There Be Monsters Here. . .
It's
not as great as you'd think, living in a tourist town that's known as
"the most magical place in America." Same boring high school, just twice
as many monsters under the bridges and rival Families killing each
other for power.
I try to keep out of it. I've got my mom's
bloodiron sword and my slightly illegal home in the basement of the
municipal library. And a couple of Talents I try to keep quiet,
including very light fingers and a way with a lock pick.
But
then some nasty characters bring their Family feud into my friend's pawn
shop, and I have to make a call--get involved, or watch a cute guy die
because I didn't. I guess I made the wrong choice, because now I'm stuck
putting everything on the line for Devon Sinclair. My mom was murdered
because of the Families, and it looks like I'm going to end up just like
her. . .
(Blurb via Goodreads)
{Details} eARC ,
368 pages. Expected publication:
April 28th 2015
by K-Teen. Source: eARC provided via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review
{Rating} 4/5 - I really liked it!
{Review}
Jennifer Estep does a wonderful job of drawing you in with an exciting beginning but the hints and teasers and the slow reveal of the who and what - the magic, what happened to her mother, kept my attention until the very end. I enjoyed the concept - magical mobs, though I wish there had been a bit more explanation about that - the fabulous setting - a carnival/tourist trap full of magical creatures, both good and bad - and the characters - Lila, Mo, Devon.
At first I kept comparing Lila to Gwen, Estep's heroine in the Mythos Academy series. They have a lot in common - magic, murdered mothers, a job to do, but the similarities stop there. Lila is street smart, harder, self-proclaimed not a good girl, a thief. She's also seriously kick ass. She's a talented fighter, lethal with her blades and she has some seriously awesome magic.
With Cold Burn of Magic Estep has me hooked on the Black Blade series. I eagerly await the next installment - hopefully there will be a bit more happening for Lila in the romance department.
