Lila Merriweather is getting used to her new occupation
as bodyguard to Devon Sinclair of the Sinclair Family.
Devon would like to be more than a good friend. The Tournament of Blades,
a traditional and important competition between the
magical families is soon approaching when Lila and her
cohorts, Devon Sinclair and Felix Morales, come upon a
dead tree troll. The poor creature has been murdered, and
it seems a human did it. Could it be one of the numerous
tourists who flock to the magical town of Cloudburst
Falls? The Draconi Family is still trying to maintain its
position of superiority over the other families, but what
are they really up to? When the Tournament of Blades gets
under way, and unfortunate accidents start to happen,
Lila resorts to her natural thieving abilities to
investigate.
DARK HEART OF MAGIC is Book 2 of the Black Blade series,
and although the story continues where the first book
left off, new readers should not be discouraged from
diving right in. Ms. Estep subtly and concisely provides
all the pertinent details as they become necessary, so I
think it makes it possible to follow. The pace of DARK
HEART OF MAGIC is not as frantic as it was in the first
instalment, the focus being directed more on the
characters, which leads to character development of
extraordinary depth while the mystery angle becomes more
enthralling. And when the Tournament begins and Lila
starts investigating, the pace seriously picks up;
allegiances become more fluid, and there are plots and
twists that will make your jaw drop.
Ms. Estep's writing is as flawless, and eloquent as ever,
even though I understand it is a Young Adult book, I
would have preferred that the author not use so many
onomatopoeias where a simple verb would have sufficed,
such as rattle-rattle-rattled where rattled
would have been enough, however I find it utterly
amazing how Lila does sound like a seventeen-year-old
girl.
DARK HEART OF MAGIC is a terrific book, and Lila remains
one of my favourite heroines of recent years. The pacing
of the action is simply outstanding as it slowly builds
to a dizzying crescendo that left me reeling. I felt like
shouting and pumping my fist in anticipation of what is
to come. The next book will never come out quickly
enough!
As a thief, I stick to the shadows as much as possible. But
when the head of the Sinclair Family picks me to compete in
the Tournament of Blades, there's no escaping the
spotlight--or the danger.
Even though he's my competition, Devon Sinclair thinks I
have the best shot at winning what's supposed to be a
friendly contest. But when the competitors start having
mysterious "accidents," it looks like someone will do
anything to win--no matter who they hurt.
As if I didn't have enough to worry about, mobster Victor
Draconi is plotting against Devon and the rest of my
friends, and someone's going around Cloudburst Falls
murdering monsters. One thing's for sure. Sometimes, humans
can be more monstrous than anything else...
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