Dime Store Magic: Kelley Armstrong [Paperback]

DIME STORE MAGIC by Kelley Armstrong

DIME STORE MAGIC is the third novel in Kelley Armstrong’s Women of the Otherworld series. A diversion from Kelley’s Werewolves, DSM focuses on Paige Winterbourne, who was first introduced in Stolen. .

Following the death of her mother, Paige Winterbourne has become Coven leader. And to complicate matters, Paige is now the guardian of Savannah Levine, the young witch who has yet to come into her full powers. When Paige’s position within the Coven is questioned, she is removed and must find a way to ensure both her safety and Savannah’s. But it is a question of paternity and by the Nast Cabal that will push Paige into a life involving the Cabals and Lucas Cortez.

Kristof Nast seeks custody of the young witch. Knowing that the Cabals train a young witch into active duty and in trust to the Cabal’s, Paige is worried that Savannah will be pulled into a world of sorcery, witchcraft and death. But it will be Kristof’s revelations that he is Savannah’s biological father that will further complicate and add fuel to the Nast Cabal custody battle.

Lucas Cortez is a sorcerer. As the bastard son and heir to the head of the Cortez Cabal, Lucas has relinquished all claims to the life and its many privileges and problems. But as a young lawyer, Lucas has willingly volunteered to help Paige with her custody battle against the Nast Cabal. But the bigger problem is the less than happy relationship between the Nast and Cortez Cabals. And now Paige and Savannah are caught in the middle of a custody battle that will eventually see a powerful sorcerer dead and a young witch grieving the death of her parents.

Dime Store Magic was not one of my favorite storylines, but will all due respect, it was not my least favorite. I think DSM was necessary as it introduced the Nast and Cortez Cabals, as well as several new characters that will continue to make appearances throughout Kelley’s series. Kelley has a magical way of weaving many of her characters into the various storylines, by way of a phone call or even a reference.

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*MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS*

This is the third book in Kelley Armstrong's "Women of the Otherworld" series and I must say, this is my least favourite book (as of yet) in the series. This book is narrated by Paige, the "know it all" witch we meet in "Stolen". When I first met Paige in "Stolen", I did believe that she was a somewhat annoying character, but looking back I can now say that in the first two books I was biased against all of the other female characters as I found Elena to pretty much the be all/ end all.

Going into "Dime Store Magic" I tried to put aside my preconceived notions of Paige and I do believe that I was successful... To a point. I personally found Paige to be way too 'happy housewife' for me, I like a girl who isn't afraid to kick butt... Paige is very much a homebody- she has the cookies and milk ready for when the kids come home, she is constantly backing,and she only wears skirts as jeans are beneath her. Though I believe that more people can relate to Paige than Elena, I much prefer Elena.

And as much as I love Elena I must admit that I love her partner Clay more. Introduced in "Dime Store Magic" is the male counterpart of Paige, Cortez. To sum it up, Cortez is as interesting as a sack of potatoes. At first I thought that Cortez had potential to be a really intriguing character when he knocked on Paige's door to offer her his assistance, standing there shuffling his papers about, afraid to meet her eyes... I thought he was going to be some loveable dork, but alas, that was not the case. I think what bugged me most about Cortez is his language. Yes, I understand that he is a lawyer and a professional, and therefore he has to uphold a certain persona. But really? He doesn't drop the act whatsoever, you think he would lighten up a tiny bit when he was no longer in a professional setting (like the conversation between Paige and Cortez where Paige is trying to figure out what university Cortez went to. A completely unnecessary scene and in the end we don't even find out where he went!).

And what I like even more about Kelley's books is the passion between the male and female leads. And I must admit, that there is no passion whatsoever between Cortez and Paige. They have no chemistry and though there is a 'sexy scene' it seems entirely forced and more than a little awkward. There is really nothing in played out in the book that shows that either is experiencing feelings for the another, save for a scene where Savannah tells Paige that Cortez kept asking Savannah if Paige was interested in her best friend Adam. I kind of wish that there was something between Adam and Paige, just because he is so much more interesting than Cortez.

I am looking forward to getting to the sixth book in this series (where a. Paige will not be a lead and b. where Elena will be)...

***MAJOR SPOILER***
I think that this lack of chemistry is especially complexing when we find out in "Tales of the Otherworld" that Paige and Cortez get married?!? I just cannot imagine it...

Dime Store Magic sets itself apart from the first two Women of the Otherworld novels, by having Paige the young witch we met in Stolen narrate the story rather than the Werewolf Elena who had been our point of view thus far. At first I found the switch a bit distracting and had a hard time adjusting to Paige as the narrator - especially when Paige and Elena were talking on the phone! But as the story progressed I grew to love Paige, and stopped feeling the absence of the werewolves.

While I'm still looking forward to returning to Elena's stories, once I got into Paige's world, I really enjoyed getting to know her and Savannah. As with the first two novels in the series, Armstrong creates layered and likable characters, who are both flawed and endearing at the same time. While Paige comes across a little spoiled when we meet her in Stolen, it's clear that she's maturing quickly since she's been charged with taking care of Savannah. Savannah is now the spoiled one, but as an adolescent girl, she's supposed to be a bit of nightmare, and I felt that the portrayal was realistic. One character that I very much dislike is Leah, but considering she is the villain of the story, I think that's the way it's intended to be. New arrival Lucas Cortez on the other hand, is charming pretty much from the minute we met him. Even when we're not sure which side he's really on, I found I couldn't help but like Lucas, and was rooting for him to be one of the good guys.

The overall plot to steal Savannah made for a great story, but I also found some of the other developments in this book intriguing as they allow for interesting new stories in the future. One of the ones I found most intriguing was the fact that Paige is has been exiled from the Coven. The Coven often felt old and antiquated, and I'd like to see how a new generation will attempt revolutionize old ways. I look forward to finding out if Paige will start a new Coven or attempt to over-throw the old one.

While not quite as gripping as the Werewolf stories, Dime Store Magic was still a good read, and I'm looking forward to the continuation of Paige and Savannah's stories in Industrial Magic, the fourth volume of the Women of the Otherworld series.