This week on Read it! Review it! Share it! it’s a rumble for the West. Who will win? The forces of industrialization or nature? First off…
Eve of Destruction (The Chronicles of Eve)
In this version of the wild west it is the Industrialists versus the Magi. The Magi are losing. Eve is a young Magi in training. But in response to personal tragedy she grits her teeth and pulls herself up by the bootstraps the magi way… magical fireballs of destruction.
Along the way Eve has her childhood friend, Zach, to stabilize her during her periods of wavering doubt. The result is a sweet and believable sort of relationship. Eve of Destruction goes a bit further with its world building than many of the books in its growing genre of the magical, wild west. (Including some nice lingual touches like, “What in the void…”)
While the book might feel a little preachy to some (Goddess good, industry bad), I felt it fit within the developement of the plot and characters and made for a fun escape from our crusty reality. Read it! Review it! Share it!
I always enjoy a novel that starts with the bad guy. I take it as a good sign that evil will be taken seriously. In the case of Native Star, this is exactly what you get. Albeit brief, the prologue introduces you to a post Civil War America rife with spells and warlocks. And the bad guys are sufficiently bad.
Next the story introduces you to Emilly Edwards, a loyal and hardworking woman of the Sierra Nevadas who accidentally takes up magic. While looking for a man to provide for her aging adopted father, she finds much more than she bargained for… and the rest sort of writes itself! More about the magical society than the alternate history, the backdrop of the Native Star is fantastical and complex. Magic wins in this one, hands down. Read it! Review it! Share it! (*the ebook stands at $8! Sort of a tweener. Not cheap, but not too bad. If you like the free sample, dig in.)