Minimum Wage Magic (DFZ, #1)

by Rachel Aaron

Making a living is hard. In a lawless city where gods are real, dragons are traffic hazards, and buildings move around on their own, it can feel downright impossible.

Good thing freelance mage Opal Yong-ae has never let little things like impossibility stop her. She's found a way to put her overpriced magical art history degree to use as a Cleaner: a contract municipal employee who empties out abandoned apartments and resells the unusual treasures she finds inside for a profit. It's not a pretty job, or a safe one--there's a reason she wears bite-proof gloves--but when you're neck-deep in debt to a very magical, very nasty individual, you can't be picky about where the money comes from.

But even Opal's low standards are put to the test when the only thing of value in her latest apartment is the body of the previous tenant. Dealing with the dead isn't technically part of her job, but this mage died hiding a secret that could be worth a lot of money, and Opal's the only one who knows. With debts she can't pay due at the end of the week, this could be the big break she's been waiting for, but in a city of runaway magic where getting in over your head generally means losing it, the cost of chasing this opportunity might be more than Opal can survive.

• ISBN10: 195236700X
• ISBN13: 9781952367007
• Publish Date: 10 April 2020
• Publish Status: Active
• Imprint: Aaron Bach LLC
• Format: Paperback (US Trade)
• Pages: 270
• Language: English

Reviews

[kimbacaffeinate]

The story takes place in the metropolis formerly known as Detroit. It’s a magical city with over 900 million people. Opal Yong-ae is a Cleaner. A freelance mage with an art history degree employed by the DFZ. When tenants are evicted for nonpayment, she bids on their units. She cleans up for the next tenant and in return she gets to keep the contents. Her goal is to find valuable magical junk people leave behind. I enjoyed looking for treasure as we got to know the characters.

When we meet Opal, she is in a bit of trouble. A series of bad luck has her panicked. She is days away from having to make a ten thousand dollar loan payment. If she defaults, her life is over and she loses her freedom. A fate she won’t allow to happen.

From the getgo, I was all in. I liked Opal and Sybil, her high-pitched, talkative AI. On a job she makes a discovery, that might be the key to her freedom, but it also brings danger to her doorstep. That is when another cleaner, Nikola Kos, steps in and offers her deal. The story that unfolds was intense and magical with suspense, a touch of romance and unique characters.

I knew I was all in and would listen to more of Aaron’s work. I was also kicking myself for having waited so long to dive in. I found the city, the gods, and the alliances fascinating. We have dragons, a living, breathing magical city, spirits and the Empty Wind; the spirit of The Forgotten Dead. The city is run by a powerful spirit known as the DFZ. She manages the city creates buildings, moves the landscape and more.

The world building is exceptional. Aaron weaves information, rules and more into the story rather than giving us large information dumps. All of which allows for a well-paced, suspenseful and addictive tale.

Emily Woo Zeller was perfect for the narration of Opal & Nikola. While I wasn’t fond of Sybil’s voice or Opal’s fathers, I must admit they eventually grew on me. Zellar speaks clearly with a nice pace and I eventually settled in at around 1.3x speed. This review was originally posted at Caffeinated Reviewer

[jesstheaudiobookworm]

I chose Minimum Wage Magic from an Audible 2-for-1 sale. I had just finished One to Watch and knew that I needed something completely different from it in order to survive the inevitably massive book hangover.

Because of the sale, I went ahead and purchased the sequel to this audiobook as well. I normally don't take such a risk, buying a sequel before I have even heard the first book, but I could tell from the summary and sample that Minimum Wage Magic was probably a safe choice.

And I turned out to be mostly right. I enjoyed Minimum Wage Magic. I liked Opal as a main character. Her job was really fascinating and I wish the overarching story had revolved more around that, rather than it just being a catalyst.

I was most intrigued by the world Rachel Aaron created. The DFZ is an interesting concept and Aaron does a good enough job of explaining her system of magic. The world building was adequate and so was the character development. But there was a lot to unpack in this one installment. Between Opal's job, the info dumps about the gods, magic creatures, cyborg body parts, her enemies-to-lovers romance, and all the drama with her family, it was just… a lot. Oh, and let's not forget the dragons!

I think that's what kept me from enjoying this as much as I could have. Rachel Aaron is definitely a talented writer, but I think her style could use a little finesse. Maybe I'm just a slow absorber, but I was never really able to fully connect with a character or process a certain thing before something else major was thrown at me. It's like a dinner where there are so many different rich foods that you make yourself sick trying to eat everything and end up with a massive tummyache and a bad taste in your mouth (a.k.a. American Thanksgiving).

With that said, a massive tummyache has never stopped me from digging in again at the next Thanksgiving and it certainly didn't stop me from heading straight into Book #2, Part-Time Gods after finishing this one. I'm glad I did that because we do learn more about Opal's family in the second book, which gave her character more depth. It also advanced some of her relationships with characters we met in the first book.

There's a third book in the series, but despite adding it to my Audible wish list, I can't see myself spending a credit on it. However, if it should ever pop up in another sale, I would probably grab it.

Narration review: I know I've heard Emily Woo Zeller narrate before, but I can't remember exactly what book it was. I'll have to do some digging. Whatever it was left a residual positive impression in my mind, because seeing her name as narrator of Minimum Wage Magic made this an instant buy. My subconscious must know its stuff, because Woo Zeller gave a great performance here. She conveyed a light, fun tone for Opal that immediately made me like her. If you're into Urban Fantasy and/or dragons, this is probably a safe bet for you. And I highly recommend it on audiobook. ♣︎

[Kate (Blogging with Dragons)]

Whenever I’m feeling down or under the weather, Rachel Aaron’s books are a magically fun pick me up. So when I was sick yet again, I turned to her latest novel, Minimum Wage Magic, a standalone based in the same world as The Heartstrikers series. I was more than happy to revisit the DFZ, or the Detroit Free Zone, a place where everything is legal, people have cyber upgrades and AI, the city constantly moves due to the quixotic Spirit controlling it, death Gods walk among the common people, and a Peacekeeper Dragon oversees all the constant magical chaos.

 

“My name is Opal Yong-ae, and I’m a Cleaner: a freelance mage with an art history degree who’s employed by the DFZ to sort through the mountains of magical junk people leave behind. It’s not a pretty job, or a safe one—there’s a reason I wear bite-proof gloves—but when you’re deep in debt in a lawless city where gods are real, dragons are traffic hazards, and buildings move around on their own, you don’t get to be picky about where your money comes from.”

 

Opal Young-ae, a magic-wielding Cleaner, or a person who buys abandoned apartments in order to turn a profit on all their junk and well, cleans, it, is the heroine of the story. Equipped with goggles that allow her to communicate with her smart-talking AI, Sybil, she stumbles upon a corpse in one of her latest cleaning endeavors. In dire straits due to the fact that she has a massive debt to pay off to a deadly person, it's her father and he's the super-powerful and esteemed Dragon running all of Korea she’s determined to make a profit off the apartment, and takes the corpse’s research--setting her on an even deadlier path that will take her to not only the seedy Underground of the DFZ, but the dangerous, ever-shifting magical labyrinth below the city, known as the Gnarls.

 

“‘Welcome to the DFZ,” I said, shaking my head. “Criminals all the way down.’
‘It is called the ‘City of Commerce,’ Sibyl whispered in my ear. ‘The place where anything is possible.’
‘And everything is sticky.’”

 

I immediately liked Opal. Unlike Marci, the ridiculously capable and talented mage we first met in Nice Dragons Finish Last, Opal is not “good” at magic. Despite having a ridiculous amount of magical education, she has to use pre-made magical scripts and brute force in order to wield her magic. I found it endearing that she was able to make the best of the ability she had. I also liked that despite her prodigious education, Opal was happy being a Cleaner, and determined not to take any other positions, no matter how well-paying, or more prestigious. I liked that she wasn’t willing to be corralled into a position she didn’t want, and continually stuck to her guns, despite pressure from her parents, friends, and AI. I was also thrilled when she refused to accept money to get herself out of debt at the expense of innocents again at the end of the novel.

 

“As a social support AI, it’s my job to assist in your mental health, and these fits of wild optimism that crumble into crushing despair when they run into reality are not good for you.

 

I absolutely adored Sybil, Opal’s AI, who cracked me up constantly. The sense of humor I come to expect from author Aaron shone through Sybil. I wasn’t as crazy about Nik, the cyber-enhanced co-worker that ends up saving Opal’s life and becoming her business partner. There’s definitely some romance brewing between the two, but the author is going the slow-burn route, which I always love. I reserved judgement on Nik, as he wasn’t a bad character at all. I think maybe the strong, silent type, with a dark past willing to do questionably moral things to make money, but with a secret heart of gold--just isn’t my type. Despite not being Nik’s biggest fan, the dynamic between the two Cleaners is complex and I’m excited to read how their new partnership works in future installments.

 

Minimum Wage Magic is extremely fast-paced and a fun-filled ride. The world-building is amazing and I loved the seamless and unique blend of science fiction and fantasy. The author does very well at explaining the complex world of the DFZ--spirits, dragons, death gods, Mana Crashes, a thriving Underground, for any newcomers that haven’t read The Heartstrikers series. She also deftly sneaks in several references to characters from the aforementioned series and it was really delightful to see glimpses of their lives after Last Dragon Standing. It is a testament to Aaron’s writing that my dragon-obsessed self didn’t even miss the dragons being the center of attention in this novel!

 

If you’re looking for a one of a kind, quirky science fiction/fantasy novel, with well-developed characters with interesting pasts, great world-building, and fast-paced adventure, look no further than Minimum Wage Magic. I’m certainly ready for the next entry in the series.


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[Melanie]

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

This book is the first in a series that is a spin off from Rachel Aaron’s Heartstriker series. It is set in the Detroit area known as the DFZ or The Detroit Free Zone. Magic exists. Dragons exists. There are even spirits. The spirits that we see in this book are the spirit of the DFZ, which rules in the DFZ and changes things as she sees fit, including moving buildings and roads on a daily basis. There is also The Empty Wind, which is the spirit of The Forgotten Dead. Anyone who dies without someone remembering them. Both of these spirits had a big part in the original series.

This series follows Opal. She’s a human mage who is working as a cleaner. In the DFZ, people who abandoned their homes or don’t pay their rent, their locations are auctioned off. Cleaners purchase these locations and will clean them up for the next tennent. They get to keep and/or sell anything they find in the locations.

Opal is on a big deadline. She owes a very powerful person $10k in just a few days. She is desperate and to buy and get a location cleaned ASAP. She stumbles upon something she wasn’t expecting and even stumbles on to a dead body, which also means she has to wait to see if there are any next of kin. If someone is found, then they get the stuff. She will get her money back, but that will be weeks away.

Opal has an AI that is in her goggles or even her phone that she uses for looking up stuff all the time. The AI is very personable and is Opal’s best friend. Sybil, the AI, is great comic relief in this series. She’s quick the smart ass and is also good and trying to keep Opal from doing anything too crazy.

She also ends up with a partner on this cleaning job from another cleaner, Nikola Kos. He knows that she’s on to something, but not what. He saves her when someone tries to kill her, which is how he knows she’s found something, even if she doesn’t know it. I really liked Nikola and really want to know more about him.

This was a nice spinoff series. It isn’t as good as Heartstrikers, but still a nice series. I will be interested in the next book for sure.

Narration
I think this is my first time listening to Emily Woo Zeller. She did a great job with the narration of this story. I loved all the voices that she chose for each character, especially Sybil the AI. She does a wonderful job with male and female voices. I would love to listen to her narrate more of this series and other books.

**I'd like to thank the publisher for providing me with a copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.