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A Drop of Magic
(The Magicsmith #1)
by
The war isn’t over . . .
With the world clinging to a fragile peace forced on the Fae by humanity after the Faerie Wars, metalsmith Alex Blackwood is plunged into the world of the half-fae who traffick in illegal magical artifacts. Her best friend’s murder and his cryptic last message place her in the crosshairs of a scheme to reignite the decade-old war between humans and ...more
With the world clinging to a fragile peace forced on the Fae by humanity after the Faerie Wars, metalsmith Alex Blackwood is plunged into the world of the half-fae who traffick in illegal magical artifacts. Her best friend’s murder and his cryptic last message place her in the crosshairs of a scheme to reignite the decade-old war between humans and ...more
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Showing 1-30
Jun 28, 2019
Beth
rated it
really liked it
Shelves:
netgalley,
bellebooks,
scifi,
kindle,
bell-bridge,
own,
fantasy,
urban,
romance,
urban-fantasy
A Drop of Magic is a new urban fantasy series by L.R. Braden. And, I will be delighted to add it to my must-read series list.
Alex discovers that one of her friends is murdered and their last act was calling Alex, leaving her racked with guilt for not answering his call. The mystery behind the murder sends Alex into detective mode, uncovering secrets about herself and her friends.
A Drop of Magic has lots of unexpected twist turns, a bunch of side of really fascinating secondary characters and sid ...more
Alex discovers that one of her friends is murdered and their last act was calling Alex, leaving her racked with guilt for not answering his call. The mystery behind the murder sends Alex into detective mode, uncovering secrets about herself and her friends.
A Drop of Magic has lots of unexpected twist turns, a bunch of side of really fascinating secondary characters and sid ...more
*Source* NetGalley/Publisher
*Genre* Urban Fantasy, Romance
*Rating* 4.0
*Thoughts*
A Drop of Magic, by debut author L.R. Braden, is the first installment in the authors The Magicsmith series. A Drop of Magic is the story about 28-year old protagonist Alyssandra (Alex) Blackwood who works as an artist specializing in metal sculptures. She lives in the mountains outside of Nederland, Colorado and shows her work at Souled Art Gallery in Boulder, Colorado where her friend James Abernathy is owner. As t ...more
*Genre* Urban Fantasy, Romance
*Rating* 4.0
*Thoughts*
A Drop of Magic, by debut author L.R. Braden, is the first installment in the authors The Magicsmith series. A Drop of Magic is the story about 28-year old protagonist Alyssandra (Alex) Blackwood who works as an artist specializing in metal sculptures. She lives in the mountains outside of Nederland, Colorado and shows her work at Souled Art Gallery in Boulder, Colorado where her friend James Abernathy is owner. As t ...more
This was supposed to be my half hour bedside read before going off to sleep, but by the time I closed my kindle, I realized I had finished the book and it was 2am.
The story about humans and fae caught my fancy. The book coasted on my imagination as it narrated the realms of fae world intersecting with humans. War between the two had ended a decade ago, and they lived in an uncomfortable truce with the imposed rules after signing the peace treaty. But soon murders occurred, and Alex Blackwood, t ...more
The story about humans and fae caught my fancy. The book coasted on my imagination as it narrated the realms of fae world intersecting with humans. War between the two had ended a decade ago, and they lived in an uncomfortable truce with the imposed rules after signing the peace treaty. But soon murders occurred, and Alex Blackwood, t ...more
3.5 stars
I enjoyed reading this first book in a new Urban Fantasy series following Alex, an artist / metalsmith who is going to go after her best friend's murderer with the help of a fae named Kai. We meet a few secondary characters and the world created is interesting.
I thought the romance would be more developed in this book but I'm guessing the author wants to build it slowly over the three books planned for this series. It's a bit disappointing because I usually love having a romance in Urb ...more
I enjoyed reading this first book in a new Urban Fantasy series following Alex, an artist / metalsmith who is going to go after her best friend's murderer with the help of a fae named Kai. We meet a few secondary characters and the world created is interesting.
I thought the romance would be more developed in this book but I'm guessing the author wants to build it slowly over the three books planned for this series. It's a bit disappointing because I usually love having a romance in Urb ...more
5 stars, because it would just be weird if I didn't like my own book. ;)
I'm not actually going to write a review though. I will leave that to more objective sources.
I'm not actually going to write a review though. I will leave that to more objective sources.
Three and a half stars.
Alex Blackwood works in a bookstore and is also a metalsmith in her spare time, having some success selling her art in a local art gallery.
Following the Faerie Wars all fae have to be registered and live on a reservation unless they have a special licence to live outside but tensions remain high between the fae and the humans. A serial killer is on the loose, apparently randomly targeting unrelated people, and one of Alex's best friends has been murdered. It turns out her ...more
Alex Blackwood works in a bookstore and is also a metalsmith in her spare time, having some success selling her art in a local art gallery.
Following the Faerie Wars all fae have to be registered and live on a reservation unless they have a special licence to live outside but tensions remain high between the fae and the humans. A serial killer is on the loose, apparently randomly targeting unrelated people, and one of Alex's best friends has been murdered. It turns out her ...more
Review can be found at https://smadasbooksmack.blogspot.com/
After the Human-Fey war ended, the world seems to be divided against how they felt about the fey and the know fey were registered and sent to live at a reservation, but tensions were high. Alex is content with her quiet life of metalworking and working at a bookstore, but when strange men show up in her work studio demanding something she knows nothing about, her world goes quickly out of her control. With new unwanted guests showing up ...more
After the Human-Fey war ended, the world seems to be divided against how they felt about the fey and the know fey were registered and sent to live at a reservation, but tensions were high. Alex is content with her quiet life of metalworking and working at a bookstore, but when strange men show up in her work studio demanding something she knows nothing about, her world goes quickly out of her control. With new unwanted guests showing up ...more
A Drop of Magic is the first book in The Magicsmith series by L.R. Braden. It is currently scheduled for release on July 31 2019. With the world clinging to a fragile peace forced on the Fae by humanity after the Faerie Wars, metalsmith Alex Blackwood is plunged into the world of the half-fae who traffick in illegal magical artifacts. Her best friend’s murder and his cryptic last message place her in the crosshairs of a scheme to reignite the decade-old war between humans and fae. Worse, violent
...more
**I was provided an electronic ARC of this book from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.**
LR Braden's debut novel, A Drop of Magic, is part murder mystery, part preternatural fantasy, and one solid good time.
The reader follows the perspective of metalsmith Alex Blackwood as she learns about the recent murder of her friend, Aiden. Alex is quickly drawn into a tangled web of secrets about Aiden himself and how the fae may or may not be involved in how he died. In the ...more
LR Braden's debut novel, A Drop of Magic, is part murder mystery, part preternatural fantasy, and one solid good time.
The reader follows the perspective of metalsmith Alex Blackwood as she learns about the recent murder of her friend, Aiden. Alex is quickly drawn into a tangled web of secrets about Aiden himself and how the fae may or may not be involved in how he died. In the ...more
A metalsmithing artist who works at a bookshop, pulled into the net of a serial killer with links to the Fae... who comes to be called The Magicsmith. Ah, I really loved Alex Blackwood, the heroine of A Drop of Magic by debut author L.R. Braden. And in fact, I really liked the book entire, its universe a fun and fresh mixture of old and new.
In A Drop of Magic, Braden sets the magical Fae and humans together in the modern world where tourist visas, glamours, full moons, and police politics inter ...more
In A Drop of Magic, Braden sets the magical Fae and humans together in the modern world where tourist visas, glamours, full moons, and police politics inter ...more
I received an advanced reader's copy of A Drop of Magic (The Magicsmith, Book 1) by L.R. Braden from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
This was the first novel that I had read by L.R. Braden so I really had no expectations, but after reading, she is an author I would look for in the future for other novels.
Overall, I enjoyed this novel and I found it to be well written. The world building of an earth with Fae and humans was intricate, but understandable. After the not- ...more
This was the first novel that I had read by L.R. Braden so I really had no expectations, but after reading, she is an author I would look for in the future for other novels.
Overall, I enjoyed this novel and I found it to be well written. The world building of an earth with Fae and humans was intricate, but understandable. After the not- ...more
This is a fun read and a good start to a new series. After a human-fae war, there are and new laws governing interaction between fae and humans. There is plenty of tension and hate between the two races. Alex Blackwood is an artistic metalworker/bookstore clerk. She is crafting a new piece when some fae looking for an artifact they think she has, attack her. She drives them off with some iron and soon after learns that one of her best friends has become the latest victim in a string of serial mu
...more
Alyssandra Blackwood, better known as "Alex" to her friends, is an artist. Working with metal is her passion. She currently has several sculptures in a friend's gallery. She mostly keeps to herself, but she's forced to come out of her shell when two strangers show up at her door and threaten her.
They believe Alex has a magical item in her possession. When Alex learns that they are more than likely responsible for the death of a close friend, who was in possession of said item, things really tak ...more
They believe Alex has a magical item in her possession. When Alex learns that they are more than likely responsible for the death of a close friend, who was in possession of said item, things really tak ...more
I received this novel from net galley and the publisher. Thank you!
This novel was an enjoyable read to the start of a new series. It brings humans in contact with magical creatures like the far and shifters and magic. Alex Blackwood has kept to herself and a few close friends. When her best friend is murdered, Alex wants to get justice. After a cryptic message, Alex begins getting visitors and threats. Alex learns she is a half fae, with a particular skill set that is needed to solve the murders ...more
This novel was an enjoyable read to the start of a new series. It brings humans in contact with magical creatures like the far and shifters and magic. Alex Blackwood has kept to herself and a few close friends. When her best friend is murdered, Alex wants to get justice. After a cryptic message, Alex begins getting visitors and threats. Alex learns she is a half fae, with a particular skill set that is needed to solve the murders ...more
Title: A Drop of Magic
Series: The Magicsmith Book #1
Stand Alone Title: yes
Author: L.R. Braden
Genre: Fantasy, Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Urban Fantasy
Blurb: The war isn’t over . . .
With the world clinging to a fragile peace forced on the Fae by humanity after the Faerie Wars, metalsmith Alex Blackwood is plunged into the world of the half-fae who traffick in illegal magical artifacts. Her best friend’s murder and his cryptic last message place her in the crosshairs of a scheme to reignite the decade-old war ...more
Series: The Magicsmith Book #1
Stand Alone Title: yes
Author: L.R. Braden
Genre: Fantasy, Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Urban Fantasy
Blurb: The war isn’t over . . .
With the world clinging to a fragile peace forced on the Fae by humanity after the Faerie Wars, metalsmith Alex Blackwood is plunged into the world of the half-fae who traffick in illegal magical artifacts. Her best friend’s murder and his cryptic last message place her in the crosshairs of a scheme to reignite the decade-old war ...more
I received a free copy from Netgalley for an honest review.
This is set in a timeline where the Fae are out, monitored, and require identification. Alyssandra is a blacksmith, artist, and works in a bookstore for her friend. The story opens in her smithy, where she is interrupted by two men, and she realizes one isn’t human. Later, she finds her friend has been murdered for the same reason she was visited- she’s part fae. The rest of the story is about her search for her friend’s killer, and lea ...more
This is set in a timeline where the Fae are out, monitored, and require identification. Alyssandra is a blacksmith, artist, and works in a bookstore for her friend. The story opens in her smithy, where she is interrupted by two men, and she realizes one isn’t human. Later, she finds her friend has been murdered for the same reason she was visited- she’s part fae. The rest of the story is about her search for her friend’s killer, and lea ...more
This book reminded me a bit of the Mercy Thompson series. The similarities being the human girl without any major powers trying to solve a mystery involving the supernatural community, of which humans know a bit about, but nowhere near the entire truth. This book focuses more on fae than on werewolves tho, and I don't think there's gong to be a werewolf boyfriend.
The mystery of the supernatural world and the characters hiding their race was a bit of a lure. Each secret was slowly revealed, like ...more
The mystery of the supernatural world and the characters hiding their race was a bit of a lure. Each secret was slowly revealed, like ...more
The war between the Fae and humans is over. The Fae are now located on reservations and need a special pass to visit the human areas. Half-fae may live in the human areas but must be registered with the PTF (Paranatural Task Force). Artist Alex Blackwood is notified of the murder of her best friend, Aiden Daye. Her life is turned upside down following this news. Alex discovers she is half-fae and this has influenced her art. The murder of her best friend devastes Alex and she is determined to he
...more
With thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for my ARC.
This title combines many elements of genres that I enjoy reading; urban fantasy, Fae characters, mystery and murder.
When Alex, a metal smith, discovers that one of her best friends has been murdered it is only the beginning of a series of revelations that alter her life.
What follows is an enjoyable read, with detailed world building, an interesting story and a slew of characters that I look forward to getting to know better in future title ...more
This title combines many elements of genres that I enjoy reading; urban fantasy, Fae characters, mystery and murder.
When Alex, a metal smith, discovers that one of her best friends has been murdered it is only the beginning of a series of revelations that alter her life.
What follows is an enjoyable read, with detailed world building, an interesting story and a slew of characters that I look forward to getting to know better in future title ...more
A brilliant read. I love the idea behind the world and the interactions between races, the surprises were well placed and justified. I am looking forward to book 2 so thank you.
Safe for 12+ to read, though murders are described so if sensitive to reading about blood and murder scenes just be aware that it is a key part to the book even though there is so much more to enjoy reading. Alex, Kai, Dave (and Cat) are amongst alot of challenges to find out who killed their friend and Alex finds her wo ...more
Safe for 12+ to read, though murders are described so if sensitive to reading about blood and murder scenes just be aware that it is a key part to the book even though there is so much more to enjoy reading. Alex, Kai, Dave (and Cat) are amongst alot of challenges to find out who killed their friend and Alex finds her wo ...more
I was intrigued by this book, and I was excited to read it. This is the author’s debut title, but really I couldn’t tell. The characters were fascinating, the plot was rapid-paced, and I felt like I could see every scene like I was watching a movie. And, TBH, when I first started this book, I wasn’t sure I was going to like it because it dragged a little. Once, though, we got to heart of the action, the book just flew by. The book was very original, and I can’t wait to read more in this universe
...more
Alex is an independent woman who has a small group of friends. When one is murdered, she is devastated and tries to find out who would do this to her friend. The fae war has left the world with prejudice and fear. There’s a lot about this world that Alex doesn’t know and will need to learn. Fortunately, she has a support system that goes further than she initially thought. I enjoyed meeting Alex and her friends. I’m intrigued to read the next book and hope it is soon. I voluntarily read and revi
...more
Review:Have you ever just been super pleasantly surprised by a book before? A Drop of Magic was not a book on my radar at all. I was scrolling through NetGalley looking for books I might like and came across this gem. I read the synopsis and thought it sounded interesting. I love books about fae, so that was already one thing I knew I'd like. And the trope of a girl who doesn't know who she really is but has this destiny waiting for her to just figure it out. I really enjoyed the work building a
...more
A metalworking artist with an unknown heritage, Alex Blackwood, finds that the death of a friend leads to the uproar of within her life. The paranormal world explodes from the shadows with fae and werewolf knowledge bursting into Alex's life. This first book of the series builds the characters reality by showing background, relationships, employment, and their settings in the Boulder-Denver area of Colorado.
I thought this was a interesting book. Alex got slammed with a lot of issues in a short amount of time but she seemed to handle them well, although the amount of her injuries she seemed to heal faster than I would have expected. It'll be interesting to see where the next book goes. #AdropOfMagic #NetGalley
I really liked this book and look forward to reading the next one in the series. Urban fantasy can be difficult to make in impact in but this one had a great plot line, female becoming aware of her powers and lots who want to take advantage of her. Lots of ulterior motives. Good fight scenes.
I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review. I really enjoyed reading this , and I recommend it to everyone.
2.5 stars.
I throughly enjoyed the book. Definitely a must read. I couldn’t put the book down once I started. Murder, mystery, and fae! Great start to the Magicsmith series!
Very good
It was a very good book.
Interesting take on fae and human relations . Complex characters and world building. I definitely will buy the next book.
It was a very good book.
Interesting take on fae and human relations . Complex characters and world building. I definitely will buy the next book.
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Born and raised in Colorado, LR Braden makes her home in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains with her wonderful husband, precocious daughter, and psychotic cat. She is a member of both the Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers and Northern Colorado Writers groups. Three of her short stories have received Honorable Mention in the L. Ron Hubbard Writers of the Future contest. With degrees in both English
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