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Conjured (Conjured Series Book 1)

Wednesday, October 31, 2018Wednesday, October 31, 2018 admin

The magical and supernatural world Nolan creates is really fresh and engrossing. I found the hoodoo elements quite captivating and very well thought out. Nolan has clearly done her research and adds a great authenticity to the story. I think readers will be riveted by Miss Delia's lessons in spells, herbs, gris-gris bags and the grotesquely fascinating curse. For the most part, with the characters' ages and the less intense atmosphere, this story felt more MG than YA.

Yes, there are darker supernatural and magical elements and life or death situations, but it just has a younger vibe to it. The teen characters who are 14 and 15 are a bit immature, but not unlikable. Emma is a realistic and smart heroine who really grew on me throughout the book. Cooper is a sweet guy, but his character development is a bit lacking; I hope we get to know him better in the next book.

Jack was a bit harder to like, but I think that's because the curse made him act like a jerk. Miss Delia really shines as a great mentor character! She's funny, sassy, and irresistibly lovable. Emma and Cooper's flirtation is definitely more cutesy and sweet than steamy. The book concludes by wrapping up the storyline nicely, but setting the scene for the next installment and I will definitely be reading the sequel.

Conjure, with its fresh and fascinating hoodoo storyline, is a fun and entertaining book that will charm readers. A great first installment in what's sure to be an awesome series. Hoodoo, South Carolina Low Country, a cute love story, pirates of a sort, a curse, what is there not to love about this book? I was drawn in by the setting. I spent my first visit to Charleston last weekend but didn't get to do much traveling around because it was a Boy Scout visit to the USS Yorktown.

That was a wonderful trip, but I must admit I was intrigued by the low country because my parents visited Charleston the year before and brought us back some spices from the market from the Gullah women. I honestly had not heard of the Gullah before that. History does not teach you about them personally maybe SC history does. But I was intrigued by this group of people and these women that still cling to their heritage proudly. So when I saw Conjure used them as a backdrop, I jumped. And then add in hoodoo, white magic and I was more in love.

I loved the characters, they behaved as teenagers, typical 14 and year-olds on summer vacation. I liked Emma and Cooper especially and Jack too, though sometimes he irritated me with his attitude but i understood the attitude and whining at the same time. Emma loves Cooper and looks forward to her summers with her father so she and Jack can spend time with Cooper who is there best friend.

But when the mysterious bottle appears and the mysterious girl things take a turn for the worse and the plot begins to move along quickly. I also loved "the grannie" who takes Emma on as a hoodoo apprentice. She is everything I would expect her to be and so much more. I loved the scenes she was involved in, her language, her actions and how she loves what she does and how she can help no matter what.

I also enjoyed the light romance between Cooper and Emma. Cooper is a great character. He is a privileged boy, but he doesn't act it, in fact if anything he seems to want to escape his upbringing and I really like him for that. I like Emma also for her just being who she is and not trying to be different for him.

They work and I like how they work. The plot moves quickly from the very first page. The characters are established, the bottle and curse are introduced and then it's a non-stop thrill ride to find a way to remove the curse and save Jack and Cooper before it's too late. As new people and things are introduced I think Ms. Nolan does a great job of weaving them into the story without being to wordy or weighing the story down wiht extraneous things. The story keeps moving at a brisk pace and kept me wondering what would happen next and how things would end up.

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I found the ending to be very satisfactory while leaving some things open for a second book that I will be eagerly awaiting. Nolan has created a fresh new setting for a book that has me wanting more and anxious for the next book. Her characters feel real, the elements of the paranormal exciting and believable. Conjure really works for me as an enjoyable read and I will anxiously await book 2 in this series. This story is full of magic, a cute romance that will make you smile, and a race against time to save loved ones.

The characterization in this book, for the most part, is incredibly strong. My one problem with this novel is that the characters seem to completely disregard their intuition, specifically Emma. So much could have been avoided if she did. Despite that, she was a great heroine and a likable character that had a crush similar to the crushes I had when I was her age. The attempted understanding of the characters was a little spotty as well. In her attempt to properly portray a set of fourteen and fifteen year old characters, Nolan completely missed their dialogue, and at times, their behavior.

Eventually, I realized that this is simply how Nolan decided to have her characters talk, but it frustrated me to see something so nonsensical and unrealistic. Aside from my own problems with misinterpretations that made way for annoyances, the plot moved along greatly. Again, the beginning was slightly slow because Nolan had to set up the adventure she was about to take us on, but once everything was good to go the novel took off and never looked back.

It was easy to forget the odd mood changes and initial lack of common sense among the characters in the beginning of the novel and continue on with the journey in excitement. All in all, this was a good story. I was under the impression that it was for young adults, but parts of it and the style of writing hint that this is meant for the youngest of young adult readers.

Because it was such an easy read, I flew through it easily and came out of it with the knowledge that someone slightly younger than me would love it much more than I did, despite my admiration for the creativity and overall enjoyment as I finished it. If anyone is looking for something unique to read, this is a read to grab from the library without any hesitation. Helena Island in the South Carolina low country alongside her fraternal brother Jackson, and her secret crush Cooper Beaumont who she has known ever since she started coming to South Carolina to visit her father 8 years ago.

What turns out to be a fun filled summer, ends up being an intense chase towards finding a cure when Jack comes down with a year old Gullah curse called the Creep after uncovering a buried pirate treasure and Emma has to quickly learn how to be a Hoodoo Apprentice under the guise of 97 year old Gullah Cordelia Whittaker in order to save him and Cooper from certain death. First of all, congratulations to author Lea Nolan for actually taking the time to research the Gullah and actually using that research to write Conjure. I truly believe that the research she put into writing this book made it that much more interesting to read and to follow and made me want to learn more about the Gullah and their traditions of using Hoodoo instead of Voodoo as part of their lifestyles.

I have to say that I really enjoyed reading Conjure and loved the idea behind Hoodoo training, mixed with pirates, ghosts, a year old family curse, and of course, a romance between two best friends that you just knew was either going to make or break this story. Of course, silly me read Allure, the second novel in this series, first before someone timely shared Conjure with me which I absolutely appreciated. Even though Emma is 14 years of age, and a bit young for the young adult market, she doesn't act her age.

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In fact, she plows ahead with determination and spunk and fire that I really appreciated and found absolutely appealing and not annoying wondering if she was going to be soo emo, or too young for me to like. Since I have already read Allure, I will be following up this review with one for that book shortly. I absolutely look forward to the third novel in this series with hope that Nolan continues her wonderful storytelling blending action, adventure, and romance along with some historical aspects of the South Carolina lowcountry and the Gullah.

Add in a nice story filled with creepy monsters, hoodoo, hexes and skeletons and you have one heck of a fun story perfect for the spookiest season of them all. A small dash of romance doesn't hurt either. This really was the perfect read to add a little mystery and creepiness into the atmosphere and totally get me in the mood for Halloween.

I loved all the detail about the H 3. I loved all the detail about the Hoodoo practice and of course the curse behind what starts it all was equally entertaining and somewhat terrifying. Miss Delia was probably my favorite character. I loved how gruff and no nonsense she was and of course her knowledge about hoodoo helped set the tone for the whole book and really added that element of danger and scariness that the author needed to pull the whole story off. When I think of the old timers of the south, all the superstitions, white magic, black magic and practices, the image of Miss Delia comes to mind.

I wasn't sure if I was going to like Emma at first, not because of anything she did but simply because when the story begins, she and Jack her twin are only fourteen and I was afraid that the story would end up being too angsty or come across as to immature. I didn't have anything to worry about. Emma is thrown right into the life of hoodoo and takes it like a champ. And while she does have her moments, for the most part her voice is never too grade school or whiny.

They are a lot of things she has to do that she never imagined doing or getting involved in but she does what she has to to save her brother and to help Cooper. And while the romance wasn't as developed as I would have liked to see it, overall this was a fun read that I think would be perfect for any age group. Sep 19, Andrea: Conjure is about a group of young teen in South Carolina.

Emma and her twin brother Jack, 14, spend their summers in the south with their father. One day on the beach with their best friend Copper, Emma, finds an old bottle with a note inside. The note, over years old, speaks of long lost treasure and the curse that follows it. The boys are intrigued and set off to find it on the grounds of the old plantation owned by Coopers family. Emma has a bad feeling. When disaster strikes, Emma along Conjure is about a group of young teen in South Carolina.

When disaster strikes, Emma along with the help of the local Hoodoo doctor, must find a way to save her brother from The Creep and deal with her hidden feelings for Cooper. I really like the characters of Emma and Jack. They have unbreakable bond that I really like.

Cooper is the funny, handsom older boy that Emma loves. Together they are the perfect trio to solve the mystery of The Creep. I would suggest this book to young adults and those like me, who just cant get enough YA. I kind of new where the story was going from really early on. Maybe I just read too much YA? But, I enjoyed the story regardless of knowing where it was going. I actually read the first half of the book on my phone the night I got it before I knew what was going on. I was surprised to see that the characters were so young.

Emma and Jack are 14 while Cooper is just a few months shy of I look forward to seeing where Allure book 2 brings Emma, Jack and Cooper and what struggles they will have to deal with! Conjure is a unique read that you won't want to miss. I'll admit the characters are a bit young for my tastes, but the leading character was not annoying.

I still enjoyed this book immensely. The characters were well-developed and progressed along with the story, the plot was intriguing, and the pacing was perfect. This book will suck you in. Emma was a terrific leading character. She wa brave and selfless and e Conjure is a unique read that you won't want to miss.

She wa brave and selfless and everything a leading lady should be. I really enjoyed watching her grow over the course of the novel. Her twin Jack, however, was a jerk. I really didn't like him very much. He was extremely bratty and what I was afraid Emma would be like with them both being While Emma pleasantly surprised me, Jack pretty much fit the bill of what I expected.

Luckily the book wasn't told from his POV. Cooper was a bit of a goody goody, if you ask me, but he was a decent guy. His "goodness" just got on my nerves. I know he will appeal to a lot of readers, though. The other two supporting characters, Maggie and Miss Delia, were also intriguing, and I enjoyed reading about them. The plot was unique, and I liked the gritty details Nolan included about the Voodoo religion.

I was kept guessing throughout the story, and I never got bored. The pacing was perfect, and the ending left me wanting more. There was action, adventure, and secret love. What else could a person want? Overall, I'd recommend this book to anyone who is looking for something new in the YA genre, but doesn't mind younger leading characters. I'd say most YA readers will enjoy this one. The story started a tad bit slow but picked up and stayed on a nice course a few chapters in. The characters were easy to like or dislike in some cases.

The Conjured Woman

You tend to forget the Main character and her brother are only 14 at some times when they are thrust into situations that a normal 14 year old wouldn't be able to handle, then you turn around and feel that they are extremely immat CONJURE was a unique story about a girl whose brother is struck by an ancient curse and their journey to cure him. You tend to forget the Main character and her brother are only 14 at some times when they are thrust into situations that a normal 14 year old wouldn't be able to handle, then you turn around and feel that they are extremely immature at other times.

Emma has had a huge crush on Cooper for as long as she can remember and Jack crushes on a mysterious girl they meet on the beach before all their troubles start. The Hoodoo parts of the book was interesting. Delia's character was my favorite character of the book and I looked forward to the parts she was involved in. The premise of the curse was fascinating and the location of the story fit in perfectly. For the most part the situations were pretty easy to guess and not much was a surprise when it was revealed. A neat little adventurous start to The Hoodoo Apprentice Series. Although Conjure by Lea Nolan is a YA book, it can easily be read by older MG readers because its tone felt a bit younger, particularly since the main character, Emma, was only fourteen and repeatedly thought about how dreamy her crush was.

While I liked Emma, I found her twin brother Jack to be whiny and kind of selfish. To me, the most interesting and unique thing about Conjure was the incorporation of hoodoo. Not only do I know the difference now, but I actually felt like I learned quite a bit about hoodoo from reading Conjure. There are always books that will grab you from that initial read of the blurb, and Conjure by Lea Nolan was one of them. You can read the rest of the review here: But the word hoodoo just made me laugh so hard.

Could not get beyond the teenage language. A bit of a cliffhanger at the end. We will see how book 6, All Spell Break Loose wraps everything up. Potentially a 7th book that's a WIP now. Looks li Much better than book 4. Looks like it will be self-published. One of the funniest parts was when Raine glamoured herself to look like a certain man. Then I quickly unbuttoned the front enough to take a look. The man had a bird chest. I flexed my right thigh against my left and then my left against my right. Oct 05, Donna rated it liked it Shelves: Once again, Raine and her companions face almost certain doom as a group of goblins tries to steal the all-powerful evil rock Raine has been magically bonded to.

I'm starting to think the poor woman needs a vacation. I loved the new Benares relative we met. It was fantastic to see someone make an impact in a way that didn't need swords or magic. I'm still iffy on the other new character from Raine's past. The series already has one foxy bad-boy with a soft spot for the heroine one who didn't sho Once again, Raine and her companions face almost certain doom as a group of goblins tries to steal the all-powerful evil rock Raine has been magically bonded to.

The series already has one foxy bad-boy with a soft spot for the heroine one who didn't show up quite often enough for my taste , so I'm not sure if Mr. Assassin Ex-Boyfriend will be able to win me over. There are times when I wish that the pacing of these books was just a tiny bit less hectic. Raine got a few nice breaks with Mychael, but their chemistry fell a bit flat for me this time.

Nov 04, Li rated it liked it Shelves: I'm frustrated by the fact that there's been minimal character growth since the first book - the general conflict appears to be along the line of Raine worries about using the Saghred and turning to the dark side, she gets reassurance that's not happening, she uses the Sagred's power when attacked by enemies, and then we're back to worrying that the Saghred will corrupt her. And yes, we know she's a Benares already and all that entails. Okay, lack of growth aside aside - it's not all bad. There's I'm frustrated by the fact that there's been minimal character growth since the first book - the general conflict appears to be along the line of Raine worries about using the Saghred and turning to the dark side, she gets reassurance that's not happening, she uses the Sagred's power when attacked by enemies, and then we're back to worrying that the Saghred will corrupt her.

There's snarky humour and interesting secondary characters.

Dark Horse Scripture: Shakespeare & Cervantes Would Be Proud.
Conjure (Hoodoo Apprentice, book 1) by Lea Nolan;
Conjured by Sarah Beth Durst!
The Declassified Adoptee Essays of an Adoption Activist.
The Duke and the Stars (I Tatti Studies in Italian Renaissance History).
Models for Mental Disorder?

And I'm determined to finish this series, just to find out how all the loose ends are tied up. I was disappointed in this addition to the Raine Benares series.

Con & Conjure (Raine Benares #5) by Lisa Shearin

Pretty much every main character kept making ridiculously stupid decisions. Raine in particular falls into a too stupid to live category which is one of my pet peeves. It feels as if despite everything that has happened to her she is not learning anything nor is she showing any character development. Two new characters were introduced but didn't add anything to the story line that existing characters couldn't have accomplished.

Ove I was disappointed in this addition to the Raine Benares series. Overall I would still recommend this series but if the next book isn't an improvement I don't think I will continue. May 15, Ben Babcock rated it really liked it Shelves: I have been reading a lot of heavy, "serious" works lately, works that employ a large cast of characters to deal with issues on a big, even epic scale.

And while many of these works have been upbeat, some of them have also been "downers. Coincidentally, a new Raine Benares book came out in April, and it happened to be sitting on my shelf. The levity of Lisa Shearin's writing is exactly what I wanted. The Saghred feeds on souls, and in return it grants its wielders immense magical power. Unfortunately it also drives people insane.

Raine, as the only link to the Saghred, is a tempting target for several powerful factions. In particular, a goblin sorcerer who was once trapped inside the Saghred wants it back, and a faction of elves led by Taltek Balmorlan want to use Raine as an excuse to start a goblin-elf war. The situation is tense, and assassination attempts on a rogue goblin prince who wants peace don't make it any better. Despite the gravity of the situation, however, Raine's narration is delightfully flip.

Shearin's world is full of epic fantasy tropes: Yet the novels take place in urban fantasy environments. Sometimes this lead to use of language I might consider questionable—is "green" really an appropriate metonym for money if everyone still uses gold as currency? The Isle of Mid, the setting since the second book, resembles a city-state of Renaissance Italy, if Florence or Venice were controlled by a conclave of elven mages. Shearin sends Raine ducking down alleys, weaving through crowds along the docks, hiding in brothels, and getting into barfights. All the while, Raine is describing the action with her characteristic wit and sarcasm.

In fact, while it's not the best book I've read all year, this is probably the most fun I've had reading a book so far this year. I suspected that would be the case when I started reading it, and Shearin has not disappointed me. I love stories with con games and heist movies. These fall into a category of deception that appeals to me because they, especially con games, are very cerebral efforts.

One defeats one's enemy, the mark, by winning a battle of wits, by utterly devastating him or her but leaving him or her alive to suffer the humiliation. Then there is the adrenaline of not knowing if or when the con will fall apart and leave the characters in danger. This combination of deception and suspense is attractive, dare I say even sexy. So I was excited by the prospect of watching Raine pull off a con with the help of her cousin Mago. Unfortunately, Shearin pulls a Scott Lynch on us.

Like Red Seas Under Red Skies , the promised con soon gets sublimated beneath ancillary action, fading into the gentle night to become a secondary plot. Though there is still plenty of deception, with Raine and her enemies both using glamours to assume various identities, the intricate test of wits that I had been anticipating was, alas, not to be. Still, there was going to be a con, and I guess that's what matters.

It just fell apart much earlier than most con games do. Instead, Raine finds herself in a series of increasingly untenable positions, at one point having several warrants out for her apprehension. And she can't just lie low, because she has to find out who is trying to kill Prince Chigaru and steal the Saghred.

Raine has never, ever been the kind of person to sit on the sidelines—and the other characters are finally starting to figure this out! I find this absence most gratifying, because in the previous books it killed the pacing unnecessarily: She is, after all, our narrator and kickass heroine. The stakes for Raine have seldom been higher.

Well, OK, that's not strictly true … I guess attempting to prevent the release of a demon king and trying to stop an evil goblin sorcerer from regenerating are pretty high stakes. But now we're talking war, racial war between the goblins and the elves. And both sides wouldn't mind getting their hands on the Saghred. The easiest way to do that is to get their hands on Raine, through whom they can sacrifice souls to the Saghred. Since Balmorlan revealed that plan, complete with magic-sapping manacles, to a glamour-disguised Raine, I kept having these flashes—the kind you get teased with during trailers for "next week's episode"—of Raine on a cell wall, defeated.

Of course, with most such episode trailers, what they don't show you is the immediately subsequent triumphant escape. I won't reveal whether Balmorlan actually makes good on his threat to imprison Raine, but there are several times when she is in imminent danger of losing control, either over herself or over the Saghred. There is a very chilling scene where Raine lets loose and lets the Saghred mete out some well-deserved destruction on people we consider bad guys. While the climax is both much faster and on a smaller scale in this book—no epic demon battles—it's a lot more emotionally poignant.

We get a guest appearance from Sarad Nukpana, and Shearin expertly manoeuvres Raine into a position where, despite her best efforts, she is on the cusp of losing everything. More impressively, Shearin goes ahead and deals Raine and our protagonists a setback that, while not wholly surprising, definitely alters the balance of power in favour of the bad guys. And it sets up the next book.

Shearin knows how to pace her scenes—trite phrases like "action-packed thrill ride" and "never a dull moment" come to mind, and they would be accurate. Though all of Shearin's characters are delightfully depicted and very amusing, they are, with the exception of Raine herself, rather two-dimensional. And again, we have the dichotomy where the protagonists universally love Raine and the antagonists consist of snivelling bad guys who whine when they don't get their way.

Judging from the setup for the next book, this will not always be the case, as Raine and company will get a reluctant ally to help them take on Sarad Nukpana once and for all. But that flaw is just so minor compared to the heart of the book—indeed, of the series: She is one of my favourite protagonists and favourite first-person narrators I've ever encountered. It's not just her voice; it's the way she has changed over the past five books, and the way she bears her singular burden.

She is the only one bonded to the Saghred; she can feel the enmity radiating off the stone. She feels its desire to consume souls and escape its prison. And always there is the threat looming over her that she will cross the line, succumb to the lure of the Saghred's power, and essentially go insane and give herself up to it. Then there would be no Raine, just the Saghred and a nice, mobile bond servant to go procure soul snacks.

That would be bad for everyone. Though the threat has been real and present in all of the previous books, it's especially palpable here. Raine keeps running into scenarios where she has no good choices: And when she puts it that way, the choice seems rather obvious, but it's still a little heartbreaking. Once again, Shearin uses the magic of literature to distort our sense of time: Raine has grown so much since we first met her in Magic Lost, Trouble Found , even though only a month or two has passed since she bonded with the Saghred.

I wish I could say the other characters were half as interesting as Raine. As in the previous books, while they are amusing, the rest of the cast is rather two-dimensional—and we again have all the protagonists loving Raine and all the antagonists consisting of snivelling bad guys who whine when they don't get their way. But that is fine, because my opinion thus far has been pretty damn high: I like this series, and while it has its faults, Shearin's books have always been fun and satisfying to read.

That level of consistency is difficult to maintain and deserves a great deal of admiration. And if you like witty fantasy adventures, soul-stealing rocks, or kickass female heroines, then you should read these books. My Reviews of the Raine Benares series: Mar 07, Kataryna Hermans rated it it was amazing Shelves: Just as wonderful as the first time reading this book. Why oh why is it not a movie series!

Aug 14, Sunny rated it it was amazing. I found myself smiling through this whole book. Raine's escapes are tense, one actually counted down, top-of-the-mountain creative, not depending on other people. Her plans keep "going to crap". Raine and elder banker cousin Mago hope to swindle the villains, take away their funding for mercenary assassins, the best her ten-years ago-fiance Rache is in town mages, soldiers. She yet another fiery red-head and younger cousin Phaelan weird spelling I have to look up every time end up in magic-draining manacles, chained Ends on cliffhanger.

She yet another fiery red-head and younger cousin Phaelan weird spelling I have to look up every time end up in magic-draining manacles, chained in dungeon. Afterwards, her magic stays gone. Jan 10, Aditi rated it liked it. While I enjoyed the narrative, at the conclusion I felt a little disappointed.

This was her chance to do more, do more with a book than the same Raine has an idea, Raine gets into trouble, someone Raine loves gets into trouble, they all find an unlikely way out of trouble. While I understand that the book is primarily from Raine's perspective and she was largely unaware of some of the things that went on behind the scenes while she was indisposed. I still would have liked a little more sleight of While I enjoyed the narrative, at the conclusion I felt a little disappointed.

I still would have liked a little more sleight of hand, a little more clever plan to get the better of the co-conspirators. Apr 26, Sandra Holladay rated it really liked it Shelves: Lots of action, good set-up for the next book. My biggest complaint is the repetition. Situation explained, then by the next page it's being explained again in different words. We really do get it, don't have to be pounded over the head to understand what is happening or going to happen. Other than that, I really am enjoying the series. Aug 22, Nightwitch rated it liked it Shelves: I am starting to have some issues with the compressed timeline of these books This is no exception.

On to the next! May 10, Amanda rated it really liked it. Just when I think I have seen it all I was on the edge of my seat, eagerly and nervously waiting for the drops, jumps, and awws. I love this series and can't wait to get my hands on the next one! Dec 14, Juliet rated it really liked it Shelves: May 11, Debrac rated it really liked it. Raine keeps this story action packed! Nov 23, Michelle rated it it was amazing. Awesome as always, and really funny! May 18, Kimh rated it really liked it. Dec 31, Kyra Dune rated it liked it. This book was pretty good. Apr 23, Rowena rated it it was amazing.

I seldom review books. When I do go public with a review, it will be favorable. Raine Benares and her tall, dark, handsome and charmingly corrupt cousin Mago had a most intriguing con on the front burner. I should have liked to see that con play out. Unfortunately, their cover was blown, if not blown up.

Goblin Prince Chigaru sailed into port a few days early, and he is an assassin-magnet. He's also in love but not with Raine and i Caveat: He's also in love but not with Raine and in a committed relationship which I found strangely disappointing If Tam is off the table as the dark point of a love triangle, a Mal'Salin prince might have made things even more interesting. The Mal'Salin royal family is mentally unstable, which is convenient, because the Prince isn't utterly consistent in his behavior and in his reactions to Raine.

Here's an example of what I love about Lisa Shearin's world-building and style, snagged from Lisa's website. Goblins thought differently from elves. Hell, goblins thought differently than any other race. To them a threat of murder was simply overprotective and harmless. A misunderstanding for him that would be unfortunately permanent for me. As Imala said, murder and intrigue were merely another way to pass the time at the goblin court; neither was met with much if any concern. And now, Prince Chigaru was pissed at me, or at least regally annoyed.

I saved his life and he blamed me for interfering with his plans. High elves, even higher and mightier goblins, and low commoners for hire are all doing their best to kill the prince, with no regard for collateral damage. It's the collateral damage that concerns Raine most. Raine's enemies, of the mortal and also immortal kind, want Raine dead in the worst way. A death sentence and lawful beheading "for her own protection" is the kindest cut facing her if she is seen to use the Saghred's powers.

Old goblin enemies plot to kill her in unspeakable ways. A gang of elven mages give darker meaning to "bondage" with their plan to share her and her Saghred-given powers. Raine Benares is in more danger than ever before.

Con & Conjure

Tamnais Nathrach was my favorite character in the previous books in the series. In fact, knowing that, I seriously considered not buying this episode, but I am glad I did buy the book, even though Tam did very little of his trademark hissing something short and deadly in Old Goblin and killing villains with a black magic word. Another favorite from the earlier books was the suave and flamboyant Captain Phaelan Benares.

He's still good, but his big brother Mago is better, and wittier. On the other hand, I did not miss the teenage spellsingers in the least. They were mostly motivation, and Raine has other innocents and not-exactly-innocents to protect as the villains up the ante. I don't want this series to end. With a story this good, I want to know how it ends, and waiting for a year or more between books without knowing when the series will end is I recommend that you buy the paperback.

Buy all the paperbacks, if you haven't already, and read the series from start to date. If you don't do that, then read every word because everything the new reader needs to know is covered, but economically and only once. Each book does stand alone, but the sum is greater than the parts. May 11, Christina rated it liked it Shelves: This of course is the Raine Benares series. It consists of six books, taking place over a rather short amount of time. In the first book, Raine helps a friend steal a necklace with a stone.