I've never read a book by Jennifer Estep before, so when I saw that this was part of a blog tour, I was absolutely stoked. I've heard of her Mythos Academy series (I mean, who hasn't, right?) and I thought it looked like something I'd really enjoy. That's why I absolutely jumped at the chance to read Cold Burn of Magic.

First of all, let's talk about the characters. The main protagonist, Lila, is such a badass. She's a tough fighter who will do what she needs to do in order to survive. I definitely respected her because of that. I also really loved Devon, who Lila accidentally saved from a kidnapping in the beginning of the book only to find herself brought into a feud between the families in her town. He's a Sinclair, which is one of the richer and well-known powerful Families in town. I definitely think he was my favorite character.

Mo was a chill character too. He had known Lila's mother and they were good friends, and after her mother was killed, Lila begins working for Mo. She steals things for Mo to sell at his shop. It's how the both of them make their money.

One of my favorite things about this book was the town. The town that Jennifer Estep created is filled with supernatural and mystical beings that you hear about in fairy tales. There's pixies and such, and just about everyone has a magical power of some sort. Lila, the main character, is blessed with a Sight power, so she can see into people and know what kind of person they are because her eyes are so heightened compared to the rest of her senses. The whole magic aspect of this book was just the coolest. Also, normal people were allowed to visit the town! Imagine that, visiting a town where supernatural creatures exist! Wouldn't that just be so awesome?!

At the end of this read, I was definitely satisfied. I was super worried that it was only a single book, but come to find out it's actually part of a series! I can't wait to continue on and find out what happens next. I highly suggest giving this one a read because it's worth your while!

I really liked this story! I didn't realize this was a Young Adult novel when I got it, having read Ms. Estep's romances before - I just assumed it was one of those (oops). Fortunately, I like fantasy too and this one is a keeper.

The main character was interesting and clever without being too perfect, and the whole "magic mafia" setting was creative and different. All in all, I liked it a lot and am considering picking up the sequel - even though I don't normally read YA.

Audio. I am always hungry after I read a Jennifer Estep book. LOL Her food descriptions are the best!

April 28, 2015

This was a really fun read. I can't say that there weren't several times where I felt like it was a redux of Gin Blanco. Toward the beginning, I was really distracted by the similarities. However, the narrative kicked in and I found myself enjoying, DESPITE the likeness.

My Estep has created another magic based world, but this time characters have a "talent" rather than an elemental ability. Once again, we see a town where mob-like families rule the roost and prey on those with fewer resources. Oh, and this time the setting is West Virginia, instead of Kentucky. So, the world is not very different from the world in which Gin lives.

As for the main character of this series, Lila is in many ways like a younger Gin, being just a teenager. She's a plucky orphan whose mother was killed by the top Mob Boss of the town. She is full of bluster and attitude and raw talent. Her profession, however, is that of a thief, rather than assassin, but she is also a trained fighter.

If you look at some details too closely, like why teenagers are acting as bodyguards and high level family representatives, things don't always add up. But, if you are a fan of Gin, you know that you will have to take some logical leaps (because let's face it, the best assassins don't routinely risk themselves by getting up close and personal with their targets). However, just like most of the Elemental Assassins, if you let go, the narrative can be pretty darn enjoyable.

Actual rating: 3.5 stars

I meant to read this forever ago because I got approved for the second book on Netgalley not realizing it was the second in a series. I have read a few of Estep's series and love them. Particularly because even if it's been a while since the last book you've read, she does a little summarizing, so you could refresh your memory without having to go back to anything else to do it.

This series follows Lila, a teenage orphaned thief. The world has normals, but it also has people with powers referred to as Talents, and the town is run by different families (basically the mob). Lila saves one of the families' sons by being in the wrong place at the right time and gets hired on as his bodyguard. The story kind of goes from there, trying to figure out who attempted to take Devon's life and why.

This series is A LOT like Elemental Assassin series. A LOT. It's like reading a YA version of it. It meant it was an easy read for me, but it also felt like I've read the story before. There was repetition in this book too that stuck out like a sore thumb. The title was said multiple times, as was some variety of "But you're supposed to be such a good thief". So I would say this isn't the strongest book, but it still is pretty okay if you've not read Elemental Assassin. I, for sure, will read the sequel since I have to review it for Netgalley, but if it weren't for that, I probably would not have continued the series.

17-year-old Lila Merriweather has been living on her own since her mother was killed three years ago in Cloudburst Falls, a town full of magic mob families. Since her mother had been a bodyguard and passed those skills on to her daughter, she only had to take thieving jobs from their old friend Mo to survive. But when those skills put her on a path to the same life that got her mother killed, Lila doesn’t expect to live very long either.

I am a big fan of Jennifer Estep’s Elemental Assassin series and was excited to see a new series by her, even though I don’t read much young adult. Many of the things I liked about her adult series are found in this series, albeit at a toned-down level. Characters were well-developed and enjoyable, the plot is excellent, with the exception of an easy-to-figure-out traitor, and the pace was quick but comfortable. Her budding romance with Devon was nice and slow, and I can’t wait for that to develop, and also finding out more about the past and who Lila’s father is, although I have my ideas about that! At times, though, I have to mention, it felt like the book couldn’t decide if it was YA or NA. Sometimes Lila felt a little older than 17, but that could be attributed to her having to grow up quickly.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book, with a couple very minor exceptions noted above. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes the UF genre, especially YA UF. This copy was provided by netgalley (thanks!) for an honest review (posted on Goodreads).

Not bad just...meh. Will try the next book.

Great start to the new series. Can't wait for book two. I love the characters, the developing plot and all the bacon!