Thursday, February 5, 2015

#COYER Release Day Review ~ Strange Magic Part Two ~ Michelle Mankin


Strange Magic - Part Two (The Magic series, #2)
Strange Magic Part Two
Strange Magic Series
Release Date: February 5, 2015
Genre: Adult, Paranormal Romance, Mythology
Source: I received a complimentary copy from the author in exchange for an honest review
Rating: 4.5 Bookworms


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 Two, the finale of Strange Magic. It does NOT stand alone. Part One must be read first. Part Two is available exclusively on Amazon. http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00RU3NNX6

Recommended for mature readers. 17 and older.



Wow! What an ending for Billy and Thyme. What a world Mankin has created!

In this final installment of Strange Magic (but only the beginning of the series!) we learn more about Billy Blade and his connection to Thyme. We also learn more about about the Immortals and what they're up to. Strange Magic is an incredible story about second chances at love but it's so much more. Mankin created a fantastic mythological world, set in New Orleans, and is really setting the stage for what comes next.

I liked how Mankin used circumstances in her mythological world to mirror ones in our own. The battle lines have been drawn and change is a comin'. I also liked the comparison between the Mississippi River -- caring for her people, healing them -- and Thyme's mother, doing the same.

Mankin demonstrates her remarkable talent as she deftly incorporated her mythological world -- the In Between -- into that of New Orleans. I knew she could create kickass, realistic rock worlds. Here, she proved she's equally able to conjure a world of imagination -- one with bioluminescent waterfalls and duality demons. A world populated with Zeus, Hades, Ares, and Bacchus -- gods who set the rules that are being called into question.

At it's heart, though, is the love story. Both Billy and Thyme had love and lost it. Both were "dead" until they found one another. All the elements Mankin surrounded Billy and Thyme with -- poetry and music -- were a delight. Their end is not the end and I'm eager to see where things go from here.




9 comments:

  1. aw, the romance sounds like it would have me emotional

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  2. I just bought the first one so I am not going to read your review. 5 stars though! I will try to read it soon, but you know how that goes. Thanks :)

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  3. Oh wow. This sounds like a great conclusion to this story, but a great beginning to the series! I think I'd like to see Billy and Thyme's relationship grow, fantastic review girl!!

    Naomi @ Nomi’s Paranormal Palace

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  4. I just love mythology mixed into the books. This one sounds so great! Excellent review :D

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  5. LOL Have you read it yet, Braine? I'd love to chat about it!

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  6. This is such a great story, Brandi!

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  7. *grins* Yes, I know exactly how that goes, Lorna. My kindle - groaning under the weight of over 400 books - knows it, too. I hope you enjoy it though, when you get to it. :)

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  8. Naomi, I think you'd enjoy this story. The synopsis, and in some ways, my review, are vague because it'd ruin the story otherwise. Just suffice it to say, it's amazing!

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  9. Me too, Jaclyn. And this is really well done! I think the first one might be *free* right now, if you want to check it out!

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