#103 Counterfeit Magic by Kelley Armstrong
The following review has spoilers for previous books in The Women of the Otherworld Series but no real spoilers for Counterfeit Magic.
When Ava Cookson asks Cortez-Winterbourne Investigations to solve her brother's murder, Paige Winterbourne and Savannah Levine find themselves going undercover in the world of supernatural fight clubs. As Paige digs for clues, and Savannah throws punches (and knockback spells) in the ring, Paige's husband, Lucas Cortez, follows a lead working with the very attractive (and rather flirtatious) Ava. Paige can't help but feel a twinge of unease over her usually rock solid marriage, but there's no way that Lucas would cheat on her, is there?
Counterfeit Magic is the second novella released by Kelley Armstrong with Subterranean Press, the first being Angelic. This time around, the novella is longer than Angelic (141 pages as opposed to 104 and I suspect the font is smaller as well), and features Paige Winterborne, who hasn't narrated a novel since 2004. As an Otherworld fan, I found this rather satisfying. As much as I have appreciated seeing new narrators, I really enjoyed Paige's books, so I was happy to see her back. Another thing I really liked about this novella is that Armstrong doesn't take the fact that it takes place outside of the main series as an excuse to deliver up pointless filler. There's important character development to be found here. Counterfeit Magic gives the reader a glimpse into the state of Paige's marriage after the major events of Personal Demon, as well as teaching us more about Paige's relationship with Savannah.
Admittedly, Counterfeit Magic does have it's weak points. The plot-line wraps up a little too quickly, and the entire murder mystery storyline probably would have been more satisfying had it been expanded into a longer novel. I also wanted to see more of Lucas, but given how the story progresses, I can understand why it made more sense for him to be absent for most of the novella. As far as the illustrations go, I found them to be nice, although I don't really feel that they added too much to the book.
Counterfeit Magic is an enjoyable novella. As far as story quality goes, I consider it to be on the same level as Angelic. I would certainly recommend this novella, but only to die hard Kelley Armstrong fans. This is mostly due to the high price tag on the book (the list price is $25 and I suspect the book will be out of print and even more expensive any day now). I also feel as if the storyline would be more enjoyable to those who have already fallen in love with the characters.
Rating: four stars
Length: 141 pages
Source: Subterranean Press
Similar Books: Previous Otherworld novels, especially Dime Store Magic and Industrial Magic. For other supernatural books about wtiches, Kim Harrisons' The Hollows series is a great place to start.
Other books I've read by this author: Oh god, here we go. Bitten, Stolen, Dime Store Magic, Industrial Magic, Haunted, Broken, No Humans Involved, Personal Demon, Living with the Dead my review), Frostbitten ( my review), Waking the Witch ( my review) Men of the Otherworld ( my review),Tales of the Otherworld ( my review), The Summoning my review),The Awakenin ( my review) The Reckoning ( my review) Exit Strategy my review), an Made to be Broken my review). I've also read the stand alone novell Angelic my review), the novella "Chaotic' fro Dates from Hell, the short story "Kat" fro The Eternal Kiss my review), and the short story "The Ungrateful Dead" fro Blood Lite my review)
xposted t temporaryworlds
and goodreads
Catching up with my reviews for the end of the year. Next up is Daniel Woodrell's Winter's Bone.
When Ava Cookson asks Cortez-Winterbourne Investigations to solve her brother's murder, Paige Winterbourne and Savannah Levine find themselves going undercover in the world of supernatural fight clubs. As Paige digs for clues, and Savannah throws punches (and knockback spells) in the ring, Paige's husband, Lucas Cortez, follows a lead working with the very attractive (and rather flirtatious) Ava. Paige can't help but feel a twinge of unease over her usually rock solid marriage, but there's no way that Lucas would cheat on her, is there?
Counterfeit Magic is the second novella released by Kelley Armstrong with Subterranean Press, the first being Angelic. This time around, the novella is longer than Angelic (141 pages as opposed to 104 and I suspect the font is smaller as well), and features Paige Winterborne, who hasn't narrated a novel since 2004. As an Otherworld fan, I found this rather satisfying. As much as I have appreciated seeing new narrators, I really enjoyed Paige's books, so I was happy to see her back. Another thing I really liked about this novella is that Armstrong doesn't take the fact that it takes place outside of the main series as an excuse to deliver up pointless filler. There's important character development to be found here. Counterfeit Magic gives the reader a glimpse into the state of Paige's marriage after the major events of Personal Demon, as well as teaching us more about Paige's relationship with Savannah.
Admittedly, Counterfeit Magic does have it's weak points. The plot-line wraps up a little too quickly, and the entire murder mystery storyline probably would have been more satisfying had it been expanded into a longer novel. I also wanted to see more of Lucas, but given how the story progresses, I can understand why it made more sense for him to be absent for most of the novella. As far as the illustrations go, I found them to be nice, although I don't really feel that they added too much to the book.
Counterfeit Magic is an enjoyable novella. As far as story quality goes, I consider it to be on the same level as Angelic. I would certainly recommend this novella, but only to die hard Kelley Armstrong fans. This is mostly due to the high price tag on the book (the list price is $25 and I suspect the book will be out of print and even more expensive any day now). I also feel as if the storyline would be more enjoyable to those who have already fallen in love with the characters.
Rating: four stars
Length: 141 pages
Source: Subterranean Press
Similar Books: Previous Otherworld novels, especially Dime Store Magic and Industrial Magic. For other supernatural books about wtiches, Kim Harrisons' The Hollows series is a great place to start.
Other books I've read by this author: Oh god, here we go. Bitten, Stolen, Dime Store Magic, Industrial Magic, Haunted, Broken, No Humans Involved, Personal Demon, Living with the Dead my review), Frostbitten ( my review), Waking the Witch ( my review) Men of the Otherworld ( my review),Tales of the Otherworld ( my review), The Summoning my review),The Awakenin ( my review) The Reckoning ( my review) Exit Strategy my review), an Made to be Broken my review). I've also read the stand alone novell Angelic my review), the novella "Chaotic' fro Dates from Hell, the short story "Kat" fro The Eternal Kiss my review), and the short story "The Ungrateful Dead" fro Blood Lite my review)
xposted t temporaryworlds
and goodreads
Catching up with my reviews for the end of the year. Next up is Daniel Woodrell's Winter's Bone.