Reviews

Ritual Magic by Eileen Wilks

nelsonseye's review against another edition

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4.0

As usual with this series, there was a lot of suspense throughout Ritual Magic; I had to put the book down a couple of times, especially towards the end. The story, again as usual, was complex and I didn't get everything, but I had a good grasp on the knife stuff and the godhead concept, so go me. I found the fight scenes very well done, and very stressful, but I think the best moments were those with Lily's mother. The letter Edward wrote to her was lovely, and her one line in the last chapter was perfect. I also liked her playing video games with Toby. :)

reasek's review

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adventurous dark medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

catwithbooks's review against another edition

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4.5

Lily und Rule stehen 2 Wochen vor ihrer Hochzeit, als ihrer Mutter plötzlich in einem Restaurant ihr Erinnerung verliert. Alles was nach ihrem zwölften Lebensjahr gesehen ist, ist weg. Julia hält sich für ein 12 Jahre altes Mädchen und ist sichtlich geschockt. Lily macht sich Vorwürfe da sie denkt der Angriff sollte ihr gelten. Doch kurze Zeit später tauchen noch mehr solcher Fälle auf. Alle weisen eine merkwürdige Restmagie auf, die sich Lily nicht erklären kann. Als sie zu einem Tatort beordert wird, wird alles noch merkwürdiger. An der Leiche haftet eine ekelhafte Art von Todesmagie die lebendig zu sein scheint und auch auf umliegende Personen greifen kann. Aus der Geisterwelt erfährt sie dass sie einen Heiligen braucht und das sie mehr als eine Feind in diesem Fall hat. Lily und die anderen tappen zu erst im Dunkeln bis sie ihre erste heiße Spur haben wie alle Erinnerungsopfer zusammen passen. Auf der Suche nach ihren Feinden und wie sie diese besiegen können, müssen sie wieder mehr als einen Kampf überstehen.
Eileen Wilks hat einen Schreibstil, der mir sehr zusagt. Man hat immer eine gute Ahnung wie Lily Magie wahrnimmt, da diese von der Autorin anschaulich beschrieben wird. Vieles wird sehr gut erklärt ohne dass es Langweilig wird oder einen der Kopf schwirrt. Lily und Rule passen perfekt zueinander, trotz mancher Unterschiede aber das macht genau das Paar aus. Man kann sich bei beiden sehr gut rein versetzen, obwohl es manchmal bei Rule etwas schwieriger ist. Aber es wird sehr gut in allen Romanen erklärt wie das mit den Rudel funktioniert und auch die Sicht der Dinge bei den Wölfen. Die Geschichte kommt hier Stück für Stück ins rollen und es dauert bis sich die Puzzelteilchen an Ort und Stelle befinden. Der Spannungsbogen ist recht gleichmäßig aufgebaut. Ein klein wenig mehr Humor zur Auflockerung hat mir gefehlt, nicht das die Geschichte düster wirkt.
Die Bänder an sich sind zwar abgeschlossen aber ohne die Vorgänger fehlt einiges an Informationen, dies sollte zu beachten sein.

bananatricky's review

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4.0

Wow, Eileen Wilks did not disappoint.

Rule and Lily's families are meeting for lunch to celebrate their impeding wedding when something happens and Julia Yu suddenly loses her memory - 45 years worth. Soon Julia is not the only one and Lily is desperately trying to establish what the victims have in common. Why do some only lose a small amount of memory? Why has Julia lost the most? Why are some victims in a coma?

Of course Robert Friar and the Great Bitch are behind this somehow ... but did they pick on Julia specifically? What is their purpose?

What I love about Eileen Wilks is her stories are about grown-ups and for grown-ups. Heck, sometimes I don't understand what is going on!

All our favourite characters make an appearance as well as a few new ones. Lupi chain of command and El Nuncio issues are also raised and we meet some new (to us) evils.

My only criticism wold be that I thought the very ending was a bit rushed, no slow wind-down of story fillin gin the gaps for Eileen, no sirree. Just that happened, then that person said that, then it happened, THE END.

I know some people have criticised the relationship aspects of these books, too much Rule and Lily and not enough fantasy - I'm not in that camp, I find the world of the Lupi and the otherness of their cultures just as fascinating as the fantasy.

Anyway, still love the books, still an autobuy.

schomj's review

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4.0

Maybe 4.5 stars. Starts off a little slow, but once I got into it I was fully engaged. Not tied directly into the overall story arc necessarily, but there was enough going on in terms of plot and character development that I'd say it's one of the stronger titles in the series -- but I also enjoy books that explore ethics and moral philosophy. If that's not your cuppa tea, you might not have as much fun with this as I did.

And I did have fun -- enough to have me wanting to re-read the entire series again!

Note: this series really does need to be read in order. The author provides some backstory, but it's not going to make as much sense without having read the previous titles.

lpcoolgirl's review

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5.0

Loved reading this book again, and it was interesting to be in her mom's head with only memories going till she was 12. Great read!

*First read February 6th, 2016*
Yeah, this book was so fantastic, dealt with a few things, and I just want more! Yeah that I've almost caught up to what's been published!

laurla's review

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"you blame the one who fights evil instead of blaming the evil she fights."

"i didnt think of that."
"yeah take a good thirty, forty seconds, and beat yourself up about that."

"it was one of those sneaky headaches that starts small so you wont notice it and take action, but the little guy with the big crowbar had clocked in at some point and was hard at work prying open her skull. the little guy is industrious. as long as you're still, he can keep working. if you move, it jostles him. that makes him mad and he whacks you with the damn crowbar."

"it doesnt feel true, but thank you."
"feelings are not always a guide to truth, and guilt is an indulgence you cannot afford. it clouds the mind. set it aside and think."

"the unsundered gods, in their insanity, forgot surrender; they submit only to what they already know and confuse will with purpose. so each is certain that his or her aspect encompasses all wisdom, with all others being lesser, distortions, or lies."

"which color of the rainbow is most true? is red more true than green? is blue the best path to understanding and should you therefore outlaw yellow cloth and purple vases and the soft blushing sky awakening to day?"

mysticalmegan's review

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5.0

I have to say that I love this series because so far, Eileen Wilks hasn’t descended into the lazy and terrible excuse for writing that some of my other (ex) favorites did. *cough*Laurell K. Hamilton*cough*. She hasn’t run out of fresh ideas and always manages to keep the reader interested even though there have been so many books published in this series. I’m hoping she proves to be one of those authors that stays relevant by writing for as long as she has something to write about and stopping the series when there is nothing further to talk about.
This book begins when Liky’s mother suddenly and inexplicably loses her memories after 12 years old. So essentially, she is a 12 year old stuck in the body of a 57 year old woman and is understandably confused and terrified. Lily finds traces of magic on her mother and when she finds that the same thing has been done to dozens of other people, begins to investigate the magical cause of the problem. The ghost of Al Drummond makes an appearance in this book, helping Lily with her investigation and we are also graced with appearances from all of our favorites including grandmother, Benedict, Arjenie, and others. I enjoyed seeing more of Lily’s mother’s past and what made her the way she is and I liked seeing the newfound development of her relationship with Lily.

cathepsut's review

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3.0

I liked the plot, but somehow the story did not grip me. I think I am getting a little tired of the good guys in these kind of series fighting the big, bad overlords. For how many installments have we been teased yet with the big fight against that big bitch? Get on with it already! Feed up with Friars and the glacially slow build-up!

delz's review

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4.0

Ritual Magic was fast paced with tons of action. I was recently listening to a panel of authors of the thriller genre and one of their main criteria for the genre was that it take place in 3 days or less. Ritual Magic certainly fulfills that qualification. As Lily and Rule prepare for their up coming nuptials all hell breaks loose. Lily's mother loses her memory up to her twelfth birthday, then a rash of people lose their memories or go into comas. A ritualist sacrifice is made and Robert Friar is definitely behind this. They need to find him and the ancient Sidhe artifact he is wielding in order to pull off his schemes. I love this series. Wilks keeps the stories fresh and fun and her characters feel like old friends that you are truly routing for to win. Can't wait for the next book.