A review by quasinaut
Unnatural Magic by C.M. Waggoner

adventurous emotional funny 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? Yes

4.25

This novel contains two vastly different, alternating stories, which I'm not sure quite worked for me, even when I could see how they would intersect later in the book. I greatly enjoyed following Tsira and Jeckran's travels; it's always nice when an author can make a cross-country trek actually engaging, and seeing the pair interact with each other (and perpetually miscommunicate) was rather endearing.

I was a bit less intrigued by Onna's journey. I appreciate that the author didn't try to explain the magic system more -- that likely would have been overwhelming, boring, or both -- but I think it resulted in Onna seeming just too magically gifted, while also being unavoidably beautiful (did she ever meet a guy who didn't flirt with her?)

Overall, fantastic world building and fun character interactions. I'm looking forward to reading more by C. M. Waggoner.

Note: I alternated between the print book and the audiobook for the first half, but got pulled in by the print book and finished with that. The audio was very useful for hearing how names and places were pronounced!
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