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. ( )

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! ( )

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. ( )