Impossible Magic

The Destiny of Dragons #2

by J.F.R. Coates

The Axinstone has been reclaimed, but at what cost?
Anzig is wounded after fending off the monstrous Nightwings, but he still expects a joyous return to draconic lands. He does not anticipate the secrets that await him, ready to shatter his life apart.
Meanwhile, Ellian struggles to adapt to life outside Laxtal. She yearns to return, unsure if Ddraig Tsona is to be trusted with her clan. Does she confront him and risk humiliation, or sit back and wait for Anzig to return?

Genres: Dragons

445 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 18, 2014

About the author

J.F.R. Coates is a speculative fiction author, focusing in fantasy and science fiction. Her work tends to focus away from the human characters of the setting, instead giving life to the creatures that dwell alongside the familiar. From dragons and gryphons, to creatures of her own creation - like the ailur or starat - these story worlds are full of fascinating creatures to get to know.

Born and raised in picturesque Somerset, England, J.F.R. Coates moved to Brisbane in Australia as a teenager. She grew up reading from a young age, starting with Enid Blyton's The Famous Five and Secret Seven, before finding her calling with J.R.R. Tolkien's The Hobbit. Fantasy has gripped her ever since, and now she calls amongst her favourite authors Maggie Furey, Philip Pullman, and Robin Hobb.

Reviews

[GuineaPigFalconer · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars

With no shortage of action, intrigue, and dramatic reveals, the second book in this trilogy took everything good about the first and built upon it. By the end of this installment, I feel I’ve really come to know the characters and care deeply about them; I’m fascinated by this fantasy world in which more primitively-inclined dragons struggle against a modernized human foe; I love the secrecy surrounding the past and am eager to learn more about it. With more than one cliffhanger at play by the end of this book, I’m more eager than ever to reach the climax of this epic tale!

[Pierre · Rating 5 out of 5]

Intertwining fates of the protagonists continue to unveil with subtle foreshadowing mingled in their individual PoVs, the exact direction the plot is taking never obvious.
And that feeling of uncertainty fits nicely with the main characters' perceptions, be it Azlak's fleeting visions, Anzig's insecurities or Ellian's own ordeals.
The 10 year edition is doing a fine job of giving more depth to story elements and characters.

Particularly gripping is the descent of one of the main protagonists, and that was already the case with the first edition where I found myself running around like a beheaded chicken, so brutal it could be (in a psychological sense). Even remembering that this still hits home.

And to think the last book has even more in store... I'm afraid even spoiling myself with this will not work and the headless chicken will start smashing in the walls pretty soon.
I'm eager to discover what this new edition, being significantly longer, adds to the third and last book.

[Harriet G · Rating 5 out of 5]

Impossible Magic by Jaye F.R. Coates

As much as I loved Axinstone, it's follow-up is an incredible improvement in just about every way! The few minor criticisms I had with the first book are well and truly gone here. The pacing has been tightened to perfection, each chapter is full of intrigue, and I found myself to be super invested in the characters!
The writing had a great sense of unease and urgency that loomed over the whole story, as tensions between dragons and humans approached their breaking point, while Anzig, Azlak and Ellian raced against time to uncover conspiracies, forge alliances, and learn disturbing truths about themselves. All three main protagonists' stories were highly engaging, and I struggled to put the book down, as if the story had bewitched me with impossible magic...

[Chase · Rating 5 out of 5]

The second book manages to be even more engaging and interesting than the first one, and it always manage to keep the feeling of curiosity and intrigue going from start to finish. Every chapter has some sort of peculiar detail, be it a vision, a thought, or some sort of revelation that doesn't outright reveal anything, but relies more on the reader remembering and piecing little details together.

Absolutely amazing read that just keeps on throwing new details and tidbits of info to keep the reader engrossed and eager to find out what happens next.

[Nyvus · Rating 5 out of 5]

Impossible Magic continues immediately after the events of Axinstone, where even more conflict is introduced. The story reads at a compelling pace, urging the reader to continue due to cleverly placed dramatic irony.

Impossible magic contains the same elements I described in my review of Axinstone, so I will simply paste a segment of my review here rather then saying it in a different way.
"While other dragon books contain gore, sex, profanity and various adult elements, Axinstone contains none of these. I was at first hesitant to read such a novel, because dragon novels that lack these elements seem to be geared toward children. After reading the book, the lack of these elements is one of the strengths of the series, in my opinion. The author has truly shown that such things are not needed to tell a story effectively. "

After finishing the book, I immediately searched for book three, where to my extreme disappointment, it has yet to come out.

I feel that Dragonphiles everywhere will definitely enjoy this book, and its predecessor, Axinstone.

[Katharine (Ventureadlaxre)]

Katharine is a judge for the Aurealis Awards. This entry is the personal opinion of Katharine herself, and does not necessarily reflect the opinion of any judging panel, the judging coordinator or the Aurealis Awards management team.

To be safe, I won't be recording my thoughts (if I choose to) here until after the AA are over.

[Tom Mullins · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not as strong as the first book, Axinstone, but sets up a lot of intrigue for the next in the series.