The Night Realm (Spell Weaver #1)
by Annette Marie
narrated by Melissa Moran and Tim Paige
My Rating: 4 stars
Genre: Urban Fantasy/ Post-apocalyptic Urban Fantasy
Age Category: Young Adult
Type of romance: m/f
Blurb:
Clio isn’t a thief. She isn’t a spy, a soldier, or a diplomat. Aside from her rare ability to mimic spells, her only notable talent is gardening.But with a war threatening her homeland, and her half-brother—the nymph prince—pleading for her help, she agrees to attempt the impossible: stealing deadly magic from the best spell weavers in the three realms.
Their stronghold is located deep in the Underworld, which is exactly the sort of place an Overworld nymph like her should never go. Getting in won’t be that hard. Getting out alive is the impossible part.
Lyre is a master of two skills: spell weaving and seduction. As an incubus, he can enthrall any woman he desires. As a master weaver, he can create any spell imaginable—but not the spells of death and destruction that his ruthless family specializes in.
A master weaver who can’t—or won’t—contribute to the family legacy is a liability that won’t be tolerated for much longer. And when a nosy Overworld nymph starts probing into his secrets and draws the attention of his sadistic brothers, his odds of survival take a nosedive.
Because some magic was never meant to be woven. And while Lyre’s most dangerous creation could be powerful enough to save Clio’s homeland, it’s terrible enough to destroy far more.
And neither Clio’s mimic ability nor Lyre’s spell weaving will save them from its power.
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Celebrating the 10th Anniversary of the best-selling Steel & Stone series, the second edition of The Night Realm features a revised story and new cover.Note: The Spell Weaver and Steel & Stone series are set in the same world but can be read independently.
My Review
I received a free copy from Tantor Audio and voluntarily reviewed it. All opinions are my own.
I really like Annette Marie’s books and The Spell Weaver series and Steel & Stone series are the only two series of hers I hadn’t read yet. So when I got the chance to listen to the re-published audio version of The Night Realm I jumped on the chance to experience this series.
This book was really good. I enjoyed the set up and getting to know the two characters, both aren’t in the easiest of positions. It’s written in dual point of view so we get to know each of them quite well. Clio is an overworld nymph, she’s sweet, innocent and not a thief, but because of her unique power to mimic magic she’s the only one that can pull this mission to steal magic from the underworld to save her people. Lyre is an incubus living in the underworld and a very capable spell weaver. He doesn’t want to weave the destructive magic his family is known for, but knows of no way out as he knows too much.
The two meet while Clio is there and they slowly grow closer. I liked the clash between their personalities Clio was sweet and innocent, while Lyre is confident and teasing. They were fun to read about. Their dynamic reminded me a bit of one of Annette Marie’s Demonized series. I liked seeing them grow closer and there were some fun scenes between them, there is some great banter and I loved seeing the bond deepen and how they would help each other. The ending has some great scenes and I look forward to seeing their romance develop in the next book.
The plot of this book was engaging, but after the exciting start I did feel some parts in the middle were a bit slow and didn’t hold my attention as well. I have come to expect this from Annette Marie’s books and knew the ending would be great again and that was indeed the case. The ending had so much going on and changes things in big ways for the characters and sets things up for book 2. It was very exciting and had some battles and action as well.
The world building in this book was great. I liked reading about the different demon classes and how each had their own unique ability. Then there was the demon politics going on and the two different demon realms as well as earth, which has a bit of a post apocalyptic vibe form what I could tell from the few scenes set there. And ofcourse the magic, the magic was so fun to read about, I liked learning more about the magic and weaving and how everything worked. There are some epic magic battles as well as cool spells and some very terrifying ones. I also really liked seeing Clio adjusting a bit to her situation and seeing her use her magic especially toward the end was so fun.
The narrators were both new to me and I really liked listening to this book. Both narrators fit the characters well and I liked the different voices they did. definitely want to continue the rest of the series in audio.
To summarize: I was excited to finally have the chance to read this series as I read most of the authors series and enjoyed them. This book has an exciting plot featuring an overworld nymph and an underworld incubus, both stuck in a difficult situations. I liked seeing them meet and connect and seeing their connection build. There are some sweet and fun banter scenes between them and I look forward to seeing how the romance progresses throughout the series. The plot was engaging, there were some parts in the middle that were a bit slow. The ending was super exciting and action packed. I liked the world building with the different realms, demon classes as well as the magic. I liked seeing more of the magic and learning how it worked, there are some exciting magic battles and interesting spells. Both narrators were great and I enjoyed listening to this book. The ending sets the stage for book 2 and I am eager to continue the series.
This sounds fun. I like all the magical elements.
The magic system was very interesting and I liked how much it was part of the story.
These books sound so good and I can think of several students that would love them. But they’re not available that I can order through the service we use for the library. I may have to start putting up a sign/display of books students might like but then list where else they can find them. Great review!
That’s a shame you can’t get them for your library as the service you sue doesn’t have them. I am currently listening to book 2 and I am enjoying it so far.