charlie, but can lead to situations that just happened to happen in BOUNDARY LINES. I hope we don't have to read a whole other book with him in the dark and I hope that he takes the news well.
There was a good amount of action in BOUNDARY LINES. There is a pretty big battle towards the end and it was very well put together. I like that Olson ties her Scarlett Bernard series into this one. If you happen to like that series or are looking for something new, give the Boundary Magic series a try.
* This book was provided free of charge from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
bunnerz's review
3.0
A marginal 3-star - I was pretty bored of the characters and plot by 40% into the book.
The series is a pretty classic urban fantasy setting and story, but for some reason, the characters really weren't working for me.
1. The FMC Lex just seemed like a superficial bad-ass to me, and I was not really convinced that she possessed an appropriate strong personality to match the story. The main driver of her actions wasn't justice or anything altruistic, but literally, "my niece can only be protected if I follow the vampire queen's orders."
2. Her romantic interest, the vampire Quinn, also possessed a pretty weak personality with his servitude. Usually I expect some clever snark and quiet rebellion from vampires to get what they want, but he was just a boring docile loyal worker for his vampire queen.
3. The werewolves that were introduced in this book weren't very interesting either and barely explored - which didn't really make sense considering they were one of the three main supernatural species in the world.
4. On top of that, I felt that all the friendships and working relationships were very shallow and not well developed. A bunch of characters were introduced just to provide backup or some important information and then forgotten.
I don't think Lex really explored her mystical abilities enough for her character background, and most of the book was just spent running around trying to chase down leads. I wasn't a big fan of this book and where the relationships were going, and I'm not really interested in reading any more of the series.
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Ratings - abandoned series:
#1 Boundary Crossed: ★★★★☆
#2 Boundary Lines (this book): ★★★☆☆
The series is a pretty classic urban fantasy setting and story, but for some reason, the characters really weren't working for me.
1. The FMC Lex just seemed like a superficial bad-ass to me, and I was not really convinced that she possessed an appropriate strong personality to match the story. The main driver of her actions wasn't justice or anything altruistic, but literally, "my niece can only be protected if I follow the vampire queen's orders."
2. Her romantic interest, the vampire Quinn, also possessed a pretty weak personality with his servitude. Usually I expect some clever snark and quiet rebellion from vampires to get what they want, but he was just a boring docile loyal worker for his vampire queen.
3. The werewolves that were introduced in this book weren't very interesting either and barely explored - which didn't really make sense considering they were one of the three main supernatural species in the world.
4. On top of that, I felt that all the friendships and working relationships were very shallow and not well developed. A bunch of characters were introduced just to provide backup or some important information and then forgotten.
I don't think Lex really explored her mystical abilities enough for her character background, and most of the book was just spent running around trying to chase down leads. I wasn't a big fan of this book and where the relationships were going, and I'm not really interested in reading any more of the series.
--------
Ratings - abandoned series:
#1 Boundary Crossed: ★★★★☆
#2 Boundary Lines (this book): ★★★☆☆
payal_reads_alot's review
3.0
The Kate Daniels vibes are fading already. The villians of this book seemed rather disconnected, despite the author's attempts to connect them in the end. The romance was rather abrupt and lacking in chemistry. TBH, I felt like Lex had more chemistry with Simon (or even Maven) than Quinn. The best part of the book was when Quinn invoked his inner Elsa and proclaimed, 'The cold never bothered me anyway!'
I felt like there was no movement on Lex learning her abilities more. And the part that bothered me the most was that her trip to LA was taken as granted. I learned later that it was part of another series where the author covered that. For the readers who are learning about this world with this series, it was jarring.
I felt like there was no movement on Lex learning her abilities more. And the part that bothered me the most was that her trip to LA was taken as granted. I learned later that it was part of another series where the author covered that. For the readers who are learning about this world with this series, it was jarring.
jenuinereads's review against another edition
3.0
On reread, I drop the rating from 4 stars to 3.
Though the story was good, the plot was interesting and unique, and I still enjoy watching Lex grow and her/Quinn's relationship, there were some things that just took me down trying to read it this time. The issue from the previous book echoed more in this one: Olson's writing and detailing of certain objects, areas, and thoughts just bored me. It took a lot not to just skip parts of the book. I also felt that she added a few different thoughts/points but never "solved" or took them anywhere. For example, although I am 1000% Lex/Quinn and I think a "potential" love triangle was unnecessary and didn't fit, she introduced the maybe idea that Lex feels something towards. Lex is trying to figure out if they're just over concern because of what happened or if they're real. Not only is it just wrong and unnecessary to add a triangle just to have it, but Lex never even came back to it. Additionally, there are only so many times there can be "no answer" or background "not known" to characters before it just feels like we're not ever meant to know because the author didn't want to think back that far.
Basically, plot is great but the writing gets frustrating and annoying to read. So, although I love this Old World, I didn't enjoy this book as much the second readthrough.
Though the story was good, the plot was interesting and unique, and I still enjoy watching Lex grow and her/Quinn's relationship, there were some things that just took me down trying to read it this time. The issue from the previous book echoed more in this one: Olson's writing and detailing of certain objects, areas, and thoughts just bored me. It took a lot not to just skip parts of the book. I also felt that she added a few different thoughts/points but never "solved" or took them anywhere. For example, although I am 1000% Lex/Quinn and I think a "potential" love triangle was unnecessary and didn't fit, she introduced the maybe idea that Lex feels something towards
Spoiler
SimonBasically, plot is great but the writing gets frustrating and annoying to read. So, although I love this Old World, I didn't enjoy this book as much the second readthrough.
rclz's review
5.0
I really like this series. This latest book in particular was really good. It's good UF with a bit of romance. Good characters, good solid world building and an interesting plot line. I particularly like that Lex is a Army Vet. Good stuff.
ccgwalt's review
4.0
4 stars for the story (B)
4 stars for the narration by Kate Rudd (B)
Boundary Lines of the Boundary Magic series, is a strong second installment, even better than book 1, Boundary Crossed. With most of the world-building established, this book concentrates on Lex's new role as helper for Maven, a very powerful vampire and the leader of the "Old Worlders" in Colorado. After a rogue werewolf had his pack attacking witches 13 years earlier, Maven stepped in to end the war and banished werewolves from the state. In return for her help, Maven required fealty from the witch community for a period of 20 years. But something is upsetting the balance of magic in the Boulder area, and the results could end the truce and cause another war between the Old World groups--witches, werewolves, and vampires. Lex is assigned to help figure out what's going on.
That's the basic story, but there is a lot going on here and the plotting is well done and interesting. As with the first book, there is a lot of action and the book doesn't get boring. Olsen continues to develop her main characters, although we still don't have a lot of background information on some of the Old Worlders. I do hope we get to know Quinn, Simon, and Lily a lot better, as well as Maven, in future books. The books are clever, and even if they don't break any new ground, they are original enough and well written enough to be worth reading.
Kate Rudd does a good job with the narration, especially given a rather large secondary cast, including people we only see once or twice. Her voices stay consistent for the main characters, but some of the secondary and transient character voices are a little weak. I did enjoy the audiobook and would definitely listen to Rudd again.
4 stars for the narration by Kate Rudd (B)
Boundary Lines of the Boundary Magic series, is a strong second installment, even better than book 1, Boundary Crossed. With most of the world-building established, this book concentrates on Lex's new role as helper for Maven, a very powerful vampire and the leader of the "Old Worlders" in Colorado. After a rogue werewolf had his pack attacking witches 13 years earlier, Maven stepped in to end the war and banished werewolves from the state. In return for her help, Maven required fealty from the witch community for a period of 20 years. But something is upsetting the balance of magic in the Boulder area, and the results could end the truce and cause another war between the Old World groups--witches, werewolves, and vampires. Lex is assigned to help figure out what's going on.
That's the basic story, but there is a lot going on here and the plotting is well done and interesting. As with the first book, there is a lot of action and the book doesn't get boring. Olsen continues to develop her main characters, although we still don't have a lot of background information on some of the Old Worlders. I do hope we get to know Quinn, Simon, and Lily a lot better, as well as Maven, in future books. The books are clever, and even if they don't break any new ground, they are original enough and well written enough to be worth reading.
Kate Rudd does a good job with the narration, especially given a rather large secondary cast, including people we only see once or twice. Her voices stay consistent for the main characters, but some of the secondary and transient character voices are a little weak. I did enjoy the audiobook and would definitely listen to Rudd again.