Shine (Mageri, #5)

by Dannika Dark

Nicole Poole (Narrator)

• ISBN10: 1494551756
• ISBN13: 9781494551759
• Publish Date: 12 August 2014
• Publish Status: Out of Print
• Out of Print: 14 March 2021
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Tantor Media, Inc
• Edition: Unabridged edition
• Format: Audiobook (MP3)
• Duration: 14 hours and 7 minutes
• Language: English

Reviews

[kimbacaffeinate]

Shine was intense as Dark tied up threads, had our characters face their enemies and tested couples and friendships. I laughed at Justus and Page, cried for Logan and admired the hell out of Silver. We have come along way from Sterling where a young woman wakes up a Mage. I have come to love  Silver, Justus, Logan, Page, Christian, Simon, Adam, and Finn. Oh heck, I even love secondary characters like Zoe's best friend, the leader of the council and those we lost along the way. I am saddened this is the end but felt Dark did justice to these characters and left us with hope for these characters. Christian Poe appears in the Crossbreed series, and I am hoping others will as well.

Since an in-depth review of Shine would reveal too many spoilers, I am instead sharing five reasons to listen or read the series.

Five reasons to begin the Mageri Series:

• An urban world with different paranormal creatures who live secretly among humans and are governed by a council made up of each breed. Dark has created a world you'll want to be a part of from the characters to their abilities and rules.



• The characters! Fans of Kim Harrison, Patrica Briggs, and Anne Bishop will love the intense, complex, and charismatic characters Dark shares in her worlds. Silver, our protagonist, is selfless, kickass and tenacious with a soft side. You'll laugh at Justus before you realize he has stolen your heart. Simon is hilarious, and Christian Poe will make you scream for more. Your heart will break for Adam, but you'll close Shine with hope for him. You will want to hug Finn, and after a rough beginning, you will swoon for Logan.  Their bonds, comradery, banter, and willingness to help each other make these stories memorable.



• The overall story ARC begins with Silver's creation in Sterling and is developed in each novel as characters face new dangers and gather clues.  The saga is well written, and eventually, everything weaves together in Shine. While I made a few connections Shine delivered plenty of ah-ha moments that surprised me, answered a nagging question and pulled threads together brilliantly.



• Side stories and characters like Page and Adam added depth and pull the reader into their world. I felt apart of it and became emotionally attached. I laughed, worried and lordy on occasion Dark made me weep like a babe. I felt sorry for Christian, screamed at injustices our characters faced and celebrated their happy moments. When an author creates characters who become like friends, you know you've found something special.



• While I am sure reading the Mageri series is enjoyable, Nichole Poole narrates this series, and she brings a whole new level of enjoyment to this series. Her voices both male and female have become the voices of these characters, and she beautifully captures their tones, mannerisms, and emotions. I have said Dark is like crack and Poole is her dealer. Bwahaha! When given a choice I will reach for my earbuds every time.

This review was originally posted at Caffeinated Reviewer

[Melanie]

My review and an extended sample of the audiobook are posted at Hotlistens.com.

This is the fifth and final book in Mageri series. The entire series only covers about a year in time. At the beginning of the story, Zoe is pretty much a normal human. By the end, she isn't only a mage, she is an extremely powerful one.

This story not only wraps up the overall story of the series, there is also a story to be told within this book. We have a surprise from Page, which ends up being a large part of the story. We also have a new character who has a surprising background as well.

Logan and Silver stand together when times get tough. Silver really starts to show her strength. To me for much of the series, Silver has relied on the men around her to help her out and I felt in this book, she finally stands on her own two feet to prove she doesn't need the men to help her.

Many of the secondary characters stories wrap up well. We have Finn, Sunny, Page and Simon all have a part to play in this book. Even Adam has finally figured out what we wants to do with his life after his difficulties.

Christian is the character who got the short end of the stick. I really felt sorry for him. He was one of my favorite characters and really was there for Silver when she needed him. I always felt bad for him, because he was always on the outside as her guard.

Overall, I really enjoyed this series. It was a great Urban Fantasy, with lots of action, but not much sex when you compare it to some others in the genre. The world was fascinating and the characters were a loveable.

Narration
Nicole Poole did a terrific job narrating this entire series. I don't know what I can say that hasn't already been said from previous reviews about her narration. I would love to find more of her work.

I like to thank Tantor Audio for providing me with a copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

[Linda]

*I received a free ARC of Shine from Enchantress of Books Blogtours for participating in the blogtour*

An awesome end to an epic series! My review will be posted on my blog (un)Conventional Bookviews on January 6th 2014 as part of the Shine Blogtour.

All I can say is that I totally loved it!