REMNANTS OF MAGIC
The Sidhe Collection #2
by S.A. Archer & S. Ravynheart
Publisher: Ravynheart Publishing (2013)
Genre: Urban Fantasy, Fantasy, Adult
Format: eBook (Novel length)
Source: Free book from author for honest review
Find It: Goodreads | Amazon Print | Amazon Kindle | Barnes & Noble
Rating: ★★★★½ (4.5 Stars)
Summary
Remnants of Magic explodes into action as London, an enchanted human, becomes a huntress of the Sidhe, determined to claim by force the addictive magic that she’ll die without. But making enemies of the dark Unseelie sets her on a path that entangles her in the fate and the future of the Sidhe.
Suffering from the Fade, Lugh fights to reclaim the lost relics that will restore the magic of the fey, a near to impossible task. Then an act of treachery poisons him with a darkness he can not purge and threatens to destroy him and all hopes for the fey.
With a magical war brewing on more than one front, Donovan strives to train the teen-aged ‘earthborn’ Sidhe into a fighting force capable of defending the fey. But one of the earthborns is a dangerous wild card, compelled by instincts he doesn’t understand and can’t control.
One Dangerous World… Three Intense Storylines…Remnants of Magic - The Sidhe Collection #2 contains the second half of Season One of The Sidhe. It features books from the Rise of the Unseelie, Champion of the Sidhe, and Touched mini-series in the recommended reading order. Over 70,000 words of intense Urban Fantasy action and adventure!
This volume includes the following episodes: Enchanted, Bloodhound, Protector of the Light, Compelled, Captivated, Keeper of Secrets, Uprising.
At A GlanceRemnants of Magic explodes into action as London, an enchanted human, becomes a huntress of the Sidhe, determined to claim by force the addictive magic that she’ll die without. But making enemies of the dark Unseelie sets her on a path that entangles her in the fate and the future of the Sidhe.
Suffering from the Fade, Lugh fights to reclaim the lost relics that will restore the magic of the fey, a near to impossible task. Then an act of treachery poisons him with a darkness he can not purge and threatens to destroy him and all hopes for the fey.
With a magical war brewing on more than one front, Donovan strives to train the teen-aged ‘earthborn’ Sidhe into a fighting force capable of defending the fey. But one of the earthborns is a dangerous wild card, compelled by instincts he doesn’t understand and can’t control.
One Dangerous World… Three Intense Storylines…Remnants of Magic - The Sidhe Collection #2 contains the second half of Season One of The Sidhe. It features books from the Rise of the Unseelie, Champion of the Sidhe, and Touched mini-series in the recommended reading order. Over 70,000 words of intense Urban Fantasy action and adventure!
This volume includes the following episodes: Enchanted, Bloodhound, Protector of the Light, Compelled, Captivated, Keeper of Secrets, Uprising.
Season One is complete. Wow. It has been a crazy ride!
The Good
Remnants of Magic, which includes three intertwining series: Touched, Champion of the Sidhe, and Rise of the Unseelie, is the conclusion of Season One of the Sidhe Saga. And all I can say is Mind Blown! I am already craving Season Two. So much action, so much heartbreak, so many magical creatures! Sometimes it's all too much, but in a good way.
I think London got dealt the worst hand in these series. The Touch was forced on her and now she has to tie herself to a fey to stay alive. She has burned too many bridges with the Unseelie but there is one last ray of hope: Lugh, the champion of the fey. He doesn't care about her past as long as she serves him in everyway. London has done what she's needed to to survive, but her actions were not always honorable. Her past often comes back to bite her on the butt, but she always manages to survive. That's because she is effing badass! This girl has some fighting skills. I love the direction she is going as a character. She is done being selfish. She is embracing her destiny and is ready to fight for what's right no matter the outcome.
I feel so bad for Lugh. He really is trying to do his best. He is trying to save his race but he is also so easily mislead. And now a darkness is growing inside him that may ruin everything. It will come down to how strong he is. I really hope Lugh can finish his mission despite this new obstacle. I love how much he is beginning to rely of London and how much she is there for them. They made a fast connection that warms the heart, and is a little scary too. It was no secret that Lugh's story was my least favorite, but now he is totally interesting in every way. Paired with London, these two seem unstoppable.
I LOVED Donovan in the beginning. He has saved so many fey from the clutches of horrible wizards, vampires, and trolls. His intentions are always good, but I think he may be losing his way a bit. He is teaching the young fey to hate rather than to think. He is creating vicious soldiers that are potentially dangerous. Especially Malcolm. I love Malcolm because he survived and mostly overcame all that abuse. But he is dangerous, he is reckless, and his hate consumes him. I am nervous for Donovan and his crew, they are not quite on the right path right now. But I loved every minute of it. No one can be perfect, there has to be mistakes made to make things interesting.
The action was amazing as always. The characters keep developing this depth and demension that really bring them to life. The writing was spot on and the pacing was perfect. I am excited to see where everyone's journey takes them.
The Bad
Since this was the second half of all three series, there was a lot of overlap as the series came together in their stories and characters. I loved that, but I didn't like the repeated scenes from different POVs. There wasn't enough change in the scenes for them to be repeated just because of a differing POV.
Also, I expected the ending to be more wrapped up. It wasn't at all. It just stopped in the middle of the story. Thank goodness there are more books coming.
The Snuggly
We finally get some bow chicka wow wow. Lugh is all sexed up in this book. He gets it on with some important characters, and it's not gentle, but boy is it hot! The sex scenes are skimmed over so this book is still appropriate for most audiences. But I would recommend it for NA and up.
Final Thoughts
As always, I think fantasy/urban fantasy lovers will really like these series. They remind me of watching a TV series on HBO or something. We get little episodes that taunt and titillate us, leaving us wanting more each time. Very recommended.
Quotes
"What fey survive the cataclysm are yet doomed to perish. But one chance remains. One slim breath of a hope. If I fail in my quest, all the fey will Fade forever from existence."
His magic brought her back to life. The shackles of torment vanished like they never existed. All she wanted, all she needed, was in this Sidhe's touch. As they made out like lovers, he filled her, completed her, and made her free. It wasn't enslavement in the magic of the Sidhe, but life and freedom. That's what her mind told her, even though she knew that it lied.
"Druidess, I have need of a promise from you." A bit calmer, but just a bit.
"I am here for you." And she meant that. She was here for him. To help him save the fey and restore their realm. To be his companion through the good times and the bad. To put him and his mission ahead of her own self-serving concerns. To get him through this corruption and see him restored to The Shining One and the Sidhe Champion he was meant to be.
London saw the muscles of Lugh's jaw working as his teeth clenched. "Some day, remind me who I once was."
"What fey survive the cataclysm are yet doomed to perish. But one chance remains. One slim breath of a hope. If I fail in my quest, all the fey will Fade forever from existence."
His magic brought her back to life. The shackles of torment vanished like they never existed. All she wanted, all she needed, was in this Sidhe's touch. As they made out like lovers, he filled her, completed her, and made her free. It wasn't enslavement in the magic of the Sidhe, but life and freedom. That's what her mind told her, even though she knew that it lied.
"Druidess, I have need of a promise from you." A bit calmer, but just a bit.
"I am here for you." And she meant that. She was here for him. To help him save the fey and restore their realm. To be his companion through the good times and the bad. To put him and his mission ahead of her own self-serving concerns. To get him through this corruption and see him restored to The Shining One and the Sidhe Champion he was meant to be.
London saw the muscles of Lugh's jaw working as his teeth clenched. "Some day, remind me who I once was."
I read the below (Scattered Magic: The Sidhe Collection #1) as individual novellas.
Champion of the Sidhe Series:
Book #1: End of the World
Book #2: Champion of the Fey
Book #3: Defender of Magic
Rise of the Unseelie Series:
Book #1: Aftershock
Book #2: Scars of Silver
Book #3: Eyes of Magic
Touched Series:
Book #1: Cursed
Book #2: Addicted
I read Remnants of Magic: The Sidhe Collection #1 as a whole completing all three series. Which complete Season One.
Stay tuned for Season Two!
I love magic and all books about it. I'm in. :-)
ReplyDeleteAnna from Shout with Emaginette
Yaaa. :)
DeleteNot sure I would like the repeated scenes from different povs but you still rated this high, so the action and characters growth must be worth it. Awesome review and so happy you loved these.
ReplyDeleteOh yeah, still totally worth the read.
DeleteThe characters with the depth and dimension seem great
ReplyDeleteOh yeah, the best part of this story.
DeleteDonovan sounds like the kind of character we should see more of! And season one - so is this like a novella series like the Rhiannon Frater one? I have been seeing those pop up more and more and they sound like a lot of fun to follow especially if they come out quickly - I have terrible memory and hate waiting a year between books >.< The repeated scenes is why I don't usually go for those books that are retold in the boy's POV they can sometimes just be very boring and repetitive. Great review, Jennifer!
ReplyDeleteYeah, these were serials, a bunch of short novellas that equaled one big story. The authors have put them into two books now, so it's easier to read. There is going to be three seasons all together.
DeleteOh yes, London is really given a raw deal. lol. Great to see you got to reading the stories. :)
ReplyDeleteI know, I hate it because she is my fav characters. Girl power!
DeleteSo, is this a serial then? I'm not big on reading those unless all of the episodes have been released. I'm not sold on the same scenes from different POVs either, but the rest sounds like it's quality UF. Hmm... what to do.
ReplyDeleteYes, a serial. I know what you mean but these are all done and can be bought in two big books now.
DeleteI'll look this up more, I just read a great fae series, I want more! And I don't mind serials if I can binge on them.
ReplyDeleteYup, binge away. I would love to see what you think.
DeleteSo excited to work my way to these stories. The POV thing doesn't bother me at all. I could read a whole book exactly the same way from a differing POV though I do enjoy getting the internal dialogue from the character which is why. I feel like I know them better that way. Great review! Jaclyn @ JC's Book Haven.
ReplyDeleteI really hope you love these. Out of anyone, you would. You and me just like these weird reads. hehe.
DeleteOkay, I'm kind of confused ... the 3 different series are all connected? These sound really interesting, but I just need to make sure I start at the right place. lol.
ReplyDeleteYup, exactly. Your best bet is to buy Scattered Magic and Remnants of Magic, which is all the series in reading order.
DeleteI never read something done this way so kind of curious. The repetitive thing might drive me a little mad thought heh
ReplyDeleteI know you said before about liking this author - I need to read one of these books soon!
ReplyDeleteI would be interested to see what you think.
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