Passion Potion by Mary Beth Daniels
Published: May 1, 2013 by Casey Shay Press
"Jet is a Nix, the daughter of an Enchantress who went outside her bloodlines. No one helps a Nix, and even though her father is in deep trouble with Dei Lucrii, a Dark Enchanter who paid her family an extraordinary sum to make a passion potion, Jet has no way to fix the powerful spell that killed her mother.
But someone is watching her. A very handsome someone whose face appears in a pewter bowl her mother always kept close by.
Could the boy be the secret to avoiding the curse of the Nix? Or is he the sort of distraction Jet REALLY can’t afford at a time like this?"
After failing several college classes Jet leaves school for home and finds that there is more to herself than she knew. She finds that she is a Nix, an enchantress without any powers, but surrounded by a world full of magic. Her mother's recent death has left not only a hole in her life, but a job unfinished. To save her family home Jet must finish the potion her mother had been commissioned to create before time runs out.
I really enjoyed the ideas in this story and what the world that Daniels created could have been. It was a fast paced, interesting world, but the writing failed to convey to me anything more than surface level details. It felt as if the ideas weren't as fleshed out as they could have been. The characters felt pretty one dimensional at times as well. Their motives for doing anything, other than magically induced actions, seemed hazy and unclear. I kept wanting and hoping for more details because Daniels drew me into the story and Jet's world.
The idea of finding your Match and creating a marriage was an intriguing idea, but fell flat. The whole magical world was never truly explained with anything more than a vague reference. Sure, I've read enough fantasy novels to fill in the blanks for myself, but I kept wanting her to explain why this world was different and what laws and properties governed the use of magic.
The afterward mentioned forthcoming stories and I look forward to reading them. Hopefully there will be more detail and world building to polish these great ideas.
Scent of Magic by Maria V. Snyder
eBook Published January 4, 2013 by Harlequin Mira
*Warning: This is book 2 in the Healer series and as such this review contains spoilers for book 1, Touch of Power.*
Avry of Kazan is once again going into hiding, both her enemies and her friends believe her to be dead. In her quest to keep the Fifteen Kingdoms free she will take every advantage she can get, even if it means embarking on a dangerous journey alone and being separated from the man she loves.
I was disappointed that Avry and Kerrick had to separate so quickly to accomplish their goals, after the end of Touch of Power I had anticipated a bit more time to see them together as a couple. My disappointment was quickly dispelled by Maria V. Snyder’s addition of alternating viewpoints between the two main characters. It kept the plot line following Kerrick fresh and present in my mind instead of the vague wondering we might have been left with if we had continued to only follow Avry.
Avry has really grown from where we first meet her in Touch of Power. She is more confident and her surety caused me to believe for the first time that this journey could work out positively for her. No longer does she heal without care for herself, but truly weighs the consequences. This was a relief to me as her inability to value her own life was very frustrating.
As with the first novel, the characters that surround Avry are colorful and unique. Snyder has a talent for making her characters true individuals and I find myself caring for them more as a result. The witty interactions and the evolving relationships are a pleasure to read and be a part of. The minor characters almost steal the show from the main characters at times, which is an impressive feat.
There were several surprises that really made the book a winner for me, but I don’t want to spoil it for anyone else. I’m hoping that the cliffhanger Snyder left us with will be able to resolved similarly because eek otherwise! This second book was an extremely enjoyable read and I am waiting with bated breath for Taste of Darkness to be released.
Rating: 4.5 out of 5
This review also available on Goodreads.
