Blue Magic

Astrid Lethewood #2

by A.M. Dellamonica

The sequel to Indigo Springs , "A psychologically astute, highly original debut―complex, eerie, and utterly believable." ― Kirkus Reviews, Starred Review

This powerful sequel to the A.M. Dellamonica's Sunburst Award–winning contemporary fantasy Indigo Springs starts in the small town in Oregon where Astrid Lethewood discovered an underground river of blue liquid―Vitagua―that is pure magic. Everything it touches is changed. The secret is out―and the world will never be the same. Astrid's best friend, Sahara, has been corrupted by the blue magic, and now leads a cult that seeks to rule the world. Astrid, on the other hand, tries to heal the world.

Conflicting ambitions, star-crossed lovers, and those who fear and hate magic combine in a terrible conflagration, pitting friend against friend, magic against magic, and the power of nations against a small band of zealots, with the fate of the world at stake.



Blue Magic is a powerful story of private lives changed by earthshaking events that will ensnare readers in its poignant tale of a world touched by magic and plagued by its consequences.

Genres: Fantasy, Urban Fantasy, Fiction, Queer, Magic, LGBT, Canada

384 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 2011

About the author

I live in Toronto, Ontario and make my living writing science fiction and fantasy; I also review books and teach writing online at UCLA. I'm a legally married lesbian and in my spare time I take pictures with Toronto Photo. My wife's name is Kelly and we have two cats, Lorenzo and Chinchilla, born in spring of 2014.

Reviews

[Annemieke / A Dance with Books · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’m sad to say that the sequel to Indigo Springs, and the second book in the Astrid Lethewood duology, was a bit of a disappointment to me. I was looking forward to immerging myself back into this world and to see how Astrid’s story would unfold. But the spark that was in the first book, was completely lost to me.

The book felt incredibly messy. I’m not sure what my expectations was about Astrid reshaping the world, but this certainly wasn’t it. The operation she had, carried so many characters it was confusing to follow. I could not keep track of all those minor characters, and they did not stand out all that much in personalities.

I still like the magic system in this series. However this book showed one negative to me. It is almost as if everything can be done with it. I don’t think there are enough limitations for Astrid. I was looking forward to getting to know more about the witch hunters, but I was a bit let down in that regard. Honestly, I could have done with one of the point of views being from a witch hunter. There was also apparently a prophecy that was thrown in halfway through, but it got such little attention that I wondered what the point of adding it really was.

One of the things that was different from Indigo Springs was the point of view. Now after finishing the first book I knew they couldn’t tell the second book the same way. So instead of the Will I pov interview setting with Astrid’s flashbacks, we got four points of view. Will, Astrid, Ev and a new character Juanita. I enjoyed getting Ev’s point of view. I wasn’t expecting it, but I think it was a nice addition. Was it completely necessary for the plot? Probably not, but it brought other things to the story. One of these things was transgender. This part of Ev was already present in the first book, but never mentioned as such. I don’t think I’m the right person to judge if it was done well, but I was glad to see it in here.

Getting Astrid this way was different from the first book and I had a hard time connecting with her in this book. Will remained a solid character throughout. He had his highs and lows. Juanita was not a character I was very drawn to however. I wasn’t sure about what her role was to be until they mentioned one thing from a prophecy and I knew that she was going to be it.

The romance! The romance sucked! I will not hide that I am an avid Astrid x Jacks supporter. But no, Jacks is pretty much nonexistent in this book. Instead Astrid gets glimpses of the future where she was involved with Will. And so now she goes for Will based on that. Excuse me? This felt so incredibly forced I could not be on board with it for even a moment. Will had the right response initially to that, but then went on board with it rather quickly. I didn’t feel enough of a connection between the two in this book for that. If the author had continued to weave from the basis that was present at Indigo Spring, this might have worked, but not this way.

[Majanka · Rating 3 out of 5]

Book Review originally published here: www.iheartreading.net/mini-reviews/mi...

I didn’t read the first book in the series – I thought this was the first one, so I was at a loss at the start. I quickly figured out what was going on though. The plot was interesting, but I couldn’t connect to the characters. They all felt flat and dull. Could be because I missed out on the first book though.

[Ria Bridges · Rating 4 out of 5]

The sequel to A M Dellamonica’s Indigo Springs, Blue Magic picks up right where the previous novel left off, with almost no gap in time between one book to the next. Magic is still loose in the world, Sahara is still head of a goddess cult that worships her, Astrid is trying to hold onto reality enough to make things right, and Will has found his world turned upside down by the implications of all that’s happening.

Add to that the fact that people transformed and held within the previously frozen vitagua want to carve their own place in the world, and to get vengeance for past wrongs committed against them, and things get a touch chaotic.

As a counter to Sahara’s cult, Astrid has a group of people flocking to her, all of them bent on changing the world with magic in order to make things better for people. Not just creating little chantments like they did in the beginning, but using the transformative power of magic to reshape things to everyone’s benefit. Or at least as much benefit as possible. The release of vitagua, controlled and otherwise, is reshaping the world anyway, strange life springing up, giving people more animalistic qualities in accordance with their nature.

Interestingly, this also seems to apply with gender dysphoria, giving one character the body of a man. This gives the author a wonderful chance to explore gender politics and give social commentary, which she does very well. Characters of colour, transgendered characters, different expressions of sexuality, this book has a great deal of diversity in its cast, making it stand head and shoulders above the vast majority of urban fantasy.

This book has the world in chaos, with characters spread far and wide but mostly flowing around a small central cast of characters, to keep things as contained as possible. The chaos is definitely felt in the text, with stories flowing around each other, connecting and separating, and at times it can be hard to keep track of what’s happening where and when. Not to the point that the story becomes unintelligible, but it’s something to keep in mind; this isn’t the sort of book you can read with your mind half on something else.

Dellamonica’s writing is engaging and flows well, and her endless fount of creativity may as well be vitagua in itself, transformative and magical. The story is much more linear here than in Indigo Springs, and the plot darker and more serious. I didn’t enjoy it quite as much as the first book, but I can’t deny that it was still an amazing book, and still very enjoyable anyway. This is an amazing urban fantasy that shouldn’t be missed by fans of the genre, or fans of intelligent genre fiction in general.

(Book received in exchange for an honest review.)

[Kelsey Brennan · Rating 4 out of 5]

"You're going to fall in love today, she'd said when they first met, but how could he love the end of the world, the bringer of so much destruction."

I don't often prefer sequels to the original, but Blue Magic proved the exception, and blew Indigo Springs out of the water. A.M. Dellamonica really brings these characters to life - every person, no matter how peripheral they are to the story, feels like they have their own motivation and story. Even the ones I don't like, I can understand. The new characters introduced this book were great, Juanita in particular, and returning characters were given more depth, with Mark and Ev standing out. It also feels like a really mature look at how complicated adult relationships can be, the baggage we bring in to them, and how each of our choices changes them in unexpected ways.

Blue Magic also did a great job with the tension building, and Dellamonica writes some really great action scenes. I found Indigo Springs dragged a bit, and the storytelling structure removed some of the sense of urgency, but Blue Magic is exciting all the way through, and has a great momentum that makes it hard to put down.

I would definitely recommend this book.

[Michelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the sequel to Indigo Springs. Astrid has built a community of volunteers to manage the vitagua and is also dealing with the expectations of those who remain with the frozen. In the meantime, the government is concentrating on Sahara and her followers, while Astrid and her group secretly distribute vitagua out into the world. Will has joined Astrid in hopes of rescuing his children, but Sahara has been devious with an enchantment that makes the reunification difficult. As Will learns more about the magic, the tide is about to turn bringing the final confrontation between all of the factions.

[Nicole Luiken · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had some trouble getting through this one, I think mostly because of the big difference in tone with book one. Book one had the whole joy-wonder-discovery of magic as a main plot thread and the mystery of Astrid's living with one foot in the future and who is Patience. The plot for book two absolutely follows the events of book one: magic contamination, fighting, various disasters, but lacked that joy-wonder feel. Also, I never really invested in the romantic subplot.

[DMuse · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating!

[Wetdryvac · Rating 3 out of 5]

Again, great ideas in places, but even more not my speed.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

(originally reviewed on Starmetal Oak Reviews)

Spoiler alert: there won’t be spoilers for Blue Magic but incidentally there will be some for Indigo Springs. If you want the spoiler free version, read my conclusion under “Rating” below!

If there’s a new release this year that would cause me to fangirl squee, it’s this one. I’ve been dying to read it. I absolutely loved Indigo Springs and wanted to see where Dellamonica took the story. We left off with magic finally being revealed to exist in the world, with Astrid as the one well wizard left to control it and her friend, Sahara, who has gone mad from exposure to the magical substance, vitagua and is garnering quite a cult following.

The book picks up with Sahara and a handful of her followers in federal custody for their crimes. There’s a trial taking place which the authorities quickly learn is a hard thing to pull off with someone like Sahara and her schemes and also the chantments available to her. Will is there and unfortunately his ex-wife is also on trial, who has been blindly following the “Goddess”, Sahara. He wants to find his two children but eventually learns that the government can’t help him against the Achemites. He needs to fight magic with magic, and so he goes to Astrid for help.

Astrid and her team of volunteers are living inside a blue bubble where Indigo Springs used to be. Now it’s a contaminated forest/city that serves as her base of operations. Astrid is trying to slowly release all the vitagua from the Unreal into our world, before the well blows and greatly damages everything. Astrid is still Astrid, with such a big operation running her weaknesses stand out: she finds it hard to make the difficult decisions and step up as a solid leader. However, she’s doing the best she can and has plenty of help from her volunteers.

What I enjoyed most is watching Will grow even more as a character. Other than Sahara, I think he’s my favorite. He has a little more grit than Astrid which I like and I found his story of trying to reunite with his children sympathetic. As for Sahara, she really breaks out the crazy in this one and I loved it. She’s a great delusional, narcissistic villain with major vitagua contamination problems. I also enjoyed the Alchemites because what else would happen if magic was suddenly revealed in the world? Some people would see it as miracles and start worshipping the wrong people and this illustrates that. Also, I liked the contrast of the government operations against Sahara (the trial) and her followers. It’s law and order against magic and chaos.

I guess this is why I enjoy this series so much as an urban fantasy. We get to experience what would likely happen if a magical substance like vitagua was dispersed in our world. What would governments do? What would people like Sahara do to take advantage of this? How would someone like Astrid help along the transition?

We also get to see more of the Fyreman and learn about what has happened in their history. We find out about why vitagua causes humans to devolve into animals and it’s really quite fascinating.

The only thing that bothered me about Blue Magic was the use of prophecy and fate. Astrid can hear the grumbles telling her what is to come in the future and she allows them to guide much of what she does in the here and now. I, personally, don’t like the use of this mechanism because it creates a sense that nothing can really be changed and so there’s no reason to become too invested in what’s actually happening. If you know things will work out a certain way, it takes away some of the impact of the current events.

Overall, I heartily enjoyed Blue Magic and found it to be a good sequel. If you liked Indigo Springs you must pick this up, since it really expands the story. I loved revisiting the characters and seeing what is done with vitagua and the clever creation of chantments again. If you wanted to see more magic clashing with the real world, this one’s for you. Highly recommended.

Review copy of this book was provided by the publisher.

[Vanessa · Rating 3 out of 5]

BLUE MAGIC is the second book in a duet. I didn't have trouble getting into the story despite not having read book one (INDIGO SPRINGS). Dellamonica brings us up to date quickly without burdening the novel with tedious infodumps. If anything, Dellamonica seems incapable of writing a word more than is necessary.

The story revolves around Astrid, enchantress, witch--and now refugee camp leader and potential savior of the world. She's doing her darnedest to keep the vitagua well--the physical source of all magic--from exploding and forcing its way into the world, thereby causing massive death and destruction in the process. The well will explode, of that there's no doubt, but Astrid is trying to make it so the damage won't be as severe.

Too bad that everyone seems to think that just nuking Indigo Springs, the town where the well is located, will solve the problem. While trying to keep the U.S. military off her back, Astrid has her army of volunteers to help spread magic and prevent Armageddon. But she still needs help, because right now she's the only one who can use the vitagua to enchant object and disperse the magic before everything goes boom.


Enter Will Forest, the reluctant wizard. His children are missing, his wife has run off to join the cult of destructive witch Sahara Knax, and his role with the U.S. government military is becoming foggier by the day. Astrid must recruit him or else die of exhaustion from trying to do it all.


Explaining this story in three paragraphs is a gross over-simplification of a complex and twisty novel (it continues what was likely a complicated and twisty first novel). The cast of characters is vast, and since it's a carryover from book one, we don't get as much background, and it's sometime hard to remember who everyone is. Fortunately, we only have four main PoV characters: Astrid, Will, Astrid's "father" Everett, and Juanita (a U.S. Marshal). Since the story anchors around these four, we understand that the rest can be put aside as necessary to keep moving forward.

And forward we move. Quickly. Dellamonica starts with a bang and carries us swiftly from scene to scene, throwing information and people and plot and setting at us with wild abandon. Don't worry, just drink it in as you go and you'll assimilate enough to understand what's going on, despite problems with flow and transitions. Characters will suddenly decide to act and then magic moves them halfway across the world and there will be a fight and then it's over and everyone is home or dead or dealing with the fallout. The execution of the plot is unruly and sometime awkward. But here it's the ideas that will grab you.

BLUE MAGIC deals with the interesting concept of how a non-magical society would deal with the sudden reality of magic invading our world with strangeness and yet wonder at the same time. For centuries the Fyremen have been suppressing all of the sources of magic vitagua. But trying to bottle magic was an impossible task, and everyone must now deal with the fallout of their good intentions. How would governments try to handle it? Astrid and her altruistic volunteers want to help people, but must release the magic on the sly. The Fyremen won't give up and continue to hunt down any magic user. Those who've used magic for selfish purposes have given people like Astrid a bad name. It's all mixed up and promises an explosion of an ending.

I had a hard time actually liking anyone in the story, with the exception of Juanita. This is likely from not having read the first book. But even Astrid, our heroine, was passive and flat, working to put out fires and let people come to her. She works herself crazy and in ways that seem impossible wish fulfillment--she was hard for me to comprehend.

Ultimately, BLUE MAGIC is less about the characters themselves, than it is about the magic itself and how having magic would affect our lives--for good or evil.

Recommended Age: 15+ more for comprehension than content
Language: A handful
Violence: There are a lot of deaths, some of them more gruesome than others, but they lack detail
Sex: Implied

[Lelia Taylor · Rating 3 out of 5]

There are many things that can be said in a book review and many aspects of the book that can be covered. For me, the most relevant are the quality of the writing, the strengths and weaknesses of the author’s character and plot developments, and, most of all, whether I liked the book and why or why not. In the end, my “job” is to give an honest opinion that will help other readers decide if the book in question is one they’re likely to want to read for their own reasons. Blue Magic has thrown me up against a problem I haven’t really encountered before—I don’t know what I think of this book, at least, not clearly.

First, I was asked to review this book but it was already on my list of titles I wanted to take a look at so there’s no undue influence at work here. Second, I like the dark fantasy subgenre so I’m predisposed to like this one but, at the same time, I’ve read enough of this category that I might be too critical if I’m not careful and I do try to be careful.

Ms. Dellamonica has created a world full of possibilities and consequences and one can’t help but be interested in what her characters might do with the new-found ability to use magic. At the same time, Will has a very natural and overwhelming desire to find his children and that desire takes precedence over everything else. Perhaps a benevolent use of magic can help him but he’s up against a cult atmosphere that is driven by a fanatical worship of its leader and just may make it impossible for him to get his kids back. In the meantime, Astrid, who found the river of magic, must find a way to prevent the world-wide damage her former friend, Sahara, may have set in motion in her quest for power.

The author has crafted a story that is different and appealing to the apocalyptic or dark fantasy fan who is always looking for something refreshing and there is no doubt that she is a gifted writer. So, why don’t I have a distinct opinion about Blue Magic? I could say I felt there were too many characters (I got a little lost among them all in Astrid’s compound) or that I think the book is a bit too long but those are just minor points.

No, the difficulty I had with this book is mine alone and no fault of the author’s. Normally, I can happily read a series out of order—I have no problem reading #16 first and then I may or may not want to go back to catch up on earlier books. This one, though, has sort of thrown a monkey wrench in my usual modus operandi and, well, maybe it actually is Ms. Dellamonica‘s fault. The truth is, I want to know these characters better and understand more about what has happened to their world with the discovery of the underground stream of blue magic. To do that, I’m just going to have to read Indigo Springs and then I’ll have a better feel for Blue Magic. Why is this the author’s fault? Plainly speaking, she has made me want to start at the beginning because the second book is so intriguing and I have to satisfy my need to know more.

Yes, it’s definitely her fault.

Reviewed by Lelia Taylor, June 2012.

[Karissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the sequel to Indigo Springs and I believe the final book in the Astrid Lethewood series. This was a much more linear and well-thought out book than Indigo Springs. I enjoyed the creative ideas in this book, even though at times the writing was still a bit ambiguous.

This book details the story of how Astrid is trying to control the release of magic from the well so that it doesn't destroy the world. It also focuses on Sahara's trial and her followers. In addition to that Will’s children have been stolen by their mother who is a follower of Sahara and Will is desperate to save them. The story is told from many different perspectives and it worked well for this book.

This is a much more linear story than in the previous book and not quite as hard to follow. It was also a very creative story; I love the idea of leaking magic creating an eco-disaster of epic proportions.

Astrid is struggling, she is the keeper of the well. She is trying to release magic slowly so that the world won’t be destroyed. The release of the magic is inevitable...but if it can be somewhat controlled the fall-out might not be quite as bad. She also needs an heir to pass the magic on to and she hopes it will be Will (the negotiator who worked with Astrid in the first book).

While Astrid struggles to try and heal the world Sahara is trying to rule it. Sahara is egotistical and pretty much insane. As time goes on the military is beginning to figure out that Sahara isn’t the one with power...Astrid is.

Adding to the chaos are the people trapped in the other place, the place where the blue magic flows from. They want to get out but if Astrid lets them all out at once the magic will explode into the world and destroy it.

In this book we get to know all of the characters much better than we did in the first book; they all become very real and very interesting.

The real strength of this story is the creative idea behind the world being irreversibly contaminated with a long contained magic. Also Astrid builds a community which is focused on letting people do what they want to do, it ends up being an interesting type of society.

There is a lot going on in the story and, as with the previous book, the story gets a bit ambiguous at points. Sometimes it’s a bit confusing to figure out what’s going on. Still I thought it was worth dealing with this confusion to read the outcome of this very creative and interesting premise to a story.

Overall this was an intriguing urban fantasy read. It won’t be for everyone because the story can still be a bit ambiguous and confusing at times. This book was much more well thought out and linear than the first book, Indigo Springs. We also get to learn a lot more about these characters and really get to engage with them. Recommended to those who want to read some urban fantasy that’s a bit different and has an eco-twist to it.

[Nita · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read the first book in this series back when it was first published late 2009. I loved it when I read it. I remember thinking it was original and magical. So when the sequel popped up on NetGalley, I didn't hesitate to request it. I started Blue Magic and realized there were many things I had forgotten about Indigo Springs. It took about a quarter of the book for me to keep characters straight and to remember who did what and what had actually happened in the previous book. But I kept at it and the more I familiarized myself with the story, the more I was sucked in.

There's a lot happening in this book. But the gist - hundreds of years ago, magic (a blue goo called Vitagua) was pushed from the real to the unreal by magic-hating Fyreman. Now it and the people frozen within it want out. They will do this with the help of Astrid Lethewood. She knows she can't stop it and really I don't think she wants to, but she can see many many people will die upon its violent release. She is working to prepare the world and its people for the return of magic.

We have multiple viewpoints - Astrid, Astrid's mother Ev, Will Forest, and Juanita. I probably found Juanita the most interesting character. She ends up in vulnerable position and must make hard decisions (as do they all). But I liked the way she fights those who would push her to do things she doesn't want to do and how she will do anything for those she loves. And we have Sahara Knax - Astrid's former best friend and love, who has made herself into a goddess with thousands of followers and Astrid's enemy. She's selfish, immoral, and plain crazy. Astrid must deal with the magical contamination of the world, her crazy ex-best friend and her followers, the government, present day Fyreman, her confusing attraction to Will, and the magic showing her two futures, one where she burns to death and another with a happy ending.

And Dellomonica does it all so beautifully. This book is dreamlike and magical. The dialogue is brilliant, though confusing at times. Characters will have conversations without giving full disclosure to the reader. But I trusted Dellamonica to eventually clue me in on what they were talking about and I was never disappointed.

I labelled this book urban fantasy, but the book description labelled it contemporary fantasy. That is probably a better description. It's bewitching and wonderful. Plus it takes place all over the real and unreal world.

Favorite quote - "No! We figure it out. Will, there's still going to be cars and email and plastic surgery. It's just there'll also be magical cures for cancer, and, you know, sea monsters."

ARC provided through NetGalley.

[Shara · Rating 3 out of 5]

The premise: ganked from BN.com: This powerful sequel to the A.M. Dellamonica's Sunburst Award -- winning contemporary fantasy Indigo Springs starts in the small town in Oregon where Astrid Lethewood discovered an underground river of blue liquid -- vitagua -- that is pure magic. Everything it touches is changed. The secret is out -- and the world will never be the same. Astrid’s best friend, Sahara, has been corrupted by the blue magic, and now leads a cult that seeks to rule the world. Astrid, on the other hand, tries to heal the world.

Conflicting ambitions, star-crossed lovers, and those who fear and hate magic combine in a terrible conflagration, pitting friend against friend, magic against magic, and the power of nations against a small band of zealots, with the fate of the world at stake.

Blue Magic is a powerful story of private lives changed by earthshaking events that will ensnare readers in its poignant tale of a world touched by magic and plagued by its consequences.

My Rating: Worth Reading, with Reservations

This is a slower read than Indigo Springs. My experience was handicapped by the fact that I read the first book back in 2009 and I've forgotten a lot of uber-important detail, and while Dellamonica does a good job keeping my head above the water, my lack of details meant I was dog-paddling to the end instead of making any solid headway. The addition of U.S. Marshal Juanita Corazón was awesome, whereas Astrid wore on my nerves. The trial scenes were quite interesting to me, though the scenes where Astrid is trying to stave off the "Small Bang" weren't as engaging. Yet it all comes together in a shockingly intense climax, one that had me glued to the book. The resolution is solid, but I do hope that this installment wraps up the overall story. It feels as though that should be the case. Overall, I'm happy with Dellamonica's work, despite this book not wowing me as much as Indigo Springs did, but I'm eager to see what else the author has in store.

Spoilers, yay or nay?: Nay. My own thoughts on the book are a wee bit muddled in my head, so I'm going to talk more about my reaction to the book as a whole and less about particular plot points, though there will be TINY spoilers in this regard. The full review may be found in my blog, which is linked below, and as always, comments and discussion are most welcome.

REVIEW: A.M. Dellamonica's BLUE MAGIC

Happy Reading!

[Lynette Aspey · Rating 5 out of 5]

PLEASE NOTE: the following is an excerpt from my blog. For the full review (which includes Indigo Springs), please go to:
http://sleepingdragon.info/2013/compe...



"Morning arrived in Indigo Springs, but it did not bring the dawn.”

Blue Magic follows seamlessly from where Indigo Springs leaves off. The crumbling powerbase still pretends that they’re in control, while the flow of Vitagua threatens to flood the real — to catastrophic effect. This is the apocalypse that Astrid Lethewood is trying to redirect. There is no chance of stopping it now, but she and her small group of supporters know that their only hope for saving the world is to channel the power as harmlessly as possible.

But the pressure is building and there are those long trapped in the unreal who see chaos as an opportunity.

The dam is about to burst and the ties that bind us all to our world, to what we believe to be our true selves, are unwinding. Ordinary people cannot escape the consequences of great power — whether corruption or catalyst, magic will change the world in ways unimaginable.

The arc of the story between Indigo Springs and Blue Magic is one of great courage and self-realization. It encompasses hurt, havoc and hatred as much as it does joy, discovery and transformation. Across both books, Astrid’s journey alongside that of her unlikely allies and deadly enemies, is that of a young woman forced to accept that no-one else can do what she must.

If you think that there is not enough magic in the world, but you like your fantasy to come with sharp edges and enough intelligence to make you believe in it … then these stories are right for you.

[Ithlilian · Rating 1 out of 5]

I absolutely loved Indigo Springs with it's interesting set of characters and unique plot, but I did not like Blue Magic. I guess character development wasn't needed since the characters are already established, but every character in this story felt flat. The entire novel is comprised of short clipped sentences and it failed to draw me in. There are tasks to complete, people work on completing the tasks. That's it. At first I enjoyed the descriptions of how the magic ooze was being used, but if you've seen one thing being enchanted you've seen it all. Everyone can pretty much create whatever they want with magic and the general population obviously doesn't like that. This creates some conflict, yet we never get to experience it through the eyes of a regular citizen, just through the magic users and their enemy cult faction. It all mashes together in a way that doesn't flow at all, and doesn't imerse me in the world. I initally wanted to continue reading to see what happens to the characters, but since the main good character is simply completing a list of tasks mindlessly, and the main bad character is being generally crazy in jail, I really didn't care what happened to them. Everyone could die, or the world could go on in harmony, it doesn't matter to me. I didn't care about the frozen animal people, or about what would happen when all the magic came out. I didn't see a single redeeming trait, or really any trait, in any of the main characters. It really is as if someone wrote up a list of things that may need to be done in a crisis and the characters went to work. That's definitely not a recipe to make an interesting novel.

[Kate · Rating 5 out of 5]

After reading Indigo Springs and loving the world created by Dellamonica (though that book only scratched the surface), I was apprehensive about reading Blue Magic. I was worried that my enjoyment of the first book would be dashed if I read a sub par sequel. I didn't have to worry, if anything Blue Magic is better than the first book.

The books starts off with Will Forrest preparing with the US Government for the trial of Sahara and her followers. The Government isn't being as helpful in finding Will's children, so he takes a chance and leaps back to Indigo Springs where Astrid is working with volunteers to slowly contaminate the world with vitagua. The goal, and this won't change, is the minimize the damage when the whole thing blows.

The book jumps back and forth between characters, so we can see what is happening with both Astrid and Sahara. Normally when a book jumps to many different characters I get frustrated when its the POV of someone I don't like, but here the chapters are short and all the characters are compelling enough so I keep reading. I want to savor every page, while additionally zooming to the end so I can see if everything works out. I also like that the whole story is contained in two books. There isn't an danger of cramming everything in one book or trying to expand the story into three.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Won this book off of Giveaways and only then found out it was a sequel. So, naturally, I had to request it at the library and spend nearly a month waiting to get my hands on the first book, Indigo Springs. In the end, however, I think it was still worth the wait.

Blue Magic was a decent sequel to Indigo Springs. I think, like many people, I preferred the first over the second. The writing was still enjoyable and I loved how Dellamonica continued to create this fantastical world for Astrid and her people in Indigo Springs. All the new places and magical objects were really wonderful and fit right in with my impression at the end of Indigo Springs--of this new fantastical world just about to begin. The addition of Juanita as a main character was great, although I didn't really like Ev's sections in the book as much. I can see that it was necessary in order to understand what was going on in the real the whole time, but still, not nearly as much fun as watching Juanita squirm or Astrid...be Astrid (by which I mean creepy and entertaining and magical). Not super satisfied with the ending and I could go on nitpicking, but I won't because overall it was an enjoyable read and to me it was worth it just for all of the 'playing around with magic' bits.

[E.A. · Rating 4 out of 5]

While I love stories with multiple lines converging on a point, and many characters with conflicting agendas, Blue Magic sometimes felt too tightly controlled, not messy enough. It was smart of Dellamonica to add so many secondary characters with action agendas, since Astrid’s stance was largely inactive; she maneuvered others subtly rather than dramatically as the plot progressed. Astrid’s glimpses of the future reveal the end at the beginning, which can help add a layer of tension to a story, but in this case took some of the teeth out for me. I saw the mechanisms of some storylines too clearly, and was not surprised enough when conflicting agendas came to a head. I really wanted to see how Juanita would outsmart the Fyremen and save herself, but I ended up not really caring about Astrid or Boomsday or any of the people in the Unreal. Will Forest was the wildcard, and his storyline surprised me the most.

I liked Indigo Springs better, only because the scope was more intimate, and it was such a great family-secrets exploding drama in a tight time frame. That being said, Dellamonica’s prose is so immensely enjoyable to read, I’m giving Blue Magic four stars as well.

[Allison · Rating 3 out of 5]

Blue Magic was an exciting, magical story. I think it would be best read shortly after Indigo Springs, in order to have the rules of the world and the major characters still close in mind. It was a much larger story than Indigo Springs, with many characters and locations, and lots of wide-scale action. The story was told through four point of view characters, each with a unique position or perspective. Though I still enjoyed the idea of the magic system, I’m not sure if I liked how close to all-powerful vitagua magic was starting to become. Also, I was not really fond of the role Astrid’s knowledge of the future played in the story this time around. While I might not have liked it quite as much as Indigo Springs, I am eager to see what Dellamonica will write next.

Full Tethyanbooks Review!

[William Bentrim · Rating 4 out of 5]

Blue Magic by A. M. Dellamonica

This is a tale of a small town, Indigo Springs, and the residents who discover magic, deal with demented social guardians, a frightened government and displaced native Americans.

This is the sequel to Indigo Springs. I was not overly thrilled with Indigo Springs. I didn’t find the characters likeable, not even those who might conceivably be called the “good guys”. Astrid, the main protagonist, and Will, who occupies a some what distant co-star role, become more likeable in this book.

In my mind, the premise of status quo strongly resisting change is the bedrock of the novel. Analytically both sides of the equation are bat dung nuts! Overreaction seems to be a knee jerk response throughout the book. There was a lot more action and interesting developments in this sequel.

I enjoyed the book.

[Fantasy Literature · Rating 3 out of 5]

Blue Magic is the second book in a duology by A.M. Dellamonica that began with Indigo Springs. I gave the first book three stars and while Blue Magic improves on book one in several ways, it also takes some steps back as well.

The first book introduces us to Astrid, who upon returning to her hometown of Indigo Springs discovered a powerful source of magic with which she can enchant objects and people. Her longtime friends Jacks (who loves her) and Sahara (whom Astrid loves, but Sahara’s true love is herself), and her mother become involved and after some argument over how to handle the magic, tragedy ensues for some and Astrid is locked up by the government. Blue Magic picks up shortly after and broadens the canvas to global (and beyond) impact, and involves ... Read More:
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[Ruthless · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really wanted to like this book. I kept on reading even when I realized it isn't very well written, I was hoping it got better. One of the things that annoyed me is that enchantments are called chantments. Really? You included a really hokey magic vs the U.S. Government aspect, using the real world but you needed to change the word enchantment? The U.S. Gov't vs magic aspect of this story is terrible. The characters don't seem to have any depth, instead we get pages and pages of descriptions and explanations about how things work in this particular universe and not much plot development. I feel like the author does a lot of explaining rather than story telling. World building at its worst. I've read similar themed books that work because the author doesn't try to incorporate the entire country but instead focuses on the affect that magic has on a city. It's a boring read.

[Gewbook · Rating 4 out of 5]

I absolutely love the first book in this two-book series, Indigo Springs, so Dellamonica had a lot to live up to for me. And I think she did it. I devoured this sequel and couldn't wait to find out how the people that I was so invested in resolved all of the enormous issues they had to deal with. The resolutions were unique and imaginative and not easy and I love that about Dellamonica's writing. Things don't always end up easy for her characters, but they come through and embrace the result they get with grace and dignity.

I really enjoyed the added character of Juanita and how her dilemma of faith worked into the greater themes and the development of the Fyremen as a group. Really fantastic storytelling!

[bumblethunderbeast · Rating 2 out of 5]

I remembered the premise of the first book when I read the blurb on this one. I loved the initial premise: girl returns to childhood home and inherits magic. What I had forgotten was how crazy ands complex the book became. This sequel was simply living in that fruit basket upset trying to right the world. If Dellamonica had created a world with clearer ties to our own or set the book on another planet or in a made-up society, I would have found her writing more palatable.

And yet I was caught up in the story enough that I did finish the book.

[Janin · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was a little slow in the beginning, but I blame that more on my not reading the first book first. Thankfully, Dellamonica provided enough detail to allow me to enter the world of Blue Magic and quickly learn the characters. After that, I couldn't put it down. The last 2/3 of the book just flew by. Very much enjoyed it. Looking forward to reading the first book and learning more about how it all began.

[Matthew · Rating 3 out of 5]

The only problem with this book, and it's predecessor, is how ignorant the characters are about most things. It may make sense as the author says the protagonist didn't finish highschool. If this is the tie in to slow and poor decision making, then i get it, otherwise it's just an annoyance that makes the author seem lazy as full on reasoning would've resolved some plot arcs quickly.

The overall concept of magic and lore is pretty good. Seemed like a few leaps to close up the story.

[Jill Hamilton-Krawczyk · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. I liked Indigo Springs a bit better.

[Craig Sieracki · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fast becoming one of my favorite Authors, A. M. Dellamonica is writing fantastic fiction and creating incredible worlds. The sequel to "Indigo Springs", "Blue Magic" advances the story in a fantastic way, fleshing out both characters and world and leaving me wanting more. There is tons of mythology yet to delve into in this new Earth, and I cannot wait for another installment.

[Paula Lyle · Rating 3 out of 5]

There's just a little too much in this book. Too many villains, too many ways to make magic, too much uncertainty about the point of it all, and too many "happy" endings. By the end it just seemed a little pointless.