Great intuitive writing talent but incredibly lazy plotting and world-building. ( )

I really enjoyed my re-read of this book! I had a lot of fun with this book the first time I picked it up and knew that I wanted to read it a second time before picking up the last book in the trilogy. I decided to give the audiobook a try for this re-read and that was a very good decision. I believe that I liked the book even more because of how the narrator brought the story to life.

I love the way that we are introduced to the world that Lila lives in. It is similar to our world but the town that she lives in is filled with magic. Things in town are controlled by the mob-like families who are always trying to grab ahold of just a little more power every chance that they get. The magic system was really well done and I liked how each of the characters had their own unique abilities and it was fun to see them use them to their advantage.

I really liked all of the characters in this story and found them all to be incredibly interesting and unique. Lila hasn't had things easy but has adapted and can handle most situations fairly well. Devon has a lot of responsibility and feels protective of the members of his family. Mo was fun and while I thought he was looking out for Lila, I was never sure if he should be trusted. There is a large cast of characters from the various families that really kept the story interesting.

Brittany Pressley did a fantastic job with the narration of this book. I remember liking the book the first time I read it but during this re-read, I didn't want to put it down. She brought Lila and the rest of the characters to life and I thought that she did a wonderful job with all of the character voices.

I would recommend this book to others. I think that Jennifer Estep has created a fun YA urban fiction series filled with a lot of excitement and great characters. I cannot wait to start the audiobook of the next book in the trilogy. ( )

Couldn't even finish it.
There are massive chunks of exposition in the beginning that suck all the wind out of this book's pacing.
The lead wants to be both a badass, injured girl with a chip on her shoulder, but still also be girly. (I mean honestly, she blushes because someone opens a car door for her? Does she faint if they give her help getting out?) It's just too much whiplash when that happens.

And that attempt at starting a romance is sooooo painful.
Honestly: brooding but sad and he has a sorrowful aura but with a bright spark and he's very loyal to his friends. He's a "silent and strong" type. I could not make more of a cliche.
And worse, all of that is just dropped on the reader as exposition. No no, I don't want to learn about the characters, just tell us the entirety of their personality in the first chapter we meet them. ( )

Re-read:
So I just recently re-read this series. I remembered liking it and I put it on my 'book bf' shelf but for some reason I couldn't remember why, whenever I recalled the series I thought Devon was a push over or weak.... and I hate myself for thinking that.

I realize now it's because we as readers have almost become conditioned for male leads in our books (especially paranormal romance or UF) to be hyper masculine 'Alpha Males'. Which kind of goes hand in hand with having a main character who is an asshole to the leading lady. (Twilight, 50 shades, Beautiful Disaster, Mortal Instruments, Lux, you get the picture) And Devon is a good fighter and can hold his own but he isn't the strongest, he doesn't come swooping in to save Lila... because she can save herself. He doesn't act all tough and manly, like he has no feelings, no he's kind and considerate, in fact many characters in the book remark on how nice he is. Somehow in my recall of the series this translated to less... less of a man, less masculine, less than Lila.

And I'm appalled at myself, because he isn't less. He is a fantastic character. He is strong and he nice and he treats all the other characters and Lila especially with so much respect, I wish more men in YA UF literature were like this. When Lila is running and building a wall around her and the others so she can't begin to care for people, so she can't be hurt. He is there supporting her, helping her, being a friend, whatever she needs.

I am so glad I reread this series, I genuinely think Devon is one of the best male figures I have read in a long time. ( )

Review Originally Posted At: FictionForesight

In accordance with current FTC Guidelines, please let it be known this book was received through NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Review:

When I first started reading Cold Burn of Magic, I did NOT think I was going to like it. To have a setting where the main character goes from a magic-slinging sword fight, to texting on her cellphone in an SUV, was very hard to conceptualize. However as the book progressed, and some of my confusion was cleared, I was able to truly understand and enjoy the story more. The setting takes place in a United States tourist town named Cloudburst Falls, where magic and creatures are the theme, and various magical families compete for ownership of it. Think of it like mafia families sharing ownership of Disney land, only the magic, creatures, and deadly sword fights are all real. The main character, an orphaned thief named Lila, gets caught between the two biggest magical families in Cloudburst Falls and has to join one of them in order to survive.

The Good:

Although I had difficulty getting my head around the setting of the story in the beginning, this faded, and I was slowly able to further enjoy the many intricate and unique elements that made up the world Jennifer Estep created in this story. One of these enjoyable elements, was the magic that certain characters were born with. Magic in this story was not just limited to types, but also degrees of strength and rarity. A character could have a weak ability to heal and/or a strong ability for super-strength. Another nice element to the magic system, was that although genetics played a role in whether or not you received magical abilities, the characters were not merely limited to the abilities in there family tree. If your mom was super-fast, and your dad super-strong, you may have an affinity towards these abilities, but you could also end up being able to freeze things instead.

Another unique story element, was the clear description of various and distinct creatures. Different creatures had different abilities, different preferences of appeasement, and liked to live in different places. All of them however could be dangerous when provoked or if hungry.

The Bad:

One of the issues I had with Cold Burn of Magic, was that I felt a few of the character’s personalities were too inconsistent. Just when you thought you knew them and how they felt, they would completely turn and do something out of character. This led to some slight frustration, and made me have to re-read pages a few times, just to make sure I wasn’t making a mistake in what I read.

Another problem that I had, was that some of the major plot points I found to be too predictable. By paying attention to what was said in the story, I was able to guess not just the identity of the bad guy, but also their manner of death by the time I was halfway through the book. I feel like some of the more important clues could have come a bit later in the story, which would have increased, or rather actually provided, a level of surprise.

The other concerns that I had were minor. First it seemed to end too abruptly. Just when I felt like the story was starting to move along and pieces were falling into place, the story pretty much finished. The major conflict that Lila addressed throughout the book, was never truly resolved. Instead it seems that this was left for the sequel to deal with. Another concern, was the under-utilization of the various creatures talked about in the story. Aside from a few descriptions and sightings, few of the creatures played any role in the first book. This had me a little disappointed after all the great descriptions that were given for them. Finally, I have to ask two questions. First, why is no one using guns? Yes they are banned in the town, but if people are killing each other, why would they not break other laws too? Second, why are all these people with magic and magical creatures so well known…but yet only exist in this tiny geographical area of the U.S.?

Overall:

This was not my favorite book, but it was an enjoyable one. It had a unique setting with a unique magic and weapon system, with mysterious creatures that made me want to learn more. The story felt like it came to an abrupt stop once it finally started to pick up, but at least there is a definite sequel to remedy that. If I had been asked to review this book after the first two chapters, I would have given it 1 to 2 stars…if I was feeling generous. However, after reading the rest of the book, it kept improving, thus becoming more understandable and interesting. That is why my final rating for this book is a solid 3 stars, and also why myself and other Fiction Foresight Reviewers do not DNF books! This is a book that I would recommend to an urban fantasy lover for a vacation or long commute to pass the time.

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