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A review by writings_of_a_reader
Sinister Magic by Lindsay Buroker
3.0
I've been really enjoying Lindsay Buroker's series. This is the third one I've read now and I like that they are quick easy reads. I had already read a space opera and a more traditional high fantasy by her, so I wanted to try her urban fantasy. I ended up liking this first book in the series quite a lot, but not loving it as much as I had hoped. That being said, I've read the whole series, or at least what's been published now, and I think the following books were better than this one.
The trademark Lindsay Buroker humor is present, which is one reason I like her books. They make me laugh quite a bit, and who doesn't like a little bit of laughter in their life? On the downside, I do feel like I've, for the most part, read the same main character in all three series. There are some slight differences, but they could be more distinct. Also every once in a while I find myself rolling my eyes at the attempts at humor, but still the stories are mostly good fun, and I don't think we are meant to take them too seriously.
I think my biggest issue with the main character is that she walked out on her daughter years ago to protect her from the different individuals/creatures who come after her because of her job, and I can't help but think that she could have simply left the job and chosen her daughter instead. This is definitely a flaw in the main character that I don't like, but this improves as the series progresses.
I thought this series had an interesting mix of fantasy creatures. There was pretty much everything but the kitchen sink thrown in, from dragons to vampires to orcs, and somehow it worked. I read these books back to back and I really can't remember now where one ended and the next started, so this will be my review for the whole series.
Sinister Magic (Death Before Dragons, #1): 3 stars
Battle Bond (Death Before Dragons, #2): 3.5 stars
Tangled Truths (Death Before Dragons, #3): 3.5 stars
Elven Doom (Death Before Dragons, #4): 3.5 stars
The Forbidden Ground (Death Before Dragons 4.5): 3 stars
False Security (Death Before Dragons #5): 3.5 stars
Storm Forged (Death Before Dragons #6): 3.5 stars
Review also posted at Writings of a Reader.
The trademark Lindsay Buroker humor is present, which is one reason I like her books. They make me laugh quite a bit, and who doesn't like a little bit of laughter in their life? On the downside, I do feel like I've, for the most part, read the same main character in all three series. There are some slight differences, but they could be more distinct. Also every once in a while I find myself rolling my eyes at the attempts at humor, but still the stories are mostly good fun, and I don't think we are meant to take them too seriously.
I think my biggest issue with the main character is that she walked out on her daughter years ago to protect her from the different individuals/creatures who come after her because of her job, and I can't help but think that she could have simply left the job and chosen her daughter instead. This is definitely a flaw in the main character that I don't like, but this improves as the series progresses.
I thought this series had an interesting mix of fantasy creatures. There was pretty much everything but the kitchen sink thrown in, from dragons to vampires to orcs, and somehow it worked. I read these books back to back and I really can't remember now where one ended and the next started, so this will be my review for the whole series.
Sinister Magic (Death Before Dragons, #1): 3 stars
Battle Bond (Death Before Dragons, #2): 3.5 stars
Tangled Truths (Death Before Dragons, #3): 3.5 stars
Elven Doom (Death Before Dragons, #4): 3.5 stars
The Forbidden Ground (Death Before Dragons 4.5): 3 stars
False Security (Death Before Dragons #5): 3.5 stars
Storm Forged (Death Before Dragons #6): 3.5 stars
Review also posted at Writings of a Reader.