I was pleasantly suprised by Kelley Armstrong's DIME STORE MAGIC. I found Paige very annoying in STOLEN, but here, with her own voice, she was quite interesting. Also, she admits in the narrative that she has matured a lot since STOLEN. There's lots of interesting information on Armstrong's supernatural world, some great action, and a nice romance. My only quibble is that it did take Paige a long time to get a clue as to the real character of some of the people around her, but the action still kept me engaged. Definitely looking forward to the next in the series.--Shelley (16 May 04)I'm recommending this one. I think it's the best yet in this supernatural series she's writing. I enjoyed the fact that our heroine is just your average, ordinary, slightly frumpy leader of a witches' coven who is sucked into adventure in spite of herself. There's a nice romance and I think better characterization in this one. It seems to have a bit more humor and empathy than her previous books, too. Looking forward to the next one!--Suzanne (6 Aug 04)
Hey, I finished an actual book in its entirety without skimming! For this fact alone I give this a "highly recommended" tag. ;) Because I still haven't gotten around to reading BITTEN (which I bought when it was first released in hardcover) or its sequel, STOLEN, I had to pay very close attention to the first few chapters to get acquainted with Armstrong's world.
It also took me a few chapters to figure out who was who and what they had to do with the current story, but once I got caught up, the pages began to fly. There were a few conversations between Paige and Elena that I thought added nothing to this story, but I may change mind when I go back and read the first two books.
I liked Paige early on. She's tough and gutsy and vulnerable as well but a little too trusting of certain people (though I'm betting this aspect of her personality changes in the sequel). Savannah was also a very believable teen dealing quite well with all of the gore and upheaval in her life. I particularly enjoyed the wise-ass humor and the non-stop tension (sexual and otherwise). It reminded, in a way, of the earliest Laurell K. Hamilton books.
Armstrong's world, where witches and cabals work behind the scenes while modern day life ticks on, was interesting. The fact that the "supernaturals" have to hide their abilities from normal folks was a nice touch but the jabs at Wiccans who are all portrayed as stereotypical loonies who live to rip off their clothing and romp in the woods got old quickly.
DIME STORE MAGIC was a page-turner despite my little quibbles. Now I'll have to dig out BITTEN....--Laurie (27 Oct 04)
