Shadow Charms (Shelving Magic #2)
Nellie H. Steele
My Rating: 3 stars
Genre: Urban Fantasy/ Fantasy Adventure
Age Category: Adult
Blurb:
She solved one case, but now she’s marked…and she’s being hunted.Paige Turner has solved her first case as Shadow Harbor’s newest paranormal librarian, but she’s still fighting for her life from the fatal beast mark. And on top of that, she’s facing a new enemy and a powerful new magical weapon that can tear the world apart. Literally.
When the shrieking pixies set their sights on the wand of division, the world faces a danger like never before. And as the incurable beast mark on her back slowly kills her, she’ll have to fight against her own body and the magical underworld with the help of her teacup dragon partner. Will Paige find a way to keep the world safe from the new threat or will she succumb to her own illness first?
Fans of The Bureau of Magical Things and The Librarians will love this adventure-laden contemporary fantasy series.
My Review
I received a free copy from the author through Booksprout and voluntarily reviewed it.
Shadow Charms is the second book in the Shelving Magic series and follows main character Paige and her friend and work partner Dewey, a teacup dragon. I had a few struggles with the first book and I felt book 2 was a lot better in some ways, the pacing felt better and I enjoyed the adventures vibe and magical trouble they got in.
Just like with book 1 I thought the second half of this book was better, but that’s probably as I didn’t really enjoy the plot line about the beast wound Paige had and how they fix it. It even got a bit gory for me in a few places as the wound got worse. There were some scenes I didn’t really care for and a few times the plot and twists feel a bit ridiculous, but most of the time I thought the twists and turns the plot took were fun and I liked seeing what new problems they run in now.
The second half focuses more on their new quest to find the wand of division as well as magical items that make it more powerful. And I really enjoyed that part. There is lots of adventure, dangerous situations, magical creatures and it was just a lot of fun to see how Paige and Dewey handled it all.
I am glad Paige’s clumsiness wasn’t as overdone in this book. It’s still part of her personality, but in a more subtle way. I liked seeing how she interacted with Dewey and seeing the two of them work together. Their friendship has deepened and I like their banter as well as how they always have each others back. They really have to work together to solve the situations they get in.
To summarize: I enjoyed this second book in the series, but I enjoyed the second half more than the first half. The first half deals a bit more with Paige’s wound and how to cure it and I didn’t enjoy that plot as much as the second half where they have to find the wand of division and the artifacts that make it stronger. This book can be a bit hit or miss for me at times, with some scenes being really fun and others feeling a bit too much or a bit ridiculous. I liked how Paige’s clumsiness felt more part of her personality and was more tones down that in book 1. I liked Paige’s friendship with Dewey, they have some fun banter and I like how they have each other’s back. The book has a nice light and fun atmosphere with plenty of adventure. I really like the vibe of this series so far and I look forward to the third book.
Yay for it improving from last book, but too bad it took you by surprise with some gory stuff.
I am glad this book was better, but then I ended up DNF’ing book 3 as that one didn’t work for me. It’s a shame as the series had some great parts.