Magic University: The Siren and the Sword (Ravenous Romance)

by Cecilia Tan

[inlibrisveritas]

So what do you get when you make Harry Potter more 'adult'? You get this book. It's perfect for those in Potter withdrawals but desire a little more...passion... from the characters. It has all the elements you need from the boarding school, to the teenage angst, to the oh-so-sensual art of magic. All packed into 200 pages.

The world that Tan creates has very obvious parallels to Potter, and she even openly admits to finding her inspiration in Rowling's world. Though the characters are certainly more adult. Meet Kyle Wadsworth, the sweet and mature new college student. He's a very cute character and very believable in the way he adapts to all the challenges he faces, serious and playful alike. Now add in a little Jess Torralva and shake things up a bit. She's sweet, charming, beautiful, and everything Kyle desires. You end up with a relationship that's believable and sweet, with a bit of naughty side.

The school is one that can easily be imagined and the classes are fairly realistic in their magical nature. Of course there is the matter of the siren seducing and taking the lives of young men in the library, which added a nice little twist to the story that I wasn't expecting. Besides the obvious and (dare I say) blatant similarities to Hogwarts and Harry, it is extremely thought out. You have poetry, prophecy, sensual magic, and a murder mystery...how can you pass that up?

The sex scenes are not over-bearing or extremely vulgar but they are certainly there and hard to miss. It wastes no time at all really, I mean who needs to wait when you can have a bit of fun starting on page 2? I'm not kidding...it happens that fast, but it isn't rushed or cringe worthy. It makes sense.

It's a pretty fast paced book but unfortunately it is only 200 pages...and thus will leave you wishing there were more. I suppose it's a good thing there are two more in the series.