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kblincoln's review
4.0
3.5 stars actually.
An Urban Fantasy-esque story of mages in an alternate Portland, Oregon featuring "Guardians" trying to protect a mixed mundane and magical community from a dark mage bent on taking over the world.
Cass had the naivete and bad luck to apprentice herself to Corwyn Ravenscroft....a mage who ended up being one of William's (dark mage bent on taking over the world who tortures people for fun) right hand men. She got out in time, but now as a Guardian (magical beat cop ) responsible for keeping mundanes and magical people safe, she's mostly shunned and regarded with suspicion.
Then, her former master contacts her, bringing back all the heartbreak and pain of their former association, but Raven might be the key to keeping William from taking over. Can Cass withstand the suspicion and scrutiny of the council? Or will her past keep her from saving the present?
Lots of angst. If you like angsty, brooding mages willing to sacrifice themselves for their sins and denying their love for their naive young apprentices because they are "better off without them"...than this is your cup of tea. Most of the action revolves around Cass, Raven, and Cass' very understanding and overly compassionate-wise Aunt planning how to foil Wiliam's plans.
In fact everyone who dealt with Raven was overly wise and compassionate, including Cass' partner (in love with Cass) who becomes Raven's like best friend. This overwhelming amount of sympathy and "dont' blame yourself too much for the years of dark magery when you tortured people with William" sometimes felt a bit too much. I kind of wanted Raven to be more tortured and less understood since he had done some really dark things.
And I wished for more agency by Cass. As the heroine, I wanted less passive understanding and forgiveness and more active holding Raven to account and managing her own destiny.
Still, an enjoyable, obviously well thought-out alternate world with likeable characters. Wished for a bit more Portland landmark featuring, but the bits name-dropped were fun :)
An Urban Fantasy-esque story of mages in an alternate Portland, Oregon featuring "Guardians" trying to protect a mixed mundane and magical community from a dark mage bent on taking over the world.
Cass had the naivete and bad luck to apprentice herself to Corwyn Ravenscroft....a mage who ended up being one of William's (dark mage bent on taking over the world who tortures people for fun) right hand men. She got out in time, but now as a Guardian (magical beat cop ) responsible for keeping mundanes and magical people safe, she's mostly shunned and regarded with suspicion.
Then, her former master contacts her, bringing back all the heartbreak and pain of their former association, but Raven might be the key to keeping William from taking over. Can Cass withstand the suspicion and scrutiny of the council? Or will her past keep her from saving the present?
Lots of angst. If you like angsty, brooding mages willing to sacrifice themselves for their sins and denying their love for their naive young apprentices because they are "better off without them"...than this is your cup of tea. Most of the action revolves around Cass, Raven, and Cass' very understanding and overly compassionate-wise Aunt planning how to foil Wiliam's plans.
In fact everyone who dealt with Raven was overly wise and compassionate, including Cass' partner (in love with Cass) who becomes Raven's like best friend. This overwhelming amount of sympathy and "dont' blame yourself too much for the years of dark magery when you tortured people with William" sometimes felt a bit too much. I kind of wanted Raven to be more tortured and less understood since he had done some really dark things.
And I wished for more agency by Cass. As the heroine, I wanted less passive understanding and forgiveness and more active holding Raven to account and managing her own destiny.
Still, an enjoyable, obviously well thought-out alternate world with likeable characters. Wished for a bit more Portland landmark featuring, but the bits name-dropped were fun :)
gypjet's review against another edition
5.0
I read this book, mainly because the author made an interesting comment on a group thread in Facebook. What she said led me to look up this book series. I wasn't expecting much since I'd never heard of her, but I was most pleasantly surprised.
This was a gritty, dark, and surprisingly original urban fantasy. It is set in an alternative Portland, Oregon, where the world is split into the mundane, the Art (magic), and the Craft (more religious with some magic thrown in). The world is split further into the Dark and Light and is still recovering from a devastating magic war that the Light won by the skin of their teeth.
Cass, the main character, is somewhat of a cipher since she was trained by a dark mage and escaped that life to become a Guardian, a policewoman for the light. Raven, her past mentor and lover is the secondhand man for the opposing Dark. The Dark is on the move and has a plan to start a new war. Raven, more misunderstood than truly evil must make a choice about whom he is really loyal too and whom he really wants to serve.
This story does a brilliant job of taking an old trope, the battle between good and evil, and giving it an original spin. Yes, good is obvious and evil is obvious, but this takes into account those grey areas where humanity dwells. How sometimes the good choice isn't always the right one. It also doesn't fade to black after the choices are made, but shows the consequences of those choices.
I like the magic system employed as well. Sure we have mages and magic users and that may seem done to death, but we have a unique world developed here where the magic and mundane live and work somewhat together. Where a person can teleport or take a cab. Everyone knows about everyone else is and even though wary, they are accepting. The magic rules seem to work and there is no weird explanation or deus ex machina to rely on.
Overall, this was an entertaining, emotional, and exhilarating read. I always judge books by the plot, the characterization, and if I'd read the sequel. So, the plot was exciting, it drew me in and kept up a steady pace, the characters were believable, complex, and dynamic. They had real feelings and complicated backgrounds that influenced their actions like real people. As for reading the sequel? Yes, already downloaded!
If you like dark Urban Fantasy or alternative fantasy, this should be your next read. You won't regret it!
This was a gritty, dark, and surprisingly original urban fantasy. It is set in an alternative Portland, Oregon, where the world is split into the mundane, the Art (magic), and the Craft (more religious with some magic thrown in). The world is split further into the Dark and Light and is still recovering from a devastating magic war that the Light won by the skin of their teeth.
Cass, the main character, is somewhat of a cipher since she was trained by a dark mage and escaped that life to become a Guardian, a policewoman for the light. Raven, her past mentor and lover is the secondhand man for the opposing Dark. The Dark is on the move and has a plan to start a new war. Raven, more misunderstood than truly evil must make a choice about whom he is really loyal too and whom he really wants to serve.
This story does a brilliant job of taking an old trope, the battle between good and evil, and giving it an original spin. Yes, good is obvious and evil is obvious, but this takes into account those grey areas where humanity dwells. How sometimes the good choice isn't always the right one. It also doesn't fade to black after the choices are made, but shows the consequences of those choices.
I like the magic system employed as well. Sure we have mages and magic users and that may seem done to death, but we have a unique world developed here where the magic and mundane live and work somewhat together. Where a person can teleport or take a cab. Everyone knows about everyone else is and even though wary, they are accepting. The magic rules seem to work and there is no weird explanation or deus ex machina to rely on.
Overall, this was an entertaining, emotional, and exhilarating read. I always judge books by the plot, the characterization, and if I'd read the sequel. So, the plot was exciting, it drew me in and kept up a steady pace, the characters were believable, complex, and dynamic. They had real feelings and complicated backgrounds that influenced their actions like real people. As for reading the sequel? Yes, already downloaded!
If you like dark Urban Fantasy or alternative fantasy, this should be your next read. You won't regret it!
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