chllybrd's review against another edition
4.0
I gave it 3.5 stars
It was really fun to reconnect with Raine, Mychael and the rest of our favorite secondary characters in WEDDING BELLS, MAGIC SPELLS. Raine is getting ready to marry the love of her life, but complications arrive when people start getting attacked while traveling through the mirrors. Wedding plans are still on, but Raine and her friends need to find out who is behind the attacks and put a stop to it.
I always liked Raine's character. She has a great way with words and I always love following her inner dialogue. There was a lot of lead-up to her meeting Mychael's parents and I was pleased with how that all unfolded. I missed Tam. He had always been a pretty big part of past stories, but he only had a small part in WEDDING BELLS, MAGIC SPELLS.
I was a little worried that I wouldn't be able to get back into the story since it has been a few years, but Shearin did a great job—although there was a lot of it and there probably could have been less—recapping the previous events in the series. There wasn't a whole lot of action in WEDDING BELLS, MAGIC SPELLS and the action we did get was a bit short, but the 'feel' of the Raine Benares series was still very present in every part of the story.
As I said, it was great to get another Raine story and it's even better that the ending of WEDDING BELLS, MAGIC SPELLS doesn't end the conflict introduced in the book so there has to be more right? Very exciting.
* This book was provided free of charge from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
It was really fun to reconnect with Raine, Mychael and the rest of our favorite secondary characters in WEDDING BELLS, MAGIC SPELLS. Raine is getting ready to marry the love of her life, but complications arrive when people start getting attacked while traveling through the mirrors. Wedding plans are still on, but Raine and her friends need to find out who is behind the attacks and put a stop to it.
I always liked Raine's character. She has a great way with words and I always love following her inner dialogue. There was a lot of lead-up to her meeting Mychael's parents and I was pleased with how that all unfolded. I missed Tam. He had always been a pretty big part of past stories, but he only had a small part in WEDDING BELLS, MAGIC SPELLS.
I was a little worried that I wouldn't be able to get back into the story since it has been a few years, but Shearin did a great job—although there was a lot of it and there probably could have been less—recapping the previous events in the series. There wasn't a whole lot of action in WEDDING BELLS, MAGIC SPELLS and the action we did get was a bit short, but the 'feel' of the Raine Benares series was still very present in every part of the story.
As I said, it was great to get another Raine story and it's even better that the ending of WEDDING BELLS, MAGIC SPELLS doesn't end the conflict introduced in the book so there has to be more right? Very exciting.
* This book was provided free of charge from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
mainegal881's review against another edition
2.0
Meh. I skimmed the last 90 pages so I technically didn’t read the whole book. It wasn’t terrible but it wasn’t great, either.
tinasbooknook's review against another edition
4.0
I adore Lisa Sherin’s writing and this book is no exception. I just wish I could go on more adventures with Raine. Loved the story and the setup of the new series, great to see characters again and to see the consequences after everything that happened.
rachelini's review against another edition
4.0
I weirdly read 3 books in a row that were late into series and the two leads were trying to have a wedding while STUFF happens. I could do without the wedding stuff, and this one felt a bit tacked on to the series, but still fun.
lindca's review against another edition
3.0
This was an enjoyable revisit to the Raine Benares series, primarily to see some favorite characters and Raine and Mychael's HEA.
The story itself felt like more like an expanded novella, with a lot of explanation of what happened before. Interactions between many of the characters, as when Raine met her in-laws, were primarily tell rather than show, with little dialogue, making them less satisfying.
I also was uncertain as to the purpose of the story. In one respect, it felt like a wrap-up to the series in a personal sense, but the storyline of the impending threat to elves, goblins, and humans alike suggested it was the beginning of a new story arc in this world.
Overall, it was fun to see the gang again, but the book wasn't up to the quality of earlier ones in the series.
The story itself felt like more like an expanded novella, with a lot of explanation of what happened before. Interactions between many of the characters, as when Raine met her in-laws, were primarily tell rather than show, with little dialogue, making them less satisfying.
I also was uncertain as to the purpose of the story. In one respect, it felt like a wrap-up to the series in a personal sense, but the storyline of the impending threat to elves, goblins, and humans alike suggested it was the beginning of a new story arc in this world.
Overall, it was fun to see the gang again, but the book wasn't up to the quality of earlier ones in the series.
slc333's review
3.0
I rated & reviewed this after I finished reading it but sadly both the rating and review have disappeared. I cannot remember much about it now but I think it was ok but not quite up to the standard I have come to expect. Again this is based on fuzzy memories but I think my major issues were it was kind of boring and repetitive with not much happening and nothing being resolved at the end - just continuing on. Yes it was nice to visit with all our old friends but it was basically a whole book to deal with some creatures in the mirror travel pathways and have Raine get married. I think it would have worked much better as a novella with a lot of the recapping and internal musings edited out and just keep everyone arriving for the wedding, the fun scenes with Raine's family and Michael's mum and the defeat of the mirror pathway creatures.
reginaexmachina's review against another edition
2.0
I luuuurrved the past 6 books in Lisa Shearin's Raine Benares series. It has also been about 4 years since the last book came out. As much as I loved the series I do like it when a series has a definite end. I'd rather a book end in a good place than continue on and on and ON as the series goes downhill. I didn't necessarily think this was terrible. I didn't like the constant recapping and I wanted a bit more action but the writing itself was fine. It was more I think that it had just been too long since the last book which mostly tied up all the loose strings. I would have preferred her to have either focused on different characters (Tam! Team Tam!! Woooooo!!!!!) or have made a completely new fantasy series than continued the same one.
veronica87's review against another edition
2.0
I was so looking forward to this self-published return to the world of Raine Benares but it just didn't quite live up to expectations. It was decent but there was too much recapping going on and some of it wasn't necessary at all. Do we really need to know the history of everything that happened in a room just because Raine walks into it? Especially when it's nothing more exciting than a conference room? I think not.
On the plus side, the gangs all back together - initially for Mychael and Raine's wedding and later to save the world - again - from the latest, yet familiar, threat to the Seven Kingdoms. We didn't get enough Tam though and I was hoping, after that kiss that Imala planted on him in the last book, that we'd get more development on that front. I understand though that the author is planning on a Tam centric book so hopefully that will cast more illumination on a possible romantic HEA for our favorite goblin.
I thought this was to be the last Raine book but with that ending, there has to be more coming. I'm hoping the next book will be back to classic Raine Benares fighting form.
ETA: Checked the author's blog and it seems she is planning for at least two more books to finish out this new story arc. The next book will be from Tam's POV and the book after that will return to Raine's POV.
On the plus side, the gangs all back together - initially for Mychael and Raine's wedding and later to save the world - again - from the latest, yet familiar, threat to the Seven Kingdoms. We didn't get enough Tam though and I was hoping, after that kiss that Imala planted on him in the last book, that we'd get more development on that front. I understand though that the author is planning on a Tam centric book so hopefully that will cast more illumination on a possible romantic HEA for our favorite goblin.
I thought this was to be the last Raine book but with that ending, there has to be more coming. I'm hoping the next book will be back to classic Raine Benares fighting form.
ETA: Checked the author's blog and it seems she is planning for at least two more books to finish out this new story arc. The next book will be from Tam's POV and the book after that will return to Raine's POV.
blodeuedd's review
3.0
It's not the best time to read a book when you are cranky as hell, but at least it took my minds if things...for a few seconds, and then I was cranky again.
Anyway....Raine should be with Taaaam! Team Tam!!!! But no, she is marrying Mychael, always go with the nice elf. Noo, go with the goblin! Alas those days are over, but in my mind she in Tam will have goblin babies one day. I am so bad ;)
But before they can get married she must meet the inlaws *music of doom*
And they must meet her pirate family *music of doom*
She must deal with the after affects of the Sanghred *music of doom*
Someone is trying to kill everyone *music of doom*
And something bigger is coming...no music of doom, just a note to the author to write more books. pretty please.
It was fun to see Raine and the gang again, and seriously, one more book is so needed. Just one more.
Anyway....Raine should be with Taaaam! Team Tam!!!! But no, she is marrying Mychael, always go with the nice elf. Noo, go with the goblin! Alas those days are over, but in my mind she in Tam will have goblin babies one day. I am so bad ;)
But before they can get married she must meet the inlaws *music of doom*
And they must meet her pirate family *music of doom*
She must deal with the after affects of the Sanghred *music of doom*
Someone is trying to kill everyone *music of doom*
And something bigger is coming...no music of doom, just a note to the author to write more books. pretty please.
It was fun to see Raine and the gang again, and seriously, one more book is so needed. Just one more.
tachyondecay's review
2.0
As a longtime fan of the Raine Benares series, I was excited when I learned that Lisa Shearin was self-publishing a seventh book. Although All Spell Breaks Loose was a satisfying conclusion to the Saghred saga, there seems like plenty of story left to tell about Raine and this world. Sure enough, Wedding Bells, Magic Spells begins just before Raine’s wedding to Mychael. At the same time, the Isle of Mid is playing host to the equivalent of nuclear non-proliferation peace talks among the major nations. Oh, and someone is trying to kill everyone, and make it look like the goblins are doing it. This is the perfect set up for some intense, thrilling intrigue—but to be honest, for most of the book I wasn’t feeling it.
This is a difficult review, just because the amount of time that has passed since I last read this series makes it hard for me to trust how much of this is the book’s influence and how much is just the way I’ve changed since I read All Spell Breaks Loose. While I’ve always delivered honest critiques of this series in the past, I’ve also always genuinely enjoyed every single book, despite any bumps or flaws. Wedding Bells, Magic Spells is different in that it’s the first Raine Benares book I didn’t enjoy that much. Whereas previous books had great pacing and fantastical action scenes, this book largely feels like a series of recaps.
The story opens with a great deal of exposition on Raine’s background, and in particular what happened at the end of the last book. Fair enough, I thought—there was a lengthy gap between the two books, so much so that even regular readers like me would have trouble recalling the details. So I gave that one a free pass. But then it happens again. And again. And before you know it, the book feels more like “Raine explains…” than “Raine does….” There is so much more telling than showing—or, to be more accurate, Shearin shows and tells, which might be even more annoying. A character can barely sneeze without Raine analyzing the action, then explaining how it relates to that character’s culture or position or what happened three books ago. One reason I love series with rich backgrounds and mythologies is because longtime readers will understand callbacks and allusions that newcomers just won’t. We don’t need every allusion explained to us, unless it is crucial to understanding the present situation.
Shearin clearly has a very complex world (or multiverse, more like) thought out here, too. Previous books featured travels to Hell, and The SPI Files and this book have both confirmed that Shearin’s two series take place within a larger multiverse. Wedding Bells, Magic Spells also feature portals to another world, being used as a staging ground by extradimensional invaders. I love all of this so much. Firstly, there is so much more happening in this series than the Saghred, and it’s clear that there is plenty more story left to tell about Raine, Tam, Mychael, et al. Secondly, unlike her penchant for explaining what happened previously, Shearin is happy not to delve too deeply into how Raine’s world or magic works. As a result, we’ve had to wait seven books to see things like portals to other worlds and extradimensional invaders—but it’s obvious that Shearin has been planning these plot points for a while now.
Now, objectively, a lot happens in this book. In addition to the much-hyped wedding, there are assassination attempts to foil, shapeshifters, monsters infesting the Void used for mirror travel, and all sorts of mysteries and shenanigans that Raine must deal with during the peace talks. It should make for an intense story. So I was just so surprised that I dawdled with this short book. The heavy exposition really breaks the pacing, and despite all these events, it feels overwhelmingly as if Raine doesn’t do much at all.
I did enjoy getting to meet some of the new characters, particularly Mychael’s parents. Raine’s mother-in-law is great during the shapeshifter scene, and I loved their bonding afterwards. That being said, it might have been nice if not everyone had fallen head-over-heels for Raine. Shearin has a great flare for the dramatic, but she can also write really nuanced characters—Tam and his addiction to dark magic is a prime example. Unfortunately, that kind of nuance and depth seemed to be missing from most of the characters, who seemed to fall into fairly stock descriptions.
While it has its moments, Wedding Bells, Magic Spells might be my least favourite Raine Benares book yet. Diehard fans will love the ending and its resolution of what has been—for us if not for Raine and Mychael—such a long arc. That alone is definitely worth reading this book, which is not so much bad as it is just disappointingly banal. The sequel is supposedly from Tam’s point of view, and I’m hopeful this will inject some freshness into the series—I’m sad to say goodbye to Raine, even temporarily, but it might be interesting to see her through someone else’s eyes!
My reviews of the Raine Benares series:
← All Spell Breaks Loose
This is a difficult review, just because the amount of time that has passed since I last read this series makes it hard for me to trust how much of this is the book’s influence and how much is just the way I’ve changed since I read All Spell Breaks Loose. While I’ve always delivered honest critiques of this series in the past, I’ve also always genuinely enjoyed every single book, despite any bumps or flaws. Wedding Bells, Magic Spells is different in that it’s the first Raine Benares book I didn’t enjoy that much. Whereas previous books had great pacing and fantastical action scenes, this book largely feels like a series of recaps.
The story opens with a great deal of exposition on Raine’s background, and in particular what happened at the end of the last book. Fair enough, I thought—there was a lengthy gap between the two books, so much so that even regular readers like me would have trouble recalling the details. So I gave that one a free pass. But then it happens again. And again. And before you know it, the book feels more like “Raine explains…” than “Raine does….” There is so much more telling than showing—or, to be more accurate, Shearin shows and tells, which might be even more annoying. A character can barely sneeze without Raine analyzing the action, then explaining how it relates to that character’s culture or position or what happened three books ago. One reason I love series with rich backgrounds and mythologies is because longtime readers will understand callbacks and allusions that newcomers just won’t. We don’t need every allusion explained to us, unless it is crucial to understanding the present situation.
Shearin clearly has a very complex world (or multiverse, more like) thought out here, too. Previous books featured travels to Hell, and The SPI Files and this book have both confirmed that Shearin’s two series take place within a larger multiverse. Wedding Bells, Magic Spells also feature portals to another world, being used as a staging ground by extradimensional invaders. I love all of this so much. Firstly, there is so much more happening in this series than the Saghred, and it’s clear that there is plenty more story left to tell about Raine, Tam, Mychael, et al. Secondly, unlike her penchant for explaining what happened previously, Shearin is happy not to delve too deeply into how Raine’s world or magic works. As a result, we’ve had to wait seven books to see things like portals to other worlds and extradimensional invaders—but it’s obvious that Shearin has been planning these plot points for a while now.
Now, objectively, a lot happens in this book. In addition to the much-hyped wedding, there are assassination attempts to foil, shapeshifters, monsters infesting the Void used for mirror travel, and all sorts of mysteries and shenanigans that Raine must deal with during the peace talks. It should make for an intense story. So I was just so surprised that I dawdled with this short book. The heavy exposition really breaks the pacing, and despite all these events, it feels overwhelmingly as if Raine doesn’t do much at all.
I did enjoy getting to meet some of the new characters, particularly Mychael’s parents. Raine’s mother-in-law is great during the shapeshifter scene, and I loved their bonding afterwards. That being said, it might have been nice if not everyone had fallen head-over-heels for Raine. Shearin has a great flare for the dramatic, but she can also write really nuanced characters—Tam and his addiction to dark magic is a prime example. Unfortunately, that kind of nuance and depth seemed to be missing from most of the characters, who seemed to fall into fairly stock descriptions.
While it has its moments, Wedding Bells, Magic Spells might be my least favourite Raine Benares book yet. Diehard fans will love the ending and its resolution of what has been—for us if not for Raine and Mychael—such a long arc. That alone is definitely worth reading this book, which is not so much bad as it is just disappointingly banal. The sequel is supposedly from Tam’s point of view, and I’m hopeful this will inject some freshness into the series—I’m sad to say goodbye to Raine, even temporarily, but it might be interesting to see her through someone else’s eyes!
My reviews of the Raine Benares series:
← All Spell Breaks Loose