Rashika, The Book Owl

***This review has also been posted on The Social Potato

I cannot believe it’s only been 6(ish) months since Cold Burn of Magic came out. It feels like I’ve been waiting for Dark Heart of Magic forever. Jennifer Estep’s books are the best brain candy ever. Diving back into any of her worlds is like munching on your favorite chocolate. Her books are comforting, gooey, easy to chew and make you feel all warm inside (can you tell I am craving chocolate?) On top of that, they happen to be quick reads.

So was Dark Heart of Magic as good as Cold Burn of Magic? That’s a hard question. I prefer book 1 but Dark Heart of Magicwas by no means a sequel that suffered from second book syndrome (SBS.) Just like in the first book, there is a mystery that will grab your attention and make you want to figure out what is happening. There is a main character that continues to be awesome (seriously, Lila rocks), a love interest that is swoony (but I still think he is no Logan) and great secondary characters. Also there are secrets. THE GOOD KIND THOUGH. Who doesn’t like to find out secrets about other people?

In my review for Cold Burn of Magic, I talked about how the world of this book was set aside from the one of Mythos Academy but I also mentioned parallels. The parallels became more evident in this book and I also starting seeing parallels to Estep’s adult series. Sometimes, I wish I wouldn’t notice things because once I started making all these connections, it disheartened me a little.

That and the fact that there wasn’t enough diversity were pretty much my only issues with the book.

Moving on… Lila continues to shine as a character (not surprising given how awesome Estep’s female leads tend to be.) The one issue some readers might have with her is her struggle to get into a relationship with Devon. I understand her hesitation though because it’s a decision she needs to make herself. She has been on her own for so long and it’s not like she’s just going to change overnight. She needs time. She also happens to be a clever young lady who can kick ass and as an ex thief, can sneak into places and get out of them without getting caught (and without requiring someone to rescue her!)

Devon on the other hand still hasn’t completely won me over. I like him, I DO, but I keep thinking of Logan and then I think of all the potential Devon has and I cannot help but want more. I think this could partially be because Devon is not sharing the spotlight with Lila. I am not sure I would want that to happen anyway but if there were more scenes with him in it, it would make me happier ;)

Does the ship sail in the book though? That is a question that you will have to find an answer to yourself. I will say though that even though Lila isn’t ready to be in a relationship yet, I love that Devon respects that instead of pushing her and telling her what he thinks she needs.

Things get very interesting in this book because we finally find out what Victor Draconi has up his sleeve and trust me when I say it isn’t pleasant.  We also find out a bunch of family secrets and I am REALLY excited to see how those will play out in Bright Blaze of Magic.

Overall, this book was a really fun read and a great follow up toCold Burn to Magic. I am excited to see what awaits us in the finale AND READY FOR IT TO BE HERE. Can Devon and Lila GET ON IT ALREADY?

Note that I received an advanced copy of the book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review