Cold Burn of Magic (Black Blade, #1)

by Jennifer Estep

[Leigha]

A young thief becomes involved with the machinations of the magical royal families when she ends up being at the wrong place at the wrong time.

How did I not know Estep had a new YA series out? I absolutely adored the Mythos Academy! Cold Burn of Magic is the first book in a new series. I must admit to being confused at first about the novel’s setting and time period. I almost thought I was reading a historical until I realized it was urban fantasy. I wish the setting had been explained more in detail earlier on in the narrative instead of the reader being emerged into the setting with no explanation. However, it’s a small detail that may have only nagged me.

Much like the Mythos Academy, it crafts an interesting world with intriguing characters. I absolutely adored Lila, the strong, kick-butt protagonist with a vulnerable side. I enjoyed the majority of the secondary characters, although I struggled to like Devon. It’s not that he is an unlikable character, he just comes across as “meh” to me. The plot between the different factions intrigued me and left me wanting to read more. I’m interested to see where this series goes from here.

tl;dr A strong and likable protagonist set in an interesting world is bound to entertain you, particularly if you enjoyed previous works by Estep.