geekySpectra, paperback
448 pages, dark urban fantasy/supernatural romance, welcome to the witching hour
Currently in print
***
With Bitten, Kelley Armstrong introduced us to the werewolves: a supernatural race of shapeshifters living among us, doing the things that werewolves do, and just trying to not be bothered. With Stolen she expanded her universe to include a variety of other supernatural beings, including witches, sorcerers, necromancers, shamans, voodoo priests, druids, half-demons, and vampires. In the third book of the series, Dime-Store Magic, she introduces one of the major attractions of the series: the changing narrator. Up until now, we've been dealing with Elena Matthews, the world's only female werewolf. And now?
Now it's time for Paige Winterbourne to take the stage.
Still reeling from the death of her mother in Stolen, Paige has recently a) moved, b) become the Coven leader, and c) become the guardian of Savannah Levine, a teenage witch with some serious self-control issues stemming from the fact that she saw her mother, Eve, get killed by the men who kidnapped them both. Not exactly what you'd call a stable household, but hey, everyone's trying just as hard as they can to make things work. They'd probably have better luck if they were getting any real support from the rest of the Coven, which doesn't trust Savannah's black-magic heritage. Or if mysterious strangers weren't trying to sue for custody of Savannah. Really, they're in pretty far over their heads, and since neither of them is what you'd call a 'weak' personality, they're struggling in the quicksand. Enter Lucas Cortez, lawyer, who just wants to help.
Did I mention that Lucas is a sorcerer? Or that the witches and the sorcerers have a racial feud going all the way back to the Inquisition, when the sorcerers turned the witches over to the Church in order to save their own hides? Oh -- how about the fact that the person seeking custody of Savannah is a man named Kristoph Nash, who claims to be her father...and is also a sorcerer?
Things are not getting any better.
Paige is among my favorite of Armstrong's narrators, and seeing her point of view really did a lot to cement my faith in Armstrong as a writer, because I hated Paige in Stolen, where she first appeared as a secondary character. (After Elena, who started the series, all our narrators thus far have appeared in at least one other book before getting a book of their own. You could argue that Eve Levine -- who narrates book five, Haunted -- didn't actually appear, given as she died before we met her -- but I say she counts.) As soon as we're getting things from her perspective, however, she turns interesting, engaging, nuanced, and understandable. It's a gorgeous hat-trick.
Paige is basically the anti-Elena. She's girly in the extreme, loving rich fabrics, nice clothing, ruffles, and generally looking put-together. She designs websites professionally, and is a casual hacker -- not good enough to be unrealistic, but enough to be a handy skill in a pinch. She's stubborn and smart, and she misses her mother, but is essentially a stable, if over-confident person. And Lucas...out of all Armstrong's male characters, he's probably my favorite, because he's so entirely not the sort of man you usually encounter in books of this genre. Intellectual, formal, even funereal, and simply awesome.
With Dime-Store Magic, Armstrong really starts to spread her wings and figure out the expanded limits of her universe. Stolen essentially took place in a single building, but Dime-Store Magic goes wherever the urge takes it, from graveyards and suburban backyards to corporate compounds and high-speed chases. It's fun, it's fast, and the reactions of the various characters remain entirely understandable from start to finish. Plus, and this is high praise coming from me, I not only enjoy the sex, I look forward to it. Incredibly rare. Trust me on this one.
Again, this is a viable starting point for the series, although I'll always recommend starting at the beginning, rather than coming in after the movie has already started. Do not start with book four, Industrial Magic, as it's basically one big spoiler for Dime-Store Magic. But other than that, enjoy. This is one of my favorite books in the series, and I've read it almost a dozen times.
Trust me: this one's a keeper.
October 17 2008, 16:18:07 UTC 8 years ago Edited: October 17 2008, 16:18:39 UTC
I enjoyed the book, don't get me wrong, and its earned its place on my bookshelf, but I have other novels that pull me in stronger (Kim Harrison for the win).
October 19 2008, 15:36:28 UTC 8 years ago
I just bought Exit Strategy on Friday. I'm all excited to read it.