Jess Haines' SMOKE AND MIRRORS

"Kickass start to a new UF series with dragons and mages"

"SMOKE AND MIRRORS is the first book in the new Blackhollow Academy young adult/new adult contemporary fantasy series by Jess Haines. I'm excited for more books in the series, because I freaking loved SMOKE AND MIRRORS. I've been a long term fan of Haines' H&W Investigations, a kooky paranormal series with werewolves and magic. SMOKE AND MIRRORS has a very similar vibe, with magic users, dragons, and Others (like werewolves, centaurs, and vampires).

Kimberly is a girl in her last year at Blackhollow Academy learning magic.
Kimberly is a rare illusionist, not a regular mage like all the others in her
class. She and her mother are living in a crappy apartment and working as many
hours as they each can to get by while Kimberly goes to school as well.
Kimberly's dream is to graduate and get a decent paying job in a coven so she
can support her mother. But Kimberly can't pass her finals and graduate unless
she can get a familiar as part of her final exams. As an illusionist, she can't
create her own familiar the way the rest of the other students can, so she must
find an Other who will let her bind them as her familiar. Her professor suggests
that Kimberly find a dragon to bind, to protect her from all the abuse that
Kimberly is receiving at school as a hated illusionist.

I'm not going to tell you too much of the rest of the story, because the true
joy of the story is in the slow revelations. But I love just about each and
every character in this book (except for the mean kids, which, let's be honest,
probably aren't even liked by their own parents). Kimberly is young and
unseasoned, but not stupid. She's so good of heart, and so earnest, and so
noble, and I adore her! Cormac Hunter is an antiquarian bookseller who
Kimberly's professor sends Kimberly to for help in finding a dragon. Kimberly is
positively desperate to find a familiar, and she sets off with Cormac to track
down access to a dragon who might be able to help her. The quest is utterly
compelling. I love the insights of how Cormac thinks, and how stymied he is by
the uncomplicated and ungreedy nature of Kimberly. Cormac gradually becomes an
earnest fan of dear Kimberly, and it's beautiful to watch their relationship deepen.

Fans of Rachel Aaron, Sierra Dean, and Michelle Sagara will enjoy this wonderful
UF tale. The insights of Cormac even feel like those of Simon in The Others
series by Anne Bishop (a definite indicator of how much I like this book,
because I LOVE Anne Bishop's books!). Haines' SMOKE AND MIRRORS has all the
right elements to keep me coming back for more- a plucky heroine, a grumpy yet
noble hero, and a dab of suspense and a lot of kickass paranormal action."

Review by Make Kay

EXCERPT:

Viper made a soft hissing sound of irritation between his teeth, pulling back
from her. “Cormac has no vision. I know what I want and I’m prepared to offer
anything to get it. You have but to ask.”

Well. There was one thing. Her cheeks flared crimson and she squirmed a bit
before stuttering out another question, swallowing back her embarrassment.

“You keep a hoard like a dragon, right? I don’t suppose you would consider
loaning me a little? I swear I’d pay it back.”

His head tipped to one side, and he looked her up and down anew. She suspected
he was just noticing her frayed cuffs and cheap shoes. He’d been so intent on
getting whatever it was he wanted out of her that he hadn’t paid attention to
the package it came in until now. When she caught the very slight curl of his
lip, there and gone in a flash, embarrassed heat filled her cheeks.

Feeling both dirty and humiliated, she ducked her head. “Never mind. I shouldn’t
have asked. I’m sorry, I don’t think I can do this.”

“Come now, I’m sure it’s not that hard. All it takes is a yes.”

“No,” she said, this time with a bit more vehemence. Cormac was right. There was
something off about Viper, and never mind what a perfect ass she’d just made of
herself. Worst of all, that flash of disgust showed he obviously had no respect
for her. At least Cormac never made her feel tolerated. “Thank you for the
offer, but I’ll find some other way of getting what I need.”

He slowly rose to stand, heaving a sigh as he settled back on his heels.

“That’s unfortunate. This would have been much easier if you had agreed.”

Kimberly would have asked what he meant by that, but the look in his eyes froze
her in place.

His eyes burned a molten gold as he spread his arms, which were expanding and
shifting at an alarming rate. Faster than she might have thought possible, he
was growing, his clothing melting and skin disappearing under a layer of
metallic scales. Nearby, people were noticing, shouting and screaming in fear as
they stampeded in every direction to escape the shapechanging Other in their midst.

When he ceased growing, from the tip of his nose to the end of his tail, he was
over thirty feet long, with a wingspan half again that size.

Kimberly sat immobile, unable to so much as squeak in terror as the beast before
her lurched back to arch its neck and spread its wings, barbed tail lashing as
it growled at her. One thick, talon-tipped paw lashed out, flattening her on the
grass and squeezing the air out of her lungs. It gave an awkward, one-legged hop
forward to catch its balance before clenching its claws to dig deep furrows in
the grass and close around her waist and legs, pinning her.

Then those wide, ribbed wings began to flap, the sun playing off the tones of
brass and copper and gold. The ground fell away, people scattering before the
airborne monster.

And Kimberly could do nothing but pray, staring up at this great beast that had
her in its claws.

She’d gotten what she’d asked for. Now she would have to pay the price.