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amym84's review against another edition
5.0
Ritual Magic hits close to home when Lily's mother Julia's mind suddenly reverts back to when she was twelve years old. While Lily detects a little bit of magic residue, there's not enough to determine what was used on her mom. AS the investigation continues we come to find that Julia Yu was not the only victim of memory loss. All had varying degrees of loss. Some a couple of days some years of their lives. Now Lily and Rule have to find out who and what is causing this attack and what is the ultimate purpose.
Just when I think I might be ready for this series to end, Ritual Magic comes out. I really enjoyed this book. From the very beginning I was hooked. I think the flow and progression was done very well. In previous books there have been times where two storylines intersected and it got a little confusing figuring out how one connected to the other. Here the same thing happens, but it was done so consisely that I was able to follow the thread throughout the entirety.
I liked getting to see another side to Lily's mother and esentially the entire Yu family. Her mother comes across as very distant and strict with her daughters. We learn more about why that may be and twelve year old Julia's point of view is refreshing. We get to see the story from a different perspective and it's nice. Fresh. It reminds me of when the series first started.
One thing I didn't like was how it seemed as though Wilks tried to create tension between Rule and Lily when there didn't need to be any. Mind you this was only a brief interlude, but Wilks should have either gone full force with it, or not had it in there at all. I know that after a couple has been together for so long there's a fear that their romance will become boring. You don't have to worry about that with Lily and Rule. There's still plenty in their relationship they can explore and I hope and look forward to Wilks utilizing it all.
I was surprised that I enjoyed the book as much as I did, but I'm now excited to see where the series goes from here. There's still a war going on and I'm guessing the end of the series will be the final show-down. Just how long that will be is anyone's guess.
Just when I think I might be ready for this series to end, Ritual Magic comes out. I really enjoyed this book. From the very beginning I was hooked. I think the flow and progression was done very well. In previous books there have been times where two storylines intersected and it got a little confusing figuring out how one connected to the other. Here the same thing happens, but it was done so consisely that I was able to follow the thread throughout the entirety.
I liked getting to see another side to Lily's mother and esentially the entire Yu family. Her mother comes across as very distant and strict with her daughters. We learn more about why that may be and twelve year old Julia's point of view is refreshing. We get to see the story from a different perspective and it's nice. Fresh. It reminds me of when the series first started.
One thing I didn't like was how it seemed as though Wilks tried to create tension between Rule and Lily when there didn't need to be any. Mind you this was only a brief interlude, but Wilks should have either gone full force with it, or not had it in there at all. I know that after a couple has been together for so long there's a fear that their romance will become boring. You don't have to worry about that with Lily and Rule. There's still plenty in their relationship they can explore and I hope and look forward to Wilks utilizing it all.
I was surprised that I enjoyed the book as much as I did, but I'm now excited to see where the series goes from here. There's still a war going on and I'm guessing the end of the series will be the final show-down. Just how long that will be is anyone's guess.
errantdreams's review
4.0
Julia’s memory loss happened extremely suddenly, leaving Lily with few leads to follow. She’s a sharp woman, however, and with some help from a ghost, a dragon, her own sense of magic, the lupi, and the FBI (I’m sure I’ve forgotten someone in there) she gradually puts together an idea of what’s going on. Meanwhile terrible creatures are summoned to go after Lily, some old enemies return, and it starts to look like poor Julia might forever be a 12-year-old in an adult’s body. Watching Julia try to deal after her mind was stabilized–especially as she ends up hanging out with Rule’s son, is fascinating. It’s handled extremely well. My only tiny complaint is that I would have liked to see a little more from her point of view during the climax of the novel.
There’s plenty of fascinating material in Ritual Magic. This is a tough mystery to crack, and there’s a lot of danger all around. There’s also a new and interesting bad guy that forces Lily and Rule to turn temporarily away from worrying about a major enemy. And after nine books gradually leading up to a wedding, Lily and Rule aren’t willing to back down in book ten, even though danger erupts all over the place.
As usual Wilks’s characters have depth and interest, and manage to break many cliches of the modern urban fantasy. Lily and Rule are fantastic protagonists. I love that while there have been other romantic relationships that have formed in the series, it isn’t the modern standard one-couple-per-installment, and the relationships themselves have plenty of variety to them. The mysterious bad guy and his relationship with his latest follower definitely kick things up a notch, and force Lily and her family and friends to dig deep in order to saved the world and people they love. Lily also has to face some interesting moral quandaries of her own, regarding when it’s okay to kill in the pursuit of her goals.
For a longer review including premise, visit my site: http://www.errantdreams.com/2015/04/review-ritual-magic-eileen-wilks/
There’s plenty of fascinating material in Ritual Magic. This is a tough mystery to crack, and there’s a lot of danger all around. There’s also a new and interesting bad guy that forces Lily and Rule to turn temporarily away from worrying about a major enemy. And after nine books gradually leading up to a wedding, Lily and Rule aren’t willing to back down in book ten, even though danger erupts all over the place.
As usual Wilks’s characters have depth and interest, and manage to break many cliches of the modern urban fantasy. Lily and Rule are fantastic protagonists. I love that while there have been other romantic relationships that have formed in the series, it isn’t the modern standard one-couple-per-installment, and the relationships themselves have plenty of variety to them. The mysterious bad guy and his relationship with his latest follower definitely kick things up a notch, and force Lily and her family and friends to dig deep in order to saved the world and people they love. Lily also has to face some interesting moral quandaries of her own, regarding when it’s okay to kill in the pursuit of her goals.
For a longer review including premise, visit my site: http://www.errantdreams.com/2015/04/review-ritual-magic-eileen-wilks/
aimee70807's review against another edition
4.0
This series is good, but ultimately unfulfilling. It's heavier on the crime-scene investigation and action that I really want, and lets the fascinating world-building drift into the background. I might keep reading, but it's more likely if my library starts buying them.