Cold Burn of Magic by Jennifer Estep

Cold Burn of Magic (Black Blade, #1)

by Jennifer Estep

There Be Monsters Here. . .

It's not as great as you'd think, living in a tourist town that's known as "the most magical place in America." Same boring high school, just twice as many monsters under the bridges and rival Families killing each other for power.

I try to keep out of it. I've got my mom's bloodiron sword and my slightly illegal home in the basement of the municipal library. And a couple of Talents I try to keep quiet, including very light fingers and a way with a lock pick.

But then some nasty characters bring their Family feud into my friend's pawn shop, and I have to make a call--get involved, or watch a cute guy die because I didn't. I guess I made the wrong choice, because now I'm stuck putting everything on the line for Devon Sinclair. My mom was murdered because of the Families, and it looks like I'm going to end up just like her. . .

Reviewed by Angie on

4 of 5 stars

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I received an ARC through NetGalley.

If the mob owned a Disney park, that would be Cloudburst Falls, the setting of Cold Burn of Magic. Lila lives in a town known for its magical tourism. Lots of people have magic, but there's also monsters lurking the dark. Lila's Talent is sight, which is basically superhuman vision, which she uses to make her living as a thief. Her mother was killed four years ago, and after a brief stint in foster care, Lila took off on her own. Now she may have a permanent place to live, since one of the reigning families want her as a bodyguard for their heir: a boy Lila has saved twice before but loathes.

Cold Burn of Magic was super fun! I have to say that it reminded me a lot of the author's Elemental Assassin series. It had that same magical, organized crime set up, and Lila is no wilting flower. I'm just a huge fan of how magic and magical creatures fit seamlessly into the "real" world. This mobster twist was also really unique. There's several families that own different sections of the town, and of course, there's tensions between them. Lila wants nothing to do with the mob families after her mother is killed by the head of one, but she's dragged into it all nonetheless, since she's an excellent fighter in addition to her thieving abilities.

The plot was pretty exciting too. Lila saves Devon's life when some men try to kidnap him from the pawnshop she "works" for. His mother finds the situation quite suspicious, but winds up recruiting Lila to be Devon's newest protector. But Lila doesn't just follow him around with her sword, she's actively trying to figure out who's after him and why. It does get a bit cheesy once they figure out who it is and all that, but I really liked how the ending served as a solid set up for what the main conflict of the rest of the series is going to be!

I really liked Cold Burn of Magic. It really is almost Elemental Assassin but with magical teenagers instead of elementals and trolls. I do worry that the overarching plot is also going to be extremely similar given what we find out at the end. I want something new and surprising! But I'm still excited to see what's coming next.

Read more of my reviews at Pinkindle Reads & Reviews.

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Reading updates

  • Started reading
  • 6 April, 2015: Finished reading
  • 6 April, 2015: Reviewed