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rebecca176's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
veraann's review against another edition
4.0
Black Blade #1
YA Fantasy
Magic houses, regular humans, monsters and politics. There's assassination attempts and politics. There's secrets to uncover. There is no love triangle.liked this book alot. The characters were interesting. Tough but good hearted female main character. Like other Estep books the side characters also come alive in the pages and make you love reading about them too. Also like Esteps other books though there is some repetitiveness in the writing. It is just her writing style. We hear a lot about things like bacon. Only a couple times did the main character make me sigh at her being an idiot, which is very little for a YA book for me.
Though I found many things easy to figure out before the reveal it was still enjoyable to get there. If you are a Jennifer Estep fan and like her writing style this is a great read and it went by quick. Once it captures the interest it holds on tight.
YA Fantasy
Magic houses, regular humans, monsters and politics. There's assassination attempts and politics. There's secrets to uncover. There is no love triangle.liked this book alot. The characters were interesting. Tough but good hearted female main character. Like other Estep books the side characters also come alive in the pages and make you love reading about them too. Also like Esteps other books though there is some repetitiveness in the writing. It is just her writing style. We hear a lot about things like bacon. Only a couple times did the main character make me sigh at her being an idiot, which is very little for a YA book for me.
Though I found many things easy to figure out before the reveal it was still enjoyable to get there. If you are a Jennifer Estep fan and like her writing style this is a great read and it went by quick. Once it captures the interest it holds on tight.
snoopydoo77's review against another edition
3.0
I picked this book up at Netgalley, the synopsis sounded very interesting and it seemed like something I would like.
I did enjoy the book; I really liked the world building, mortals and monsters living side by side more or less peaceful. I wasn’t sure about the whole rival family feuds, but I liked it. It didn’t take the story over as much I thought it would. The aspect of most of the non-mortals having a different kind of magic was interesting to see who had what and what it could do.
The only think I could have lived without as the “soulsight” gift that Lila had. I just didn’t care for it and in my opinion could have done without it just fine. It just took some of the mystery (maybe) away from it.
You can find my full review here:
http://snoopydoosbookreviews.com/cold-burn-of-magic-black-blade-1-by-jennifer-estep/
I did enjoy the book; I really liked the world building, mortals and monsters living side by side more or less peaceful. I wasn’t sure about the whole rival family feuds, but I liked it. It didn’t take the story over as much I thought it would. The aspect of most of the non-mortals having a different kind of magic was interesting to see who had what and what it could do.
The only think I could have lived without as the “soulsight” gift that Lila had. I just didn’t care for it and in my opinion could have done without it just fine. It just took some of the mystery (maybe) away from it.
You can find my full review here:
http://snoopydoosbookreviews.com/cold-burn-of-magic-black-blade-1-by-jennifer-estep/
kathydavie's review against another edition
4.0
First in the Black Blade arcanepunk fantasy series for young adults and revolving around Lila in Cloudburst Falls, West Virginia.
My Take
The start to Cold Burn of Magic cracked me up when Estep brought the three bears in and then substituted those three guards. She had a great opening, and authors may want to check it out. At least make a note of it for an example if you ever get stuck, lol. The story itself made me think of Brandon Sanderson's Mistborn series, although this one is more of a young adult version.
Lila is rude, snarky, and doesn't care who she ticks off. She's also darn good with a sword and a lock pick. I did, however, enjoy her getting a taste of being broken into. I liked it when Lila gave Claudia a taste of her own medicine as well, lol. Then there's Oscar. What a crack-up. My first hillbilly pixie, lol.
There are some irritating things about Cold Burn of Magic. Lila goes on and on about how her mother got left in the lurch by the Families despite all she'd done for them, but when it gets down to the nitty-gritty and we find out what actually happened… Well, let's just say that Estep has been leading us on. It was well done in that I just had to keep reading to find out what all these hints Estep kept dropping meant. If only the anticipation had been borne out by the "reality".
Devon is a sweet guy, but he reads more like a wimp than anything else. He's simply too emotion-filled. Then there's the romance. It feels forced.
Claudia is just NASTY, and I was amazed that Estep actually made Claudia seem okay in the restaurant scene when Victor starts pontificating on raising taxes.
In spite of my issues with Cold Burn of Magic, I liked the liveliness of the story and the twists Estep included on the various tropes. I am looking forward to reading Dark Heart of Magic when it comes out October 2015.
The Story
It starts out as a standard day, er, night. A successful burglary, a fun escape, and a trip to see Mo in the morning. A fateful trip as Lila's innate sympathy is touched when two young men are attacked in Mo's shop. It's that emotional knowledge she absorbs when she looks at him. She can't not help.
It's a help that will blackmail Lila into a nest of vipers.
The Characters
Lila Merriweather is a cynical young thing. It's fair. She's had a hard life since her mother, Serena Sterling, died, and she's currently squatting illegally in the library basement. No, no one knows. I gotta confess that I can see the attraction…*grin*… Her Talents include transference and the standard Sight enhanced with soulsight.
Mo Kaminsky is the Hawaiian-shirt-clad fence who runs Razzle Dazzle, a pawn shop — Lila calls it a junk store. He sets up the burglary jobs.
…more like mob families. They make up the power structure in Cloudburst Falls. The rich and the town officials ignore them, but the middle class and poor need them for jobs and protection.
The Sinclairs are…
…one of the two most powerful Families, and they run the banks, sanctuaries, and mines. Claudia, a.k.a., the Ice Queen, is the head of the family and mother to the son and heir, Devon, who is also the Family bruiser with a compulsion Talent few know about. Lawrence was Devon's father. Ashley Vargas is Devon's bodyguard. The too-chatty Felix Morales is Devon's best friend; he has a healing Talent. Angelo Morales is Felix's father and the Family chemist. Oscar will be Lila's personal pixie. William Reginald is the family butler. Grant Sanderson is the Family broker.
The Draconis are…
…the other powerful Family and run the casinos. Victor is the fearsome family head who collects Talents by ripping them out of people and killing them. Deah is his teenage daughter. Blake is the jerkwad psychopathic son and Family bruiser with a strength Talent.
The Itos own…
…the hotels. Poppy is an Ito daughter and is being pushed into dating Devon. Hiroshi Ito is the head of the Family.
The Salazars run…
…the restaurants. Roberto is the head of this Family.
The Volkovs are…
…led by Nikolai.
Cloudburst Falls, West Virginia, is…
…promoted as "the most magical place in America" where mortals, magicks, and monsters live. Think Southern Vegas. I would like to see those pixie waitresses and cleaners. The Hendersons were the foster family Lila remembers fondly.
Talents come in three flavors — minor, moderate, and major — and three categories — strength, speed, senses. Copper crusher venom is a deadly poison. Stitchsting is a medicine that heals wounds.
Four positions are the most powerful in a Family: head, broker, bruiser, and butler. The head of the family is obvious. The broker manages all the Family business interests and problems. The bruiser is the Family second-in-command and their Enforcer. The butler manages the household.
The Cover and Title
The cover is a contrast of royal blue and the black of trees and the ground with a silhouette of Lila standing at parade rest in her slightly belled jeans, her long hair flowing down her back. There's a feminine quality to it with the shy white swirl curling around the base of the trees and the soft sunrise pastels rising up from the ground behind her. The author's name is at the top in a raised yellow font while the title is at the bottom in a thinner white fantasy serif.
The title is that feeling Lila gets when her transference Talent kicks in, that Cold Burn of Magic.
My Take
The start to Cold Burn of Magic cracked me up when Estep brought the three bears in and then substituted those three guards. She had a great opening, and authors may want to check it out. At least make a note of it for an example if you ever get stuck, lol. The story itself made me think of Brandon Sanderson's Mistborn series, although this one is more of a young adult version.
Lila is rude, snarky, and doesn't care who she ticks off. She's also darn good with a sword and a lock pick. I did, however, enjoy her getting a taste of being broken into. I liked it when Lila gave Claudia a taste of her own medicine as well, lol. Then there's Oscar. What a crack-up. My first hillbilly pixie, lol.
There are some irritating things about Cold Burn of Magic. Lila goes on and on about how her mother got left in the lurch by the Families despite all she'd done for them, but when it gets down to the nitty-gritty and we find out what actually happened… Well, let's just say that Estep has been leading us on. It was well done in that I just had to keep reading to find out what all these hints Estep kept dropping meant. If only the anticipation had been borne out by the "reality".
Devon is a sweet guy, but he reads more like a wimp than anything else. He's simply too emotion-filled. Then there's the romance. It feels forced.
Claudia is just NASTY, and I was amazed that Estep actually made Claudia seem okay in the restaurant scene when Victor starts pontificating on raising taxes.
In spite of my issues with Cold Burn of Magic, I liked the liveliness of the story and the twists Estep included on the various tropes. I am looking forward to reading Dark Heart of Magic when it comes out October 2015.
Always pay the bridge toll to the lochness!
The Story
It starts out as a standard day, er, night. A successful burglary, a fun escape, and a trip to see Mo in the morning. A fateful trip as Lila's innate sympathy is touched when two young men are attacked in Mo's shop. It's that emotional knowledge she absorbs when she looks at him. She can't not help.
It's a help that will blackmail Lila into a nest of vipers.
The Characters
Lila Merriweather is a cynical young thing. It's fair. She's had a hard life since her mother, Serena Sterling, died, and she's currently squatting illegally in the library basement. No, no one knows. I gotta confess that I can see the attraction…*grin*… Her Talents include transference and the standard Sight enhanced with soulsight.
Mo Kaminsky is the Hawaiian-shirt-clad fence who runs Razzle Dazzle, a pawn shop — Lila calls it a junk store. He sets up the burglary jobs.
The Families are…
…more like mob families. They make up the power structure in Cloudburst Falls. The rich and the town officials ignore them, but the middle class and poor need them for jobs and protection.
The Sinclairs are…
…one of the two most powerful Families, and they run the banks, sanctuaries, and mines. Claudia, a.k.a., the Ice Queen, is the head of the family and mother to the son and heir, Devon, who is also the Family bruiser with a compulsion Talent few know about. Lawrence was Devon's father. Ashley Vargas is Devon's bodyguard. The too-chatty Felix Morales is Devon's best friend; he has a healing Talent. Angelo Morales is Felix's father and the Family chemist. Oscar will be Lila's personal pixie. William Reginald is the family butler. Grant Sanderson is the Family broker.
The Draconis are…
…the other powerful Family and run the casinos. Victor is the fearsome family head who collects Talents by ripping them out of people and killing them. Deah is his teenage daughter. Blake is the jerkwad psychopathic son and Family bruiser with a strength Talent.
The Itos own…
…the hotels. Poppy is an Ito daughter and is being pushed into dating Devon. Hiroshi Ito is the head of the Family.
The Salazars run…
…the restaurants. Roberto is the head of this Family.
The Volkovs are…
…led by Nikolai.
Cloudburst Falls, West Virginia, is…
…promoted as "the most magical place in America" where mortals, magicks, and monsters live. Think Southern Vegas. I would like to see those pixie waitresses and cleaners. The Hendersons were the foster family Lila remembers fondly.
Talents come in three flavors — minor, moderate, and major — and three categories — strength, speed, senses. Copper crusher venom is a deadly poison. Stitchsting is a medicine that heals wounds.
Four positions are the most powerful in a Family: head, broker, bruiser, and butler. The head of the family is obvious. The broker manages all the Family business interests and problems. The bruiser is the Family second-in-command and their Enforcer. The butler manages the household.
The Cover and Title
The cover is a contrast of royal blue and the black of trees and the ground with a silhouette of Lila standing at parade rest in her slightly belled jeans, her long hair flowing down her back. There's a feminine quality to it with the shy white swirl curling around the base of the trees and the soft sunrise pastels rising up from the ground behind her. The author's name is at the top in a raised yellow font while the title is at the bottom in a thinner white fantasy serif.
The title is that feeling Lila gets when her transference Talent kicks in, that Cold Burn of Magic.
yukarin's review against another edition
1.0
1.5 Stars
(1 Star for the promising plot and 0.5 because of the writing style)
I loved the premise of the book but it turned out pretty badly for me. First off, the writing style is nice and easy to read. The problems I had were with the execution of the plot and the characters!
The plot was too overloaded. It felt like there were several novels written into one big plot mess. I loved the Mythos Academy because it was well structured and focused on just fewer themes then this book.
Also the plot was quiet forseen. All the "twists" were super obvious in my eyes and made me sigh through the entire book. That also reminds me of the plotdriven actions of the out-off-character characters (because the plot must have gotten on). I really would have loved to see a strong willed and strong minded character since Gwen from the Mythos Academy was quiet indecisive and a little more reserved in the first books. But here we get an exaggerated character with almost no braincells! I began to dislike Lila after 30 pages because she just was bitchy in my eyes, not the character I was looking for. Her character gets worse and also irrational in further parts of the book. There were many parts were her thoughts suggests a different action then the ones she choose to do. Or times when she changed her attitude in a pageflip! These kind of characters drive me nuts!
The love interest of our special snow flake protagonist (which I don't really mind as a used trope) is a blank sheet of paper for me. I couldn't get to used to him or didn't understand the need for him to be an even more special snow flake (maybe for the ongoing plot but meh). I facepalmed so hard because of the terrible from-one-page-hate-to-*pageflip*-love forced romance in this book (just for the plot's sake I guess).
I will now rage onto my boxing sack until I get this stupid book out of my head. And hell, I will not read the next books in this series.
(1 Star for the promising plot and 0.5 because of the writing style)
I loved the premise of the book but it turned out pretty badly for me. First off, the writing style is nice and easy to read. The problems I had were with the execution of the plot and the characters!
The plot was too overloaded. It felt like there were several novels written into one big plot mess. I loved the Mythos Academy because it was well structured and focused on just fewer themes then this book.
Also the plot was quiet forseen. All the "twists" were super obvious in my eyes and made me sigh through the entire book. That also reminds me of the plotdriven actions of the out-off-character characters (because the plot must have gotten on). I really would have loved to see a strong willed and strong minded character since Gwen from the Mythos Academy was quiet indecisive and a little more reserved in the first books. But here we get an exaggerated character with almost no braincells! I began to dislike Lila after 30 pages because she just was bitchy in my eyes, not the character I was looking for. Her character gets worse and also irrational in further parts of the book. There were many parts were her thoughts suggests a different action then the ones she choose to do. Or times when she changed her attitude in a pageflip! These kind of characters drive me nuts!
The love interest of our special snow flake protagonist (which I don't really mind as a used trope) is a blank sheet of paper for me. I couldn't get to used to him or didn't understand the need for him to be an even more special snow flake (maybe for the ongoing plot but meh). I facepalmed so hard because of the terrible from-one-page-hate-to-*pageflip*-love forced romance in this book (just for the plot's sake I guess).
I will now rage onto my boxing sack until I get this stupid book out of my head. And hell, I will not read the next books in this series.
theavidreaderandbibliophile's review against another edition
4.0
Cold Burn of Magic by Jennifer Estep was a great paranormal mystery! It is the first Black Blade series. Lila Merriweather has been on her own since her mother died four years ago. She tried the foster care system, but got tired of all the moving around and bad homes. Lila now lives in the basement of her local library (of course, no one in the library knows she lives there). Lila goes to normal high school during the day and does jobs for Mo Kaminsky at night and on weekends (as I am sure you can guess, Lila steals for a living. She is very good at it). Mo runs a pawnshop called the Razzle Dazzle (he is also a fence). Mo and Lila live in Cloudburst Falls, West Virginia which has a sign saying it is the most magical place in America. Tourists flock to the town to see the people with magick (this is how it is spelled in the book) and the monsters that live in the town. People who live there have different Talents. Lila has the power of soul sight. She has great eyesight (can see in the dark) and when she looks into someone’s eyes she can see and feel their emotions. Lila also has the power of transference (which is considered a major Talent). She can take magic from someone who uses it against her. The magic she receives makes her strong and powerful for a limited amount of time. When the magic goes through her it feels so cold it is burning (hence the title of the book).
Cloudburst Falls is runs by Families (like mob families). Each family owns a different section of town to run and control. Lila does her best to avoid the Families (you can tell if someone belongs to a Family by the bracelet they wear). Lila is at the Razzle Dazzle dropping off a ruby necklace she relieved from its owner the previous night and is waiting for her payment. While she waits two guys and a girl walk into the store. The girl is the body guard to Devon Sinclair. The Sinclair’s are the second highest family in town. Devon is heir to the Sinclair family which is led by his mother, Claudia. While the group is looking around the store, Lila notices a group of men outside the store and sure enough they barge in with their swords (guns are not allowed in the town). Lila does not really want to get involved, but when Devon looks her in the eye she can feel his emotions. That motivates Lila to help. She ends up saving Devon’s life, but she is not able to save his body guard. A few days later she gets a “request” to come to the Sinclair house. Claudia Sinclair wants to hire Lila to be Devon’s new bodyguard. Lila does not want to accept, but she is really not given a choice. Some is out to get Devon and he needs protection.
Who is after Devon and why do they want him? Lila will keep protecting Devon while trying to find out who is behind the attacks. I give the Cold Burn of Magic 4.25 out of 5 stars. I enjoyed this book immensely. I liked the different take on magic used in the books as well as the different monsters. One of my favorite characters is the pixie named Oscar. Pixie’s do household chores in exchange for a place to live, clothes, and food. Oscar is assigned to Lila. Oscar is very rude at first to Lila because he is upset over the death of the previous bodyguard (Ashley). Oscar slowly warms up to Lila and he is quite the character (he lives in a little trailer, loves country music, and has a turtle for a pet). I look forward to reading the next book in the series.
I received a complimentary copy of Cold Burn of Magic from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The review and opinions expressed are strictly my own.
http://bibliophileandavidreader.blogspot.com/2015/05/cold-burn-of-magic.html
Cloudburst Falls is runs by Families (like mob families). Each family owns a different section of town to run and control. Lila does her best to avoid the Families (you can tell if someone belongs to a Family by the bracelet they wear). Lila is at the Razzle Dazzle dropping off a ruby necklace she relieved from its owner the previous night and is waiting for her payment. While she waits two guys and a girl walk into the store. The girl is the body guard to Devon Sinclair. The Sinclair’s are the second highest family in town. Devon is heir to the Sinclair family which is led by his mother, Claudia. While the group is looking around the store, Lila notices a group of men outside the store and sure enough they barge in with their swords (guns are not allowed in the town). Lila does not really want to get involved, but when Devon looks her in the eye she can feel his emotions. That motivates Lila to help. She ends up saving Devon’s life, but she is not able to save his body guard. A few days later she gets a “request” to come to the Sinclair house. Claudia Sinclair wants to hire Lila to be Devon’s new bodyguard. Lila does not want to accept, but she is really not given a choice. Some is out to get Devon and he needs protection.
Who is after Devon and why do they want him? Lila will keep protecting Devon while trying to find out who is behind the attacks. I give the Cold Burn of Magic 4.25 out of 5 stars. I enjoyed this book immensely. I liked the different take on magic used in the books as well as the different monsters. One of my favorite characters is the pixie named Oscar. Pixie’s do household chores in exchange for a place to live, clothes, and food. Oscar is assigned to Lila. Oscar is very rude at first to Lila because he is upset over the death of the previous bodyguard (Ashley). Oscar slowly warms up to Lila and he is quite the character (he lives in a little trailer, loves country music, and has a turtle for a pet). I look forward to reading the next book in the series.
I received a complimentary copy of Cold Burn of Magic from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The review and opinions expressed are strictly my own.
http://bibliophileandavidreader.blogspot.com/2015/05/cold-burn-of-magic.html
bookdevouringmisfit's review
3.0
2.5-3 stars
I feel a bit underwhelmed but I'm just glad that after weeks of reading this, I'm finally done with it. I think I'm one of the few who didn't like this book. There are so many things that just failed for me that if it weren't for them I honestly think this would've worked for me. I mean, this revolves around a magical town with mob-type families. I don't think I've read a book with that premise before. This book just screamed interesting and exciting from that blurb alone.
Okay so first off there was Lila, the main character. At first glance she seemed to be an interesting and bad-ass heroine. She's the kind of heroine who would do anything for her survival, who considers no right or wrong as long as she survives. I liked that. Unfortunately, that was short-lived and only lasted for about 10% of the book. I was expecting to see more of an anti-heroine who will eventually win my heart. Sure she's still tough and badass but her priorities went the other way around when she was tasked to guard Devon--whom Lila suddenly had this insta-lovey dovey connection with the help of her "soul sight" talent that made her see the inner depths of his soul just by looking into his eyes. Insta-love locked and loaded.
For a girl with an I-don't-care-I'm-so-tough attitude, Lila soon found herself caring for Devon and wanting to protect him when she was asked to be his bodyguard. Her loyalty which was solely hers before went straight to him and the Sinclair Family. Where is that ruthless and selfish girl that I saw before? I'm all for character development but I really was expecting that Lila wouldn't go the typical route of prioritizing other people than herself when she was introduced as the opposite.
I have so many issues with Lila but the one that I hate the most is how special she is. Not only does she have the sight talent and the "soul sight" but when she was faced with a dire situation in the pawnshop we suddenly find out she has another secret talent where another person's talent could be transferred to her by contact which eventually helped her in defeating the bad guys. How convenient. After that, she became a special snowflake for me and nothing more. I hate special snowflakes. We have too many of them in the YA universe already, thank you very much.
In terms of the plot, I like the idea of this magical town with mob-type families. I think that's the only thing I truly found interesting in all of this. Most of my issues regarding this book stem from the main character. I have a lot more to go on but I don't have all the time in the world so I'll leave my review with this. I'm out.
An arc was provided by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
I feel a bit underwhelmed but I'm just glad that after weeks of reading this, I'm finally done with it. I think I'm one of the few who didn't like this book. There are so many things that just failed for me that if it weren't for them I honestly think this would've worked for me. I mean, this revolves around a magical town with mob-type families. I don't think I've read a book with that premise before. This book just screamed interesting and exciting from that blurb alone.
Okay so first off there was Lila, the main character. At first glance she seemed to be an interesting and bad-ass heroine. She's the kind of heroine who would do anything for her survival, who considers no right or wrong as long as she survives. I liked that. Unfortunately, that was short-lived and only lasted for about 10% of the book. I was expecting to see more of an anti-heroine who will eventually win my heart. Sure she's still tough and badass but her priorities went the other way around when she was tasked to guard Devon--whom Lila suddenly had this insta-lovey dovey connection with the help of her "soul sight" talent that made her see the inner depths of his soul just by looking into his eyes. Insta-love locked and loaded.
For a girl with an I-don't-care-I'm-so-tough attitude, Lila soon found herself caring for Devon and wanting to protect him when she was asked to be his bodyguard. Her loyalty which was solely hers before went straight to him and the Sinclair Family. Where is that ruthless and selfish girl that I saw before? I'm all for character development but I really was expecting that Lila wouldn't go the typical route of prioritizing other people than herself when she was introduced as the opposite.
I have so many issues with Lila but the one that I hate the most is how special she is. Not only does she have the sight talent and the "soul sight" but when she was faced with a dire situation in the pawnshop we suddenly find out she has another secret talent where another person's talent could be transferred to her by contact which eventually helped her in defeating the bad guys. How convenient. After that, she became a special snowflake for me and nothing more. I hate special snowflakes. We have too many of them in the YA universe already, thank you very much.
In terms of the plot, I like the idea of this magical town with mob-type families. I think that's the only thing I truly found interesting in all of this. Most of my issues regarding this book stem from the main character. I have a lot more to go on but I don't have all the time in the world so I'll leave my review with this. I'm out.
An arc was provided by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
amybraunauthor's review against another edition
5.0
I don't remember reading a book this quickly. I could not put it down. There was nothing I didn't love about it. The setting and world are fantastic, the action is intense and visceral, the descriptions vivid and creative, the story deep and filled with twists, the characters deep and fun, and a lead heroine who I know I'm just going to keep loving. A must for all Estep fans (if you like Gin, you're going to LOVE Lila), as well as any fans of YA novels in general. This new series is already off to a great start, and I know it will keep getting better.
luischen's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0