Review: Dark Heart of Magic by Jennifer Estep

Dark Heart of Magic by Jennifer Estep is book #2 in the Black Blade series. It was published October 27, 2015 by Kensington.

Lila Merriweather has been appointed Devon Sinclair's bodyguard. This is a new role for this former thief. All kinds of surprises are in store for her in this book including being placed into a tournament along with Devon and several other Sinclair family members against selected participants from the other families. This puts Lila into an uncomfortable place in the spotlight. Meanwhile, Victor Draconi is plotting against the families, especially the Sinclairs.And someone is killing monsters in Cloudburst Falls.

This book is a good follow up to Cold Burn of Magic. The characters are portrayed in greater depth. And they are allowed to grow and change - especially Lila. Even Victor is portrayed in greater depth since the first book. He is turning out to be quite the bad guy in more ways than one.

It's a good plot with plenty of action scenes. It will keep you turning pages to find out what's going on with Lila, Devon, and the monsters. And it looks like there is a human who is more of a monster than the magical monsters.

I gave this book 4 out of 5 stars. It's a good urban fantasy book. Cloudburst Falls, VA is an interesting setting. The characters are well developed. It is considered a YA title, but I think it can be enjoyed by adults as well.

An excerpt is available on the author's website. Just click on the title above.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.