Enchanted No More (Mystic Circle, #1)

Apr 24, 2011 Kelly rated it 2 of 5 stars

I was drawn to Enchanted No More by the vibrant hues of the cover art and because the plot summary -- centering on a half-faerie woman sucked back grudgingly into court affairs -- reminded me of one of my favorite urban fantasy series, Seanan McGuire's October Daye.

Jenni is a halfling, half human and half Lightfolk (fae). She wants nothing to do with her Lightfolk heritage after a magical disaster fifteen years ago in which most of her family was killed. Instead, she lives as a human in Denver a...more I was drawn to Enchanted No More by the vibrant hues of the cover art and because the plot summary -- centering on a half-faerie woman sucked back grudgingly into court affairs -- reminded me of one of my favorite urban fantasy series, Seanan McGuire's October Daye.

Jenni is a halfling, half human and half Lightfolk (fae). She wants nothing to do with her Lightfolk heritage after a magical disaster fifteen years ago in which most of her family was killed. Instead, she lives as a human in Denver and works as a game designer. She is drawn back into the Lightfolk world when her last remaining family member, her estranged brother, disappears while on a mission for the rulers. Jenni reluctantly accepts the mission so that she can rescue her brother. Now she has court politics to deal with, along with dangerous evil creatures and her ex-lover Aric Paramon. (The blurb calls him Tage, but I think that must be from an earlier draft.)

Jenni must overcome her guilt and grief over the tragedy in her past, and forgive herself and Aric for the things they could have done differently. Her brother has a similar arc, learning to move past his own self-pity and his bitterness toward Jenni. Readers who enjoy this type of character journey may find Enchanted No More hits the spot.

For me, it was a bumpy read. The trouble starts with Jenni. I had trouble warming to her. At the beginning of the book, she's immature, lashing out in anger at the most inopportune moments. She throws tantrums at royalty -- not generally a good idea, but her magical talents are rare enough that they put up with it. Later, as she deals with her past, she becomes more sympathetic but still has annoying traits such as a tendency to meddle. She prods Aric about his dad issues when they're supposed to be having a romantic evening, and dispenses career counseling to the other halflings at court. (In the latter case, it's not so much a problem that she does it, but that they instantly feel motivated to better their lot after a brief conversation with Jenni--unrealistic IMHO.) Meanwhile, Aric never quite feels fleshed out.

The magic system and the scenes of magic use are often confusing to follow, while other aspects of the story are over-explained. The deaths of Jenni's family are rehashed so many times that -- especially after the Fire Queen tells her own version and offers to let Jenni read the other royals' accounts -- I was sure there would be a twist wherein the incident would turn out to have happened differently than Jenni remembered. This doesn't occur, however.

Finally, there are a huge number of comma splices. I hate to nitpick about grammar/editing, but when there are enough of these errors, it becomes distracting.

Enchanted No More will be appealing to some readers but fell flat with me, I'm sad to say. I'd rather be reading October Daye. (less)

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Feb 20, 2013 Jenn rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy, urban-fantasy

I went on a bit of a e-shopping spree a little while ago and I bought the first two books in Robin D. Owens' Mystic Circle. I've heard great things about her other series and I was going to get one of those but ENCHANTED NO MORE really caught my eye. And not just because Jenni and I share a first name. ;) I love the fact that this book is sort of urban fantasy, sort of more high fantasy -- parts of the story take place in Denver but a lot of it happens in a fantasy world populated by Lightfolk (...more I went on a bit of a e-shopping spree a little while ago and I bought the first two books in Robin D. Owens' Mystic Circle. I've heard great things about her other series and I was going to get one of those but ENCHANTED NO MORE really caught my eye. And not just because Jenni and I share a first name. ;) I love the fact that this book is sort of urban fantasy, sort of more high fantasy -- parts of the story take place in Denver but a lot of it happens in a fantasy world populated by Lightfolk (elves, dwarves, brownies, djinn, dryads, merfolk, etc., ruled by the Eight) and Darkfolk (rather less pleasant). It's a creatively rich world, filled with some fantastical characters, and I really enjoyed immersing myself in it. Owens has done a great job of building two separate but connected worlds: a strong urban fantasy world in Denver and a more classic fantasy setting for the rest of the novel.

Part of this worldbuilding involves the creation of neat backstories for her characters. Jenni, also known as Jindesfarne Mistweaver, has a great one. She's part elf, part djinn, and part human, making her a half-breed. Half-breeds have historically been regarded as second class citizens in the Lightfolk ranks and so Jenni doesn't have the warmest feelings toward full Lightfolk. Jenni is unusual among half-breeds because she has a rare ability to balance the four elements -- a gift that ran in her family. I say "ran" because nearly all of her family was killed in service to the Eight and her only surviving brother, Rothly, was physically and magically crippled. As a result of these events, she turned her back on the Lightfolk and settled in the human world, living on Mystic Circle, earning her keep as a game developer. She's lived in relative peace until the Eight send a representative to recruit her to balance the elements again. When she turns them down, they send another emissary: her ex-lover, Aric, who share her feelings of guilt over her family's deaths since they were together when the Mistweavers were ambushed.

Aric also has a complicated past, but it isn't as original as Jenni's. He is, however, a treeman, and part elf to boot, which means he can travel through trees and also has some elven abilities. He also has some daddy issues. He's changed a lot since he and Jenni were together, and I enjoyed watching them get reacquainted, working through old hard feelings and discovering nicer ones.

Needless to say, ENCHANTED NO MORE is full of emotional entanglement but there's also a very real sense of danger, since the Eight want Jenni to balance the elements when a magical bubble arrives. I know it sounds a bit weird but it makes sense within the world that Owens has created. These bubbles are rare and tend to occur in a series of three. The first one occurred two years before ENCHANTED NO MORE, in the Darkfolk territory, resulting in the birth of shadleeches, these really gross and murderous creatures that eat magic. The next two bubbles are supposed to occur in Lightfolk territory and the Eight want Jenni there to help them maximize the bubbles' magical potential, so that they can harass it for the benefit of the Lightfolk. The Darkfolk are trying to foil this plan, though, and target Jenni as the last Mistweaver. It's a really engaging plot. I was completely invested in Jenni's quest and there were some nice-for-the-reader surprises along the way.

ENCHANTED NO MORE features top-notch writing, logical and creative worldbuilding, sympathetic characters, and surprises. What more could you ask for in a novel? My expectations are quite high for ENCHANTED AGAIN because this book was so satisfying.

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Oct 08, 2011 LitAddictedBrit rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-2011, ebooks

I came away from this book feeling rather positive and remember it as being a fair read but in response to the acid test of "Who would I recommend it to?" that often helps me gauge my reaction, I drew a blank. So a mixed one really...

One thing I really liked about this book was the use of elements; the idea that everything is made up of a certain balance of fire, water, earth and air and certain beings are more in tune with certain elements. There was a touch of New Age philosophy about it but i...more I came away from this book feeling rather positive and remember it as being a fair read but in response to the acid test of "Who would I recommend it to?" that often helps me gauge my reaction, I drew a blank. So a mixed one really...

One thing I really liked about this book was the use of elements; the idea that everything is made up of a certain balance of fire, water, earth and air and certain beings are more in tune with certain elements. There was a touch of New Age philosophy about it but it was integrated into the story well and was a nice slant on magic. The imagery is bold and fills the story with colour that matches the nature theme perfectly.

The idea for the plot is quite good but, for me, it ended up feeling a bit repetitive. I'm inclined to think that's largely as a result of the characters - I never thought I'd be annoyed by somebody whose entire family has been killed but Jenni and Rothly both manage to be somewhat...irritating. Jenni has mourning guilt while Rothly has vengeful anger. I sympathised, sure, but was also wishing they'd at least try to move forward. It does get better but in a 'chick flick' fashion rather than in a gritty, emotional way.

And a couple of last thoughts: the tone of this book is hard to pinpoint - at times, I felt like I was reading a YA/children's book (brownie housekeepers and travelling through trees etc...) but then at others, there were some characters getting their raunch on. Makes it a difficult one to recommend to any specific point on the age spectrum, all in all.

Finally, there are, you will be pleased to know, some 'bad guys' to provide mild peril and thwarting opportunities (although for some reason they smell like "old bubble gum" - whoever would have guessed?). Again linking to the above-mentioned tone, these bad guys do have a taste for some pretty grim violence involving some spillage of blood - if you're of a very queasy disposition or are thinking of passing this to young kids, probably something that you'll want to bear in mind!

Overall: This was a sweet story with some cutesy magic going for it - I wouldn't necessarily be rushing out to grab other books by this author but I enjoyed this one and didn't have a problem finishing it. It's bright and colourful and made me wish for summer (possibly the beach scenes...) so it's a nice one to cheer up a dim day. (less)

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Apr 02, 2011 Tracy rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy

A Magical Lesson of Love, Valor, and Forgiveness
Fifteen years ago the family of halfling Jindesfarne Mistweaver was caught in the middle of a vicious magical battle between the Lightfolk and Dark ones. All but one brother were slain, and that brother, Rothly, was maimed physically and magically. And he blamed Jenni for it all.

But no more than she blamed herself.

Disowned by her brother, stripped of her entire family, ripped apart by guilt and loss, she fled her family's land in Northumberland, En...more

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Mar 04, 2011 Heather Osborn rated it 3 of 5 stars

I wanted to love this book way more than I ultimately did.

I am a huge Owens fan. I love her Heart series, her first Luna series, and eagerly looked forward to this, the first book in a new series. And then...it fell sort of flat.

I don't know how to describe it, other than to say that after I was 2/3ds through it, I still felt a bit detached from it. The story never really took off for me -- I never really empathized with the heroine and her angsty past, or the hero and his seeming carelessness f...more

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Jan 27, 2011 Cindy rated it 4 of 5 stars

It's a good read - more like her Exotique Summoning books in overall feeling rather than her Celta Heart books. In this strongly fantasy shaded view of contemporary America - you find that politics [and politicians] are just as self serving, prejudice is alive and well and that 'but what have you done for us lately?' is the order of the day. If this isn't depressing enough, the heroine is still deeply grieving the loss of her entire family while they were helping the powers-that-be accomplish th...more

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Dec 22, 2010 formlit rated it 4 of 5 stars

I am pretty familiar with Robin D. Owen’s work. I have read almost all of her Heart series. So I was expecting a romance like those. That’s not what I got. Oh, there is romance aplenty. But the romance isn’t the whole like in the Heart series. There is more and I think I like it better. It is pretty good and well up to her usual standards.

I liked the beginning, how the dwarf promised to make her a princess and she threw him out. I thought, who doesn’t want to be a princess?

Then there is a trap...more

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Dec 17, 2010 Esther Shaindel rated it 4 of 5 stars

Full review on Reader's Dialogue: http://readersdialogue.blogspot.com

Jenni has made a normal life for herself. After the disaster that killed her parents and most of her siblings, on a mission from the Eight Kings and Queens of the four elements, a mission to which Jenni was late and continues to blame herself for, Jenni wants nothing to do with the magical community. But when magical creatures show up on her doorstep asking for her help in a mission, and when Aric, her former lover, comes to te...more Full review on Reader's Dialogue: http://readersdialogue.blogspot.com

Jenni has made a normal life for herself. After the disaster that killed her parents and most of her siblings, on a mission from the Eight Kings and Queens of the four elements, a mission to which Jenni was late and continues to blame herself for, Jenni wants nothing to do with the magical community. But when magical creatures show up on her doorstep asking for her help in a mission, and when Aric, her former lover, comes to tell her that her brother is in need of her help, Jenni agrees to help the Eight complete the mission. Besides for facing dangers of increased power in Dark ones, Jenni has to face herself and her grief and guilt, and her blame for Aric, to come to terms with what happened then in order to move on now.

I am a little conflicted as to what I think of this book. For the most part, I really really like it. But I can't not mention the things that bother me about it, because they did affect my reading of the book. So I'm going to write what I didn't like, get it out of the way, and then tell you what I did like.

The main thing that bothered me throughout the book is actually not related to the story - it's grammar. There were lots and lots of comma splices - two separate sentences joined together only by a comma. After I came across more than a few of them, I realized that the author was trying to create a feeling of immediacy, of one event happening right on the heels of another. But for me, it just jarred.

A more major point that bothered me is the guilt that Jenni feels. I felt that her guilt and blame for herself and others was not very well described. I kept hearing about them, but I never really saw them in action. The way they disappear is also not shown very well. I felt like if these were such major points, they should have been developed and shown more clearly.

That said - the style of the writing is really amazing. There's a perfect blend of magical and real elements, and the tone of the tale fits into this, to meld the two and make magic of the four elements sound natural. I was drawn into the world as soon as I was introduced to it, and the way the world is introduced is also great - with bits and pieces of how everything works revealed over time. Jenni herself knows some of it, but as she learns about the changes that happened since she cut off contact with the magical world, we get to see both how it was and how it is now. Everything just sounds so magical.

And the characters. Every single character, no matter how little page space they take up, has a very distinctive personality. Aric and Jenni, the two main characters, really jump off the page. But even the minor characters, the brownies and naiads who appear only to serve and help Jenni, are so individual and unique in their personalities. I love how all the actions fit seamlessly together because each character does only what makes sense for him or her to do. Especially in the last battle - the way the Eight behave, the way Synicess does, it all makes perfect sense. And the way Aric behaves. That is so perfectly developed over their renewed relationship throughout the book, that by the time he does what he does, I think the only one who is surprised is Jenni - definitely I wasn't!

On the whole, this book is a great book to sink into. The magicality, the characters, the mystic style of writing - it all creates a believable world, with emotion and heart, that stays with you a while after you finish the book.(less)

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Mar 17, 2012 Melissa rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Loved this book. Jenni Weaver has spent the last 15 years living as a human, angry and hurt with the Lightfolk that she felt had let her family die - gotten them killed and done nothing to save them. Suddenly Jindesfarne Mist-Weaver is called on again by the Lightfolk, the Eight specifically - the four Elemental Kings and four Elental Queens - to do the one thing that only her family could do, balance all four elements for a perfectly balance living space or ritual circle.
When she turned away t...more

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Nov 10, 2010 Stacy rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: netgalley

Full review posted at http://urbanfantasyinvestigations.blo...

Jenni is racked with grief and guilt over the death of all her family besides her brother who disowns her after the tragedy. She moved to the human world 15 years ago and has stopped using her magic until her brother lands himself in trouble and her ex lover shows up asking her for help.

I felt that the author did a good job on conveying Jenni's emotions and feelings. She is so bitter about helping in the beginning and slowly has to le...more

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Jan 10, 2011 Kelsey rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: paranormal

The Eight, leaders of the Lightfolk, have sent for Jennie Weaver aka Jindesfarne Mistweaver. They want her to intercept a bubble and hone its powers for their good. They were unable to intercept the first one it the Darkfolk were able to harnass that one. They used it to create shadleeches to gnaw on the Lightfolk's magic.

Fifteen years ago the original Eight had sent for the Mistweaver family to open a portal for them. At the last minute they move up the time table and Jennie was too late to sav...more

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Dec 25, 2010 Splash Of Our Worlds *Yiota* rated it 2 of 5 stars

The story is written in our world but all its magic is not public known. Jenni is an elemental balancer and the leaders of the magic world need her. Even though, she doesn't want to help them cause of their past history with her family, she finally agrees when she learns that her brother is in trouble. Now Jenni, have not only to save her brother but also help them. While she do that, she learns new things about them, herself and looks like fate is there and giving her a chance to correct her mi...more The story is written in our world but all its magic is not public known. Jenni is an elemental balancer and the leaders of the magic world need her. Even though, she doesn't want to help them cause of their past history with her family, she finally agrees when she learns that her brother is in trouble. Now Jenni, have not only to save her brother but also help them. While she do that, she learns new things about them, herself and looks like fate is there and giving her a chance to correct her mistakes.

What i loved most from this book was the world and the idea behind the story. It uses elemental magic and has in it all the creatures you can imagine (elves, djins, dwarves, etc). All of them live together and actually take care of our world. The idea of the story, is some bubbles that come out from there which have in them new magic for the world. The Eight ( two leaders for each element), need help to control them and the only alive who can do it Jenni. Jenni is a balancer. She can make all the elements in a place live together in balance. All of the characters have previous background and great history too, and it's something that i find pretty interesting. Usually we get the very first adventure of our main character.

Now, while all that sound good and interesting, the book had some problems.
First, it was Jenni. All the rest characters are pretty much acceptable except her. At the first half of the book you have her being sad and mad with herself cause of her past. She repeats herself so much that she is getting an emo. Like she loves to be sad. Annoying. Then suddenly is normal and all well, and at the end we get again a bit of her old self.
Then, it's the details. Oh my god...they are so many! Most of the time i was getting either bored or confused. Details,details..again and again. They were necessary but not well introduced to us.Like "here get some details and then we go on". I did a month to finish the book cause of that.
And last annoying part was the end. For 20 pages or so, you read about the preparations of the final battle. And when finally the times comes, you get about 4 pages battle. That's it, you have to read all the details about it, just to enjoy just 4 pages of it. And not only that, but while the book is "girly" written without too much violence,blood,etc the author decides to throw some sentences with guts,etc in. Not only didn't fit, but it felt unreal with the whole environment of the story.

I like the idea behind it, it was clever and something new but you will lose it while you read it.(less)

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Mar 20, 2011 Alexia561 rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: amazon-vine, fantasy, review-copy

Robin D. Owens is one of my favorite authors and as I absolutely love her Summoning series, was very excited to see that she is starting a brand new series! Despite what I thought was a slow start, the story soon picked up and really sucked me in!

Jenni is a halfling; half human, quarter djinn, quarter elf. Her family was the only family capable of balancing the elements; adjusting Earth, Air, Fire, and Water into a perfect balance. Fifteen years ago, most of them perished in an ambush by the Dar...more Robin D. Owens is one of my favorite authors and as I absolutely love her Summoning series, was very excited to see that she is starting a brand new series! Despite what I thought was a slow start, the story soon picked up and really sucked me in!

Jenni is a halfling; half human, quarter djinn, quarter elf. Her family was the only family capable of balancing the elements; adjusting Earth, Air, Fire, and Water into a perfect balance. Fifteen years ago, most of them perished in an ambush by the Dark Ones while opening a portal for the Eight (rulers of Lightfolk). A horrible massacre where Jenni and her oldest brother were the only survivors. So when the Eight send word that they need her help once more, Jenni declines. Unfortunately, she is soon forced to help when her crippled brother disappears while trying to fulfill the mission on his own.

This is listed as book one, so the slow start may have been due to setting up the series groundwork. Jenni is a magical being, who has turned her back on her heritage and is living in the human world. Jenni is soon dragged back into the faery world, and must deal with her grief at losing her family, her distrust of the Eight, and her feelings for her ex-lover. All that on top of rescuing her brother and completing her mission.

Jenni may have "issues" with authority, guilt about failing her family, and lingering angst over Aric's betrayal, but she is not a stupid woman. She understands that she really has no choice about the mission, so makes the best of things and tries to negotiate the best terms for her and her brother. Despite being disowned by Rothly, she still cares for the last remaining member of her family and only wants what's best for him. She is a passionate, caring, talented heroine that I wanted to get to know better.

Think this will be another great series for Robin, as I really liked Jenni, Aric, the brownies who moved in with Jenni, and the various halflings she befriends! An interesting plot, well paced action, good character development, and even the bad guys were interesting! Robin has another winner on her hands!

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Nov 06, 2010 Tracy rated it 2 of 5 stars

It's disheartening to write this review, because the beginning was so promising. There is an intriguing pair of brownies, a reclusive programmer reminiscent of Sandra Bullock in The Net, and a needy door-splitting dwarf. Unfortunately, with the first mention of the main character's "ex-lover," the novel takes a nose dive. Melodrama, ludicrous conversation, and circular thought abound as he steps on the scene dressed like a pimp and flexing his abundant muscles. It's as if a rather clever writer...more

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Jun 20, 2011 Bethany rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: sci-fi-fantasy, 2011-reads, robin-d-owens

This book was okay. It's not particularly quick paced so sometimes you just "lull" along, but the one thing I disliked about this book is Jenni (the main character). She's a little too wishy-washy for me. She's not particularly "weak," but the end climax part of the book with her emotions running around was rather disorientating and unsatisfying to read when you're in the midst of a battle. It was annoying, to say the least, how often her emotions ran around. On some level, it makes sense since...more

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Mar 14, 2013 Sarah rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: urban-fantasy

The Good Stuff:
- A fascinating magic system. Without getting overly complicated or technical, Ms. Owens sets out a coherent magic that makes sense on an intuitive level.
- Love, love, love the way themes of forgiveness and reconciliation are dealt with. It's not over-simplified, and ultimately isn't about other people earning Jenni's forgiveness (or even earning the right to forgive herself). Instead she realizes the toxicity and fruitlessness of hanging on to the guilt and anger, and chooses to...more

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Dec 20, 2010 Shannon rated it 3 of 5 stars

This is another in a string of books that I feel just so-so about. There are certain things that I really liked though and that is why I ultimately gave it a 3.

I really liked the premise of this story and as I have been reading a lot of UF lately this seemed a good way to get into something different. I love all of the magical elements of this book. Jenni has the power to “balance” magic and Aric can travel by using the trees. The magic is based on the 4 elements and there are faerie folk that...more This is another in a string of books that I feel just so-so about. There are certain things that I really liked though and that is why I ultimately gave it a 3.

I really liked the premise of this story and as I have been reading a lot of UF lately this seemed a good way to get into something different. I love all of the magical elements of this book. Jenni has the power to “balance” magic and Aric can travel by using the trees. The magic is based on the 4 elements and there are faerie folk that reign over each element. There are also a host of other magical beings, treefolk and brownies and more.

I thought the mission that Jenni on was really interesting. She was supposed to help the Light faeries balance the magic of some bubbles that were popping and releasing energy that could be harnessed for either good or evil. A previous bubble that was not harnessed produced shade leeches and they are pretty nasty.

My personal issue with the story was that I could not just relax and sink into it. I kept being told what was happening instead of just being shown. Let me explain that; the book kept saying how she had guilt, she feels guilt, her guilt was so bad. I wish I could have felt her guilt with her instead of being told about it. It was the same way as she developed and tried to lessen her guilt and move on, instead of being trusted as the reader to realize that what she was doing was development on that front, it just kept telling me. I was able to understand through her action that it was happening. I think this is just personal opinion on the style of writing, it just is not what I prefer.

Also, the relationship was not my favorite. I did not see why they were together except that they used to date. I also did not understand why they kept acting as if they were being “kept” apart. It was another telling but not showing thing for me. I kept being told that he was the “eight’s man” (the eight is the kings and queens of the lightfolk, 2 for each element) and she wanted to be with the humans and not deal with the faerie. Well, Jenni sure didn’t act like it and Aric seemed to mostly do as he pleased. Overall I felt like they were kept apart when they did not need to be, at least not for that reason.

I know those seem like big gripes but the overall story was really interesting. I like the world that she has created and would love to read more stories in it. For me though, I felt like she wasn’t trusting her imaginative storytelling, or her readers. Then again, if you just want an easy read that doesn’t keep things vague this might be just what you are looking for.(less)

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Dec 02, 2012 Stefanie rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: urban-paranormal-fantasy

I have been a long time fan of Robin D. Owens since I first came upon Sorceress of Faith (2nd in The Summoning series). The beginning of this book was a little slow for me but the story did pick up as it went along. I also seemed to fixate more on the secondary characters of the Guardian elf and dwarf more so than the lead characters. I don't know if it is just that I have aged a bit since I finished a book by this author, but overall this one just didn't wow me or hold my attention in as firm a...more

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Jan 14, 2011 Mikaela rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: urban-fantasy

Guilt-ridden by a mistake that cost her family their lives, half-Lightfolk, half-human Jenni Weavers turns her back on her magical heritage...until her remaining brother who hates her is trapped and she's the only one who can step into an alternate dimension to save him.

This is Robin D Owens at her best. She have taken common fantasy races, and turned them into something unique. The plot grip you from the start, and keeps you on the edge, wondering what happens next. And the characters. All the...more

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Jan 12, 2012 Bookish♥Sarah rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: series-read, read-in-2012

♥ Find my reviews on Blogger ~ Reviews by Bookish Sarah

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Jenni Weaver is a halfling. Half human, half djinn - one of the fire Lightfolk. Fifteen years ago, most of her family was killed in a battle between the Lightfolk & Darkfolk. Jenni's one remaining brother, Rothly, was crippled and believes Jenni was the one at fault - all because she didn't arrive to the ceremony early & therefore wasn't present when the battle began. Instead she was at home, making love with our hero, Aric Par...more

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May 10, 2011 Anne Marsh rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy, dnf

I love, love, love Robin Owens and her earlier books are some of my absolute favorites. Her writing style is always a pure pleasure to read and she writes some deliciously strong heroines who are still extremely feminine. One thing I've noticed in her more recent books, however, is just how nice the heroines are-- to the point where, for me, it's just a little too much. ENCHANTED's heroine is so very, very, very nice-- I'd have liked her to be a little less so. She goes after her brother. She he...more

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Mar 18, 2011 Gail rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: e-book, fantasy-romance, urban-fantasy

This story is a little darker than most of Owens' books, but still far from the darkness of many urban fantasy authors (and while I'll read the really dark stuff, my preference is for somewhat lighter things). It is also very much a romance. The heroine is still mourning her family and blaming herself and the fae for their deaths--she and her brother are the only two Mistweavers left, and her brother blames her too. She was late to a job because she stayed for "one more time" with her lover, and...more

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Jan 09, 2011 Maryam rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: ebooks, finished-netgalley

I found this to be one of those reads that I can finish but one that the story doesn’t stick with me after, if that makes sense. I didn’t have the hype after reading a really good book that I normally get but just – this might sound a bit mean – an acceptance that the book is finished so that I can put it aside and start another straight after.

Don’t get me wrong, I didn’t think it was a bad read per se but it just didn’t intrigue me as I wanted it to and was just interesting enough to be able to...more

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Jan 03, 2011 Anna rated it 3 of 5 stars

The meld of magic and technology was innovative and ushered this story into the modern world. The realm of magic is a tricky place to be on a good day but having the Lightfolk understand computers, meshing spells and codes, makes them even more formidable.

"We are tryimg to integrate back into the mortal world." He gestured in the direction of downtown. "When magic and technology fuse, humans may be ready to accept us."

World building isn't the primary focus of the book and I found most of the sto...more

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Jan 10, 2011 Brenda rated it 5 of 5 stars

I loved Enchanted No More for it's melding of fantasy and romance. The characters came alive for me as I read the story, and I was holding my breath for the outcome of the battles, both physical and emotional. This was truly a special read that lifted my spirits and inspired me to be more creative in my own writing.

I recommend Enchanted No More for fans of urban fantasy, paranormal romance, historical romance and fantasy such as J.R. Tolkien. It's a wonderful, quick paced read that you'll never...more

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Jan 25, 2012 Phoebe rated it 2 of 5 stars

I wanted to like the book so much, but it would not let me. After the first chapter of the protagonist feeling guilty, that was understandable, she kept feeling guilty for the entire book. Every time I thought she moved on to take control of her life she did not. In the end, the protagonist finally decides to forgive herself and move on. If you overlook the guilt complex it is a pretty good book about magic, walking through trees, and brownies that obsess about chocolate.

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Nov 29, 2010 Kristina rated it 3 of 5 stars

Overall: I really wanted to love this book. The concept behind it and the world that was built was well done, but the romance and guilt/ bitterness really hurt the book. Parts felt like a really long couch session that I was not interested in.

Rating: 3 only for the world and background characters. There is a second book coming with a character that is not from this book but the same community that Jenni lives in.

full post: http://NewBorrowedUsed.blogspot.com

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Apr 18, 2011 Rachel rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2011, contemporary-fantasy, elves-and-things, magic, romance

I enjoyed this book, the thing I did not like was that certain information was repeated way to many times. I was tired of her rehashing why she felt guilty about her family dying, I got it the first few times and I don't think it needed to be repeated throughout the book. There were a few other things like that, but on the whole it was a fun book.

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Mar 10, 2011 Tina rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: adult-fiction, contemporary, fantasy, romance

So the relationship in this one develops really quickly, which is explained by the couple having been together years ago, but I kind of missed the whole get to know you theme. The mixture of urban and fantasy was a bit more on the urban side, (the fairy court owns a hotel in yellowstone). The bedroom scenes are kept mostly behind closed doors.

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May 13, 2013 Allison rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: faerie-fae, urban-fantasy, paranormal, romantic, adult

Enchanted No More is fairly overflowing with enchantment. It is full of all sorts of magic based on the four elements of fire, earth, air and water. The entire magical world is in danger, and Jenni, a half-breed, is the only one with her special family magic left who can help. Can she overcome her bitterness at losing her entire family the last time the magical community asked for their help to do what needs to be done?

Beyond the fairy politics and magical conflicts, this is a fairly standard pa...more

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Enchanted No More (Mystic Circle #1)

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