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Mageri #1
Sterling
Zo� Merrick lived an ordinary life until late one night, she was brutally attacked and left for dead. She survived, saved by a stranger who witnessed her undergo a physical transformation. That's not the only thing that's different. Zo� is unable to control an unexplainable energy coursing through her body. Justus De Gradi is a man who can teach her that control. He's handsome, arrogant, and not entirely human. He reveals that she is a Mage-an immortal made of light, not magic. She must now make a choice: Rebuild her life in the human world with the man who saved her, or live with Justus and learn how to use her extraordinary gifts. Justus has sworn an oath to protect her life, but can he guard her from the one man who has a right to claim it?
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First published September 5, 2011
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About the author
Dannika Dark
65 books6,196 followersDannika Dark is a nine-time USA TODAY Bestselling author, APA Audie Awards Finalist, and AudioFile Earphones Award winner. Her pulse-pounding urban fantasies and paranormal romances are an addiction that has thrilled readers for more than a decade. She does not support the use of AI.
ABOUT THE BOOKS
All Dannika Dark novels are written in the same universe (Mageriverse). Characters in this flawed world (much like our own) confront prejudice, constraints, and societal problems as they search for purpose or love. Diverse characters building a found family are at the heart of every story. Villains get their just deserts, and love conquers all.
THE MAGERI SERIES Urban Fantasy Romance
When a young woman unwittingly receives the gift of immortality from a Mage, she must leave everything behind. But her conviction is put to the ultimate test when she falls for her mortal enemy.
Enemies to lovers, found family, hidden magic, forced proximity, soul mates, protective mate, diverse supernaturals.
Primary genre: Fantasy
Start reading STERLING
THE SEVEN SERIES Paranormal Romance
Austin Cole and his brothers are forming a pack, and the last thing on their minds is getting tethered to a mate. But the more they resist, the harder they fall.
Found family, friends to lovers, enemies to lovers, rock star romance, tortured hero, grumpy/sunshine, biker romance, alpha hero, cinnamon roll hero, multicultural
Primary Genre: Romance
Start reading SEVEN YEARS
THE CROSSBREED SERIES Urban Fantasy Romance
Raven Black is a rogue who hunts criminals for fun. But when a secret organization offers her a job, she’ll need to rise to the challenge. Half-Mage, half-Vampire, she’s caught between two worlds. Will desire become her biggest distraction when she’s paired up with a Vampire?
Found family, wicked banter, morally grey characters, slow burn, emotional scars, "I would burn down the world for you," diverse characters, who hurt you?
Primary Genre: Fantasy
Start reading KEYSTONE
THE BLACK ARROWHEAD SERIES Paranormal Romance
Brave women and fiercely loyal men form an unconventional pack in this edge-of-your-seat paranormal romance with plenty of twists and turns.
Found family, friends to lovers, anxiety/disability rep, past trauma, multicultural, different worlds
Primary Genre: Romance
Start reading THE VOW
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 996 reviews
January 4, 2019
Super weird pacing!
June 1, 2012
SPOILER ALERT:
Oh, this silly book! The concept was great, the execution awful! Be forewarned. Stupidity abounds! To wit, I was dumbfounded that anyone could be so stupid as our heroine, Zoe. I ask you, who would come back to life after being MURDERED by a stranger in a deserted place, then go walking dark streets, yet again, with another total stranger? Certainly no one I'm interested in reading about.
I could forgive Zoe staying at the house of the man who rescued her, Adam, (though I can't say it was very bright), but NOT the constant taking off on her own (to go sightseeing, no less), knowing full well she's being stalked. Can we say "Death Wish," boys and girls? Dumb, dumb, dumb.
I do understand why she stayed with Adam, since she had become a completely different person, physically. She had no life to return to. (Her friends, family, and even her landlord, would never have recognized her or believed her story.) But the relationship between Zoe & Adam skipped about 30 levels of development overnight.
And then there's the man sent to "teach" her the ways of her new life. Justus was objectionable in every way. I wouldn't have shared a coke with that jerk, let alone gone wandering down a dark, deserted street with him, shortly after having been attacked and killed on one! Absurd. Nothing about her relationship to either Adam OR Justus rings true in any degree.
There were inconsistencies during the rest of the story that drove me crazy, too, as though entire sentences were missing or something. Adam knocks on her bedroom door and steps over her legs as he comes in, for instance. Huh? Where were her legs? Is the bed in front of the door? Was she lying on the floor? What did I miss? This type of error, whether caused by incoherent writing or poor editing, occurs all too frequently throughout the book. I found myself constantly flipping back to re-read paragraphs, trying to understand what just happened.
All in all, it boils down to this. Heroines have a habit of doing foolish things in these sort of books, but there's a limit to what you can swallow. Anyone this dumb is WAY past that limit. Combine that with choppy editing and confusing narration, and I think for ME, the best thing to do with this book is to erase it totally out of my mind and off of my Kindle. I'm moving on. SO many good books out there, after all, and so little time to enjoy them all!
Bookin' It
Oh, this silly book! The concept was great, the execution awful! Be forewarned. Stupidity abounds! To wit, I was dumbfounded that anyone could be so stupid as our heroine, Zoe. I ask you, who would come back to life after being MURDERED by a stranger in a deserted place, then go walking dark streets, yet again, with another total stranger? Certainly no one I'm interested in reading about.
I could forgive Zoe staying at the house of the man who rescued her, Adam, (though I can't say it was very bright), but NOT the constant taking off on her own (to go sightseeing, no less), knowing full well she's being stalked. Can we say "Death Wish," boys and girls? Dumb, dumb, dumb.
I do understand why she stayed with Adam, since she had become a completely different person, physically. She had no life to return to. (Her friends, family, and even her landlord, would never have recognized her or believed her story.) But the relationship between Zoe & Adam skipped about 30 levels of development overnight.
And then there's the man sent to "teach" her the ways of her new life. Justus was objectionable in every way. I wouldn't have shared a coke with that jerk, let alone gone wandering down a dark, deserted street with him, shortly after having been attacked and killed on one! Absurd. Nothing about her relationship to either Adam OR Justus rings true in any degree.
There were inconsistencies during the rest of the story that drove me crazy, too, as though entire sentences were missing or something. Adam knocks on her bedroom door and steps over her legs as he comes in, for instance. Huh? Where were her legs? Is the bed in front of the door? Was she lying on the floor? What did I miss? This type of error, whether caused by incoherent writing or poor editing, occurs all too frequently throughout the book. I found myself constantly flipping back to re-read paragraphs, trying to understand what just happened.
All in all, it boils down to this. Heroines have a habit of doing foolish things in these sort of books, but there's a limit to what you can swallow. Anyone this dumb is WAY past that limit. Combine that with choppy editing and confusing narration, and I think for ME, the best thing to do with this book is to erase it totally out of my mind and off of my Kindle. I'm moving on. SO many good books out there, after all, and so little time to enjoy them all!
Bookin' It
May 30, 2012
I am going to start by admitting that I didn't actually finish it, I gave up 56% in.
For me, if the prospect of sleeping instead of staying up all night to read a novel is more tempting...then the story has failed.
That's what happened with Sterling.
I found the premise and concept interesting, all the mage, mageri and Breed, but it wasn't enough. What deterred me from continuing was the protagonist. I honestly could not stand Zoe, or Learner.
Seriously, isn't it absurd that when you're attacked and left for dead by a stranger whilst walking back from the station, only to wake up and find yourself in another stranger's house, and soon you begin to live with him? Isn't it a teeny bit weird that after going through your traumatic ordeal, you still wonder through a city you don't know and are completely okay with another stranger walking you to the local station...through a dark alley? And then you end up living with him too?
Does anyone else find this...I don't know...absurdly absurd?
I get that Adam and Justus (Stranger numero dos and tres) are main characters but Justus was a walking male stereotype and Adam was...well, a stranger.
I've decided not to read on, unless it really does get better?!
For me, if the prospect of sleeping instead of staying up all night to read a novel is more tempting...then the story has failed.
That's what happened with Sterling.
I found the premise and concept interesting, all the mage, mageri and Breed, but it wasn't enough. What deterred me from continuing was the protagonist. I honestly could not stand Zoe, or Learner.
Seriously, isn't it absurd that when you're attacked and left for dead by a stranger whilst walking back from the station, only to wake up and find yourself in another stranger's house, and soon you begin to live with him? Isn't it a teeny bit weird that after going through your traumatic ordeal, you still wonder through a city you don't know and are completely okay with another stranger walking you to the local station...through a dark alley? And then you end up living with him too?
Does anyone else find this...I don't know...absurdly absurd?
I get that Adam and Justus (Stranger numero dos and tres) are main characters but Justus was a walking male stereotype and Adam was...well, a stranger.
I've decided not to read on, unless it really does get better?!
September 16, 2015
The premise of the book made me think I would enjoy it. I was wrong.
The main character (I can’t even bring myself to calling her a heroine) is Zoe and she is one of the silliest characters ever. She is surrounded by a bunch of domineering males and they all think it’s perfectly fine to treat her as if she were (choose all that apply):
- a child (oh wait, she acts like one!)
- a brainless twit (oh wait, she is!)
- an object (oh wait, that one is pretty obvious: Zoe is a woman and therefore an object)
Actually, the problem with the domineering males in this book is not their attitude, it’s that Zoe just doesn’t mind the way she is being treated. She happily goes along with all the silly ideas they come up with. She is pushed around and more or less forced to do things she doesn’t want to do, but that’s no problem at all. She is treated like she is some kind of puppet but hey, that’s perfectly fine! Kate Daniels where are you???? Someone needs to put some sense into that girl!!!!
Need more reasons to find Zoe annoying? Worry not for the author is more than eager to please (I’ll just give two examples of stupid behaviour but the list is more or less never-ending):
- Zoe is savagely murdered at the beginning of the book but she doesn’t think twice about shacking up with a total stranger (Adam) five minutes after meeting him. She then goes off with him to an unknown city and goes on a lovely walk with another total stranger she just met (Justus), through the dark streets of a cut-throat neighbourhood. Then she logically shacks up with him! Of course, that makes perfect sense! Arrrggghhhh!!!
- She seems to love being patronized and is attracted to every domineering character that crosses her path. First she lusts after Adam (one of the dullest characters I’ve ever come across) then Simon and it looks like Justus is going to be next. Change our mind much??
Should I even talk about the Stupid Male Bunch?
- Adam is such a flat character that he could be cardboard. I have no idea what he is about. He acts like Zoe is his 10-year-old daughter but it sure doesn’t bother her: he packs her suitcase because, you know, that’s much too complicated a task. Hey, he even packs money for her so she can buy clothes, what a considerate father! Come on little girl, you be nice and go and buy yourself something to wear.
- Justus the sex magnet??!! You have got to be kidding me. The guy leaves me completely cold. And I’m sorry but a guy who thinks a girl can only be taught to defend herself and not to fight (because, you know, she’s only a girl and girls obviously don’t fight)? I don’t think so.
To make things worse, they are inconsistencies throughout the book. Some descriptions don’t make any sense at all and I had to re-read some passages to figure out what happened and how. One other thing that I would love to understand: Zoe can’t touch Adam for fear of electrocuting him (tough luck) but he can kiss her tongue & all and nothing happens. Did I miss something there?
I rest my case. Definitely staying away from this series!
The main character (I can’t even bring myself to calling her a heroine) is Zoe and she is one of the silliest characters ever. She is surrounded by a bunch of domineering males and they all think it’s perfectly fine to treat her as if she were (choose all that apply):
- a child (oh wait, she acts like one!)
- a brainless twit (oh wait, she is!)
- an object (oh wait, that one is pretty obvious: Zoe is a woman and therefore an object)
Actually, the problem with the domineering males in this book is not their attitude, it’s that Zoe just doesn’t mind the way she is being treated. She happily goes along with all the silly ideas they come up with. She is pushed around and more or less forced to do things she doesn’t want to do, but that’s no problem at all. She is treated like she is some kind of puppet but hey, that’s perfectly fine! Kate Daniels where are you???? Someone needs to put some sense into that girl!!!!
Need more reasons to find Zoe annoying? Worry not for the author is more than eager to please (I’ll just give two examples of stupid behaviour but the list is more or less never-ending):
- Zoe is savagely murdered at the beginning of the book but she doesn’t think twice about shacking up with a total stranger (Adam) five minutes after meeting him. She then goes off with him to an unknown city and goes on a lovely walk with another total stranger she just met (Justus), through the dark streets of a cut-throat neighbourhood. Then she logically shacks up with him! Of course, that makes perfect sense! Arrrggghhhh!!!
- She seems to love being patronized and is attracted to every domineering character that crosses her path. First she lusts after Adam (one of the dullest characters I’ve ever come across) then Simon and it looks like Justus is going to be next. Change our mind much??
Should I even talk about the Stupid Male Bunch?
- Adam is such a flat character that he could be cardboard. I have no idea what he is about. He acts like Zoe is his 10-year-old daughter but it sure doesn’t bother her: he packs her suitcase because, you know, that’s much too complicated a task. Hey, he even packs money for her so she can buy clothes, what a considerate father! Come on little girl, you be nice and go and buy yourself something to wear.
- Justus the sex magnet??!! You have got to be kidding me. The guy leaves me completely cold. And I’m sorry but a guy who thinks a girl can only be taught to defend herself and not to fight (because, you know, she’s only a girl and girls obviously don’t fight)? I don’t think so.
To make things worse, they are inconsistencies throughout the book. Some descriptions don’t make any sense at all and I had to re-read some passages to figure out what happened and how. One other thing that I would love to understand: Zoe can’t touch Adam for fear of electrocuting him (tough luck) but he can kiss her tongue & all and nothing happens. Did I miss something there?
I rest my case. Definitely staying away from this series!
September 6, 2015
Zoe is a woman stuck in a strange, male-dominated culture.
She's surrounded by men who insist that (1) they love her and are absolutely devoted to protecting her, but (2) because of a series of stupid rules and traditions, they're going to do horrible things to her now.
This was honestly pretty terrible. I very rapidly got sick of Zoe's string of pandering-yet-domineering boyfriends. I was uncomfortable with the way she kept abandoning one of them when the next one showed up: basically she would say, "Wow, I can tell you really like me, I can see you're really crushed about this. Oh well."
I was particularly unhappy with the justifications everybody offered for looking the other way when horrible things happened to Zoe. At one point, after , she says "...but I couldn't tell any of my friends about the horrors he was putting me through, because then they would have killed him to rescue me." (But later they find out, and they don't kill him, they just insult him and let him go, knowing he'll try to capture her again later. Because killing is wrong.)
She's surrounded by men who insist that (1) they love her and are absolutely devoted to protecting her, but (2) because of a series of stupid rules and traditions, they're going to do horrible things to her now.
This was honestly pretty terrible. I very rapidly got sick of Zoe's string of pandering-yet-domineering boyfriends. I was uncomfortable with the way she kept abandoning one of them when the next one showed up: basically she would say, "Wow, I can tell you really like me, I can see you're really crushed about this. Oh well."
I was particularly unhappy with the justifications everybody offered for looking the other way when horrible things happened to Zoe. At one point, after , she says "...but I couldn't tell any of my friends about the horrors he was putting me through, because then they would have killed him to rescue me." (But later they find out, and they don't kill him, they just insult him and let him go, knowing he'll try to capture her again later. Because killing is wrong.)
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November 18, 2015
Zoe was an ordinary girl, leading an ordinary and somewhat boring life. Until one fateful night when she is on her way home from a night out. She is brutally attacked. She thought she died during the attack, remembered her heart stopped beating, until she woke up.
That night everything changed. She was running down the highway, covered in blood when Adam found her and took her in. He became her friend and protector. After Adam took her home, she fell into unconsciousness for three days and when she woke up and looked into the mirror, the reflection she was used to seeing did not look back at her. She had changed. What did the attacker do to her? What is she now?
This is the story of the Mage. Beings that take their energy from the light. Most are honorable but some are not. And Zoe is unwillingly thrust into this new life. When Zoe and Adam are out on a photo shoot, Zoe unwittingly meets Justus who just happens to be a very handsome and somewhat arrogant Mage. He recognizes Zoe for what she is and helps her to accept what her new life has become.
I admit it took me awhile to get fully involved with this book but once I was in, I was in. There are some sweet moments and some heart breaking moments. There is also some very intense action. I look forward to the next book and seeing what is next in store for Zoe.
That night everything changed. She was running down the highway, covered in blood when Adam found her and took her in. He became her friend and protector. After Adam took her home, she fell into unconsciousness for three days and when she woke up and looked into the mirror, the reflection she was used to seeing did not look back at her. She had changed. What did the attacker do to her? What is she now?
This is the story of the Mage. Beings that take their energy from the light. Most are honorable but some are not. And Zoe is unwillingly thrust into this new life. When Zoe and Adam are out on a photo shoot, Zoe unwittingly meets Justus who just happens to be a very handsome and somewhat arrogant Mage. He recognizes Zoe for what she is and helps her to accept what her new life has become.
I admit it took me awhile to get fully involved with this book but once I was in, I was in. There are some sweet moments and some heart breaking moments. There is also some very intense action. I look forward to the next book and seeing what is next in store for Zoe.
June 15, 2017
The world in STERLING is the same from the Crossbreed and Seven series making this urban fantasy a welcome listen. We meet Zoë Merrick a twenty-nine-year-old human on the night she is attacked and killed. She awakens in a body bag and runs for her life. She awakens three days later to find she is healed and physically changed. The first few chapters were interesting, and I was curious to discover what Zoë was. I enjoyed the growing friendship between her and Adam the man who discovered and protected her during her change. It was a mix of humor and tenderness with a subtle electrical current of attraction.
Unable to return home since she has been reported both dead and missing, she travels with Adam on a photo shoot. Despite Adam's warnings she decides to explore the city where she meets Justus De Gradi. Justus is tall, dark, arrogant and handsome. In one evening Zoë learns that she is a Mage and that the terrible man who did this to her could claim her. Justus agrees to be her guardian and train her as a Mage, but first, he must present her to the council. Poor Zoë. Her life is uprooted once again as she says goodbye to Adam and goes willingly with Justus. At this point, I am completely hooked!
Dark does an excellent job with the worldbuilding and characters from the Mage hierarchy to their training. Each Mage has a unique gift which explains a lot about Justus. I loved that Zoë is unaffected by his gift and how it totally catches him off guard. They begin training and fall into a routine. Zoë is feeling isolated until Justus' friend Simon arrives and oh lord, I love this charming, sexy and over the top Mage from his accent to his teasing.
Zoë's creator appears before the council to claim her and the tale takes on a suspenseful tone with dark twists. I wanted to scream at the council and cause physical harm to the bastard. Dark delivered intense scenes and twists that kept me fully engaged. I thought Adam was out of the picture, but OMG, the twists, and the ending blew my mind. The suspense and action scenes were well written. I will warn you that the scenes at times were dark and may cause a trigger, for sensitive readers.
Is there a romantic thread? In a word, it's complicated. All the men are attracted to Zoë, although I don't think Justus is ready to admit that openly. Regardless of what happens, a tight friendship has formed between this motley crew.
Nichole Pool did such a fantastic job with these characters. She captured their personalities and accents wonderfully. I enjoy her male voices and that she can highlight both Zoë's strength and weaknesses through tone. This review was originally posted at Caffeinated Book Reviewer
Unable to return home since she has been reported both dead and missing, she travels with Adam on a photo shoot. Despite Adam's warnings she decides to explore the city where she meets Justus De Gradi. Justus is tall, dark, arrogant and handsome. In one evening Zoë learns that she is a Mage and that the terrible man who did this to her could claim her. Justus agrees to be her guardian and train her as a Mage, but first, he must present her to the council. Poor Zoë. Her life is uprooted once again as she says goodbye to Adam and goes willingly with Justus. At this point, I am completely hooked!
Dark does an excellent job with the worldbuilding and characters from the Mage hierarchy to their training. Each Mage has a unique gift which explains a lot about Justus. I loved that Zoë is unaffected by his gift and how it totally catches him off guard. They begin training and fall into a routine. Zoë is feeling isolated until Justus' friend Simon arrives and oh lord, I love this charming, sexy and over the top Mage from his accent to his teasing.
Zoë's creator appears before the council to claim her and the tale takes on a suspenseful tone with dark twists. I wanted to scream at the council and cause physical harm to the bastard. Dark delivered intense scenes and twists that kept me fully engaged. I thought Adam was out of the picture, but OMG, the twists, and the ending blew my mind. The suspense and action scenes were well written. I will warn you that the scenes at times were dark and may cause a trigger, for sensitive readers.
Is there a romantic thread? In a word, it's complicated. All the men are attracted to Zoë, although I don't think Justus is ready to admit that openly. Regardless of what happens, a tight friendship has formed between this motley crew.
Nichole Pool did such a fantastic job with these characters. She captured their personalities and accents wonderfully. I enjoy her male voices and that she can highlight both Zoë's strength and weaknesses through tone. This review was originally posted at Caffeinated Book Reviewer
January 18, 2016
Sterling is the first installment in Dannika Dark's adult, urban fantasy series titled Mageri. I have found a lot of joy in Ms. Dark's Seven series and was interested in experiencing her earlier work. I have to admit I'm pretty conflicted about Sterling. It is such a promising start to a series I do intend to continue but there were many notable distractions caused by the writing.
I always have a hard time critiquing an author's storytelling because it's not like I could do any better, but for the purpose of an honest review, I feel I must document my reading experience - the good and the bad. Without nitpicking, I guess the most noticeable and distracting part of Sterling was the abrupt relationships that seemed to immediately form between the heroine and the three male leads in this story (yes, three). To give the benefit of the doubt, these individual events may have been a way of developing the characters or building this urban fantasy world of Mage's, but if it was, it didn't quite come across very clear. A few times, I honestly felt like I missed a chapter or two because of how relationships and partnerships just seemed to happen and subplots began with no forewarning.
Ms. Dark has however created a fascinating world of Mages with characters that I am excited to follow. It really says something that I am eager to continue the series regardless of the distractions I noted. Even when my expression looked like this
I never once contemplated DNF'ing or dropping the series. I'm not quite sure where these three male leads will fit into our heroine's life moving forward...I have my preferences of course because there was some serious sexual tension going on at times, and at other times I battled my personal wish for a "friends to lovers" scenario. Let's just say, there are a lot of directions these relationships can go. Even if they started rather suddenly, I'm glad they were put into place because I'm all in!
My favorite quote:
“They say (whoever “they” are) that you should live each day like it is your last. In my former life, I would have thought that was a true statement. Go out swinging, throw caution to the wind, and break all the rules. I've learned something far more valuable since I was given a second life, a second chance, and a new beginning-live each day of your life like it is your first.”
I always have a hard time critiquing an author's storytelling because it's not like I could do any better, but for the purpose of an honest review, I feel I must document my reading experience - the good and the bad. Without nitpicking, I guess the most noticeable and distracting part of Sterling was the abrupt relationships that seemed to immediately form between the heroine and the three male leads in this story (yes, three). To give the benefit of the doubt, these individual events may have been a way of developing the characters or building this urban fantasy world of Mage's, but if it was, it didn't quite come across very clear. A few times, I honestly felt like I missed a chapter or two because of how relationships and partnerships just seemed to happen and subplots began with no forewarning.
Ms. Dark has however created a fascinating world of Mages with characters that I am excited to follow. It really says something that I am eager to continue the series regardless of the distractions I noted. Even when my expression looked like this
I never once contemplated DNF'ing or dropping the series. I'm not quite sure where these three male leads will fit into our heroine's life moving forward...I have my preferences of course because there was some serious sexual tension going on at times, and at other times I battled my personal wish for a "friends to lovers" scenario. Let's just say, there are a lot of directions these relationships can go. Even if they started rather suddenly, I'm glad they were put into place because I'm all in!
My favorite quote:
“They say (whoever “they” are) that you should live each day like it is your last. In my former life, I would have thought that was a true statement. Go out swinging, throw caution to the wind, and break all the rules. I've learned something far more valuable since I was given a second life, a second chance, and a new beginning-live each day of your life like it is your first.”
May 1, 2017
I think I found another series-addiction!
This book captured me right from the start. After Zoë is altered by an unknown man, who attacked her on her way home, she is taken in by Adam, a guy she runs into when fleeing. I loved him immediately, although I always wondered why he never pressed to learn more about what happened to her. He does eventually, but if I were him I would have wanted to know right after meeting Zoë. Especially since Zoë's appearance changes after the attack and with time it becomes clear that something else is off. I also loved Zoë. She was pretty funny at times.
"Adam isn't here." "How do you know? Because the only balls I see on you aren't crystal.
When she meets Justus, who explains to her that she is now a Mage and therefore no longer human, she has to decide if she should leave her human life behind and go with Justus or if she should stay with Adam. She goes with Justus, who promises her to teach her everything she needs to know about her new life. But then her Creator, the man who attacked her that night, turns up and claims her.
Zoë was a great characters. I smiled wildly more than once because of the things she said. Also the male characters were awesome. If you ever wondered if it is possible to fall for more than one character in a book, the answer is yes! Adam, Justus, Simon - I love you! That would be a love-square!? Except that it wasn't, not really. And I'm glad since I'm not a fan of love-triangles and one more wouldn't make it any better.
I also ended up shedding a few tears while reading. So yeah, this book had everything!
This book captured me right from the start. After Zoë is altered by an unknown man, who attacked her on her way home, she is taken in by Adam, a guy she runs into when fleeing. I loved him immediately, although I always wondered why he never pressed to learn more about what happened to her. He does eventually, but if I were him I would have wanted to know right after meeting Zoë. Especially since Zoë's appearance changes after the attack and with time it becomes clear that something else is off. I also loved Zoë. She was pretty funny at times.
"Adam isn't here." "How do you know? Because the only balls I see on you aren't crystal.
When she meets Justus, who explains to her that she is now a Mage and therefore no longer human, she has to decide if she should leave her human life behind and go with Justus or if she should stay with Adam. She goes with Justus, who promises her to teach her everything she needs to know about her new life. But then her Creator, the man who attacked her that night, turns up and claims her.
Zoë was a great characters. I smiled wildly more than once because of the things she said. Also the male characters were awesome. If you ever wondered if it is possible to fall for more than one character in a book, the answer is yes! Adam, Justus, Simon - I love you! That would be a love-square!? Except that it wasn't, not really. And I'm glad since I'm not a fan of love-triangles and one more wouldn't make it any better.
I also ended up shedding a few tears while reading. So yeah, this book had everything!
January 18, 2019
Reading this book now I don't know but my thoughts have changed I still like the series but I think book 1 needed something more for me this time around.
5 Sterling Stars
I have never made it a secret that I love Dannika Darks writing. Her Seven Series is and probably will be one of my most favorite shifter books ever.
Now the Mageri Series is just as well written, she sucks you in and doesn’t let you go. You become invested in Zoe and everything she is put through. To become what she is. She has strength like no other character I have read. She only shows her hurt when she literally can’t hide it any longer and even then she is fighting to contain it.
Zoe need to rely on others to get her through and it’s not something she takes lightly, she isn’t used to it. But she really has no choice, enter Adam. Her friendship with him is different where he wants more but I think he is afraid to want more. Or at least that’s my thought.
Then we have Justus, I have a slight crush on his confidence. I am digging him, he has this aura about him where the ladies want him and its funny no effect on Zoe what so ever. We also meet Simon and he is probably a favorite of mine just because he is kind of wacky and zany.
But what I love best about all these men is that they would all die to protect Zoe and she doesn’t want them to. She wants to stand on her own. But they have a need to protect.
I don’t want to give too much away because it’s truly a book you need to read and experience for yourself. I got this baby in audio and it’s even better then when I read it with my “eyes”. The narrator is amazing I can’t even, she makes you feel like you’re part of the story and isn’t that what audiobooks are all about.
So I will leave my review with this. If you haven’t read a Dannika Dark book what are you waiting for!
*All my Reviews are 100% honest and my own.*
5 Sterling Stars
I have never made it a secret that I love Dannika Darks writing. Her Seven Series is and probably will be one of my most favorite shifter books ever.
Now the Mageri Series is just as well written, she sucks you in and doesn’t let you go. You become invested in Zoe and everything she is put through. To become what she is. She has strength like no other character I have read. She only shows her hurt when she literally can’t hide it any longer and even then she is fighting to contain it.
Zoe need to rely on others to get her through and it’s not something she takes lightly, she isn’t used to it. But she really has no choice, enter Adam. Her friendship with him is different where he wants more but I think he is afraid to want more. Or at least that’s my thought.
Then we have Justus, I have a slight crush on his confidence. I am digging him, he has this aura about him where the ladies want him and its funny no effect on Zoe what so ever. We also meet Simon and he is probably a favorite of mine just because he is kind of wacky and zany.
But what I love best about all these men is that they would all die to protect Zoe and she doesn’t want them to. She wants to stand on her own. But they have a need to protect.
I don’t want to give too much away because it’s truly a book you need to read and experience for yourself. I got this baby in audio and it’s even better then when I read it with my “eyes”. The narrator is amazing I can’t even, she makes you feel like you’re part of the story and isn’t that what audiobooks are all about.
So I will leave my review with this. If you haven’t read a Dannika Dark book what are you waiting for!
*All my Reviews are 100% honest and my own.*
April 19, 2012
www.the-book-diaries.blogspot.com
I have to say that this is one of my top favorite series. Dannika has done a brilliant job creating the world of the Mageri. Her characters are so captivating that you get emotionally connected with them. This was a nonstop read. Zoe was attacked on her way home from a night out with her friend. Left for dead, luck was on her side when Adam found her. With mysterious Adam by her side, Zoe struggles to recover from her attack and find out who attacked her. Not to mention, what has happened to her. Then Justus finds her…sigh. Justus is that male character you love to swoon over. He takes Zoe under his wing and becomes her Ghuardian, responsible for training her on how to be a Mage. Zoe will have to fight for her life, and have faith in her Ghuardian to survive her upcoming battle. Zoe is such a strong willed character that you cannot help but route for her. She is not your “woe is me” female, she kicks butt. Justus is a force to be reckoned with. He is strong but stubborn, and always looks out for Zoe’s best interest. You can’t help but love him. This is a great read; Dannika deserves major kudos for her work.
I have to say that this is one of my top favorite series. Dannika has done a brilliant job creating the world of the Mageri. Her characters are so captivating that you get emotionally connected with them. This was a nonstop read. Zoe was attacked on her way home from a night out with her friend. Left for dead, luck was on her side when Adam found her. With mysterious Adam by her side, Zoe struggles to recover from her attack and find out who attacked her. Not to mention, what has happened to her. Then Justus finds her…sigh. Justus is that male character you love to swoon over. He takes Zoe under his wing and becomes her Ghuardian, responsible for training her on how to be a Mage. Zoe will have to fight for her life, and have faith in her Ghuardian to survive her upcoming battle. Zoe is such a strong willed character that you cannot help but route for her. She is not your “woe is me” female, she kicks butt. Justus is a force to be reckoned with. He is strong but stubborn, and always looks out for Zoe’s best interest. You can’t help but love him. This is a great read; Dannika deserves major kudos for her work.
August 8, 2022
A quite ordinary life is turned upside down when a woman is attacked, survives somehow, but comes back very different. No, I'm not talking about vampires, but she learns the world is much more shadowy, mysterious and magical than she ever knew.
I can't tell you how long it has been since a handful of book pals posted reviews and I learned about their fascination for Dannika Dark's writing and urban fantasy worlds. I took my sweet, old time getting around to this first of the Mageri stories, but now I can definitely see what all the fuss was about and appreciate the hints to get busy and read this one.
Zoe thinks of herself as average, but when she is attacked and survives (aka wakes up in a body bag). She accepts the help of Adam who comes to her rescue and gives her a place to go now that she is presumed dead and looks different. Then she encounters Justus, a mage, and learns she is a light mage. Needing to learn how to work her new found magic and needing instruction in this hidden Mageri world, she departs from Adam and starts training with Justus and his delightful fellow mage, Simon.
Events take a dark twist when Zoe's maker shows up and demands she be handed over and the medieval Council agrees. Zoe must survive a harsh, brutal time and get her answers while coming into her own.
So, this was grittier than I was anticipating with her assault and some situations, but I don't mind that in an urban fantasy. I was oh so curious about what Zoe was and learning about the Mageri world right along with her.
But, I have mixed feelings. There is a certain trope in fantasy fiction that puts me off to some extent. I don't know if it has a name, but it is when the heroine thinks she's average and yet every male in proximity who isn't slated to be the dyed-in-the-wool villain is attracted or needs to protect her. To be fair to Zoe, she's whiny (another irritant), but she does want to stand on her own two feet.
I also felt this book didn't really get going with the real conflict until her maker shows up. Maybe things crop up in later books and are significant later, but I felt there was quite a bit of throwaway details and characters early on that move through the scene and then are gone.
However, there was so much to grab the interest. I love the mystery to who she is, what is going on, who will turn out to be good. The archaic thinking and rules of the magical side of things that add complications, and of course Zoe's place in it all. Getting immortality and gifts then finding a cruel master, and then can she get free with Justus' and the others' help. All to the good and make continuing the series quite an attractive prospect. A good find for an urban fantasy fan.
I can't tell you how long it has been since a handful of book pals posted reviews and I learned about their fascination for Dannika Dark's writing and urban fantasy worlds. I took my sweet, old time getting around to this first of the Mageri stories, but now I can definitely see what all the fuss was about and appreciate the hints to get busy and read this one.
Zoe thinks of herself as average, but when she is attacked and survives (aka wakes up in a body bag). She accepts the help of Adam who comes to her rescue and gives her a place to go now that she is presumed dead and looks different. Then she encounters Justus, a mage, and learns she is a light mage. Needing to learn how to work her new found magic and needing instruction in this hidden Mageri world, she departs from Adam and starts training with Justus and his delightful fellow mage, Simon.
Events take a dark twist when Zoe's maker shows up and demands she be handed over and the medieval Council agrees. Zoe must survive a harsh, brutal time and get her answers while coming into her own.
So, this was grittier than I was anticipating with her assault and some situations, but I don't mind that in an urban fantasy. I was oh so curious about what Zoe was and learning about the Mageri world right along with her.
But, I have mixed feelings. There is a certain trope in fantasy fiction that puts me off to some extent. I don't know if it has a name, but it is when the heroine thinks she's average and yet every male in proximity who isn't slated to be the dyed-in-the-wool villain is attracted or needs to protect her. To be fair to Zoe, she's whiny (another irritant), but she does want to stand on her own two feet.
I also felt this book didn't really get going with the real conflict until her maker shows up. Maybe things crop up in later books and are significant later, but I felt there was quite a bit of throwaway details and characters early on that move through the scene and then are gone.
However, there was so much to grab the interest. I love the mystery to who she is, what is going on, who will turn out to be good. The archaic thinking and rules of the magical side of things that add complications, and of course Zoe's place in it all. Getting immortality and gifts then finding a cruel master, and then can she get free with Justus' and the others' help. All to the good and make continuing the series quite an attractive prospect. A good find for an urban fantasy fan.
June 12, 2016
*I gave this audiobook 4 Stars for the story and 4.5 stars for the narration at The Book Nympho*
Being a huge fan of The Seven Series by the fabulous author/narrator duo of Dannika Dark and Nicole Poole, and with that series now complete, I was thrilled to find that there was an entirely whole other predecessor series, the Mageri Series, waiting for my discovery. So with the Seven Series sadly over, I jumped right into listening to Sterling (the first book in the Mageri Series); and what a ride it was!
While the Mageri Series and the Seven Series take place in the same Urban Fantasy (UF) world (which Ms. Dark coins the “Mageriverse”), Sterling, to me, seems to take a much more descriptive approach to describing this unique UF world. Perhaps this is because, as Ms. Dark indicates on her website, the Mageri Series is meant to be read first. However, in the Seven Series, outside of the primary shifter characters, you only get small glimpses of the creative and unusual magical beings that inhabit the Mageriverse. The Mageri Series, in turn, focuses on mages, which can be further subdivided into a multitude of different sub-types. Therefore, listening to Sterling almost felt like the beginning of a completely new UF series.
See my full guest post at The Book Nympho.
Being a huge fan of The Seven Series by the fabulous author/narrator duo of Dannika Dark and Nicole Poole, and with that series now complete, I was thrilled to find that there was an entirely whole other predecessor series, the Mageri Series, waiting for my discovery. So with the Seven Series sadly over, I jumped right into listening to Sterling (the first book in the Mageri Series); and what a ride it was!
While the Mageri Series and the Seven Series take place in the same Urban Fantasy (UF) world (which Ms. Dark coins the “Mageriverse”), Sterling, to me, seems to take a much more descriptive approach to describing this unique UF world. Perhaps this is because, as Ms. Dark indicates on her website, the Mageri Series is meant to be read first. However, in the Seven Series, outside of the primary shifter characters, you only get small glimpses of the creative and unusual magical beings that inhabit the Mageriverse. The Mageri Series, in turn, focuses on mages, which can be further subdivided into a multitude of different sub-types. Therefore, listening to Sterling almost felt like the beginning of a completely new UF series.
See my full guest post at The Book Nympho.
February 14, 2018
STERLING starts with Zoe Winter Merrick heading for a night out on the town with her best friend Sunny. After a few hours hanging in a club, Zoe heads home. Zoe is attacked violently by an unusual supernatural being on the way home and is left “dead”. Well, dead for a little while, she wakes up in an ambulance’s body bag Upon waking confused and scared, Zoe rips her way out and runs for her life. She runs right into Adam Razor.
Adam find Zoe crumpled on the ground bloody and confused and he takes her home and cares for her. He witnesses a strange transformation and knows Zoe has become something else but he continues to care for her and helps her face her new “self” and life. Zoe is unsure what she’s become but knows there are changes in her appearance as well as physically. Zoe dreams are also is haunted by the evil man that attacked her. Zoe and Adam develop a strong friendship and deeper emotions for each other during their time together.
While on a photo assignment with Adam, Zoe runs into a mysterious, chick magnet named Justus De Gradi. Zoe soon finds out Justus is the same “breed” (Breed = paranormal unlike humans) as herself and he offers an opportunity to become his learner and he her Guardian. He explains the dangers for her being untrained and the dangers that come from rogues (Mage kind that suck the energy out of other mages). Zoe decides to go with Justus and is introduced to the Mage world.
Zoe’s introduction to her new world is rocky at best. Once her violent maker Samil enters the scene it becomes down right brutal. Zoe must fight for her life with every fiber of her being and hope she has the strength to live with the scars.
This book is engaging... a fresh new look at the meaning of a Mage... a fantastic fantasy world...wonderful characters…great dialog that leads to brilliant one liners…at times the trials Zoe faces are just heart wrenching. That being said, I found the first have of Sterling a solid 4 but in the last 70-75% this book became magnificent, gritty, raw and completely captivating. Did I mention that there are three, super ALPHA males (Adam, Justus and Simon) all very interested in Zoe, great romantic tension! All in all I’m giving Sterling 4 ½ stars, I already have book 2 of the Mageri Series, Twist. Caution: once you hit the 75% point of this book you won't be able to put it down...burned the midnight oil with this one.
Adam find Zoe crumpled on the ground bloody and confused and he takes her home and cares for her. He witnesses a strange transformation and knows Zoe has become something else but he continues to care for her and helps her face her new “self” and life. Zoe is unsure what she’s become but knows there are changes in her appearance as well as physically. Zoe dreams are also is haunted by the evil man that attacked her. Zoe and Adam develop a strong friendship and deeper emotions for each other during their time together.
While on a photo assignment with Adam, Zoe runs into a mysterious, chick magnet named Justus De Gradi. Zoe soon finds out Justus is the same “breed” (Breed = paranormal unlike humans) as herself and he offers an opportunity to become his learner and he her Guardian. He explains the dangers for her being untrained and the dangers that come from rogues (Mage kind that suck the energy out of other mages). Zoe decides to go with Justus and is introduced to the Mage world.
Zoe’s introduction to her new world is rocky at best. Once her violent maker Samil enters the scene it becomes down right brutal. Zoe must fight for her life with every fiber of her being and hope she has the strength to live with the scars.
This book is engaging... a fresh new look at the meaning of a Mage... a fantastic fantasy world...wonderful characters…great dialog that leads to brilliant one liners…at times the trials Zoe faces are just heart wrenching. That being said, I found the first have of Sterling a solid 4 but in the last 70-75% this book became magnificent, gritty, raw and completely captivating. Did I mention that there are three, super ALPHA males (Adam, Justus and Simon) all very interested in Zoe, great romantic tension! All in all I’m giving Sterling 4 ½ stars, I already have book 2 of the Mageri Series, Twist. Caution: once you hit the 75% point of this book you won't be able to put it down...burned the midnight oil with this one.
September 12, 2022
3.5/5 stars
Very entertaining.
I do find hard to believe Zoe/Silver's overall decision making. As well as I find very hard to believe the circumstances Zoe/Silver finds herself in with Adam, Justus and Simon. How and why did she get such IMMEDIATE CARE, TRUST, LOYALTY AND LUST FROM 3 DIFFERENT STRANGERS, to the point where they assume complete responsibility for her and change their lives accordingly? Besides, her situation with Adam (and knox) and Justice (and Simon), are way too paralleled. It is the same storyline repeated twice, with different elements in there, but still exact mirrored images of each other:
I am curious about the mythology of this world moving forwards, however there were some pretty weak points in this first installment that need to be addressed.
One being the touching thing between mages and humans, it was never properly explained and it was obviously only there to cause tension between Adam and Zoe, besides, it was so inconsistent that it lost all its intention and it ended up just being confusing.
Second, I still don't completely understand what a Mage is, does, how their magic works and how strong they are. It is all very vague. More on that, please!
Third, there seems to be some kind of obsession for the way Mage do things vs the human way. Like with the names and such. I don't get why observing those social rules is a must. What is the big deal? I need more development on that.
Also, the whole thing is extremely sexist. She behaves and is treated like a little girl (of 29!) under the complete supervision and control of some random chauvinist strangers, and she goes with it just because. Furthermore, there is some slut shaming in there, which I don’t appreciate.
I am hooked though, so I am moving on to the next installment.
Twist (Mageri Series, #2) - 3.5 stars
Very entertaining.
I do find hard to believe Zoe/Silver's overall decision making. As well as I find very hard to believe the circumstances Zoe/Silver finds herself in with Adam, Justus and Simon. How and why did she get such IMMEDIATE CARE, TRUST, LOYALTY AND LUST FROM 3 DIFFERENT STRANGERS, to the point where they assume complete responsibility for her and change their lives accordingly? Besides, her situation with Adam (and knox) and Justice (and Simon), are way too paralleled. It is the same storyline repeated twice, with different elements in there, but still exact mirrored images of each other:
I am curious about the mythology of this world moving forwards, however there were some pretty weak points in this first installment that need to be addressed.
One being the touching thing between mages and humans, it was never properly explained and it was obviously only there to cause tension between Adam and Zoe, besides, it was so inconsistent that it lost all its intention and it ended up just being confusing.
Second, I still don't completely understand what a Mage is, does, how their magic works and how strong they are. It is all very vague. More on that, please!
Third, there seems to be some kind of obsession for the way Mage do things vs the human way. Like with the names and such. I don't get why observing those social rules is a must. What is the big deal? I need more development on that.
Also, the whole thing is extremely sexist. She behaves and is treated like a little girl (of 29!) under the complete supervision and control of some random chauvinist strangers, and she goes with it just because. Furthermore, there is some slut shaming in there, which I don’t appreciate.
I am hooked though, so I am moving on to the next installment.
Twist (Mageri Series, #2) - 3.5 stars
September 17, 2012
This and other reviews can also be found on my blog.
This whole book was amazing! Extremely well written, a completely new world that made sense little by little, and intriguing and very likeable characters!
Zoë was a normal 29-year-old until one night she decided to take a short-cut home, where she was attacked and thought she died. She woke up in a body bag - completely panicked, after getting out of the bag and the ambulance, she ran like the devil was after her, until Adam found her.
Adam and Zoë formed a tentative friendship, although she woke up looking completely different from what she looked before.
There was also a whole lot of great humour, I laughed so hard in many places, I need to go through my status updates to get some of those quotes!
Zoë finds out she's a mage, and Justus takes over her guardianship, until the bastard who made her comes back to claim her - only to use her and abuse her. Luckily, both Justus and his friend Simon were keeping tags on her, and were able to save her again.
Some very detailed fight-scenes, some sexy build-ups and an ending that was mind-blowing!
I completely and utterly loved this book, and really look forward to reading another installment. This world is dark, but still full of hope, and with some of the twists that happened, there is more than enough to let me read more about it all.
This whole book was amazing! Extremely well written, a completely new world that made sense little by little, and intriguing and very likeable characters!
Zoë was a normal 29-year-old until one night she decided to take a short-cut home, where she was attacked and thought she died. She woke up in a body bag - completely panicked, after getting out of the bag and the ambulance, she ran like the devil was after her, until Adam found her.
Adam and Zoë formed a tentative friendship, although she woke up looking completely different from what she looked before.
There was also a whole lot of great humour, I laughed so hard in many places, I need to go through my status updates to get some of those quotes!
Zoë finds out she's a mage, and Justus takes over her guardianship, until the bastard who made her comes back to claim her - only to use her and abuse her. Luckily, both Justus and his friend Simon were keeping tags on her, and were able to save her again.
Some very detailed fight-scenes, some sexy build-ups and an ending that was mind-blowing!
I completely and utterly loved this book, and really look forward to reading another installment. This world is dark, but still full of hope, and with some of the twists that happened, there is more than enough to let me read more about it all.
December 30, 2011
This book was great from beginning to end.
Not your typical UF with shifters/weres/vampires, this series centers around the world of the Mage.
While it had some errors that should have been caught with editing, it didn't detract from the story.
Although the story was well paced, some little things bugged me:
1- When Remy was telling Zoe her "future" she just got up & walked to the bar. WHY?? Wouldn't you want to know more about this new life you were just thrown into?
2- When Zoe felt a presence while strolling through the woods, Knox went off to investigate but no follow up was given. What happened? Found something/Didn't find anything?
Overall, it was great, a refreshing change of pace. Looking forward to #2. I would give it 4.75 stars.
Oh, and it's only 99 cents on Amazon! Amazing deal!
Not your typical UF with shifters/weres/vampires, this series centers around the world of the Mage.
While it had some errors that should have been caught with editing, it didn't detract from the story.
Although the story was well paced, some little things bugged me:
1- When Remy was telling Zoe her "future" she just got up & walked to the bar. WHY?? Wouldn't you want to know more about this new life you were just thrown into?
2- When Zoe felt a presence while strolling through the woods, Knox went off to investigate but no follow up was given. What happened? Found something/Didn't find anything?
Overall, it was great, a refreshing change of pace. Looking forward to #2. I would give it 4.75 stars.
Oh, and it's only 99 cents on Amazon! Amazing deal!
November 9, 2018
This is my first book from Dannika Dark, and I must be the very last person left on earth who had not read her. This author has 10,000 ratings on this book alone on Goodreads. Where have I been that I have never crossed paths with her work before?
In reading this first installment in the Mageri series, I see the spark that earned her such high regard. There is definitely something compelling in this book. Maybe it’s all of the sexy man or the strong emotions that the main character runs through. Whatever it is, I wanted to keep reading, despite a few things that bugged me.
The story follows Zoe, woman in her late 20s who is happy to live life hanging out with her best friend and her cat. But after a night out with her BFF, Zoe is attacked. Someone slits her throat and kills her. But instead of moving to heaven, hell, or some other great beyond, Zoe awakens in her body bag and has to claw her way out. She is rescued by Adam, a handsome stranger who nurses her back to health. Her appearance changes significantly and she has to leave her old life behind. She seems to wander for a while, kind of aimlessly sponging off of her savior, until she stumbles onto Justus, someone who recognizes her for what she is: a mage. Justus introduces her to a new world, filled with magic and laws she never knew existed. And though they get off to a rocky start, he becomes her mentor and friend.
I liked all of the main characters in this book. I was interested in learning more about them. But let me talk about some of those niggles I mentioned. First, as many have said before me, it was a bit off-putting to really get to know Zoe’s old life before it is completely shut off after the first several chapters. The best friend disappears, and so does the cat. I have to imagine, though, that they will come back in later books. The BFF’s mysteriously boyfriend read too much like a mage for that not to come up again. Then there is Adam. Perfect, perfect Adam. What kind of person brings home a bloody stranger and then essentially lets that person sponge off of them for weeks? That strains credibility beyond simple things like rising from the dead and moving at the speed of light. The book read like it was three different pieces of a whole. The first part, where she gets turned and moves in with Adam. The second part, where she trains with Justus. And the final act, where her maker returns. It’s more than a little bit choppy.
But despite those things, I enjoyed it quite a bit. I loved the men in Zoe‘s life. Yes, they call her Silver for the second half of the book, but I will keep my eye rolling about that to myself. I liked, too, how different Adam, Justus, and Simon were. Oh, didn’t I mention Simon? The sexy mage who is friends with Justus, this is almost like a love… Not triangle… Square, I guess? I’m rooting for Justus, folks.
Anyway, there is an awful villain here who is so easy to root against, and while the ending is not a cliffhanger, there is obviously so much more story left to tell. And I am there for it.
I wish I could better explain the intangible thing that made me enjoy this so much, but I am in good company with the other thousands of people who liked it too. I will let you know how the series unfolds.
Rating: B/B+
In reading this first installment in the Mageri series, I see the spark that earned her such high regard. There is definitely something compelling in this book. Maybe it’s all of the sexy man or the strong emotions that the main character runs through. Whatever it is, I wanted to keep reading, despite a few things that bugged me.
The story follows Zoe, woman in her late 20s who is happy to live life hanging out with her best friend and her cat. But after a night out with her BFF, Zoe is attacked. Someone slits her throat and kills her. But instead of moving to heaven, hell, or some other great beyond, Zoe awakens in her body bag and has to claw her way out. She is rescued by Adam, a handsome stranger who nurses her back to health. Her appearance changes significantly and she has to leave her old life behind. She seems to wander for a while, kind of aimlessly sponging off of her savior, until she stumbles onto Justus, someone who recognizes her for what she is: a mage. Justus introduces her to a new world, filled with magic and laws she never knew existed. And though they get off to a rocky start, he becomes her mentor and friend.
I liked all of the main characters in this book. I was interested in learning more about them. But let me talk about some of those niggles I mentioned. First, as many have said before me, it was a bit off-putting to really get to know Zoe’s old life before it is completely shut off after the first several chapters. The best friend disappears, and so does the cat. I have to imagine, though, that they will come back in later books. The BFF’s mysteriously boyfriend read too much like a mage for that not to come up again. Then there is Adam. Perfect, perfect Adam. What kind of person brings home a bloody stranger and then essentially lets that person sponge off of them for weeks? That strains credibility beyond simple things like rising from the dead and moving at the speed of light. The book read like it was three different pieces of a whole. The first part, where she gets turned and moves in with Adam. The second part, where she trains with Justus. And the final act, where her maker returns. It’s more than a little bit choppy.
But despite those things, I enjoyed it quite a bit. I loved the men in Zoe‘s life. Yes, they call her Silver for the second half of the book, but I will keep my eye rolling about that to myself. I liked, too, how different Adam, Justus, and Simon were. Oh, didn’t I mention Simon? The sexy mage who is friends with Justus, this is almost like a love… Not triangle… Square, I guess? I’m rooting for Justus, folks.
Anyway, there is an awful villain here who is so easy to root against, and while the ending is not a cliffhanger, there is obviously so much more story left to tell. And I am there for it.
I wish I could better explain the intangible thing that made me enjoy this so much, but I am in good company with the other thousands of people who liked it too. I will let you know how the series unfolds.
Rating: B/B+
July 15, 2012
I'm a little surprised by some of the reviews on this one. This book read a little like English was the author's 2nd language, or like it had been tranlated from another language. Many of the phrases and phrasings had me scratching my head in bemusement. I found the dialogue hard to follow at times, as the author didn't make it clear who was speaking. I honestly found it a hard slog to make it to the end of the book. I'm assuming that the reason for having three carbon-copy males (muscular, atttractive, protective, dominant) in the heroine's life will be explained in future books, but I didn't see the point in this one. I also assume the heroine being beaten to a pulp multiple times will have some bearing on the series as a whole, but it seemed like overkill to me. I'm sure her character could develop from things other than repeated beatings and severe violence. I did like the premise of the story and the world-building, and I'm sure it could progress well as a series, but I personally would be reluctant to pick up the next book in the series.
September 22, 2011
One word - WOW, there are no words that I can think of that do this 1st book from Dannika justice, I was hooked from the beginning, there is all that you would look for in a book, a bit of romance, a lot of action, interesting characters - very interesting characters, there is something in this book that everyone will like. I cannot wait for the 2nd book in this series to see where this one takes us and what we learn in it.
February 24, 2015
What a terrific book - absolutely loved Sterling❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️ now onto book 2
dnf
May 22, 2017DNF'd @ 39% 5/6/16
Not enjoying it. The first 25% was good, but once Justus (again, stupid name) entered the picture I was over it.
Not enjoying it. The first 25% was good, but once Justus (again, stupid name) entered the picture I was over it.
October 13, 2017
YES THERE IS A READING ORDER FOR ALL OF DANNIKA DARK BOOKS!!!
Re-read with Gotta Have Romance with a Kick group in the Dannika Dark Book Series Buddy Read that I'm putting on in the group. We were reading the entire Magiverse. Come join! :)
Second Review
So we find out a bit in this book and basically how this new world works for Zoe. We also find out what specifically happened to her, since she doesn't know.
Basically Zoe is a what that means is that she can
Adam is a who Zoe runs into when she finally wakes up and is panicking about what happened. She's covered in blood and like some weirdo Adam takes her in, rather than calling the cops. He proceeds to care for her and in that process she ends up changing in appearance. This transformation happens over 3 days or rather she spends time sleeping that long.
For a while, Adam and Zoe live in this weird roommate limbo thing. Zoe has basically been hiding. One day Adam has to go take pictures in a different state when instead of following the "rules" that Adam has left Zoe with, she leaves the hotel and goes to a bar. A bar where she meets Justus who ends up knowing exactly what she is. It is Justus who explains what Zoe is to her, Adam and us. Zoe is a
What I don't like about this book is how Justus is a bit sexist. I understand he may be from a different time, still it's annoying. I also didn't like how they glossed over some events but gave us details in some of the monotonous events in her story.
Originally when I first read this book I thought that Justus was going to be the love interest. Then I shifted to Simon because Simon is pretty cool but I'm not sure he's the love interest either.
Then there is Adam. I think Adam is more into Zoe than Zoe is into him. I think she's completely friend zoned him, but that he confuses her feelings so she gives in. I don't know where their relationship non-relationship is going - if anywhere, except I've already read this so I do lol. Still, I'm not sure how I feel about Adam. I find his devotion kinda weird.
Overall, once the book got going I did enjoy it. I really enjoy everything Dannika Dark writes and after Mageri her series get better and better.
Now clarification on the world. All of Dannika Dark's books are set in the same world.
The information we know from this book:
Location
World
Breed
First Review:
There is so much info in this book idk where to begin. The book starts off mundane with a typical normal type of life for Zoe. Then one night she is attacked and she changes. While running from waking up somewhere unpleasant she runs into Adam, who takes her in, cares for her, and is there for her. More than most people it seems in her life. Months go by and then they meet Justus who tells Zoe what she is and who she has become. As the story progresses so do the emotions. The emotional layer of this story is excellent, while the story telling is ok for me. I prefer show vs tell, there is a lot of telling what happens in certain events. I prefer to read them rather than skipping over them. Overall the book and start of the world is interesting and I want to read more.
Re-read with Gotta Have Romance with a Kick group in the Dannika Dark Book Series Buddy Read that I'm putting on in the group. We were reading the entire Magiverse. Come join! :)
Second Review
So we find out a bit in this book and basically how this new world works for Zoe. We also find out what specifically happened to her, since she doesn't know.
Basically Zoe is a what that means is that she can
Adam is a who Zoe runs into when she finally wakes up and is panicking about what happened. She's covered in blood and like some weirdo Adam takes her in, rather than calling the cops. He proceeds to care for her and in that process she ends up changing in appearance. This transformation happens over 3 days or rather she spends time sleeping that long.
For a while, Adam and Zoe live in this weird roommate limbo thing. Zoe has basically been hiding. One day Adam has to go take pictures in a different state when instead of following the "rules" that Adam has left Zoe with, she leaves the hotel and goes to a bar. A bar where she meets Justus who ends up knowing exactly what she is. It is Justus who explains what Zoe is to her, Adam and us. Zoe is a
What I don't like about this book is how Justus is a bit sexist. I understand he may be from a different time, still it's annoying. I also didn't like how they glossed over some events but gave us details in some of the monotonous events in her story.
Originally when I first read this book I thought that Justus was going to be the love interest. Then I shifted to Simon because Simon is pretty cool but I'm not sure he's the love interest either.
Then there is Adam. I think Adam is more into Zoe than Zoe is into him. I think she's completely friend zoned him, but that he confuses her feelings so she gives in. I don't know where their relationship non-relationship is going - if anywhere, except I've already read this so I do lol. Still, I'm not sure how I feel about Adam. I find his devotion kinda weird.
Overall, once the book got going I did enjoy it. I really enjoy everything Dannika Dark writes and after Mageri her series get better and better.
Now clarification on the world. All of Dannika Dark's books are set in the same world.
The information we know from this book:
Location
World
Breed
First Review:
There is so much info in this book idk where to begin. The book starts off mundane with a typical normal type of life for Zoe. Then one night she is attacked and she changes. While running from waking up somewhere unpleasant she runs into Adam, who takes her in, cares for her, and is there for her. More than most people it seems in her life. Months go by and then they meet Justus who tells Zoe what she is and who she has become. As the story progresses so do the emotions. The emotional layer of this story is excellent, while the story telling is ok for me. I prefer show vs tell, there is a lot of telling what happens in certain events. I prefer to read them rather than skipping over them. Overall the book and start of the world is interesting and I want to read more.
April 7, 2019
Sterling is book one in the Mageri series by Dannika Dark. It's got abuse, death, and rebirth.
I’ve got first book syndrome on this one. It’s got good things and things I didn’t like. Main issue for me is that the pace was oh so very slow. It dragged until her maker finds her, then things pick up.
The other issue I had that frustrated me was the character relationships. Their are so many different men she’s fantasizing about and getting close too. I was so, frustrated with all these angles. I couldn’t figure it out and I just wanted the relationships defined more. How many bloody love interest do we need?
Zoë, What is she? How is she alive? For me she came off weak, whiny, not tough, timid, and stupid at times. I just wanted to slap some fight and smarts into her. I just don’t know what to make of her. I was intrigued with what she was turned into, Mageri. It’s interesting this magical being. Their is still much to learn.
Their is some introduction to the Breed world and Mageri structure, but I’m still confused on it. It’s like they are stuck in mid evil times and women are down on the food chain, only made to serve or service; yet their are women on the council. I just don’t know how I feel on this world yet or the structure.
I did notice some inconsistencies in the writing. At times I felt like I was missing a scene or sentences to get from point A to B. I had to re-listen in a few spots; because of this feeling.
Things start to pick up once Zoë’s creator appears to claim her. Their are some intense scenes and twists along the way. The suspense and action near the end kept me guessing; though there are also some cringe worth moments. Some of the scenes are dark and can be triggers for sensitive readers. The ending I will say was a surprise.
Narration: Nicole Poole did good with her narration. Zoë has her whiny moments and those I didn’t like to hear and they erk'ed me to listen to. The male voices where great and Nicole adds accents to several of the characters which I enjoyed.
Sterling was a struggle for me. I have first book syndrome. I do plan on continue the series in audio and will give the next book a go. The audio was a nice listen I just had issues with how slow things progressed in the plot and story.
Rated: 3 Stars
I’ve got first book syndrome on this one. It’s got good things and things I didn’t like. Main issue for me is that the pace was oh so very slow. It dragged until her maker finds her, then things pick up.
The other issue I had that frustrated me was the character relationships. Their are so many different men she’s fantasizing about and getting close too. I was so, frustrated with all these angles. I couldn’t figure it out and I just wanted the relationships defined more. How many bloody love interest do we need?
Zoë, What is she? How is she alive? For me she came off weak, whiny, not tough, timid, and stupid at times. I just wanted to slap some fight and smarts into her. I just don’t know what to make of her. I was intrigued with what she was turned into, Mageri. It’s interesting this magical being. Their is still much to learn.
Their is some introduction to the Breed world and Mageri structure, but I’m still confused on it. It’s like they are stuck in mid evil times and women are down on the food chain, only made to serve or service; yet their are women on the council. I just don’t know how I feel on this world yet or the structure.
I did notice some inconsistencies in the writing. At times I felt like I was missing a scene or sentences to get from point A to B. I had to re-listen in a few spots; because of this feeling.
Things start to pick up once Zoë’s creator appears to claim her. Their are some intense scenes and twists along the way. The suspense and action near the end kept me guessing; though there are also some cringe worth moments. Some of the scenes are dark and can be triggers for sensitive readers. The ending I will say was a surprise.
Narration: Nicole Poole did good with her narration. Zoë has her whiny moments and those I didn’t like to hear and they erk'ed me to listen to. The male voices where great and Nicole adds accents to several of the characters which I enjoyed.
Sterling was a struggle for me. I have first book syndrome. I do plan on continue the series in audio and will give the next book a go. The audio was a nice listen I just had issues with how slow things progressed in the plot and story.
Rated: 3 Stars
February 2, 2014
4 stars
Holy hot alpha men, I LOVED this. Sterling is a short, slow-build but hard-hitting paranormal romance with not 1, not 2, but a damn parade of hot, possessive alpha men. Topped off with super special sundae sauce (a suspenseful plot) and some really serious feels, this was McDelicious. Apologies, I had an Oreo McFlurry today for the first time in years and forgot how FREAKING good they taste.
The plot: Zoe Merrick is unremarkable, unnoticed and unknown. Until one night she is attacked, killed and then comes back to life... as a whole different person. The attack turns Zoe’s life upside down and drags her into the Breed world, a world of Mageri, Vampires and even Shifters, of primitive rules and lots of, well, male chauvinism. Enter the 3 love interests: Adam, Justus and Simon.
Adam: Adam acts like the boy next door most of the time: sweet, affectionate and gently protective. But then he unleashes his alter ego, G.I. Joe, and quickly turns rough and intimidating. Did I mention he can cook though? And he’s a photographer? *Swoon*
Simon: Simon is the joker. He looks (and flirts) like a rockstar but he’s also the most tender and attentive. And despite his looks and bad boy charm, he’s actually a huge geek and kind of the ‘brains’ of Operation All Things Zoe.
Justus: ... is hard to describe. He’s a ‘Charmer’ meaning he’s permanently emitting sex pheromones, meaning can make women’s panties drop just by walking into a room. He’s arrogant, old (like Edward Cullen-old) and has lots ofcaveman antiquated views about Mageri and women. Zoe is immune to his charms so there is this certain awkwardness and animosity between them. He doesn’t know what to do with her, plus he’s technically her teacher. It’s hard to decide which he sees himself as: her teacher, her protector or something else.
The bottom line: Bottom line, this book hit all the right spots for me: the romance, the plot, the action and the emotions. There are some rather confronting scenes and some of the characters harbour really frustratingly primitive views about female Mageri. The writing isn't perfect. BUT overall, this was a great read and an introduction to a series I will be continuing. Right now.
Holy hot alpha men, I LOVED this. Sterling is a short, slow-build but hard-hitting paranormal romance with not 1, not 2, but a damn parade of hot, possessive alpha men. Topped off with super special sundae sauce (a suspenseful plot) and some really serious feels, this was McDelicious. Apologies, I had an Oreo McFlurry today for the first time in years and forgot how FREAKING good they taste.
The plot: Zoe Merrick is unremarkable, unnoticed and unknown. Until one night she is attacked, killed and then comes back to life... as a whole different person. The attack turns Zoe’s life upside down and drags her into the Breed world, a world of Mageri, Vampires and even Shifters, of primitive rules and lots of, well, male chauvinism. Enter the 3 love interests: Adam, Justus and Simon.
Adam: Adam acts like the boy next door most of the time: sweet, affectionate and gently protective. But then he unleashes his alter ego, G.I. Joe, and quickly turns rough and intimidating. Did I mention he can cook though? And he’s a photographer? *Swoon*
Simon: Simon is the joker. He looks (and flirts) like a rockstar but he’s also the most tender and attentive. And despite his looks and bad boy charm, he’s actually a huge geek and kind of the ‘brains’ of Operation All Things Zoe.
Justus: ... is hard to describe. He’s a ‘Charmer’ meaning he’s permanently emitting sex pheromones, meaning can make women’s panties drop just by walking into a room. He’s arrogant, old (like Edward Cullen-old) and has lots of
The bottom line: Bottom line, this book hit all the right spots for me: the romance, the plot, the action and the emotions. There are some rather confronting scenes and some of the characters harbour really frustratingly primitive views about female Mageri. The writing isn't perfect. BUT overall, this was a great read and an introduction to a series I will be continuing. Right now.
August 23, 2013
Well I know someone who has been waiting for my review on this book. Normally I just put a book down when I can't stand it but I had nothing else to read so I mucked my way through it. I am not even sure where to start. So there is a lot of characters who don't act all human even our main character. There is several traumatic events that happen and she is very flat about them. There was no emotional contact with the characters so they never really warmed up to you. This was the biggest part of why I didn't like the story she did nothing to relate the characters to us the reader.
The authors story was original and I liked a lot of the elements of it which is why I gave it two stars and not negative 1. She only began giving more emotion to the story towards the end of it felt like she hurried everything else along to get to the part that she actually wanted to write even though the book is several hundred pages long.
My suggestion if it's .99 cents ebook get it anything else it's not worth it. This might be the authors first book and if it is I apologize like I said she seems to actually sit down and write the end of the book but everything in between seems very disconnected.
Also why is there so many dudes falling over this girl. I felt like she was an attention whore.
The authors story was original and I liked a lot of the elements of it which is why I gave it two stars and not negative 1. She only began giving more emotion to the story towards the end of it felt like she hurried everything else along to get to the part that she actually wanted to write even though the book is several hundred pages long.
My suggestion if it's .99 cents ebook get it anything else it's not worth it. This might be the authors first book and if it is I apologize like I said she seems to actually sit down and write the end of the book but everything in between seems very disconnected.
Also why is there so many dudes falling over this girl. I felt like she was an attention whore.
October 26, 2011
3 stars to the first half of the book, 4 to the last half.
I enjoyed the premise of this book, which is that Mage, who can control energy in different ways, can be made. A Mage is not a witch. A Mage can live forever and stay young forever. A Mage can only be made by a Mage that has the special power of making. Once a Mage is made and presented to the council that oversees all Mage, they are given a Mage name.
The plot of this book includes a twenty-something girl names Zoe, who is forced into becoming a Mage. This is her story (Geese - don't I sound like an episode of Law and Order..."and these are their stories" clink, clink). Zoe is a girl, who has gotten out of a bad relationship with some guy names Brandon. She is more introverted that her best friend, Sunny, who is a dazzling, blonde flirt. Zoe's and her mom are not close, and she doesn't know who her father is. One night, while on her way home from a night out with her friend, Sunny, Zoe is attacked, her throat slit and left for dead. When she awakens, she is in a body bag and takes off running to find some answers.
While running through a wooded area, she runs into Adam, who conveniently is out for a walk. He sees Zoe, terrified and covered in blood and takes her to his house to care for her wounds. Thus begins the story.
Let me start with Adam. I kind of liked him at first, but his dialogue seemed forced to me after a while. He dropped the f-bomb for no apparent reason aside from machoism, and he said things like, "Feel me?" which only reminded me of the BDB boys. One one hand, he's supposed to be this clean cut, all-American hot hunk of man, and then he's forcing out this dialogue that I just didn't think worked for him.
So Zoe goes on living with Adam for weeks and weeks, while they grow closer. It's kind of odd at this point. Zoe had told Adam what happened, has gathered her belongings from her old life, and it still playing house with Adam. Adam hasn't really questioned her - just took her in, bought her cloths, makes every meal for her and pretty much just dotes on her.
While away at a photo shoot (Adam is a photographer), Zoe goes out for a bit, and stops in a bar for a drink. In enters Justus, who is beautiful. All the women at the bar are pawing over Justus, who comes over to talk to Zoe. Justus immediately knows what Zoe is, and is puzzled as to why she is not affected by his manly charms.
Once Justus figures out what is going on, he explains that he will take guardianship of Zoe, and teach her what it is to be a Mage. Adam and Zoe relent, and then she's off to live with Justus.
Justus is determined to teach Zo how to defend herself and to learn about Mage history from books. He is a teacher in every aspect, pushing Zoe to her limits. Unfortunately, Justus is all work and no play. There are no sweet, or even friendly moments between Justus and Zoe. It is completely a student/teacher relationship. One night, Justus' friend Simon shows up, and this is where the book starts to get really good.
Simon is a Mage and a good friend of Justus. He is British and way more fun loving than Justus. He is a hot, flirt of a man, described as having a rock star look, but is genuinely nice beneath the exterior. Simon and Zoe hit is off, and Simon suggest that they all go out to a bar. Zoe jumps at this since she has had no fun in months of training with Justus. While out, Simon and Zoe get a little tipsy, Simon and Zoe do this bonding/sharing of energy thing, and these two almost fall into bed together, of course until Justus walks in on them.
Simon is a great friend to Zoe. He's sexy, sweet, caring and flirtatious, but I have a thing for Justus. Justus is trying to do the right thing by Zoe, without getting too involved with her. He takes his guardianship seriously. But it is obvious that he has the hots for Zoe, although he doesn't know how to go about doing anything about it.
Justus cradled my wet cheek. "You break me with those tears, Silver. Please don't cry."
One night, Zoe's maker steps forward and wants her back by his side. There is nothing Zoe and the boys can do, so she is sent back with her Maker who is a tortuous, awful, using thing. Zoe is exposed to a week of terribleness - I won't spill anymore about this plot point. Simon and Justus eventually come to Zoe's rescue, but she is broken at this point, and can't fathom a life with her maker, Samil.
At the end, there is a nice, bloody battle, and Zoe goes on to learn more about becoming a Mage.
There are a few things I didn't like. One being that every male in this story is falling all over themselves in one way or another to get to Zoe. Please. Spare me. Two, I don't particularly like Adam. He reminds me of a golden retriever - nice for cuddling with a throwing catch with, but not for having a serious relationship with. Three, I wish the attraction between Zoe and Justus would have been explored more. It's obvious these two have the hots for one another, and I REALLY like Justus. I want to see more of a relationship develop between these two.
Four, I don't mean to bitch about the little things, but there are a lot of grammatical and copyediting issues with this book. Maybe it's because I'm a teacher, or because I majored in journalism in college, or because I read a lot, but comma issues and copyediting issue make me crazy. Now, I don't write books, but I do read a lot. And to be fair, this is a self-published book. I'm sure it is extremely difficult to copyedit on your own. But there needs to be more copyediting done on the second book whenever it comes out...Just a few examples:
"He stood up I winced as a shooting pain ran up my thigh. Run-on sentence.
"Both chairs slid back and as they rose to their feet." Not a sentence
"How did you hear was I was thinking? Replace the first was with what.
There is one on the Council that has who has such a gift. Huh?
This is the kind of trivial stuff that gets in the way of really enjoying the book. And believe me, there is a LOT to enjoy here.
Here are some quotes I thoroughly enjoyed:
"When the only tongue you're getting is from you cat....it's time to get out more."
"There are few things in life that are worth waking up to: sex, the dark spices of freshly brewed coffee, and bacon."
"But now, I had none of that to go on outside of what I saw in the mirror - was I still wine, or was I beer? Hell, maybe now I was moonshine."
"He was the sun...my sun. He was the center of my new life and I basked in his light and protection. My eyelids sank heavily and his hand rested over mine. Despite what I had told him - my hand was healed by his magic. Justus made me whole again."
So overall, the second half of the book made up for the slower first half. I think Dannika Dark is an up-and-coming writer, and I am very interested to see where she takes these characters in the second book in this series.
I would recommend this book to anyone who likes UF, with some romance thrown in. This is not a PNR, although the romantic interest part could be expanded easily and dramatically in upcoming books. I look forward to reading the next one!
I also think it's important to support up-and-coming authors, especially those who are self-publishing. This is hard work, writing books. Go ahead and give this one a try - I think you'll probably like it :)
I enjoyed the premise of this book, which is that Mage, who can control energy in different ways, can be made. A Mage is not a witch. A Mage can live forever and stay young forever. A Mage can only be made by a Mage that has the special power of making. Once a Mage is made and presented to the council that oversees all Mage, they are given a Mage name.
The plot of this book includes a twenty-something girl names Zoe, who is forced into becoming a Mage. This is her story (Geese - don't I sound like an episode of Law and Order..."and these are their stories" clink, clink). Zoe is a girl, who has gotten out of a bad relationship with some guy names Brandon. She is more introverted that her best friend, Sunny, who is a dazzling, blonde flirt. Zoe's and her mom are not close, and she doesn't know who her father is. One night, while on her way home from a night out with her friend, Sunny, Zoe is attacked, her throat slit and left for dead. When she awakens, she is in a body bag and takes off running to find some answers.
While running through a wooded area, she runs into Adam, who conveniently is out for a walk. He sees Zoe, terrified and covered in blood and takes her to his house to care for her wounds. Thus begins the story.
Let me start with Adam. I kind of liked him at first, but his dialogue seemed forced to me after a while. He dropped the f-bomb for no apparent reason aside from machoism, and he said things like, "Feel me?" which only reminded me of the BDB boys. One one hand, he's supposed to be this clean cut, all-American hot hunk of man, and then he's forcing out this dialogue that I just didn't think worked for him.
So Zoe goes on living with Adam for weeks and weeks, while they grow closer. It's kind of odd at this point. Zoe had told Adam what happened, has gathered her belongings from her old life, and it still playing house with Adam. Adam hasn't really questioned her - just took her in, bought her cloths, makes every meal for her and pretty much just dotes on her.
While away at a photo shoot (Adam is a photographer), Zoe goes out for a bit, and stops in a bar for a drink. In enters Justus, who is beautiful. All the women at the bar are pawing over Justus, who comes over to talk to Zoe. Justus immediately knows what Zoe is, and is puzzled as to why she is not affected by his manly charms.
Once Justus figures out what is going on, he explains that he will take guardianship of Zoe, and teach her what it is to be a Mage. Adam and Zoe relent, and then she's off to live with Justus.
Justus is determined to teach Zo how to defend herself and to learn about Mage history from books. He is a teacher in every aspect, pushing Zoe to her limits. Unfortunately, Justus is all work and no play. There are no sweet, or even friendly moments between Justus and Zoe. It is completely a student/teacher relationship. One night, Justus' friend Simon shows up, and this is where the book starts to get really good.
Simon is a Mage and a good friend of Justus. He is British and way more fun loving than Justus. He is a hot, flirt of a man, described as having a rock star look, but is genuinely nice beneath the exterior. Simon and Zoe hit is off, and Simon suggest that they all go out to a bar. Zoe jumps at this since she has had no fun in months of training with Justus. While out, Simon and Zoe get a little tipsy, Simon and Zoe do this bonding/sharing of energy thing, and these two almost fall into bed together, of course until Justus walks in on them.
Simon is a great friend to Zoe. He's sexy, sweet, caring and flirtatious, but I have a thing for Justus. Justus is trying to do the right thing by Zoe, without getting too involved with her. He takes his guardianship seriously. But it is obvious that he has the hots for Zoe, although he doesn't know how to go about doing anything about it.
Justus cradled my wet cheek. "You break me with those tears, Silver. Please don't cry."
One night, Zoe's maker steps forward and wants her back by his side. There is nothing Zoe and the boys can do, so she is sent back with her Maker who is a tortuous, awful, using thing. Zoe is exposed to a week of terribleness - I won't spill anymore about this plot point. Simon and Justus eventually come to Zoe's rescue, but she is broken at this point, and can't fathom a life with her maker, Samil.
At the end, there is a nice, bloody battle, and Zoe goes on to learn more about becoming a Mage.
There are a few things I didn't like. One being that every male in this story is falling all over themselves in one way or another to get to Zoe. Please. Spare me. Two, I don't particularly like Adam. He reminds me of a golden retriever - nice for cuddling with a throwing catch with, but not for having a serious relationship with. Three, I wish the attraction between Zoe and Justus would have been explored more. It's obvious these two have the hots for one another, and I REALLY like Justus. I want to see more of a relationship develop between these two.
Four, I don't mean to bitch about the little things, but there are a lot of grammatical and copyediting issues with this book. Maybe it's because I'm a teacher, or because I majored in journalism in college, or because I read a lot, but comma issues and copyediting issue make me crazy. Now, I don't write books, but I do read a lot. And to be fair, this is a self-published book. I'm sure it is extremely difficult to copyedit on your own. But there needs to be more copyediting done on the second book whenever it comes out...Just a few examples:
"He stood up I winced as a shooting pain ran up my thigh. Run-on sentence.
"Both chairs slid back and as they rose to their feet." Not a sentence
"How did you hear was I was thinking? Replace the first was with what.
There is one on the Council that has who has such a gift. Huh?
This is the kind of trivial stuff that gets in the way of really enjoying the book. And believe me, there is a LOT to enjoy here.
Here are some quotes I thoroughly enjoyed:
"When the only tongue you're getting is from you cat....it's time to get out more."
"There are few things in life that are worth waking up to: sex, the dark spices of freshly brewed coffee, and bacon."
"But now, I had none of that to go on outside of what I saw in the mirror - was I still wine, or was I beer? Hell, maybe now I was moonshine."
"He was the sun...my sun. He was the center of my new life and I basked in his light and protection. My eyelids sank heavily and his hand rested over mine. Despite what I had told him - my hand was healed by his magic. Justus made me whole again."
So overall, the second half of the book made up for the slower first half. I think Dannika Dark is an up-and-coming writer, and I am very interested to see where she takes these characters in the second book in this series.
I would recommend this book to anyone who likes UF, with some romance thrown in. This is not a PNR, although the romantic interest part could be expanded easily and dramatically in upcoming books. I look forward to reading the next one!
I also think it's important to support up-and-coming authors, especially those who are self-publishing. This is hard work, writing books. Go ahead and give this one a try - I think you'll probably like it :)
July 10, 2024
*COYER 2024 Readalong - Re-reading in Audio*
I quite enjoyed my reread of Sterling and the beginning on my revisit with the Mageri universe. I'd forgotten some things but it all came back quickly and Nicole Poole is incredible with the narration. I'm grateful to be buddy reading (listening) this series with my COYER friends, Anne @Books of My Heart and BerlsSC @ Reading is More Fun.
***********
Gah! Why did I wait so long to read this?!? I'm ever so grateful my friend, Lexxie, from (un)Conventional Bookviews, kept raving about this series. I've been meaning to read it for ages because I knew if Lexxie loved it, I would love it. And guess what? I thoroughly enjoyed my introduction to the world of the Mageri!
Ms. Dark did some fine worldbuilding in Sterling. The world of the Mageri is rather complex, the characters even more so. It's the mark of great craftsmanship, in my opinion, when the world and people come to life so vividly. And the characters were very vivid for me - to the point of having defined accents and vocal inflections.
Zoë Merrick is an average 29 year old -- a stable job, a great best friend and a sweet cat. One night, on her way home, all that changes. Zoë is brutally attacked and wakes up in a body bag. Once she makes her way out of that, she's running for her life. And literally runs into Adam Razor.
Adam is a kind and gentle man. He's nurturing by nature and takes it upon himself to care for Zoë. He's protective and demonstrative in his feelings for Zoë. And he's hot! When he takes her on a business trip, Zoë happens upon Justus. Justus knows what Zoë now is. He can answer her questions and teach her about her new life. And he can protect her which, as it turns out, is something Adam, as a human, can't do. Justus then takes over as caretaker for Zoë. He's stoic and serious - especially regarding his responsibilities to Zoë. Oh, and he's hot!. While with Justus, Zoë meets Simon, whom she has connection with. Simon is quick-witted and intelligent, and hot! All three of these men want to take care of and protect Zoë. But Zoë has never been take care of. She's tough, spirited and independent because she's always taken care of herself. Funny, once she's no longer human, she manages to end up with three caretakers. And although Zoë likes the feeling security, she doesn't necessarily want to be taken care of.
The story revolves around Zoë's initiation into her new life and world, as well as her new friends' attempts at keeping her away from the man who has claim to her. There are lots of details - all necessary - in creating Zoë's world. The story never gets bogged down though. I was flying through it. All the characters have incredible depth. And the interaction between Zoë and all her men is full of snarky banter and genuine feeling.
Well-drawn characters, richly defined worldbuilding, a kick-ass heroine, lots of snark, and more hot guys than you can shake a stick at, all make for excellent reading! I absolutely loved it! My only regret after finishing Sterling, besides not having read it sooner, is that I can't sit down with the entire series immediately! :)
I quite enjoyed my reread of Sterling and the beginning on my revisit with the Mageri universe. I'd forgotten some things but it all came back quickly and Nicole Poole is incredible with the narration. I'm grateful to be buddy reading (listening) this series with my COYER friends, Anne @Books of My Heart and BerlsSC @ Reading is More Fun.
***********
Gah! Why did I wait so long to read this?!? I'm ever so grateful my friend, Lexxie, from (un)Conventional Bookviews, kept raving about this series. I've been meaning to read it for ages because I knew if Lexxie loved it, I would love it. And guess what? I thoroughly enjoyed my introduction to the world of the Mageri!
Ms. Dark did some fine worldbuilding in Sterling. The world of the Mageri is rather complex, the characters even more so. It's the mark of great craftsmanship, in my opinion, when the world and people come to life so vividly. And the characters were very vivid for me - to the point of having defined accents and vocal inflections.
Zoë Merrick is an average 29 year old -- a stable job, a great best friend and a sweet cat. One night, on her way home, all that changes. Zoë is brutally attacked and wakes up in a body bag. Once she makes her way out of that, she's running for her life. And literally runs into Adam Razor.
Adam is a kind and gentle man. He's nurturing by nature and takes it upon himself to care for Zoë. He's protective and demonstrative in his feelings for Zoë. And he's hot! When he takes her on a business trip, Zoë happens upon Justus. Justus knows what Zoë now is. He can answer her questions and teach her about her new life. And he can protect her which, as it turns out, is something Adam, as a human, can't do. Justus then takes over as caretaker for Zoë. He's stoic and serious - especially regarding his responsibilities to Zoë. Oh, and he's hot!. While with Justus, Zoë meets Simon, whom she has connection with. Simon is quick-witted and intelligent, and hot! All three of these men want to take care of and protect Zoë. But Zoë has never been take care of. She's tough, spirited and independent because she's always taken care of herself. Funny, once she's no longer human, she manages to end up with three caretakers. And although Zoë likes the feeling security, she doesn't necessarily want to be taken care of.
The story revolves around Zoë's initiation into her new life and world, as well as her new friends' attempts at keeping her away from the man who has claim to her. There are lots of details - all necessary - in creating Zoë's world. The story never gets bogged down though. I was flying through it. All the characters have incredible depth. And the interaction between Zoë and all her men is full of snarky banter and genuine feeling.
Well-drawn characters, richly defined worldbuilding, a kick-ass heroine, lots of snark, and more hot guys than you can shake a stick at, all make for excellent reading! I absolutely loved it! My only regret after finishing Sterling, besides not having read it sooner, is that I can't sit down with the entire series immediately! :)
February 23, 2015
I really liked this book, the writing was good, the characters well built and the descriptions were on-point. There was never a moment where you're thinking 'okay I can imagine the way sunlight is pouring in blah blah, get on with it' nor were there moments I thought more was needed.
Zoe is our protagonist, and I liked her, freckles, brown eyes, copper hair and all. It's a darn shame she changed quite so drastically.
It all starts when Sunny, Zoe's best friend drops her off at the train station after a night out, Zoe heads home and chooses to take the short cut across a field. This particular choice, changes her life forever. This is the night she dies.
One torn body bag and a handsome Adam later and she's decked out in long legs, black hair and green eyes. I liked Adam, he had a wholesome, masculine feel to him. Barefoot with his camera, I see him with cute floppy hair, well worn jeans and checkered shirts, which is my idea of heaven :)
But oh Charmer baby bad boy Justus, I'm not feeling the father-figure role he's taken on in Zoe's life, but I'm in the the ride to see where this is all going. I downloaded the next book within seconds of finishing this book, without even checking the price. Honestly it could have been £10 and I'd be fine with that.
Simonnnnnn <3 How I adore that smart assed little punk. I can't help but cast him in my head as being played by Callum Blue, well..technically it's his character Mason from Dead Like Me, but they're practically the same guy!
Pick this book up, you won't regret it!
Zoe is our protagonist, and I liked her, freckles, brown eyes, copper hair and all. It's a darn shame she changed quite so drastically.
It all starts when Sunny, Zoe's best friend drops her off at the train station after a night out, Zoe heads home and chooses to take the short cut across a field. This particular choice, changes her life forever. This is the night she dies.
One torn body bag and a handsome Adam later and she's decked out in long legs, black hair and green eyes. I liked Adam, he had a wholesome, masculine feel to him. Barefoot with his camera, I see him with cute floppy hair, well worn jeans and checkered shirts, which is my idea of heaven :)
But oh Charmer baby bad boy Justus, I'm not feeling the father-figure role he's taken on in Zoe's life, but I'm in the the ride to see where this is all going. I downloaded the next book within seconds of finishing this book, without even checking the price. Honestly it could have been £10 and I'd be fine with that.
Simonnnnnn <3 How I adore that smart assed little punk. I can't help but cast him in my head as being played by Callum Blue, well..technically it's his character Mason from Dead Like Me, but they're practically the same guy!
Pick this book up, you won't regret it!
September 4, 2012
This is not your run of the mill, every day paranormal series. It is so amazingly unique. I seriously can not stop talking about it to my reading buddies. I am pretty sure they are all going to read it just to shut me up. There is so much I love about it.
Zoe is a very to relate to. She finds herself thrown head first into the world of the paranormal. She feels like someone you might know and watching her grow as she comes to terms with what has happened to her and the new life she now leads. Add to her a nice array of good guys, bad guys, weird powers, unique lore and suspense (ok and some kissing ;)) and you have a "can not put it down even though your alarm is going to go off in a couple of hours" type story. I actually read this book twice because I raced through it the first time needing to know what happened and then read it slowly to savor it the second time around. I have a kindle over flowing with books, so for me to read a book twice means it was pretty darn awesome in my book. The thing is that as awesome as this one is, the second one is even better. If you like paranormal books, I highly recommend you give this one a try.
Zoe is a very to relate to. She finds herself thrown head first into the world of the paranormal. She feels like someone you might know and watching her grow as she comes to terms with what has happened to her and the new life she now leads. Add to her a nice array of good guys, bad guys, weird powers, unique lore and suspense (ok and some kissing ;)) and you have a "can not put it down even though your alarm is going to go off in a couple of hours" type story. I actually read this book twice because I raced through it the first time needing to know what happened and then read it slowly to savor it the second time around. I have a kindle over flowing with books, so for me to read a book twice means it was pretty darn awesome in my book. The thing is that as awesome as this one is, the second one is even better. If you like paranormal books, I highly recommend you give this one a try.
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