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The Crimson Spell ( charmed book 3)
By F. Goldsborough and Constance M. Burge
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Prue, Piper, and Phoebe don't know that a coven of warlocks is hunting them. They don't know that one of the warlocks has entered their lives disguised as a friend. And they don't know the coven's mission-to drain them of their magical powers, even if it means destroying them to do it!

Now the Charmed Ones must figure out which of their friends is really their enemy. Because sometimes what you don't know-can kill you.

What’s not to love? A new story with the Halliwells I miss this series so much so these little books are great for a charmed fix.
  
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Blazing Minds (92 KP) rated The Greatest Showman (2017) in Movies

Nov 1, 2021 (Updated Nov 3, 2021)  
The Greatest Showman (2017)
The Greatest Showman (2017)
2017 | Drama, Musical
So first of all, I have to say I never used to a big fan of musicals, although in recent years I’ve been moving towards these genres of movies, with the brilliant La La Land pulling me in deeper to this magical movie genre, so when I saw the trailer for The Greatest Showman I was rather intrigued to see this one, a movie that with its look, kind of reminded me of Moulin Rouge.

The Greatest Showman starts as it means to go on with a fantastic musical opener that pulls you into the world of Barnum and the delights of the big top, then it takes you back to a young Barnum and the poverty that his father and he had to endure.
  
Mulan  (2020)
Mulan (2020)
2020 | Action, Adventure, Family
Aladdin.

Beauty and the Beast.

Cinderella.

The Jungle Book.

The Lion King.

Pinnochio

And Mulan.

What do they all have in common? Answer: they're all live action reimaginings of animated movies.

From that aforementioned list, this is also the only one I haven't actually seen the original of, so can't really compare (except I know the original had Eddie Murphy voicing a character), and that the basic plot is about a girl pretending to be a bloke to join the Imperial army.

This also actually had more mystical/magical elements in it than I was expecting for a live action movie, what with the whole 'witch' turning into birds thing and the Phoenix, but was also curiously 'dead' and not really all that involving.
  
A Darker Shade of Magic
A Darker Shade of Magic
V.E. Schwab, Victoria Schwab | 2015 | Fiction & Poetry
10
9.2 (19 Ratings)
Book Rating
Alright you awesome nerds, listen up. I loved this book. Like, so much. Victoria Schwab is a master wordsmith and I cannot contain the excitement I have for this damn book and the entire series. So let me tell you of my love for this book in detail.

The characters are amazing.

I have a deep love for Kell, not only because he is the sassy, brooding male character, but because he is a genuinely great person. He wants to protect everyone he loves, even if that can sometimes be to a fault. He begrudgingly takes in this girl from a non-magical place and then becomes attached. Something I think he has a hard time understanding himself.

Delilah Bard is a superhero. She is a scrappy little street fighter who is going to one day rule the world. She wants to be free at any cost. That means trying not to make connections, to be able to keep herself alive, and have a little fun while doing it. She can hold her own against a magical Antari and won't think twice about it. She is so confident in herself that she doesn't have time for doubt. I admire her willingness to dive head first into any sign of trouble, even if that means risking her own life to do so. She claims to be this person who does not care, who only wants self preservation, but when she loves, she loves deeply. She, like Kell, will do anything she can to protect those close to her. And for some unknown reason to herself, she lets a couple of boys from a magical London close to her heart. I want to be Delilah.

Rhys is a beautiful french fry and I love him. Thank you Victoria for making his such a compelling character in the little amount of page time he gets in this book. I love him as much as I do Kell and Delilah (okay, well almost) and I just want what's best for him. He is the precious cinnamon roll too good for this world and I will stand by that forever. I hate whenever he thinks he is not strong enough. Hon, even if you are not magical, you are amazing. You can lead people, they listen to you. You are stronger than you think.

Holland is an ass. I did not like him from the first moment he came onto the page. I hate what he does and, ugh. Nope. Nope. Nope.

The plot was super interesting. I love the idea of multiple Londons and anchor points and magic. All of those were tied up in here! Woo! Even the villain in the book (which I won't say what it is because spoilers) is so cool. I did not expect anything to happen how it did. Overall, just excellent. Simply magnificent.

I picked this book up because I had read This Savage Song last year and fell in love with Schwab's writing. I knew I would feel the same with this book. It is rare for me to so instantaneously fall in love with characters. Most of the time it takes a while for me to warm up to them in the book, but not here. Nope. There was an instantaneous connection to the world, the characters, and the writing.

All in all, I guess you could say I liked this book. A lot. If you haven't read it yet, what are you still doing here reading this review? Go out and get it. Right now! Go!
  
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Becs (244 KP) rated Marrow Charm in Books

Dec 20, 2019  
Marrow Charm
Marrow Charm
Kristin Jacques | 2019 | Dystopia, Paranormal, Science Fiction/Fantasy, Young Adult (YA)
10
10.0 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
Dark and magical!!
Trigger Warnings: cannibalism, death, murder, gore, slavery, injury, abduction, absent parent(s), death of a parent(s), manipulation, violence

I was honestly surprised that I ended up loving this novel as much as I did. I had extremely high expectations for it and IT. DELIVERED. When I first picked it up, it took a good minute to actually get into the story. But once it clicked into place, I was devouring Marrow Charm with a thirst. It is heart-wrenching, action packed, enemies to lovers (kinda, a girl can dream), dark and oh so magical!

Marrow Charm follows a morally gray heroine, Azzy Brimvine in a world destroyed by magic. The magic plaguing the lands caused humans to retreat underground. But every so often, magical borne plagues will wipe out masses of human cities. These plagues create aberrations by striking those with magic. When Azzy’s brother is infected, she sets out with her mentor to the Above determined to save him. But, the world in the Above is not all gum drops and unicorns. It is plagued with monsters and humans, wild and cunning. Azzy must brave the perils that litter the Above to reach her brother before the Gate is opened.

Marrow Charm is a bit slow in the begin, but as you continue on it does pick up quite quickly. Once you hit that sweet spot though, your attention is gripped to the point where you don’t even want to put the book down because you are just enthralled in the complex world and characters. I would say the book starts picking up a few chapters in. This could also be a me only thing as I was slumping a bit when I started Marrow Charm, and we all know how slumps can ruin a book!

I was enthralled with not only the characters and their stories, but also the world. Kristin’s writing style is eloquent and breathtaking, and they included a couple of different themes throughout the story! Such as, family and friendship. It was really nice to see both of these take place when the main character had such a life of hardship. And don’t get me started on the complexity of the characters and world!

The characters are written in a way that draws the reader to them but they are also realistic in a way where their actions and thoughts are extremely relatable. This was really interesting to experience when reading, as I was not expecting to enjoy the characters as much as I did. The complexity of the world was also something that surprised me! There was no clear “good-side” or “bad-side” and the descriptions of everything was extremely well-done! You can tell that there is a higher, dark presence that is interwoven into the world but what it is, is unknown. Even at the ending of the novel. This was kind of a bummer, as I wanted to know what that presence was. But it also set it up nicely for book two: Skin Curse.

I can’t gush about Marrow Charm enough! It’s seriously one of my top books of the year and I can’t stop recommending it to everyone. If you are a fan of dark tales with fantasy and magical elements but also a hint of realism, then this is the book for you! But be warned, it does read ‘heavy.’ In the end though, the ‘heavy’ presence makes sense.

You can also find this review on my blog: bookingwayreads.wordpress.com
  
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Sam (74 KP) rated Caraval in Books

Mar 27, 2019  
Caraval
Caraval
Stephanie Garber | 2017 | Young Adult (YA)
8
8.1 (97 Ratings)
Book Rating
I must be starting to enjoy fantasy and YA because in my past few reviews I’ve put my normal “I don’t usually read…” in front of my review because they’re not my genres. But… something must have changed because I’m finally starting to like them.

Caraval is the fantasy I never knew I needed in my life. It’s fast-paced, magical and gripping, and nothing like I expected. I got my copy for Christmas in a Book Matchmaker package. I don’t think if I’d have seen this on a shelf that I would have gone for it because as I’ve said, it’s not my usual type. But I was nicely surprised.

The novel opens with letters from Scarlett to Legend about Caraval as she’s always wanted to see it because of the stories her grandmother told her when she was younger. After years of trying to get an invite, Legend replies and the story begins.

Scarlett is thrown into an adventure with her sister Tella and a sailor, Julien. They all take part in Caraval – a magical game where nothing is ever as it seems – and compete against other players to win a wish from Legend.

I was a bit unsure where the book was going to go in the beginning because it took off quite slowly, but once the action started I couldn’t put it down. It was truly gripping and I was completely obsessed to the point I was reading it in whatever spare time I could find just to finish it.

It finishes with a bit of a cliffhanger but that just means that I absolutely cannot wait for the second book!
  
The Magicians Guild is the first of the Black Magician Trilogy and was published in 2001, Followed by The Novice (2002) and The Black Magician (2003). The story starts with a young Slum Dweller named Sonea as she discovers her magical potential after throwing a stone through a magical barrier. Going in the run Sonea has to deal with both the magicians guild after her and the growing chaos that is her loosing control of her power. After being found by Lord Rothen and helped achieve control, Sonea must face a difficult trial for both entrance to the Guild and Mentorship between Rothen and the sinister looking Fergun.

Canavan stated on her website that the initial inspiration which ended up being part of the first chapter came form her watching a documentary of the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona where a report about the government taking the host cities homeless and sending them to other cities/towns. Later that night she saw herself and several others being herded out of a city...by magicians hence the first chapter.

Now when I first found the book I was in a Waterstones (Well known British bookstore) mindlessly looking....wasn't even expecting to buy a book and I came across The Magicians Guild. Finding the blurb interesting I bought it and after reading it I fell in love and I ended up rushing to buy the other two books. Hearing the influence of the first chapter reminded me of the influence Susanne Collins the writer of the Hunger games series had of flicking through channels and hearing two different news posts.
  
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