Title: Industrial Magic
Series: Women of the Otherworld #4
Author: Kelley Armstrong
Publisher: Random House of Canada
Format: Trade Paperback, 480 pages
Published: January 26, 2010
ISBN #: 9780553587074 / 0553587072
Genre: Urban Fantasy
My Copy: bought
Buy:
Meet the smart, sexy — supernatural — women of the otherworld. This is not your mother’s coven…
Kelley Armstrong returns with the eagerly awaited follow-up to Dime Store Magic. Paige Winterbourne, a headstrong young woman haunted by a dark legacy, is now put to the ultimate test as she fights to save innocents from the most insidious evil of all…
In the aftermath of her mother’s murder, Paige broke with the elite, ultraconservative American Coven of Witches. Now her goal is to start a new Coven for a new generation. But while Paige pitches her vision to uptight thirty-something witches in business suits, a more urgent matter commands her attention.
Someone is murdering the teenage offspring of the underworld’s most influential Cabals — a circle of families that makes the mob look like amateurs. And none is more powerful than the Cortez Cabal, a faction Paige is intimately acquainted with. Lucas Cortez, the rebel son and unwilling heir, is none other than her boyfriend. But love isn’t blind, and Paige has her eyes wide open as she is drawn into a hunt for an unnatural-born killer. Pitted against shamans, demons, and goons, it’s a battle chilling enough to make a wild young woman grow up in a hurry. If she gets the chance.
In my opinion, this novel is one of the most jam-packed installments of this series. There’s a staggering amount of action and nearly every single character in the Women of the Otherworld universe makes an appearance. Regardless of whether you prefer witches, werewolves, vampires or necromancers, Dime Store Magic is sure to please all paranormal fans. The murder investigation that’s at the forefront of this book’s plot not only crosses preternatural lines but metaphysical planes as well. Plus, Paige really starts to come into her own as a narrator and as a character.
This is the first time that Paige and Lucas work together on an official investigation and it provides a nice glimpse of things to come in future books. Their relationship grows by leaps and bounds in this novel and they finally realize that their feelings for each other are more than just a passing phase. Of course, like most preternatural couples, they have to learn the truth of the matter the hard way. It’s not until bullets start to fly and the Fates step in that they really realize what they mean to each other. Luckily for them, nothing is ever final in their universe, not even death. Armstrong also explores the reasons behind Cortez’s strained relationship with Benicio, his father. It’s easy to understand why the rift happened but a little more challenging to grasp Lucas’ refusal to have any type of bond with his estranged dad. It’s obvious that Benicio cares a great deal for his son and there are a few really moving moments where I just wanted to shake Lucas for his stubbornness.
For the most part, vampires don’t play a very significant role in the Women of the Otherworld but when Cassandra offers her assistance you can’t help but take note. She comes off as very cold and cryptic most of the time and oddly enough, I just love her to bits. This investigation reveals the intricacies of vampire society and helps to further cement the preternatural community’s distaste for the undead. Their animosity used to be based on speculation but after having seen the horrors with their own eyes, it’s now based on fact. Cassandra’s pretty tame compared to the rest of them!
In spite of this book’s blisteringly fast pace and intricate details, Kelley still finds room to throw a little bit of humour into the mix. I really enjoyed the dialogue between Jaime and Cassandra; especially their never-ending argument over whether vamps are dead or not. Vegas is such a bouncy, enthusiastic character that it’s darn near impossible not to like her. She always looks on the bright side of a situation even when she’s getting her butt kicked by a ghost who refuses to leave her alone. Last but not least, Clay & Elena also throw their gloves into the ring for a couple of rounds.
Industrial Magic is an all out supernatural free-for-all that’ll leave you jonesing for another fix of the Women of the Otherworld.
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| Recommendation: | Fans of witches and sorcerers will enjoy the next few books in this series but take note, the werewolves aren’t officially back in the game until book 6. |
| Like this, like that: | The Hollows series by Kim Harrison and the Arcadia Bell series by Jen Bennett. |
Owner, designer and main blogger behind Rabid Reads. Avid book reader, snowboard bunny, video gamer and Supernatural fan. I love all things paranormal, werewolves especially. Oh, and I’m Canadian, eh!
Enjoyed this book. Initially started reading Kelley Armstrong just for Clay and Elena but ended up falling in love with most of her characters.
@emmameade.com The vast majority of her characters are incredible but there will always be a special place in my heart for Clay & Elena.
I absolutely lovedd Industrial Magic for all the same reasons you mentioned above!!! ahhh I always get super excited reading your reviews because you can describe the exact same way I felt while reading the book. Thank you so much for being part of the reading challenge Carmel!!! You are so awesome!