Armed and Magical [Mass Market Paperback]

I just finished reading Armed & Magical, the new installment in the adventures of Raine Benares and I absolutely loved this book! Not a lot of time has passed since events of the last book, and Raine is now on the island of Mid in the care of Mychael, who is a paladin to the Conclave Guardians. She is still connected to Saghred, which is being held in the shielded containment rooms, and is determined to find a way to part with the soul sucking rock without parting with her own life. Even though she left her homeland for the time being, her troubles followed her all the way to Mid, acquiring new ones on the way. As more people learn that Saghred resurfaced after nine hundred years and about Raine's link to it, more fractions are now competing for its power. The political situation on Mid is delicately balanced and any shift in the power scale can mean death and imprisonment to Raine and her friends, especially the young and talented Piaras.

That pretty much sums up the content of the book without giving much away. As I mentioned before, I enjoyed this book quite a bit, but I did have a couple of issues with it. Therefore I decided to add pros and cons to my review.

Pros:
1. World building - The author created a very unique alternate universe with a few urban fantasy additions. The writing style had a perfect balance of world building and action, therefore I was rarely bored with too much narrative about the scenery. The antagonistic relationship between Elves and Goblins and their physical differences were well written, not to mention subcategories of mages and humans to add to the mix. Overall, this world was beautifully imagined and realized, which in my opinion very few fantasy writers are able to accomplish.
2. Mystery - The story was well paced and the mystery of the book well constructed. There was enough background behind every thread showing that the author didn't just pluck ideas out of thin air, but set up each separate storyline over the span of the book. Therefore plot resolutions were believable and well developed.
3. Supporting Characters - I don't think there is a single character in this book that I didn't like. The author was able to give everyone an interesting personality and I didn't feel like I was reading about the same person over and over. Female writers especially have that problem when writing tough male characters that come out too feminine (I'm sure you've seen that before). This book is different and both protagonists and antagonists of the series are defined with suitable roles. For example, Mychael is a stoic by-the-books type of guy, while Tam is a complete rogue, and their interactions with Raine were very realistic and convincing.

Cons:
1. Raine the Invincible - I loved Raine's character - she is loyal, fierce, and utterly sarcastic. Although one quality I found quite annoying was the fact that she knew everything about everyone and seemed to be almost invincible in the most difficult situations. She knew a lot of newly introduced characters from her past, and the ones she wasn't familiar with - well she met people with identical personalities in the past, therefore it was almost as if she knew them. Then she figured everything out on the fly and solved the most complex plots before anyone even had time to scratch their head. She rarely made mistakes, and even when she did, she always got out of those situations with little damage. I love strong and smart female heroines and she did have the added strength of Saghred, but I think her non-stop Super Girl level achievements took away from the story.

2. Love Triangle - I was pretty disappointed to find lack of resolution or even progress with the Tam/Mychael love triangle that has been ongoing since book one. The author definitely put a lot of work into creating steamy PG-13 encounters between Raine and her two leading men, but thoughts about choosing one (or none) of them didn't seem to even cross Raine's mind. She was content to keep right on kissing both of them in given intervals and seemed to be falling for the guy in front of her at the moment. It seemed that there was no emotional involvement on her part. I realize that the story did not rely heavily on romance, but the author made multiple attempts to place all three characters in those types of situations without examining the feelings and ramifications for those actions. Either add romance or don't, but I think it's important to follow through.

I gave this book 5 stars since satisfaction I got out of reading it greatly outweighed any small issues I might have had. Although there is enough background that Armed & Magical can stand on its own, I recommend reading the first book in the series first.

Sorceress Raine Benares excels at finding missing items and people. But after being bound to a stone that captures souls, Raine desperately wants to be free to live a normal life. The stone has amplified her powers, but she'd gladly give it up. When students begin disappearing at the school she is visiting, Raine realizes that she is the best person to find them. But Raine is a target as well.

Told from a first person narrative, Armed and Magical has a distinct feel of urban fantasy but is not set in modern times. Raine is an elf, in a land of magic where elves, humans and goblins reside. She is a fun and spirited character, with a couple love interests that never seem to go past the flirtation stage.

With a thread of mystery throughout the story, villains and suspicious characters abound. Not having read the first installment was not a problem either. It was easy to jump into the story, and the characters were well explained. A nice break from the darker high fantasy novels, Armed and Magical is an amusing tale of magic and adventure. One I thoroughly enjoyed.

He is charming, hellishly attractive and smoking. And there's the other one: tall, blond, warm and reliable. The one's a cold-blooded dark mage turned rogue. The other one the paragorn of virtue. And you're the girl in the middle, unable to decide which one to taste a little more of...

Raine is a character interestingly undecided and struggling. At the same time, she's trying to fend off a really evil dark magic that has her in its clutches, a secret goblin elite shaman troupe, nasty bureaucratic elves, elves warped into bureaucratic naivité. And she only wants to live... And protect her friends.

Although this book is about white and black and mostly the grey in the middle, it's also about a world in which magic is a threat as much as a miracle. It tastes like a young wine, with a lot of delight, color and sparkle. It's a whirlwind adventure that leaves you wanting for more. More! More!

You'd never think this was a sequel. It's fast-paced, engaging and imaginative and wondefully alive. Hopefully there's much more to come!

› Go to Amazon.com to see all 38 reviews  4.7 out of 5 stars