Review: Cold Burn of Magic by Jennifer Estep

Published April 28, 2015
by Kensington Books

Magic and monsters and mortals, oh my. Of the three magic and monsters play the most part in the story of Cold Burn of Magic by Jennifer Estep. As for mortals? Well, the story takes place in Cloud Burst, Virginia which is considered to be the most magical place in America. As a result, it's become a tourist destination full of mortals at any given time. Many of the residents, on the other hand, have magical talents and most of the monsters dwell in the woods, under bridges, and in the dark places. 

The story is told from the viewpoint of Lila Merriweather, an orphaned thief. She lives in the basement of the library and works for a friend of her family's named Mo. Mo runs a pawn shop and Lila supplies things for him to sell. Lila has a couple of magical talents that she tries to keep under wraps. And she tries to stay out of the way of the magical mob type families. But one day while she is at Mo's, a trio belonging to one of the families comes into the store. She locks eyes with one of the boys and one of her talents kicks in allowing her to see what kind of person he is and what he is feeling. Then an assassination attempt on him follows. Lila doesn't want to get involved, but she does because of her sense of morality and knowing that the boy is basically good. Next thing you know, Mo is brokering a deal for her to become the guy's bodyguard. And things flow from there.

It's a good story. Part mystery - who is after Devon? Part urban fantasy - monsters and magic in the city. I enjoyed it. It happens to be YA,  but I think it could be enjoyed by anyone who likes urban fantasy. In spite of Lila making eye contact with Devon and finding out what kind of person he is, there is no insta-love. A friendship develops between them naturally. There is the possibility of a Romeo and Juliet type interaction between 2 of the families in the future. I'm looking forward to the next novel to see where the series goes with Lila, the competition between the families, and with the romantic interests. 

I give this book 4 out of 5 stars. It's well written. Lila especially is well developed. The plot has complexities.

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

Teaser Tuesday: Cold Burn of Magic by Jennifer Estep

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme hosted by Miz B of A Daily Rhythm. Anyone can participate, just do the following:

• Grab your current read and open to a random page
• Share two (2) "teaser" sentences from somewhere on that page.
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (Make sure what you share doesn't give too much away! You don't want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title and the author so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR lists if they like your teasers.

I raised my chin, not giving her any inkling of the uncertainty chewing through my gut like a chainsaw. I didn't know what sort of game she was playing, but I was nobody's fool- or pawn.

location 974 on my Kindle 26% through the book

This teaser is from Cold Burn of Magic by Jennifer Estep. It's Lila's thoughts as she talks to the head of one of the magical mob type families, Claudia Sinclair, who is trying to hire her as a bodyguard for her son.

This is a YA Urban Fantasy book published April 28, 2015

Does Lila sound like someone you would like to read about? 

What's your teaser this week? Share it or a link in the comments so we can check it out. Happy Reading!