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Feb 14, 2011

Lady Vale rated it:

3.5 Stars

So far this is the book I have enjoyed the least. But it is not an easy book to review. The reason for this is that I enjoyed some parts way too much while others got me so bored. Making it short, the first half of the book was boring as hell while the 2nd half was amazing.

In the first half we have Paige helping Lucas to resolve some assassinations happening to the teenage offspring of the underworld's most influential Cabals workers. While this was interesting More...

16 comments like (6 people liked it)

Nov 30, 2011

Megan rated it:

Industrial Magic is without a doubt the weakest in the series so far. The writing, story telling and world building are excellent. What is not excellent however is Paige Winterbourne. While she wasn't the smartest (despite what she thought) or the most likeable in Dime Store Magic, there was a lot going on to distract the reader from her. Plus Savannah was a welcome break, as was getting to know Lucas Cortez. Unfortunately Savannah is largely absent from this novel. And as for Lucas... I've lear More...

13 comments like (6 people liked it)

Apr 11, 2008

Barbara rated it:

I’m always thrilled when I find a new writer who a) I think is amazing; b) who is writing a series, which I love; c) there are several books to the series before I find them; and d) whose writing gets better with each book. That describes Kelley Armstrong perfectly.

The Women of the Otherworld series is slightly different in that the narrator of each book changes. Some narrators have more than one book, but there are several. Armstrong does a good job of introducing the narrator at More...

0 comments like (2 people liked it)

Sep 28, 2008

Brooke rated it:

I'm going back and forth about whether to give this 2 or 3 stars. The writing is just so clunky. The paperback clocked in at over 500 pages, and I felt like if only it had been edited more, it could have taken up much less room. There is just so much unneeded exposition on mundane details. I still don't buy Paige and Lucas's romance (one of my complaints about Dime Store Magic) - unlike with Elena and Clay in Bitten, Kelley Armstrong just tells us over and over that Paige and Lucas love each oth More...

0 comments like (5 people liked it)

Nov 05, 2008

Jennifer rated it:

The fourth book in the women of the otherworld series and the second book featuring Paige Winterbourne. I find I am still enjoying this series very much and I feel the writing is actually really quite good.

I find that the characters actually grow in the series - and that is really quite refreshing. To see a character recognize their faults and to be somewhat reflective - well - I really appreciate that. And I think that really helped in these books for me. I think a good writer can More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Aug 04, 2011

Dalton rated it:

So far, I've really enjoyed Kelley Armstrong's Women of the Otherworld series. However, by this, the fourth book, there are some things that are starting to annoy me more than I'd like (hence the 3 star rating, rather than my usual 4/5 for the series).

One - the narrator for the 3rd and 4th book has some issues that I really wish she'd clear up: laughing ... she really must STOP doing the little chuckle or laugh sounds. I mean seriously, a narrator does NOT always have to literally laugh just bec More...

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Nov 25, 2011

Lynn rated it:

SO GREAT! What a delight!

I was a little bit reluctant about this book; it’s the second one in a row with Paige as protagonist, and as I mentioned in the review to Dime Store Magic, Paige is not my favorite heroine from the Otherworld-universe. But Kelley Armstrong is my favorite writer and I like to read books in chronological order, so IM was the next.
And I was blown away.

Although I am no particular fan of thrillers/ murder mysteries and usually don’t read them More...

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Jul 28, 2011

Tammy rated it:

I went into this book without really having any idea what to expect. I borrowed it from a friend who admitted she bought it mostly because she liked the cover. I generally don't like reading a book that belongs to a series without reading previous books but since I had it I figured I may as well. I did get the feeling like I was missing some of the history between the characters but it didn't make the story unreadable.

I found Paige and Lucas, the main characters in the book, to be More...

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Jun 15, 2011

Jen rated it:

Kelley Armstrong knocks another one out of the park with this fourth installment in her Otherworld series. Paige the witch is back as the narrator, but joining her this latest adventure is the rest of the amazing cast of characters we met in the earlier books.

About four months have passed since the events of Dime Store Magic. Paige, Lucas, and Savannah are making a life for themselves in Portland, when Lucas' father Benicio shows up. He wants Lucas and Paige to investigate the attac More...

1 comment like (2 people liked it)

May 25, 2011

Bronwyn rated it:

Industrial Magic is the second book about Paige, a witch who has now settled into a relationship with a sorceror who is first in line to inherit a cabal, and has managed to take clear guardianship of Savannah, the product of a witch and sorceror relationship.

In this book, Paige and Lucas must help the cabal figure out why teenagers associated with the cabal are being murdered. To do this they must both learn to manage Lucas' father, Benecio, and deal with his older and evil brothe More...

1 comment like (1 person liked it)

Feb 08, 2011

Helen rated it:

Enamored as I was with Armstrong’s Bitten, I was excited to try her other titles. What a disappointment. Where Bitten piqued my interest in paranormal fiction, Industrial Magic left me bored and disenchanted.

Bitten appealed to me because, while I don’t actually believe in werewolves, Armstrong painted a picture in which I could envision one trying to exist in a modern American city. It reads more like women’s fiction than supernatural fiction, as Elena copes with love, relationships, More...

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Nov 11, 2010

Free rated it:

Sometimes, paranormal romance is too heavy on the smut and barely has a plot. Thankfully, that is not true for Kelley Armstrong's Women of the Otherworld series.

In fact, there was nothing between Paige and Lucas that made this a book I was ashamed to read in public, and the writer tastefully panned away whenever they were engaged in any... delicate activities.

There was a great deal of suspense. Vampires play a big role, on both the good side, the bad side, and the pathetic si More...

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Feb 19, 2011

Lisa rated it:

Another fine, fun instalment of the Women of the Otherworld series in which Paige Winterbourne, our witch heroine from Dime Store Magic, is drawn into a case where she must help the Cabals (sort of like the Mob, but with magic and nicer headquarters).

While I'm nowhere near as fond of Paige as I am of Elena, she's still a good character and I do enjoy reading things from her point of view, especially as she's not in such a closed environment as the werewolf pack and we therefore see h More...

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Dec 27, 2011

Chelsea rated it:

I'm sure this happens to every serious reader now and then: You come across a book that has nothing really wrong with it, but that for you personally is like pulling teeth to get through. For me, this was one such book. After close to two weeks of struggling, I finally gave up and started skimming. So I want to warn you to take my opinions on this with a grain of salt, since I didn't read very closely. At the same time, I feel obligated to share my less then stellar reading experience in the nam More...

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Oct 10, 2011

Nikki rated it:

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 More...

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Apr 01, 2011

Marleigh rated it:

First line: "'Got another CSI question for you,' Gloria said as Simon walked into the communication hub with an armload of papers."

Summary: Lucas and Paige investigate a string of murders of kids of the sorcerer mafia. Book #4 of Women of the Otherworld.

I'm a bit torn on this one. Lots of Lucas, who I love, and they ditched Savannah the prodigy ward, who I'm lukewarm about. The plot was a bit convoluted, and I lost the state of the murder mystery in a few places More...

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Mar 31, 2009

Barbara rated it:

This is the story of Paige Winterbourne that was the main character in Dime Store Magic. Her and her boyfriend, Lucas Cortez try and help the Cabel (kinda like the supernatural mob world) which includes Lucas' father Benicio find a killer attacking children of the Cabel.

Lucas has always tried to avoid contact with his father and the Cabel even though he is considered the Benicio's official heir but to help find this killer, he and Paige use the resources of the powerful Cabel to tra More...

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Jan 26, 2009

Christina rated it:

Not as awesomely awesome as the first three, but still worth the read, nevertheless. It took a long time getting to the final page, although admittedly it did progress quicker towards the end. They almost always do. At some points, the plot went at snail's pace, and as another obstacle came along and another and another, I just couldn't help but scream... 'when is this going to be over??'

It was still a really good blend of mystery, lightedhearted humor and horror, though, and Kelley More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Aug 01, 2010

Harmonybites rated it:

I love Armstrong's Women of the Otherworld series, which are mostly first person Urban Fantasies written from a female point of view. That said, I certainly have my favorites, and the two novels centering on Paige Winterbourne and Lucas Cortes definitely rank for me as the ones I loved the most. I could understand readers having other favorites, the novels are all good reads. However, I just happen to like Paige, and the themes of a "cabal" of male sorcerers organized in something rese More...

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Mar 17, 2010

Kelly rated it:

One of the hardest things about reading this entire series back to back is that I've usually started the next book before writing up the review for the prior one. That means that sometimes I get confused and attribute things that happen in book Z to things that happened in book Y. I'm not complaining or anything because I'm reading a bunch of awesome books, but it makes me have to think. Hard. So, this book follows Paige and Lucas into the dark heart of Cabal territory. Namely, the Cabal ru More...

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Oct 06, 2009

Regie rated it:

Nice Surprise, April 13, 2009
I have to say that this book came as a nice surprise for me. I actually bought #3 and 4 of Women of the Underworld together and I was not very impressed with Dime Store Magic. So when I finally started to read Industrial Magic I was surprised (and happy!!) at how fast the pace of the book picked up and how quickly I became engrossed.
I was taken by the story almost at the very beginning, and if during the course of the entire story many characters came and w More...

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Jan 15, 2011

Kathy rated it:

This was not as good as the first three but it wasn't terrible either. My biggest beef with the book was that it dragged in the middle- it definately could have been edited down- it is over 500 pages.

I liked the continuation of Paige and Lucas's story, I enjoyed seeing the interaction between Lucas and his estranged father- the "godfather" of sorcerers, and I of course loved that Clay and Elena played a part in the book too. After four books what has finally dawned on me is More...

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Jan 16, 2010

Tina rated it:

Stars Breakdown - This really should be 3.5 stars.

Plot 4 stars - I liked this much better than Dime Store Magic.

Cover 2 stars - The cover is nothing that would catch my attention. If I wasn't familiar with her writing, I wouldn't even give these books a second glance. The covers don't really relay the story well and they're blah.

Writing 3 stars

Originality 4 stars

Characters 4 stars - We're introduced to the Cortez Cabals (and a few of More...

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Mar 30, 2010

Tanya rated it:

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here

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Feb 05, 2010

Shelleyrae rated it:

I really enjoyed Industrial Magic. The combination of characters - not just their supe abilities, but the personalities, and I am especially pleased that Paige's behaviour is far less dimwitted than in Dime Store Magic. that may have turned me off the series if it had been the case.
There is a lot going on with so many characters though the main focus is on Paige and Lucas's relationship and Lucas's relationship with his father.
Savannah is largely absent in this book but that was fin More...

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Nov 03, 2010

Uriah rated it:

I devoured Bitten in a matter of days. I couldn't wait to see what came next. Stolen was an excellent read, although it didn't have quite the same feel. With Dime Store Magic I was a bit taken aback at first by the change in voice as Paige is such a stark contrast to Elena, but enjoyed it all the same. THIS book, however, frustrated me to no end. The first half of the book was interesting, but not nearly is riveting as the first two, something I attribute to the voice of the character, which beg More...

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Sep 27, 2011

Heidi rated it:

Another fun Women of the Otherworld novel. There's no point in discussing the plot; regular readers will know what to expect (more of the same romp with witches, werewolves, and vampires) and people who haven't read these books before should be aware that this is the fourth book in a series.

I've liked all these books so far; they're pure escapism, but I like the strong female characters and the non-teenage (for the most part) supernaturals. I've never been convinced by Lucas & Paig More...

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Sep 02, 2011

Mandi rated it:

This is the fourth book in the series 'Women of the Otherworld'. I was quite fond of 'Industrial Magic'. It was the best of the books with Paige as the lead. It was a real page turner. I felt sorry for some of the characters. It could be quite depressing for some people. Yes, I would recommend it.

As I have said in the above paragraph, Paige Winterbourne is the lead for this book. Teenage kids from Cabal families are being killed. Lucky for Paige, she is dating Lucas Cortez; a son of th More...

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Jun 19, 2009

Leanne rated it:

They're baaaaack!

Not only do we get Paige, Savannah and Lucas in this book - oh no, we get Elena, Clay, Jeremy, Adam and Cassandra! But wait, that's not all - we get introduced to a whole class of new characters, including two of my favourites Jaime Vegas and somebody you definitely won't be expecting!

Another excellent book from Kelley Armstrong. Fabulous plot, a little bit of naughty mischief between the adults, hilariosu new characters, chilling suspense and witty one More...

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Mar 14, 2011

Jessie rated it:

I think I liked this story best of all so far. It had the largest cast of characters, but that wasn't overwhelming since they'd been introduced slowly. She balanced all her story arcs well. I thought it was a bold move taking a stance on the afterlife, but since her next novel takes place with a character who resides there, I suppose that makes sense. The only thing I really took issue with was that she has clearly retracted the idea that there are only a few supernaturals in the world. Sur More...

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