fantasy book reviews science fiction book reviewsfantasy book reviews Lisa Shearin Raine Benares Magic Lost, Trouble FoundMagic Lost, Trouble Found by Lisa Shearin

Lisa Shearin is the Janet Evanovich of fantasy.

She writes with a fun, unpretentious style, and she has mastered writing with humor. In many ways, this is better than Evanovich’s Stephanie Plum series. Raine Benares is competent, whereas Stephanie bumbles her way through her adventures, surviving by luck and instinct rather than skill. That joke wears thin after a while. (At least on me — since there are thirteen Stephanie Plum books out, then she obviously still appeals to a lot of people.) Raine is the type of girl who rescues dudes in distress. She comes up with daring plans. She kicks butt, but she’s all girl.

Magic Lost, Trouble Found is a rather short book, as far as fantasies go, and it takes place over the course of only a few days. There was not a lot of time to develop much romance, but we saw lots of Mychael and I hope we’ll be seeing more of Tam.

And then there’s the prince. I know we have not seen the last of him.Raine Benares (Book Series) by Lisa Shearin

The book ended in a satisfying smart way. It was the kind of ending that I like. No magical brawls (which I find tedious), just one character outsmarting another. It was not a cliffhanger, but it definitely points the reader squarely toward book two (Armed and Magical).

I can see myself rereading Magic Lost, Trouble Found, because I think this is the sort of book that will present “nuances” to the reader upon rereading. And of course, I’ll want to read it again when Armed and Magical comes out.

FanLit thanks Tia Nevitt from Debuts & Reviews for contributing this guest review.

Published in 2007. A girl with attitude. An all-powerful amulet.This could only mean trouble. My name is Raine Benares. I’m a seeker. The people who hire me are usually happy when I find things. But some things are better left unfound…Raine is a sorceress of moderate powers, from an extended family of smugglers and thieves. With a mix of street smarts and magic spells, she can usually take care of herself. But when her friend Quentin, a not-quite-reformed thief, steals an amulet from the home of a powerful necromancer, Raine finds herself wrapped up in more trouble than she cares for. She likes attention as much as the next girl, but having an army of militant goblins hunting her down is not her idea of a good time. The amulet they’re after holds limitless power, derived from an ancient, soul-stealing stone. And when Raine takes possession of the item, it takes possession of her.Now her moderate powers are increasing beyond anything she could imagine—but is the resumé enhancement worth her soul?

Author

  • Tia Nevitt (guest)

    TIA NEVITT, a guest contributor, has been a mechanic in the Air Force, a factory worker, a civilian supply weasel for the military, and finally, an office worker. She’s been an IT professional for 13 years, and now she's writing her own novels. Find out about them on our Tia Nevitt page or at Tia's blog.

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