February 14, 2012

From me to you...


Review - Death Magic


I'd been waiting eagerly for this installment since finishing Blood Challenge last January.  I finally got my hands on it yesterday at my local bookshop - yeah me :-D

I rushed home and once I settled down to read it I have to admit that I was disappointed.  I loved Blood Challenge. The addition of Benedict and Arjenie's storyline, from their POV was fantastic. I enjoyed reading their narrative more than Lily and Rule's!  In Death Magic I just found it predictable.  Not the storyline so much, but the way those characters react.  Rules all intense and protective and Lily is stubborn, determined, logical and a little bit anal about things.  And while Reuben and his secret was a great twist, there was no more than a few paragraphs regarding the new baby, Ryder - and most of that was about her future sexual education! 

There was no Benedict, Arjenie, or Cynna, why not?  Hopefully the Ms Wilks will either incorporate more narratives in the next book, or give Benedict and Arjenie their own spinoff.

So after my above complaints, this wasn't the worst book out there.  There was much storywise that could have been improved of and the ending bugged me as the confrontation had been building since early on in the book, but it was over relatively quickly.  The bad guys seem to have more lives than a cat, and never seem to get busted by the cops.  Is Lily the only honest competent law enforcement agent out there?  Sam the Dragon and Lily's grandmother are no-shows (I'd love to read that story!) plus much of the time Lily and Rule were apart.  I know there is a reason for Rule's wolf to still be in the back of the storyline, but it's about time we found out why.

Death Magic does advance the storyline, but if you're not a big fan of the series who has to own every book, then I'd recommend borrowing it from a friend or your local library.