Sign in with Facebook
55th out of 181 books
—
32 voters
Illicit Magic (Stella Mayweather #1)
by
Camilla Chafer (Goodreads Author)
More than three hundred years after the most terrifying witch hunts the world has ever known, it's happening again.
Young witch, Stella, has to put her faith in strangers just to stay alive but she might not be any safer in their midst than from the danger she is running from.
There is more than one dark secret in her new family: Étoile’s sister is spoken of in fear and sad...more
Young witch, Stella, has to put her faith in strangers just to stay alive but she might not be any safer in their midst than from the danger she is running from.
There is more than one dark secret in her new family: Étoile’s sister is spoken of in fear and sad...more
ebook, 341 pages
Published
May 1st 2011
by Smashwords
Friend Reviews
To see what your friends thought of this book,
please sign up.
Community Reviews
(showing
1-30
of
1,179)
I am beside myself after reading this book. The story line is amazing and with some exceptional direction and editing it could be a hidden treasure. It was very daunting for me to read. I had to force myself to slow down my reading speed so I wouldn’t get lost in plot line. The grammar mistakes were plastered throughout leaving me questioning why the author chose not to use an editor, or at least a proofreader before publishing.
***SIDE NOTE*** If I can get my hand on a PDF version that I can co...more
Reviewed for http://www.gotfiction.com/2011/11/ill...
***spoilers ahead, ye be warned***
Wow, so as many of you can see, this is not my usual fare.
This was recommended to me by a friend (that's you Jackie) and I was told that this book would appeal to the YA group who wanted an older cast of characters. Since the main reason I don't read YA is that I actually get irritated with the teens, I thought this might be a nice change. Stella, our protagonist, is 24. She's spent her life in London's foste...more
***spoilers ahead, ye be warned***
Wow, so as many of you can see, this is not my usual fare.
This was recommended to me by a friend (that's you Jackie) and I was told that this book would appeal to the YA group who wanted an older cast of characters. Since the main reason I don't read YA is that I actually get irritated with the teens, I thought this might be a nice change. Stella, our protagonist, is 24. She's spent her life in London's foste...more
6 likes · like · see review
view all 4 comments
This was a great start to a new series.
Stella Mayweather is a 24-year-old woman who has grown up in foster care and is searching for her place in the world.
Life has been even more difficult for her, because accidents keep happening around her, to people that threaten her or make her afraid, which of course caused her to change several foster families.
Not that she can really control it, but her reputation as a "witch" on account of that, is more literal than she would think.
Stella is reluctant t...more
Stella Mayweather is a 24-year-old woman who has grown up in foster care and is searching for her place in the world.
Life has been even more difficult for her, because accidents keep happening around her, to people that threaten her or make her afraid, which of course caused her to change several foster families.
Not that she can really control it, but her reputation as a "witch" on account of that, is more literal than she would think.
Stella is reluctant t...more
Well this started out promising. No really it did. I liked Stella at first, liked the plot with the Brotherhood killing off the witches. Liked how Stella was suddenly dropped into a new world with new characters, new rules, and a new way of life.
Sadly it all derailed like a damn train wreck. In the end though it was another cliche filled book with a heroine who is an idiot, secondary characters who never get more than a passing glimpse of a personality, and a predictable plot that failed to answ...more
Sadly it all derailed like a damn train wreck. In the end though it was another cliche filled book with a heroine who is an idiot, secondary characters who never get more than a passing glimpse of a personality, and a predictable plot that failed to answ...more
2 likes · like · see review
Synopsis: More than three hundred years after the most terrifying witch hunts the world has ever known, it's happening again.
When an attack by ruthless witch hunters forces twenty-four-year-old Stella from her home in London into the protection of the powerful Witch Council in New York, she has to put her faith in strangers just to stay alive, yet she might not be any safer in their midst than the danger she escaped.
Hidden from the Brotherhood in an extraordinary safe house by the sea where she...more
When an attack by ruthless witch hunters forces twenty-four-year-old Stella from her home in London into the protection of the powerful Witch Council in New York, she has to put her faith in strangers just to stay alive, yet she might not be any safer in their midst than the danger she escaped.
Hidden from the Brotherhood in an extraordinary safe house by the sea where she...more
Sep 19, 2012
Jen
added it
My brother has this thing where he'll give a book until the end of the first page to decide if it's worth reading. I made it to the end of the first chapter and gave up. When he asked me what the first line of the book was and I told him, he said:
"It's better to try something original and fall flat than to start with 'For as long as I can remember...'"
I should note - he's a writer.
This was the first time I read a book and knew exactly what he meant.
The first paragraph was okay, painful first cli...more
"It's better to try something original and fall flat than to start with 'For as long as I can remember...'"
I should note - he's a writer.
This was the first time I read a book and knew exactly what he meant.
The first paragraph was okay, painful first cli...more
I should mention, I won this book on The_Book_Queen's blog. Woot! I'm finally getting around to this review. This was a fun book full of witches with all different types of craft/specialties. The story is about Stella, who unbeknownst to her, is a witch. Losing her parents at the age of 5, she was sent from one home to another because "things" would happen when she was around and she never really fit in any where. Finally, she was on her own, although barely paying the bills. There had been a se...more
For some reason I really struggled with the beginning of this book...so much so that I actually reread it three times, and almost chalked it up to, "this just isn't my cup of tea." But when I got past that first chunk, I really got sucked in and from that moment read it straight through to the end. I liked the overall tone, which was a little more grounded-seeming to me for some reason, despite the premise...perhaps because of the main character's voice which wasn't as melodramatic as a lot of f...more
I'm feeling very torn as I sit to write this review. On one hand, Chafer's novel is engaging, fast-paced and features great characters. On the other, there are some serious challenges with the novel that block it from the potential that I think it possesses. The story takes a very popular trend - magic - and presents it in a way that is different yet familiar, using well-constructed characters. I enjoyed Stella's point of view and watching as she started to come into her own, and felt connected...more
This is a great read, starting with the very first sentence.
Stella doesn't know she will soon be on the run for her life. All she knows is that "things" seem to happen when she's around. No family, no friends, working as a "temp" since she can't stay too long in one place (she makes people uneasy), and living in a grubby flat in London, Stella believes this is what her life is to be and she's become accustomed to being alone.
That all changes when a group called The Brotherhood gets her in their...more
Stella doesn't know she will soon be on the run for her life. All she knows is that "things" seem to happen when she's around. No family, no friends, working as a "temp" since she can't stay too long in one place (she makes people uneasy), and living in a grubby flat in London, Stella believes this is what her life is to be and she's become accustomed to being alone.
That all changes when a group called The Brotherhood gets her in their...more
Thanks to the R2R program and the author for allowing me the opportunity to read this book.
I never know how to start reviews. Do I give you my version of the synopisis? Nah - the author did a good job of that already. Do I tell a little about myself? Mah. Do I jump right in and say what I loved and what I hated? The "right way" vs overdone. Hmmm. So, I'm going to start with this:
Within two minutes of finishing this book I was on smashwords purchasing the next in the series. And can I just say th...more
I never know how to start reviews. Do I give you my version of the synopisis? Nah - the author did a good job of that already. Do I tell a little about myself? Mah. Do I jump right in and say what I loved and what I hated? The "right way" vs overdone. Hmmm. So, I'm going to start with this:
Within two minutes of finishing this book I was on smashwords purchasing the next in the series. And can I just say th...more
When Stella is chased by the fearsome Brotherhood, her untamed magical skills and welcome strangers come to her rescue.
I always judge a book by how fast I read it and how much it leaves me wanting more. I loved how strong Stella is and determined to control her magic more...she is brought to a cottage thats houses more of her kind and makes friends quickly... one of them being Evan who is more than willing to help after some convincing in the beginning. This might have started out as a triangle...more
I always judge a book by how fast I read it and how much it leaves me wanting more. I loved how strong Stella is and determined to control her magic more...she is brought to a cottage thats houses more of her kind and makes friends quickly... one of them being Evan who is more than willing to help after some convincing in the beginning. This might have started out as a triangle...more
I received a free copy of this in exchange for an honest review. My rating is 4.25stars. I was surprised to enjoy this book as well as I did. It was written quite English and a couple of the words didn’t actually translate to American well so I still don’t get a couple of the words. Another surprise was that this was termed as YA though it reads more mature. However it was an extremely pleasant surprise.
Friendless odd woman out Stella Mayweather is looking forward to her typical night alone eat...more
Friendless odd woman out Stella Mayweather is looking forward to her typical night alone eat...more
Illicit Magic written by Camilla Chafer was a delightful read. While the story was faced pace with lots of action, the author wrote the characters in such a way that the reader gained empathy and other such emotional ties to them. The world built was a fascinating one that brought new experiences to the reader. It was exciting to explore the world where there are all manners of supernatural creatures with frightening conspiracies and antagonists. It was pleasant that the author didn’t immediatel...more
Stella is pretty much a loner, not by choice but because it seems like accidents seem to happen around her and she doesn't know why. I really loved how Stella progressed in this book from a quiet, hide yourself in the corner kind of girl to finding confidence in herself at the end.
What I loved about this story-line it kept me guessing, here I thought it was going one way and it ended up in a direction I didn't expect at all. Usually the bad guy is brought in and pretty much you know when and wha...more
What I loved about this story-line it kept me guessing, here I thought it was going one way and it ended up in a direction I didn't expect at all. Usually the bad guy is brought in and pretty much you know when and wha...more
Aug 08, 2011
Naj (Unputdownable Books)
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
read-in-2011
Illicit Magic began with a narration that continues on throughout the book. It isn't one of those annoying kind of narration but the kind thats actually very captivating and really makes you listen to what the protagonist has to say as she tells you her story.
Our protagonist here is called Stella, she's the type who keeps to herself and has a well collected character. She is English and alone. All her life everyone seems to be scared of her because something always manages to happen when she's...more
Our protagonist here is called Stella, she's the type who keeps to herself and has a well collected character. She is English and alone. All her life everyone seems to be scared of her because something always manages to happen when she's...more
I enjoyed this book. It was really a simple tale of a girl finding out about herself and coming to grips with it. Stella is really just an average girl trying to survive in a world where people don't really like her. Then a group of mysterious men try to kill her and she is thrust into a world she had no idea existed.
I did like how the author let the story unravel rather than forcing a lot of background noise at me. We discovered what was going on as Stella discovered it. There are several myst...more
I did like how the author let the story unravel rather than forcing a lot of background noise at me. We discovered what was going on as Stella discovered it. There are several myst...more
Goodreads Synopsis:
More than three hundred years after the most terrifying witch hunts the world has ever known, it's happening again.
Young witch, Stella, has to put her faith in strangers just to stay alive but she might not be any safer in their midst than from the danger she is running from.
There is more than one dark secret in her new family: Étoile’s sister is spoken of in fear and sadness; Marc is supposed to be a powerful witch but is missing his magic; where does the owner of their...more
Jul 08, 2012
Kerry Murphy
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
Anyone who enjoys paranormal romances.
Summary:
Stella Mayweather’s seemingly uneventful life takes a drastic turn one evening while walking home from work. Suddenly, she’s attacked by The Brotherhood, a secret group of men out to rid the world of magic, including witches, then uprooted from her London home by a stranger who just so happens to save her life.
Thrust into a world she had no knowledge of, Stella seeks protection of the Witch Council, but can she trust them? Sent to a safe house to learn to harness her magic, Stella discov...more
Stella Mayweather’s seemingly uneventful life takes a drastic turn one evening while walking home from work. Suddenly, she’s attacked by The Brotherhood, a secret group of men out to rid the world of magic, including witches, then uprooted from her London home by a stranger who just so happens to save her life.
Thrust into a world she had no knowledge of, Stella seeks protection of the Witch Council, but can she trust them? Sent to a safe house to learn to harness her magic, Stella discov...more
Stella Mayweather works at a temporary clerks job in London and lives in a very small, run-down flat after growing up in a series of foster homes. She’s odd, everyone either knows it or figures it out and soon she moves on because people can’t handle being around her because of that oddity.
And the news reports are filled with stories of women around Europe and then in England are getting taken and put into bonfires, burned to death as witches. In this day and time, someone called the Brotherhood...more
And the news reports are filled with stories of women around Europe and then in England are getting taken and put into bonfires, burned to death as witches. In this day and time, someone called the Brotherhood...more
Jun 22, 2011
Jackie
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
YA lovers who wish to transition to older characters than teens
Recommended to Jackie by:
Belinda Boring
Illicit Magic
More than three hundred years after the most terrifying witch hunts the world has ever known, it's happening again.
Young witch, Stella, has to put her faith in strangers just to stay alive but she might not be any safer in their midst than from the danger she is running from.
There is more than one dark secret in her new family: Étoile’s sister is spoken of in fear and sadness; Marc is supposed to be a powerful witch but is missing his magic; where does the owner of...more
Goodreads Blurb
More than three hundred years after the most terrifying witch hunts the world has ever known, it's happening again.
Young witch, Stella, has to put her faith in strangers just to stay alive but she might not be any safer in their midst than from the danger she is running from.
There is more than one dark secret in her new family: Étoile’s sister is spoken of in fear and sadness; Marc is supposed to be a powerful witch but is missing his magic; where does the owner of...more
1 like · like · see review
I received this as part of a Goodreads group Paranormal Romance and Urban Fantasy Fanatics: Read to Review giveaway. Overall I liked this book and am looking forward to checking out the next in the series. However, it seemed slow and slightly boring at first, even though you are pretty much thrown into the action of Stella against the Brotherhood almost immediately. This was most likely due to the requisite set-up/background information that inevitably has to be thrown in for a new series. So re...more
Right now, if I could, I'd love to read the second part of this series just because I really want to know what happens next to Stella.
But first thing first, you need to know what I'm taking about, right? Illicit Magic is the first book of this series and introduce us to Stella, a simple girl with a simple boring life, and not because she wants a boring life but because everybody is scared of her so they keep their distance.
Why? Well, as you can guess from the title of the book there's something...more
But first thing first, you need to know what I'm taking about, right? Illicit Magic is the first book of this series and introduce us to Stella, a simple girl with a simple boring life, and not because she wants a boring life but because everybody is scared of her so they keep their distance.
Why? Well, as you can guess from the title of the book there's something...more
Honestly it took me a bit to get into this book. I almost gave up and said not my thing, but with the insistance of my best friend (who had read it previously) I kept reading and I am so glad that I pushed myself that little bit further into the book. Once I got past the third chapter, I devoured this book.
I think the reason I loved Illicit Magic so much was that Stella made it easy for me to like her. She wasn't born into a life of privilege, she was down to earth and made due with what she ha...more
I think the reason I loved Illicit Magic so much was that Stella made it easy for me to like her. She wasn't born into a life of privilege, she was down to earth and made due with what she ha...more
Originally posted on my blog http://ufreview.com/2012/03/26/illici...
I received a copy of Illicit Magic from the Read2Review program on Goodreads, so thanks to the author and the program for the opportunity to review the book. Every time I start a new series it is always with some trepidation especially after just finishing a couple of books that I didn't like. In this case my fears were completely unfounded I really really liked this book.
This is the first in the series and introduces us to Ste...more
I received a copy of Illicit Magic from the Read2Review program on Goodreads, so thanks to the author and the program for the opportunity to review the book. Every time I start a new series it is always with some trepidation especially after just finishing a couple of books that I didn't like. In this case my fears were completely unfounded I really really liked this book.
This is the first in the series and introduces us to Ste...more
"Illicit Magic" was actually a pretty decent book. You get to learn all about Stella Mayweather, who lives in London, and isn't doing too well for herself. She does temp jobs, lives in a meager flat/apartment, and just tries to get on with her dull, boring life the best way she can. She's a witch who doesn't know she's a witch, until some evil men begin chasing her from her workplace one day, almost to her home. When she arrives home, she begins to notice many of the news channels on TV, talking...more
I will give this 3.5 stars!
Pro's
I liked Stella she is logical not too trusting and somehow believable
Evan sounds sexy And I love a sexy love interest !
The world building was decent enough
I liked the general storyline of the novel one reason I picked this up.
Cons:
The overall outcome of the novel/ mystery was too predictable for me. I suppose it must come into play in some conceivable way but I just wasn't keen on how it turned out.
The last 10% of the book was unnecessary to me I kept waiting...more
Pro's
I liked Stella she is logical not too trusting and somehow believable
Evan sounds sexy And I love a sexy love interest !
The world building was decent enough
I liked the general storyline of the novel one reason I picked this up.
Cons:
The overall outcome of the novel/ mystery was too predictable for me. I suppose it must come into play in some conceivable way but I just wasn't keen on how it turned out.
The last 10% of the book was unnecessary to me I kept waiting...more
I really liked this book. It was an amazing story that was exciting while you get to know the characters on more intimate levels. The author did a great job with building suspense and creating a wonderful world without over explaining anything, she did just enough so that you get the idea but are still left with mystery so that you can't wait to read on to see what happens next. There were just a few minor spelling errors that need to be corrected, but I am not sure if they are really errors or...more
Mar 26, 2012
Penumbra
rated it
3 of 5 stars
Shelves:
read-to-review,
201-to-250-pages,
character-demons,
ending-dont-like-it,
format-ebook,
erotic-het,
erotic-romance,
flaw-excessive-written-filler,
free-ebook,
het,
het-romance,
flaw-lacks-character-development,
little-or-no-smexing,
main-character-bland-or-boring,
main-character-hard-to-like,
own,
paranormal,
paranormal-romance,
pov-adult-female,
pov-first-person,
read-in-2012,
reviewed,
secondary-characters-likeable,
series,
series-first-book,
supernatural-abilities,
urban-fantasy,
character-witches,
r2r-pn-and-urban-fantasy-fanatics
Told in first person through the eyes of Stella Mayweather a woman with uncontrolled powers who doesn’t know she is a witch. She’s hunted by the ‘Brotherhood’ and rescued by Etoile another witch, and taken to safety in the United States. There she learns about her powers.
(view spoiler)...more
(view spoiler)...more
Aug 10, 2011
Evelyn Amaro
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
Urban Fantasy Lovers, Paranormal romance Lovers, HP Mallory Fans
Read my full review on Paromantasy
Illicit Magic is an unputdownable novel filled with twist, turns, danger, romance, mystery, action, suspense, with a touch of humor that will keep you glued to the pages and wanting some more of this hot new series!
Stella Mayweather has always been different and socially awkward. Strange things have happened to her since she was young so keeping a life a solitude is what she is use to. Her life changes when a group known as the Brotherhood targets her. About to...more
Illicit Magic is an unputdownable novel filled with twist, turns, danger, romance, mystery, action, suspense, with a touch of humor that will keep you glued to the pages and wanting some more of this hot new series!
Stella Mayweather has always been different and socially awkward. Strange things have happened to her since she was young so keeping a life a solitude is what she is use to. Her life changes when a group known as the Brotherhood targets her. About to...more
| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Indie Exchang...: Giving away Illicit Magic this week! ENDS 4-22-12 | 1 | 14 | Apr 18, 2012 05:11am | |
| CLOSED 100% off coupon for Illicit Magic | 3 | 8 | Apr 01, 2012 06:22am | |
| Shut Up & Read: Illicit Magic by Camilla Chafer | 1 | 9 | Mar 20, 2012 04:33pm |
Hi! I'm an author of fiction and non-fiction. I'm also a freelance journalist and have written for newspapers, magazines and websites throughout the world. I'm so jet set (not).
More about Camilla Chafer...
Share This Book
No trivia or quizzes yet. Add some now »
