Charissa DufourRezensionen

Not great, not terrible. Not original and clichéed as fuck.
The weakest part was the romance which seems to also be the linchpin of the story.
It's classic lust at first sight with no good reason. She starts to feel inexplicably drawn to him and crave his touch and so on immediately while first meeting him even before they ever exchanged a single word really. There is bad insta-love and then there is this book.

The other problem I had is less with this book specifically but more with all the plethora of books that follow this same formula.
Magic races have been unveiled and forcefully deported into containment zones (call "reservations" in this case) basically like a prison city.
But it is never explained why the hell any of these incredibly powerful people should accept this completely inhumane treatment. It's not only the extreme segregation but also the casual and severe mistreatment of the inmates.
If it was just a single race with some very specific but very easily exploitable weak point or a sci-fi setting with much more advanced tech, sure, maybe.
But in modern times?
This stems from a fundamental misunderstanding of the basic social contract of countries.
The reason why modern governments work is that the citizens get rights and certain guarantees from the government body in exchange for giving up certain freedoms. You don't need to abide by the rules of a government if you don't get anything worthwhile in exchange and if they can't suppress you by force. This is why corrupt governments always lead to high crime rates. If you apply this very basic societal model to books with a world-building setup like this everything falls apart.
Only those who can't fight back or have exploitable weaknesses would end up in reservations like that. Most others would either end up in resistance groups (guerilla groups or outright war) or move to places where they can get a better social contract.
The idea of working camps is to extract as much value out of your prisoners as you can. And these people have literal magic. Why the hell would they have them wash cloth diapers by hand?
And if it's just outright bigotry with nobody in power prudent enough to exploit the potential then they would just be killed. Done. They clearly don't care and are not made to care by human citizens either. So why go through all the hassle of keeping them contained?
Regardless of how you look at this basic setup it just doesn't work.

But after this long semi-off-topic rant I want to make clear that this was not particularly good even ignoring the flawed world-building setup.
It's just tired tropes and clichées all the way down.
I could have partially forgiven this with the excuse that it's hard to cram an entire story into 100 pages without heavily utilizing tropes, but this is not a complete story. It's only the first third of one. I expect this is literally a 300-page book released in 3 100-page chunks.

A naive, self-sacrificing idiot is naive and stupid. That is the plot. Wow.
TSTL all the way.
But I guess that is the only way for the mysterious and sexy master magician to rescue his damsel or somesuch. I don't actually know, I haven't gotten that far.

This is an interesting one.
On the one hand, it's not that good on the surface.
But on the other hand, there is clearly a deeper underlying understanding of the genre and its tropes that keeps the story interesting in a meta-way.
It's immediately clear from the blurb that there is some sort of genre meta-writing going on but it goes far beyond just being the hook to draw the reader in.
It feels like it was written for people who already understand the patterns in urban fantasy and it at least seems like there is a lot more depth to it than at least 98% of books in the genre have.
I am not sure if I am just projecting my own experience with the genre into the story but it very much feels intentional.

One repeating theme is that the author tries to depict a sort of shocking realism in terms of learning to cope with being a vampire and all the things which this might entail. A lot of innocent people die. Quite a few were accidental by the MC's hand.
And in the moment the author does a stellar job of delivering the emotional impact of many different traumatizing events that a typical heroine would just shrug off (or justify poorly or something of the sort).
But she fails at following through with this in the long run. The almost indifference towards these traumatic events has a kind of delayed onset but ultimately ends up causing the exact same loss of suspension of disbelief anyway.
But because of the implied promise of realism, the negative impact on my enjoyment ended up being much worse.

Definitely worth a read if you are a bit tired of the same old same old urban fantasy/pnr vampire story but be aware that the technical competence is lower than the ambition of the series.

I very much hope she didn't give up on her writing career (as the last publishing date I could find was 2016) because I very much love to see more unique and interesting stories like this and this has potential but I expect she just has to acquire the technical skill first to live up to her ambitions.

Short prequel from the - That Just Plain Sucked - series.

It has a few typos but is a good teaser read if you like vampire novels.

After having read this trilogy in all my free time over the last two days, and having stayed up a lot later than I should have, I guess I have to say that I liked it, much more than I expected to. This is fantasy literature, I guess, in the sense that the world is pseudo-medieval, but there is no magic.

I was initially drawn to this story by the cover blurb about a princess who serves as a menial slave in the foreign palace, but they don't know who she is. Maybe I'm jaded by reading too many fantasy stories (or reading princess stories to my kids) but I think the idea was refreshingly different and I wondered what the author could to with it. Turns out she can do quite a lot.

The story is basically an odyssey: both an inner and an outer journey. Because of the struggles along the way, the princess grows up, learns humility, and is able to become a savior for her people. Many many fantasy trilogies (e.g., Lord of the Rings) follow exactly that pattern, so that shouldn't be a real spoiler.

This is not a series of three separate stories, each with their own climax and resolution; it's a single, three-volume story (like Lord of the Rings). I bought the three-volume set electronically, and I did not even notice when I switched from the first book to the second. I don't think the first has a very satisfying conclusion on its own. You could, I suppose, stop after the second book, but that would be like chopping off the Odyssey just as Odysseus lands on the beach of Ithaca, or ending The Lord of the Rings without the scouring of the Shire: you miss everything that the story has been building up to.

Summary:
A princess on a stupid diplomatic mission is captured by brigands and sold as a slave. She conceals who she is (she has enough foresight and discipline to do that). Initially, she's not particularly lovable: she's somewhat stuck up and selfish (hard not to be, with that upbringing). But at least she and her family are not not like the horrible people she's being forced to serve. In the opening of the story, we are drawn to her through shock and pity. The princess-in-secret, however, is made of pretty stern stuff. Instead of breaking, she learns humility, and to see the world through the eyes of the servants and slaves. She tries to be faithful to her people (not her captors) in the little ways she can, but intriguingly, she learns through her attempted sabotages that even her oppressors' lives are valuable.

Because of her education, she eventually rises to serve the enemy royal family directly, and gets a direct insight into their varying characters. However, her secret cannot be kept forever, and when they discover who she really is, they do their best to take advantage of it to embarrass or compel her home kingdom.

Meanwhile, a stern, capable knight who has risen from poverty through his fearsome skills watches her closely. He's initially curious--she's not like the other slaves. Even though he serves as her jailer, he grows to trust her. And when she is manifested as a princess, he thinks she's not like the repressive royals he's been forced to serve--or is she? He's not sure, but circumstances and his choices throw them together and they escape together on a journey of many months back to her home, where they encounter cold, hunger, poverty, and betrayal, and yet also generosity and unexpected loyalty. The knight, since he is under death sentence in the tyrannical kingdom they fled, hopes that he can make a new start in the only place beyond its clutches, by bringing the princess safely home and thereby gaining a reward. Or at least that was his initial plan.

Following the Odyssey prototype, home isn't in great shape either. It's on the verge of another war with the kingdom she just escaped from, and this time they just might be conquered. Furthermore, there is significant internal unrest: although her kingdom certainly has much higher moral standards than the other one (e.g., slavery is not allowed; they royalty are not just wastrels who live to be served), it's by no means perfect. The returning princess must try to put things right, without any official position and despite all her family's well-meaning efforts. (Hence the name of the third volume, "Alone."). It is only because of who she became on the journey that she can even see the problems, let alone solve them.

What was good:
- The characterization and character development. The main characters not only growing more capable, but more morally sound. Many of the minor characters are also, by the end of the story, becoming admirable. Unlike the prototype Odyssey, the characters grow by learning to forgive (not just to take vengeance), and to be humble and disciplined. Although the characters end up being larger-than-life, they don't start out that way, and you can see how circumstances and a path of many small good decisions make them into heroes.
- The main character grows to be one of those characters like Lawrence of Arabia, who almost everyone admires and will follow to the ends of the earth. (But she most definitely doesn't start out that way.) Those characters are for me perhaps the most memorable of all characters in novels.
- This was not overly sweet or sentimental. Many fantasy novels are too saccharine to be believable; if there is a character transformation, the characters are unbelievably good in the end. This was not the case here.
- Also, the good kingdom is not totally good. It may not be an exploitative chirocracy like the other kingdom, but even the best people are people, and there are real problems, moral lapses, culpable misunderstandings, and poor choices.
- It was gritty, but only just at the level that made the plot believable. You might think that a story about degrading slavery would be truly horrifying, but the author does not seem to revel in sordid descriptions of the things that evil people do. (If she had, I would likely not have finished the book; I have certainly bounced out of other books that did.) There is physical abuse and rape but only as necessary for the story. How in a world with such huge power imbalances can you *not* have those things? Many fantasy stories lose their believability not because of magic but because of a naive view of human nature. In this way, I found the story something of a relief from the all-too-clean fantasy worlds.
- The evil people are not totally evil. In fact, they are drawn with a good deal of sympathy. Because the protagonist spends so much time serving them, we can understand them pretty well as humans, not monsters, and each of them has different flaws. Several of them repent to a greater or lesser extent (though in the climax, one of those who begins to repent still dies for his sins).
- As part of the depth of the antagonists, the author does have a good bit to say about how the corrupt systems, or poor choices by other people, have made these evil people who they are. But they still make their own evil choices as well.
- There are people who are not wholly either on the bad side or on the good side. Flawed characters, corrupted by circumstances, yet still possessing or beginning to acquire noble values--you don't know which way they will turn, and probably they don't themselves. Several of them become minor viewpoint characters, which allows us to glimpse their internal struggles. This adds a richness to the story that would be missing if we only saw their actions.
- The romance which develops gradually over the three volumes is thankfully not one of those insta-love stories, where only circumstances keep the lovers from... whatever. It's a responsible romance, I guess you could call it. Both main characters are or become physically damaged, not perfect specimens of beauty. They behave like humans, not animals; they have attraction (after being initially enemies), but they know to consider long term consequences.
- The society's attitudes toward marriage and romance don't feel anachronistic. Arranged marriages are the norm, not falling in love. In the absence of birth control, sexual mores and taboos make a lot more sense, and seem appropriate in the story (there is no feeling that somehow the standards are arbitrary and oppressive). The concern over who the father of the kid is, which presumably comes from hundreds of thousands of years of evolutionary history, can't be swept under the rug. Fantasy novels that portray a pseudo-medieval society with hippie morals feel wrong. This one did not.
- It's just a darn good story. If it were all just the character stuff, I wouldn't have lasted. But I kept wanting to know what was going to happen next, and the plot does deliver. There is no shortage of harrowing escapes, grueling treks, wounds, weakness, and misfortune. You really grow to like these characters, so their dangers keep you on the edge of your seat.

What was less good:
- Although the copy I had claims to have had a major fix-up edit in 2019, there are still notable errors--"gate" instead of "gait", etc. These aren't so frequent that they are really annoying, and they don't detract in any major way, but they caused me a bit of confusion until I realized what was wrong.
- While the plot was good and absorbing, I can't say it was the most awesome one ever.
- It is gritty. Given the plot, it has to be. But you might not like that, or might not be in a position to be able to take that.
- There is little or no charming humor.

You can find my full review in Books & Quills Magazine

http://booksandquillsmag.com/reviews/trust-and-treachery/

Warning not appropriate for all ages - scenes of violence, torture and rape.

The main character Bethany is a slave. Unbeknownst to her owner, a Prince, she is also a rival kingdom's Princess. She deals with beatings and punishments for her actions, but remains strong - that is until bad news from her homeland reaches her ears. In a moment of weakness, her true identity is revealed. That changes everything.

This is a dark, high fantasy tale in every way. I thoroughly enjoyed the story!

I love a good vampire story and this one hit the spot. I stayed up reading it most of the night (it is 4:23 am)

Great characters, amazing plot and writing that flowed well from start to finish. Can I give more than 5 stars? I'd really like to! If I wasn't so tired I'd jump into book 2.

All supernatural individuals have been corralled into reservations in this paranormal novella. Sam, a local resident, has an unusual gifts - stealing power from others. Living a life in the straight and narrow isn't easy and becomes much more difficult when a vampire walks into her life.

This is one of those reads where you need to get the next book! I look forward to seeing how Sam's saga plays out!

I like Bit and I am glad she gets a bit of a backbone in this book when it comes to her admirers... I mean crewmates. If only she didn't do so many silly things - she is the equivalent of the girl in a horror movie that calls out hello to the killer - then investigates instead of running away. Yeah some bad choices happening here.

I'm still on the fence as to which one she needs to end up with :)

Magically delicious! (yes the cereal is mentioned in the book but it also describes the series) I am thoroughly enjoying this series - there are quite a few more books to go, too--bring them on!

Not a book

This is more the first part of a book, establishing characters and motivations but lacking real substance.

Clean prose (no major spelling or grammar errors) and well written dialogue.

Depressing, since it only establishes the main character’s situation.

It’s not bad, it’s just not good.

I will not be following this series. I prefer my novels to contain a full story. Even a novella should have more story than this did.

Not a book

This is more the first part of a book, establishing characters and motivations but lacking real substance.

Clean prose (no major spelling or grammar errors) and well written dialogue.

Depressing, since it only establishes the main character’s situation.

It’s not bad, it’s just not good.

I will not be following this series. I prefer my novels to contain a full story. Even a novella should have more story than this did.

Ashley Hawn's life is far from glamorous, even if she has written a couple of novels about hunky and romantic vampires. But when her date with Issac ends with him biting Ashley, and she wakes up in a strange place, she is about to learn that everything she thought she knew about vampires was just plain wrong. An ancient vampire named Nick is assigned the task of keeping an eye on Ashley as she adjusts to life among the undead, but when every supernatural being begins gunning for Ashley, she must do everything she can to survive. Can Ashley adjust to her death in time to save her afterlife from sucking even more than it has already?

Charissa has a very good character in Ashley, and we get to experience all of her fears, desires, and WTF moments as Ashley comes to terms with being a vampire. I like that Charissa takes the time to show how Ashley struggles with the need to feed, and the guilt that she feels when her need to feed causes death to regular humans. Ashley is struggling to retain her humanity, and coming to grips with her new reality is quite a shock. Since the story is told from Ashley's perspective, we only get glimpses of the other characters and their perspective on the events taking place. I think that is one area that the story is weakest as getting into the heads of people like Nick and Josh - the two vampires protecting Ashley - would have added a nice balance to the story, especially to see Ashley from their perspective. I also thought there were a couple of contrived scenes, where a plot point or a future story arc was being flagged, but the way it was done seemed out of character for Ashley - or at least something so rude (barging into another vampire's apartment uninvited) that even normal human common decency would scream that it was wrong, but Ashley does it anyway. That whole scene felt forced to me. Otherwise, I enjoyed the book and Ashley's struggle to adjust to her new...death.

If you like urban fantasy with a twist, and stories about vampires that certainly don't sparkle (boy, did Ashley get that wrong in her own books - lol) then I recommend picking up Sucked In.

I listened to the audiobook version available from Audible. I did have some problems with the production of the story as the narrator often gave long pauses where there really shouldn't have been any pauses. I don't think there were extra commas lying around, but I got the impression that as the narrator got to the end of a line she'd take a pause instead of reading through the end of the sentence naturally. It was a bit distracting. Otherwise there was no problem with the audio production.

Sam never wanted to use her gift – the ability to take the magical powers from other mystics – to hurt anybody, but that hasn’t kept others from attacking her. Balanced Chaos, the third book in the Void Series sees Sam recovering from the injuries she suffered at the end of Book 2 as she tried to prevent a massacre of the vampires. Sam paid a heavy price in that fight and is even more determined now to not use her gift. But things on the mystic reservation have been changing while Sam recovers, and there are still members of the fae community that want Sam dead. The National Guard has been brought in to restore order and Sam soon finds herself working for the new commanding officer and with a bodyguard to help keep her safe. As Sam struggles to adjust to the new realities of the reservation, a new mystery crops up and Sam must investigate poisonings happening among the fae. But nothing is ever easy for Sam, and as the attacks on her continue, and the assassins seem to lurk around every corner, she must reluctantly tap into her gift if she wants to survive.

Balanced Chaos adds an interesting new element to Sam’s world. Sam continues to be a character you care about, and you definitely feel for her as the slings and arrows never seem to cease. Sam shows some growth in this installment of the series, though not as much as I would have liked to have seen. But for me, what really makes this book shine is the inclusion of a whole new set of characters in the form of the National Guardsmen brought in to take over from the mystic bureau. Characters like Lt. Col Gallagher add a new element to the story, especially the inclusion of Corporal Werner. Werner is assigned as Sam’s personal protective detail, and being able to see Sam and the reservation from Werner’s human perspective adds a new and refreshing twist on the tale. Couple that with a complex relationship between Sam and Werner, and you have a wonderful chance for character interaction that Charissa makes full use of by putting Sam and Werner in some very interesting and complicated situations. (No details, because SPOILERS!)

Overall, I really enjoyed Balanced Chaos. This third book in the series keeps up the pace from the previous books and Charissa has done a great job of weaving in additional plot items and foreshadowing for future events that I am sure Sam will have to deal with if she can get out of the current chaos in her life alive. I recommend this book for anybody interested in a twist on the typical urban fantasy story. Charissa continues to craft a fantastic world of magic penned into a tiny space, and like a pot sitting on a fire, the environment naturally creates conflict that threatens to boil over at any moment. Couple this setting with a strong-willed but reluctant heroine, and you have the makings of great urban fantasy.

I listened to the audio production of the book. Janelle Tedesco continues to do a wonderful job of narrating Sam’s story and bringing Sam to life. There were no problems with the production and it was a wonderful book to listen to and easy to enjoy.

Torn, The Dothan Chronicles Book 1, by Charissa Dufour takes you on an epic fantasy journey. Bethany Kavadh is a princess, youngest daughter to King Kavadh, and is returning from visiting her aged uncle when her caravan is attacked. Fleeing the fight, Bethany is captured by slavers and sold to Prince Federic Eberhand, heir apparent to King Wolfric Eberhand, and the mortal enemy of Bethany’s father. Bethany – taking on the name of Ann to hide her lineage – struggles to adjust to being a slave, and secretly vows to cause as much harm as she can to King Eberhand, risking punishment and death doing so. But Bethany’s attempts to cause mischief are checked by the knight, Sir Erin Caldry, a large, uncaring man who is loyal only to the King.

Torn is an amazing low-fantasy epic set in a world of knights and warring kingdoms. Bethany is the quintessential fish out of water, the pampered princess who is forced into a world of harsh realities as a slave. How she reacts and deals with these challenges, which include repeated beatings, solitary confinement, and attempted rapes, while also trying to further her own secret war against King Eberhand keeps the reader wanting to turn the next page (or listen for just one more minute). The counterpoint to Bethany is Sir Caldry, who on the surface is a cruel, loyal follower of the King, but has his own depths and many layers. The dynamics and interactions between Bethany and Caldry drive the story and makes Torn stand out among similar titles. My one quibble is a small side-storyline around Pelor – a former knight turned mercenary and guard. Pelor is the only other POV character in the book, though he only pops up occasionally and his story only seems to tangentially touch on the main story of Bethany and Caldry. Maybe later books in the series will show the interaction and important of Pelor with the other main characters, but in this first book I found his storyline not relevant to the drama playing out between Bethany, Caldry, and the Eberhand royal family. Beyond the character development, which was superb, Charissa also does a wonderful job of world-building. Castle life is vividly detailed from both the slave and royal perspectives, and the everyday aspects of castle life add wonderful details. I especially liked the inclusion of the herbs and herbal remedies to the storyline, and I could tell that Charissa had done her homework to make sure these details were accurate.

The audio version was narrated by Jim Harbourne, and he does an excellent job of bringing the world that Charissa has crafted to life. His inflections are subtle enough that each character is distinct and given their own personality, including internal thoughts being slightly different from spoken words – showing how the characters truly think and act versus the face they show to those around them. There were no problems with the production and Jim makes Torn an enjoyable book to listen to.

Overall, I recommend Torn for anybody who loves epic, low-fantasy. Bethany and Sir Caldry are wonderfully developed characters with many depths and layers, and how they change and react as the story evolves makes Torn stand out for me. Charissa Dufour does a wonderful job of making characters that are real and that the reader cares about.

It was fun but too short. I liked Bit but her character developed really, really quickly and became a bit unbelievable. If the story had been twice as long, Bit could have unfolded slower and been more relatable. I also liked Captain Jack and his brother Calen, as well as Odin (because who doesn’t love a baby-faced guy with lots of piercings?).

The action is all great. Never a dull moment. The story certainly keeps the plot moving along. The opening really grabbed me because Bit is essentially won in a poker game, but not treated like a sex object by Calen and Odin. She doesn’t know what’s in store for her on board the freighter ship, and that unknown kept me interested in the book.

While Bit is 21 or 22, she’s small and looks closer to 15 or 16, so some of the guys treat her like a kid sister (which is great) but most of them of interested in her sexually. So it kinda became a reverse harem situation. I’m on the fence about that. Bit is the only female character in the book and on board the ship. Yet this is scifi and we can do whatever we want with the gender balance and gender roles, so I wanted more ladies and I wanted to see them competently doing things. Alas, that wasn’t this story.

There’s pirates! yay! Who doesn’t like a good pirate fight, right? And Bit does get assertive, and the guys are all for training her up. Over all, it was fun and light. 3.5/5 stars.

The Narration: Ian McEuen was great. I loved his voice for all the characters. He doesn’t a pretty good young Bit as well as keeping all the guys’s voices distinct. His pacing is perfect. There were no technical issues with this recording. 5/5 stars.

I received this audiobook as part of my participation in a blog tour with Audiobookworm Promotions. The tour is being sponsored by Charissa Dufour. The gifting of this audiobook did not affect my opinion of it.

Misguided Allies, the second book in the Void series, picks up a few months after the events of Cornered Magic. Sam is continuing to fulfill the role of enforcer and gopher for Heywood, head of one of the vampire clans on the Illinois Mystical Reservation. But as Sam deals with Heywood's growing demands, and threats against her friends an family, prominent fey begin to be murdered. Is this the work of rogue vampires, or maybe the newly captured and imprisoned wizard is involved? As more fey are killed, and there is evidence that vampires may be behind the deaths, Sam convinces Heywood that it is in his best interest to let her investigate. But as Sam digs deeper into the murders, she learns that the fey community still mistrusts her and her void abilities, especially now that she seems to be employed by the vampires. It will take all of Sam's wits and skill to figure out what is going on and stop the murderer.

In Misguided Allies, Charissa continues to explore Sam's confined world within the mystical reservation. This book is almost twice the length as the first one, and Charissa makes wonderful use of this additional space to give us more depth and background to the characters. Not only for Sam, but for her friends and family. Sam continues to be put into some tight places because of her powers and unwanted association with the vampires, and Charissa does a great job of showing us how these struggles affect Sam. Sam does a lot of growth in this book, not only in how she deals and reacts to people she has known all of her life, as well as the new people she's met, but in understanding her powers. Her gift is essentially wild, everything that she knows how to do with it Sam has learned on her own. In a way this makes her more powerful (and dangerous), and in the climax of the story you really get to see Sam shine using her gift.

I still would like to know more about the world that Charissa has created. We are given a few more glances into the everyday life on the mystical reservation, but the events leading up to the climax of Misguided Allies still make me wonder how the fey, vampires, werewolves, and wizards let themselves be put into this reservation in the first place. It is the one thing I really want to know more about. There are some hints, but it is an unresolved issue that I hope Charissa will answer in a future book.

I read the audiobook version of Misguided Allies, narrated again by Janelle Tedesco. Janelle does a good job of making each character seem unique and different, and she really makes Sam's character come to life. There was a minor problem at the very beginning of the book - a sentence seemed to be repeated, but overall the quality of the production was very good.

I recommend Misguided Allies for anybody who enjoys urban fantasy. Charissa has created a very interesting and unique world that is fun to explore.

I really like Samantha’s character. She’s fae, but not quite fae enough. On top of that, she’s a rare and usually shunned type of fae, a Void. Her special power allows her to steal energy from others (though she tries hard not to). With few friends and a parent who belittles her every day, Sam treasures her friendship with Amber. Sam also has a boyfriend, Chad, who she doesn’t really click with but so few people hang out with her, that she feels obligated to give Chad a chance.

Then in steps Roman, who makes her tingle in places she didn’t know could tingle. Roman works for some corporation that makes plastic housing (since iron is such a hazard to the fae). He’s got a secret and Sam immediately keys into it. Roman shows definite interest in Sam but she’s not used to such attentions. So there’s potential there for a meaningful romantic involvement in the next book.

Now all this is taking place on the Mystical Reservation in Illinois. Basically, all magical creatures in the US have been rounded up and forced onto reservations. I think this idea has the potential to be a significant part of the plot. However, I worry that there is some cultural insensitivity too. We’ll just have to see how that develops with the series.

There’s a variety of other characters, like Heywood the vampire and Carl who has a gift with technology (even though almost all tech is forbidden on the reservation). There’s mages and empaths (like Amber) too. The murder mystery was solved a little too quick and the initial build up was a little silly. Why wouldn’t Amber and Sam check their friend’s apartment first, before going to the unconcerned authorities? So that could have been a little more tightly written. On the whole, it’s an intriguing start to something that could be really good, or could be mediocre. 3.5/5 stars

I received a free copy of this book. My opinions on it are wholly my own.

The Narration: Janelle Tedesco gave an excellent performance. She had the perfect voice for Sam and distinct voices for each of the characters. Her male voices sounded masculine. I thought her voices for the bullying authorities were especially good. There were no technical issues with the recording of this audiobook. 5/5 stars.

What if there really were fae, vampires, werewolves, and wizards in the world? And what if these people were all placed in reservations to keep them away from regular humans? That's the basic setting for Cornered Magic, by Charissa Dufour. Sam is a half-fae who's family avoids her, her father detests her, and the rest of the fae and other supernatural denizens of the Reservation fear her. Why? Because Sam is a Void - a fae who's power is to steal the powers of other fae. Sam wporks hard to control her power and to keep under the radar, to avoid everybody else as much as she can. But when the enforcer of the vampires seeks her out for a job, Sam wonders what is up. But as she searches for a missing friend and deals with an enigmatic wizard from outside the Reservation Sam is soon drawn into an intricate web of politics and power that will alter her life.

I really enjoyed this book. Charissa has created a unique and interesting world where the fae, supernatural, and magical people are real and know to the world, but are feared and so are placed in highly secure reservations. This is unique world-building, improving on the tired and stale take on the supernatural usually seen in many other urban fantasies. And Sam's magical ability is also a fresh take on magical powers and reminded me very much of the character of Sylar from the TV show Heroes. Sam fears her power because it has ostracized her from her people, and I found this to be a great trait for Sam. It shows that she is a good person at heart, afraid to use her power, because with such an ability Sam could easily be the most dangerous and feared fae in the Reservation. I enjoyed seeing Sam struggle to deal with the demands put upon her and how she must meet these demands while keeping true to herself.

I do have a couple of quibbles with the story. One is that the story is told as a first person POV with Sam being the main character. Charissa does a good job of writing in the first person, and my quibble is just that I would have liked to have known more about the other people in Sam's world, and to know their motivations, fears, and desires. That would have been easier to get across in third person. My second quibble is over the setting of the Reservation. While I love the concept and the idea of a modern reservation for magical people, and Charissa's description and world is unique and fresh, I am left wondering how it came about. How did people so powerful - vampires, werewolves, and wizards specifically - allow themselves to be caged up like animals? I'm sure Charissa knows why, however the reasons and causes are not made clear in the story. I would have liked to have known the why and how this came about.

Cornered Magic is a fun and entertaining story with a strong female lead. I recommend this book for anybody who enjoys urban fantasy, and the unique world that Charissa has created sets this series apart from other, more typical urban fantasies.

I listened the the audio book narrated by Janelle Tedesco. Janelle does a great job of bringing the characters to life and really makes Sam stand out. This is a quick listen, being less than 3 hours in length, and makes for a great diversion.