kblincoln's review against another edition
5.0
I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Truthfully, I am already an Esden fan from her prior Dark Heart series (love me the djinn). So I was looking forward to falling in love with a new set of new adults discovering their power and walking the edge of darkness and light.
Chloe made a mistake that lead to a tragedy. Now she's just at school in Burlington, VT trying to pick up the pieces of her life and make a career in medicine to find a way to atone.
But Chloe is a witch. While her ability to sense magic and cast wards isn't anything special, she longs to be part of a coven that would give her life purpose. When a handsome stranger drops off an invite to the nearest coven as a potential initiate, she can't resist attending. Lured by the promise of a magic that will help her atone, she is slowly, bit by bit, lured to the dark side of magic.
Confession: I didn't fall in love with Devlin, the male lead, as I did with Chase from Esden's other series. (Although Chloe had no problem falling for him-- steamy fun times were had) However, I did fall in love with Chloe's friends. The little merry band of friends outside the Northern Circle Coven, including Keshari with her demon-avoiding atomizer, were awesome and engaging. There's definitely potential in some of the coven members (Midas the engineer, Em the AA attending alcoholic, and Chandler, the welding artist with her son) but we didn't spend enough time with them for me to get hooked as we did with Chloe's Wiccan friends.
The other thing this book does well is give you a sense of place. From the Burlington Earth Clock to Lake Champlain, I could totally visualize each scene's surroundings in a solid way. And this is chock full of cool little witchery details like sand is just dozens of tiny crystals and the way to make rosemary oil, and the more gruesome method of casting an illusion on oneself. There's also a bunch of bonus Arthurian myth thrown in for those of us who might at one time have been addicted to the musical Camelot....
Great opening for a new series. I can feel the potential in many of the characters and hope to follow them on further adventures.
Chloe made a mistake that lead to a tragedy. Now she's just at school in Burlington, VT trying to pick up the pieces of her life and make a career in medicine to find a way to atone.
But Chloe is a witch. While her ability to sense magic and cast wards isn't anything special, she longs to be part of a coven that would give her life purpose. When a handsome stranger drops off an invite to the nearest coven as a potential initiate, she can't resist attending. Lured by the promise of a magic that will help her atone, she is slowly, bit by bit, lured to the dark side of magic.
Confession: I didn't fall in love with Devlin, the male lead, as I did with Chase from Esden's other series. (Although Chloe had no problem falling for him-- steamy fun times were had) However, I did fall in love with Chloe's friends. The little merry band of friends outside the Northern Circle Coven, including Keshari with her demon-avoiding atomizer, were awesome and engaging. There's definitely potential in some of the coven members (Midas the engineer, Em the AA attending alcoholic, and Chandler, the welding artist with her son) but we didn't spend enough time with them for me to get hooked as we did with Chloe's Wiccan friends.
The other thing this book does well is give you a sense of place. From the Burlington Earth Clock to Lake Champlain, I could totally visualize each scene's surroundings in a solid way. And this is chock full of cool little witchery details like sand is just dozens of tiny crystals and the way to make rosemary oil, and the more gruesome method of casting an illusion on oneself. There's also a bunch of bonus Arthurian myth thrown in for those of us who might at one time have been addicted to the musical Camelot....
Great opening for a new series. I can feel the potential in many of the characters and hope to follow them on further adventures.
ettic's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
I would give it five stars, but it felt a little rushed and like we could have spent more time with the characters. Overall, though, great book.
mommasaystoread's review against another edition
3.0
His Dark Magic has some absolutely excellent world building with wonderfully descriptive settings. That combined with magic and a bit of darkness should've made this one perfect for me. In spite of that, I felt like the first half of this book was spent just waiting for things to really get started, then the second half rushes to conclusion. The story does have good bones, and the blurb promises quite the tale. Yet, despite all that, we get other woman drama. The author does have talent, but this story had a ton of potential that just wasn't realized. Instead of the thrilling story it could've been, it's just like so many others with nothing new to wow the reader. I realize that this is just the start of the series, but as it stands, I'm on the fence about whether I'll move forward with it.
chylu's review against another edition
5.0
This was such a fun read to start the New Year! Chloe is instantly relatable with her devastating history and burning determination to right her mistakes, and this carries her through the storyline right to the end. I love her unswerving devotion to resolving her past, and her devotion to her friends. The setting feels lived in and the details authentic, and the eerie atmosphere hooked me right away, growing in tension from start to finish. The location almost feels like a character itself – I love when authors live or have spent extended time in the area they're writing about as it really makes the writing come alive. And I completely didn't see the end twist coming. I recommend this one to anyone looking for a witchy urban fantasy with suspense, romance, and characters who pop off the page.
carleneinspired's review against another edition
4.0
Find this review and others at Carlene Inspired.
Chloe Winslow wants a fresh start in Vermont, an opportunity to be the version of herself she knows she can be, all while studying medicine in hopes of righting the wrongs of her past. As a witch who is unaware of her true strength, Chloe is invited to the mysterious Northern Circle Coven, with their high priestess offering her the chance to harness her powers. Chloe finds herself crushing on fellow coven member, Devlin, with her lust for him and her desire to learn glossing over her common sense. When the coven attempts to awaken Merlin himself they find that not every member's motive is for good and Chloe must trust blindly and put her faith behind her untrained power to discern good from evil.
The foggy Vermont shores are meant to be an escape for Chloe, a place for her to learn how she can combine her power and medicine, but it soon becomes a fight to not drown in the dark magic that calls to her as the coven unearths the shade of Merlin. A classic new adult character, Chloe easily allows her emotions to get the better of her, allowing the story to be a mix of romance and gothic witch drama. She discovers that trust, while easy to give at first, can be tested too many times, and that power can be intoxicating even when thought to be used for good. I enjoyed Chloe's naivety and felt it really allowed the story to progress with significant character development. I was intrigued by her past and her future hopes, especially as she joined the coven and fell for the promise of power. Her romance with Devlin, though brief in their interactions, happens very quickly, which really highlighted Chloe's youthfulness. However, she builds a strong friendship with another local witch and I loved them as friends, their dialogue was so fresh and entertaining.
His Dark Magic was the perfect story to introduce a new series, especially with the format of the Northern Circle Coven series where each is told from the perspective of different characters. While the setting, general character personalities, and the overarching plot line of light versus dark magic is obvious, there was little detail given on the rest. I wanted to understand the characters and their ties to the coven more, in fact I wanted to understand the coven more in general. We aren't given enough information and while the characters are fiercely protective of it we don't understand why. On top of that, we aren't given motives behind why some of the characters have chosen to go dark. It's a very large part of this first novel and I think it could have been explained further. I am, however, looking forward to exploring the dark versus light side of the characters in the future novels, especially now that lines have been drawn and characters have chosen sides.
His Dark Magic is a stunning fantasy and paranormal release from Pat Esden that introduces a new series that I am very much looking forward to reading. It reminded me of the books I used to read about witches in the early '00's that I enjoyed so much. I enjoyed the characters, the overarching theme of good and evil, the friendships, and I loved the contemporary setting that the coven managed to somehow still fit into. I recommend His Dark Magic to fans of new adult paranormal/fantasy reads.
ARC provided.
Chloe Winslow wants a fresh start in Vermont, an opportunity to be the version of herself she knows she can be, all while studying medicine in hopes of righting the wrongs of her past. As a witch who is unaware of her true strength, Chloe is invited to the mysterious Northern Circle Coven, with their high priestess offering her the chance to harness her powers. Chloe finds herself crushing on fellow coven member, Devlin, with her lust for him and her desire to learn glossing over her common sense. When the coven attempts to awaken Merlin himself they find that not every member's motive is for good and Chloe must trust blindly and put her faith behind her untrained power to discern good from evil.
The foggy Vermont shores are meant to be an escape for Chloe, a place for her to learn how she can combine her power and medicine, but it soon becomes a fight to not drown in the dark magic that calls to her as the coven unearths the shade of Merlin. A classic new adult character, Chloe easily allows her emotions to get the better of her, allowing the story to be a mix of romance and gothic witch drama. She discovers that trust, while easy to give at first, can be tested too many times, and that power can be intoxicating even when thought to be used for good. I enjoyed Chloe's naivety and felt it really allowed the story to progress with significant character development. I was intrigued by her past and her future hopes, especially as she joined the coven and fell for the promise of power. Her romance with Devlin, though brief in their interactions, happens very quickly, which really highlighted Chloe's youthfulness. However, she builds a strong friendship with another local witch and I loved them as friends, their dialogue was so fresh and entertaining.
His Dark Magic was the perfect story to introduce a new series, especially with the format of the Northern Circle Coven series where each is told from the perspective of different characters. While the setting, general character personalities, and the overarching plot line of light versus dark magic is obvious, there was little detail given on the rest. I wanted to understand the characters and their ties to the coven more, in fact I wanted to understand the coven more in general. We aren't given enough information and while the characters are fiercely protective of it we don't understand why. On top of that, we aren't given motives behind why some of the characters have chosen to go dark. It's a very large part of this first novel and I think it could have been explained further. I am, however, looking forward to exploring the dark versus light side of the characters in the future novels, especially now that lines have been drawn and characters have chosen sides.
His Dark Magic is a stunning fantasy and paranormal release from Pat Esden that introduces a new series that I am very much looking forward to reading. It reminded me of the books I used to read about witches in the early '00's that I enjoyed so much. I enjoyed the characters, the overarching theme of good and evil, the friendships, and I loved the contemporary setting that the coven managed to somehow still fit into. I recommend His Dark Magic to fans of new adult paranormal/fantasy reads.
ARC provided.
annarella's review against another edition
4.0
A very good start for a new paranormal series! This book was entertaining and engaging and I had to end it as fast as I could as I was engrossed in the story.
The characters are well written even if the heroine sometimes grates on my nerves.
The plot is fast paced, full of twist and turns, and it never bores you.
I look forward to reading the next instalment in this series.
Recommended!
Many thanks Kensington Books and Netgalley for this ARC
The characters are well written even if the heroine sometimes grates on my nerves.
The plot is fast paced, full of twist and turns, and it never bores you.
I look forward to reading the next instalment in this series.
Recommended!
Many thanks Kensington Books and Netgalley for this ARC
xanderbernhard's review against another edition
3.0
This was...fine. I wanted to like it more than I did. It was competently written and I liked some of the descriptions of magic, but the story wasn't that interesting to me.
If you like a soft – verging on cosy – witch mysteries, with some sex then this would probably work for you, but I won't be reading any more in the series. It was too twee for me.
If you like a soft – verging on cosy – witch mysteries, with some sex then this would probably work for you, but I won't be reading any more in the series. It was too twee for me.
annarella's review
4.0
A very good start for a new paranormal series! This book was entertaining and engaging and I had to end it as fast as I could as I was engrossed in the story.
The characters are well written even if the heroine sometimes grates on my nerves.
The plot is fast paced, full of twist and turns, and it never bores you.
I look forward to reading the next instalment in this series.
Recommended!
Many thanks Kensington Books and Netgalley for this ARC
The characters are well written even if the heroine sometimes grates on my nerves.
The plot is fast paced, full of twist and turns, and it never bores you.
I look forward to reading the next instalment in this series.
Recommended!
Many thanks Kensington Books and Netgalley for this ARC
danstout's review
5.0
This massively entertaining blend of magic, intrigue, and romance kicks off a new series for author Pat Esden, and if this first entry is any indication, this is one to watch!
HIS DARK MAGIC is a well-crafted and cleverly plotted urban fantasy, and fans of the genre should love this first entry in the Northern Circle Coven series. (I'll be picking up the second book in the series right after I finish this review-- I'm intrigued by the way Esden planted the seeds for book 2 without ever distracting my attention from this volume!)
HIS DARK MAGIC is a well-crafted and cleverly plotted urban fantasy, and fans of the genre should love this first entry in the Northern Circle Coven series. (I'll be picking up the second book in the series right after I finish this review-- I'm intrigued by the way Esden planted the seeds for book 2 without ever distracting my attention from this volume!)
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