iamtais's review
challenging
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.25
millie_rose_reads's review
1.0
Junk Magic is the second spin-off in Karen Chance's Cassandra Palmer universe. A welcome addition after I found out it was about a war mage with a plot that has little connection to the vampire and fae politics that's mired those series. It seemed like the refreshing perspective this universe needed.
The first several chapters do just that. Lia's world is miles from Cassie or Dory, but the war mage experience I was excited for lasts only the first few chapters. Then the Were side of the story takes over. Lia is a Were, but one unable to transform; her boyfriend is an outcast Were, nurturing other outcasts in his makeshift clan. The foundation is workable until the Were antics overwhelm the war mage mentor antics by a large margin.
And I sort of hated it.
Nothing about Weres in this universe interests me—at least not how they are written here. Lia's past trauma feels sorely underdeveloped, Cyrus is remarkably disposable, and the group of teenagers Lia's supposed to train are too numerous to fully invest in one in particular, let alone all of them. I was bored through a lot of this book and the only thing that kept me reading is my overall love for Karen Chance. I'm not mad, just disappointed.
The first several chapters do just that. Lia's world is miles from Cassie or Dory, but the war mage experience I was excited for lasts only the first few chapters. Then the Were side of the story takes over. Lia is a Were, but one unable to transform; her boyfriend is an outcast Were, nurturing other outcasts in his makeshift clan. The foundation is workable until the Were antics overwhelm the war mage mentor antics by a large margin.
And I sort of hated it.
Nothing about Weres in this universe interests me—at least not how they are written here. Lia's past trauma feels sorely underdeveloped, Cyrus is remarkably disposable, and the group of teenagers Lia's supposed to train are too numerous to fully invest in one in particular, let alone all of them. I was bored through a lot of this book and the only thing that kept me reading is my overall love for Karen Chance. I'm not mad, just disappointed.
katharina22's review
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
aimee632's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
rclz's review
5.0
This was really good. I hope it's not a one off. Same world as her Cassie series. Good characters and a wild plot.
tessa_b's review
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
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