I was very sad when Jennifer Estep ended her first YA series, Mythos Academy. Thankfully, she's back with an exciting new world inhabited by some very interesting characters in COLD BURN OF MAGIC, the start of her new YA series.
In Cloudburst Falls, West Virginia, a town dubbed “the most magical place in America”, the world works a bit differently. There are magical Families that run the town, like magical mobsters, with the Sinclairs and the Draconis on top. People have different Talents that largely fall into three categories: strength, speed, and senses (sight, hearing, taste, smell). Non-magical people, uncharitably called rubes by some, don't realise that there's real magic in the world but those who are in the know are aware of the monsters, magic, and danger that exists in this town.
As with every Estep urban fantasy, the heroine of this series is tough, independent, and smart. Lila is edgier and harder than Gwen from Mythos Academy but she's not quite as tough as Gin from the Elemental Assassin books. Lila's an orphan who makes a living as a thief, secretly living in the basement of a public library and attending a mundane high school. The only constant in her life is Mo, her guardian and also her employer. It's not an easy life but she's living off the radar, the way she wants, until she saves the life of Devon Sinclair and gets pulled into the world of the Families, where Lila uses her street smarts, fighting skills, and heirlooms from her mother to figure out why Devon's a target and keep him alive while she's working on this mystery.
The other characters in COLD BURN OF MAGIC are also well developed. I'm particularly fond of Oscar the pixie, who is delightfully grumpy. Felix and Devon are also nicely written and I'm looking forward to learning more about them over the series. I don't want to go into things in great detail since it's a new series and I want you to enjoy meeting this new world and these new characters as much as I did.
Estep's written a nice and twisty path for Lila to negotiate and it makes for a very interesting read. I expected nothing less from one of my favourite authors and she's definitely delivered a fun and exciting story. I read the whole thing in one setting!
COLD BURN OF MAGIC is a fantastic new book and a great start to the Black Blade series. Estep is a wonderful writer and I think that you'll really enjoy it!
I found this one to be okay but I wasn't wowed. It was my first novel by this author and I had a high expectation from what everyone says about her but didn't see it. I will try another of her books but I won't go into it with blinders.
ReplyDeleteI can't wait to get my hands on this book. Great review!
ReplyDeleteGlad to hear that you enjoyed this one too! I really like Lila and am looking forward to seeing where Jennifer takes the series. And you're right, Oscar is such a fun, interesting character!
ReplyDeleteThis sounds so interesting! I haven't read any of Jennifer Estep's books yet but I look forward to it!
ReplyDeleteHana @ToBooksAndBeyond
So glad you enjoyed Cold Burn of Magic as much as I did. I love pretty much all of Estep's books. This one reminded me of a world that Julie Kagawa might have created. I like this new spin on magic being out in the open in the real world. Nice review.
ReplyDeleteShannon @ The Tale Temptress