McKenzie Hunter

I see what people mean about the repetitiveness of this plot. Back and forth through Connor, ambush, discussion and proposition, out again, threats, flirting with Gareth. We get something new with Savannah, so at least that's fun - I'm with her and Levy --- let's not trust the shift Harrah. Not much actually happens other than back and forth games and a throw up of hands wondering what hte point is to keep trying since they keep slipping things back out again anyway. How inefficient is this show more magic council?

Also, it really bugs me that Levy went along with revealing the other legacies who haven't been found. They were in hiding like she is, and I get that while she's doing it so that Connor can't find them first, they are now braced and cut off from their magic on a trust system. She felt a small flush of guilt but only a paragraph. If they are killed now by the council or trackers thanks to her, will she finally feel some guilt?? show less

For maybe the first half or two-thirds I was baffled how this has an average rating of below 4 but the end is just not able to live up to the high quality and intriguing promise the book had earlier.

It did a really good job of immersing me in the world and building emotional ties to a likable and interesting cast. It introduced a surprisingly nuanced core conflict that has no clear good and bad which is exceptional on its own.
But the world-building and the plot just make very little show more sense.
And how the characters ultimately decide to act on their motivations is just strange in a lot of cases.
Not to mention all the bad guys that keep attacking a much stronger opponent without any plan beyond dying as cannon fodder for no reason whatsoever.

It's a solid 3-star read so it's not bad.
But I was hoping for so much more. show less

I liked the characters compassion but not her common sense; frankly, she did some frustrating and downright stupid moves that drove me as bonkers as it did the characters. The pack bonding is interesting to a degree but of course brutal and a turn-off at once. I have a feeling it may end up being a triangle dangle between brothers on the love front. I found Sebastian especially intriguing but there seems to be a no-go there on warming up to the leader. The vamps in this series are brutal and show more I have a feeling we haven't seen the last of them, although I'm happy the author isn't carrying over the gem plotline to the sequel. The story could have dealt with more layers of revelation and newness to keep it fresher, but overall it was worth a read and I'll be checking out the sequel sometimes - although from the reviews of the second book and feeling like this series isn't fully my thing, it likely won't be soon. Full review to come. show less

My Thoughts:

This book has no beginning and no end. The story started with Double-Sided Magic and ended in a whooping big cliffhanger. So anyone reading this book on it's own, I imagine the reader to get royally confused. If not pissed off, too. Because the entire book is just a middle chapter of a bigger book. I am so not a fan of that kind of book. At all! And also, not really sure how the title relates to the story... Which is a pity because I really like the way this author tells a story.

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Her author's voice is easy to sink into. I also like th premise of the story, even though it is not very original. I wanted this book (this series) to work... On the bright side, the cover art kick-ass!! It is one of the things that made me buy this book to begin with. Additionally, I still like the way Stacey Glemboski reads. Kudos to the narrator!

Empirical Evaluation:
Story telling quality = 4
Character development = 4
Story itself = 2
Writing Style = 4
Ending = 2
World building = 4.5
Cover art = 4.5
Originality = 2
Pace = (8 hrs and 20 mins listening time)
Plot = 2
Narration = 4.5

Overall Rating: 3 out of 5 cherries show less