Thursday, January 22, 2015

#COYER Release Day Review ~ Strange Magic ~ Michelle Mankin


Strange Magic (The Magic series, #1)
Strange Magic ~ Part One
Strange Magic #1
Release Date: January 22, 2015
Genre: New Adult, Paranormal 
Source: I received a complimentary copy from the author in exchange for an honest review
Rating: 4.5 Bookworms
Goodreads ~ Amazon



Synopsis
Billy Blade is a hardworking, hard living, razor sharp musical force. Mysterious behind his dark shades, the rough around the edges Texan mesmerizes with his haunting harmonica and tantalizes with his dangerous looks and smooth country charm. His latest album is topping the charts. He's the newly crowned King of the Bacchus Krewe. He's definitely living the rock star dream.

Exotic Creole beauty Thyme Bellerose couldn't be more content. She has it all. An adoring grandmother. A handsome Tulane medical student beau. A satisfying job in the heart of New Orleans' French Quarter. Her life is as rich as the ice cream she creates. She's got everything under control.

But control is an illusion. Dreams can turn into nightmares. And now during Mardi Gras, otherworldly powers stand ready to shape their destinies in ways they could never imaging.

Shadow and light. Magic and mystery. Reality and myth. All come together in a place where rules bend and lines blur. Even those between life and death.

Please note: This is Part One of a Two part novel. It does NOT stand alone. Part Two is available for pre-sale exclusively on Amazon. http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00RU3NNX6

Recommended for mature readers. 17 and older.




I'm a huge fan of Mankin. This lady rocks at classics with a rock-n-roll spin and just straight-up rock-n-roll stories. Strange Magic is a bit different. It's paranormal, and that's just for starters. Mankin though, proves she just plain rocks at storytelling.

Strange Magic is set in New Orleans during Mardi Gras with Katrina barreling towards the coast. Then it weaves in some Roman mythology, a little voodoo, and a few characters who are perfectly at home in NOLA. Yeah, Mankin's created quite a unique world within the confines of NOLA. And she inhabited it with captivating characters. The result is fabulous.

In this first volume, we meet our MCs, Billy Blade and Thyme Bellerose, but this part of the story mainly involves Thyme. She's a sweetheart, genuine and compassionate. What she ends up enduring is unthinkable -- the why behind it is fascinating.

I can't think of a better setting than NOLA for a story like this one. That Katrina is about to strike added to the ominous feel. Mankin did an incredible job of creating a mythology and an atmosphere that feed into one another so well.

I honestly have no inkling as to where this story will end up. But I'm dying to unravel the mystery. 




5 comments:

  1. Ooo I love the setting Brandee and the characters and plot sound fantastic..added to my list

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  2. Sounds intriguing and like the author took care choosing the right settting for this novel. And it's ncie to see more authors writign different NA's than contemporary romance. Great review!

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  3. Yay, good to hear that it was a perfect setting for the plot

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  4. Roman mythology, NOLA, voodoo, and Katrina barreling down? Definitely seems like things will get intense. So glad you enjoyed it!!

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  5. Wow! Love that all these fantasy aspects into one book! There seems to be a lot going on, with an interesting world being built around these characters. Hope you like the next installment!

    Naomi @ Nomi’s Paranormal Palace

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Now you know what I think...what are your thoughts??