Monday, August 17, 2009

Dime Store Magic by Kelley Armstrong


Women of the Otherworld #3
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Published: 2004
Pages: 462

Leader of the American Coven, guardian to the pre-teen daughter of a black witch ... it's not the lifestyle twenty-three year-old Paige Winterbourne imagined for herself, and it's wreaking hell on her social life.
But she's up the challenge. When half-demon Leah O'Donnell returns to fight for custody of Savannah, Paige is ready.
She's not as prepared for the team of supernaturals Leah brings with her, including a powerful sorcerer who claims to be Savannah's father. Cut off from her friends, accused of witchcraft, Satanism, necromancy, murder... Paige quickly realizes that keeping Savannah could mean losing everything else. Has she finally found a battle she isn't willing to fight?
www.kelleyarmstrong.com

Paige Winterborne was young, arrogant & quick-tempered when we were introduced to her in Stolen, but one year on, her responsibilites have matured her. I have to confess to being slightly biased against Paige (I didn't like her much in Stolen) before I started reading Dime Store Magic but her character did grow on me (and not like mould either.) She's no Elena but she's strong & sassy, has a good sense of right and wrong and is trying to drag her coven into the 21st century.

Paige's coven deserts her when the custody battle for teenage witch Savannah heats up & Paige turns to lawyer & sorcerer Lucas Cortez for help. We get a feel for the hostility between witches & sorcerers and we step deeper into the complicated world of covens & cabals. The romance that develops between Paige and Lucas feels obligatory and fake and for me doesn't really contribute in any way to the story. Quite frankly it could have been left out all together and I wouldn't have felt as though I'd missed out.

What I did enjoy was the witchcraft, spell casting side of things. I was really fascinated by Paige's search for the 'grimoires,' books which hold ancient spells, stronger magic, lost lore that would return witches to their rightful place in the supernatural world and restore balance of power.

Dime Store Magic is action packed and entertaining but it just wasn't up there with Bitten & Stolen and while I didn't enjoy it as much as the first two in the series, I'm guessing it's a useful world building read, setting the scene for Industrial Magic.

Click on the title to see my reviews of Bitten & Stolen - loved these two.



This month on The Eclectic Reader you could win Frostbitten by Kelley Armstrong OR The White Queen by Philippa Gregory OR Prophecy of the Sisters by Michelle Zink. Check this blog post for details. International entrants welcome.

15 comments:

  1. Well sounds like I'll have to read this one, even if it's not great!

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  2. That's how I felt too - I really liked Bitten and Stolen but had a hard time getting into Paige's story. Of course, I continued to read all the Otherworld books! ;)

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  3. I still have to read this one.
    I didn't like Paige in Stolen either, and since there was no Elena and Clay in this one, i went straight from Stolen to Broken (book 6)

    Slip Carefully

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  4. I felt the same about this book, i didn't like Paige much. But reading the next novel with her, Industrial Magic really helped me appreciate her more. Industrial Magic is one of my favorite book from the series.
    I love this series so much i couldn't stand to skip one book.

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  5. I'm going to put this series on my to be read pile. Thanks for the review!

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  6. I do love the first more too, since they are all about Elena and Clay, but I should read about the others too

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  7. I absolutly love this series! I hated Paige at first...in Stolen, and then in the beginning of Dime Store Magic as well..but she's grown on me. Elena, and Jamie Vegas will always be my favorite female characters of the series though..and Clay is just yummy! lol.

    Great review! I'm waiting for my copy of Living With The Dead, and I can't wait to read it!

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  8. I didn't like Paige at first either. Stolen was Elena's story and I just thought Paige annoying. But I found I really liked her in her own store. I have yet to read Industrial Magic, but I'm very excited to.

    I'm really glad you liked it Teddyree!

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  9. I just read Bitten..can't wait to read the rest in this series!

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  10. I started this series on audio and I don't want to change it. I found book 2 at Audible.com and though I don't want to join the club, I gotta have that audio!

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  11. Hi Teddyree!

    Great review, I love Kelley Armstrong's Otherworld books, but haven't tried this one. My TBB list continues to grow!

    Dottie

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  12. Looks like we all agree, nobody liked Paige in Stolen but she does grow on you.

    I'm anal about reading books in order so I guess it was good to get this one read because I've heard such good things about Industrial Magic.

    Do Elena & Clay reappear in book 4 does anyone know?

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  13. Lots of witch things interests me. I guess it's the whole paranormal thing. Good review T!

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  14. I love this genre of books and Armstrong seems to be a popular author. I may have to really look into this author's books.

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  15. I love this cover, too.

    I can't wait to get to this series for my next Royals themed week. Although, it is calling me. lol.

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