Armed and Magical, by Lisa Shearin, is the second novel in the Raine Benares Adventure series.
Sorceress Raine Benares excels at finding missing items and people. But after being bound to a stone that captures souls, Raine desperately wants to be free to live a normal life. The stone has amplified her powers, but she’d gladly give it up. When students begin disappearing at the school she is visiting, Raine realizes that she is the best person to find them. But Raine is a target as well.
Told from a first person narrative, Armed and Magical has a distinct feel of urban fantasy but is not set in modern times. Raine is an elf, in a land of magic where elves, humans and goblins reside. She is a fun and spirited character, with a couple love interests that never seem to go past the flirtation stage.
With a thread of mystery throughout the story, villains and suspicious characters abound. Not having read the first installment was not a problem either. It was easy to jump into the story, and the characters were well explained. A nice break from the darker high fantasy novels, Armed and Magical is an amusing tale of magic and adventure. One I thoroughly enjoyed.
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Armed and Magical releases from ACE on April 29th in bookstores everywhere.
The first book in the series is very good, too.
Can’t wait for this book to come out – maybe I’ll re-read the first one until it does (I know it’s only a few days away, but still…). 🙂