What do you think?
Rate this book
My name is Mac Brennan, and I'm getting pretty sick of demons. For one, they're jerks. For two, they're ugly. For three, see points one and two.
I should have known making a deal with a devil would end with me getting double-crossed, but what can I say, I'm an idiot who wanted his family back.
That demon may have put an army between me and my family, but if I've learned anything these last few days, it's that you can kill anything if you shoot it enough times.
And I've got a whole lot of bullets.
I should have known making a deal with a devil would end with me getting double-crossed, but what can I say, I'm an idiot who wanted his family back.
That demon may have put an army between me and my family, but if I've learned anything these last few days, it's that you can kill anything if you shoot it enough times.
And I've got a whole lot of bullets.
- GenresUrban FantasyFantasy
70 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 3, 2016
71 people are currently reading
154 people want to read
About the author
J.A. Cipriano
92 books585 followersWhen New York Times Bestselling author, J. A. Cipriano was in second grade, his teacher gave everyone in class a journal to write down whatever they wanted. Their first subject was to write about something they didn’t like. J. A. chose to write about why he didn’t like writing. His reasoning was simple. He had bad handwriting. Even then, he was destined to be an engineer due to his messy scrawl.
Unfortunately, he found through the course of this little adventure that he actually liked writing. That year was sort of the high point for his writing career because he won a writing contest for the state. He got to go to a big dinner and his teacher was all dressed up.
He kept writing little stories, year after year, and in sixth grade, won another contest. In seventh grade, he broke his arm and got the cast signed by both Dean Koontz and Stan Lee. It is, by far, the coolest cast he’s owned. That was about the time he found video games and anime. His writing turned mostly toward fanfiction until about ninth grade when he wrote his first novel, a small book about twenty thousand words called Revelations. In sophomore year, he wrote two more books to complete the trilogy because he saw Star Wars that year and learned trilogies were the cool thing to do.
He rewrote Revelations during his senior year, and his wife swears it is the best thing he’s written. J.A. is not so sure. Every time he reads it, he cringes, but then again, he hates everything he writes, so there is that.
It was about that time, he got heavily involved in a fanfiction writing group, but that isn’t one hundred percent accurate. It was a world based on a popular anime but everything was created especially for this world. It made it so that every story someone wrote was unique.
Imagine writing a Star Wars novel set 1,000 years after A New Hope, where everything that happened was a distant memory and you get the idea. You have the force, some distant memories of the past, and that’s pretty much it.
He wrote about a million words (863K to be exact) for them before he decided to do his own thing. He wrote another novel. He put it in a drawer. He wrote another one that eventually became the basis for The Hatter is Mad. His next novel was Kill It With Magic, his first real novel. It’s not bad, but it’s bumpy. This is unfortunate because the books get loads better as the series progresses.
Since then, he’s written six more novels, four of which are in the Lillim Callina Series, and one in the Abby Banks series. The other is stuck in a drawer for time undetermined. He’s writing his next book now which is about werewolves fighting mummies in Ancient Egypt. After that, he will move onto Abby Banks 2. The Spy Within will come out in June or July.
J.A. also has three chinchillas. Two of them are grey, and because of this, they are named Slate and Cadmium. The third is named Jet because he’s black, and Jet is old English for black. See, creative. He also has a cat named Turtle. This does pose problems for his two-year-old from time to time.
Unfortunately, he found through the course of this little adventure that he actually liked writing. That year was sort of the high point for his writing career because he won a writing contest for the state. He got to go to a big dinner and his teacher was all dressed up.
He kept writing little stories, year after year, and in sixth grade, won another contest. In seventh grade, he broke his arm and got the cast signed by both Dean Koontz and Stan Lee. It is, by far, the coolest cast he’s owned. That was about the time he found video games and anime. His writing turned mostly toward fanfiction until about ninth grade when he wrote his first novel, a small book about twenty thousand words called Revelations. In sophomore year, he wrote two more books to complete the trilogy because he saw Star Wars that year and learned trilogies were the cool thing to do.
He rewrote Revelations during his senior year, and his wife swears it is the best thing he’s written. J.A. is not so sure. Every time he reads it, he cringes, but then again, he hates everything he writes, so there is that.
It was about that time, he got heavily involved in a fanfiction writing group, but that isn’t one hundred percent accurate. It was a world based on a popular anime but everything was created especially for this world. It made it so that every story someone wrote was unique.
Imagine writing a Star Wars novel set 1,000 years after A New Hope, where everything that happened was a distant memory and you get the idea. You have the force, some distant memories of the past, and that’s pretty much it.
He wrote about a million words (863K to be exact) for them before he decided to do his own thing. He wrote another novel. He put it in a drawer. He wrote another one that eventually became the basis for The Hatter is Mad. His next novel was Kill It With Magic, his first real novel. It’s not bad, but it’s bumpy. This is unfortunate because the books get loads better as the series progresses.
Since then, he’s written six more novels, four of which are in the Lillim Callina Series, and one in the Abby Banks series. The other is stuck in a drawer for time undetermined. He’s writing his next book now which is about werewolves fighting mummies in Ancient Egypt. After that, he will move onto Abby Banks 2. The Spy Within will come out in June or July.
J.A. also has three chinchillas. Two of them are grey, and because of this, they are named Slate and Cadmium. The third is named Jet because he’s black, and Jet is old English for black. See, creative. He also has a cat named Turtle. This does pose problems for his two-year-old from time to time.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
June 17, 2017
Grown on me
I am still enjoying this story and Mac has grown on me. His morals are complicated but his core is a protector and that part of him is very simple. I like the characters and sometimes it is hard to tell who is bad and who is good, but they are all interesting.
I am still enjoying this story and Mac has grown on me. His morals are complicated but his core is a protector and that part of him is very simple. I like the characters and sometimes it is hard to tell who is bad and who is good, but they are all interesting.
April 30, 2016
Mac is such an unfortunate soul, it's lucky for him that he's very hard to kill.
Another fantastic episode in this series. The relationships between Mac and the other characters becomes more complex, the action is non-stop, violent and sometimes funny. With enough twists to make your head spin, this is a must read.
Another fantastic episode in this series. The relationships between Mac and the other characters becomes more complex, the action is non-stop, violent and sometimes funny. With enough twists to make your head spin, this is a must read.
July 17, 2017
Hyper Paced Action
Smartassed snarky dialogue continues to entertain in this third book of the series. Nonstop rollercoaster action continues to prevail. I like Mac's innate toughness which makes him very hard to kill. Even though he does have a hot werewolf girlfriend he really can't seem to get a break as he tries to get closure as again at the end of the book he is whisked off into new peril and adventure. I look forward to the next book.
Smartassed snarky dialogue continues to entertain in this third book of the series. Nonstop rollercoaster action continues to prevail. I like Mac's innate toughness which makes him very hard to kill. Even though he does have a hot werewolf girlfriend he really can't seem to get a break as he tries to get closure as again at the end of the book he is whisked off into new peril and adventure. I look forward to the next book.
March 11, 2017
Good fun read
Great book, great series. Love all the pop culture references, the snark, the cheesiness, and the characters. Mac, Ricky, Sera, Canton, Duane, Jack, cat demon and the rest of the crew make this series a rollicking good read.
Definitely recommended.
Great book, great series. Love all the pop culture references, the snark, the cheesiness, and the characters. Mac, Ricky, Sera, Canton, Duane, Jack, cat demon and the rest of the crew make this series a rollicking good read.
Definitely recommended.
February 13, 2020
Another fine story. Somehow it wasn't quite as fun as the last one but that could be because I have a cold... Oh well. But Mac keeps on confounding bad guys and begins to get to know his inner demon a bit better.
February 27, 2017
Love!!
Mac Brennan is a kick ass hottie with a cocky mouth and twisted sense of humor! Just the kind of book I enjoy!!
Mac Brennan is a kick ass hottie with a cocky mouth and twisted sense of humor! Just the kind of book I enjoy!!
May 24, 2017
Loads of action
Mac has to fight loads of demons to find out where his family are
Mac has to fight loads of demons to find out where his family are
November 16, 2017
Love this series
These books are highly entertaining urban fantasy. Aside from Mac's adventures, my favorite parts are all the movie references. I just love those!!
These books are highly entertaining urban fantasy. Aside from Mac's adventures, my favorite parts are all the movie references. I just love those!!
September 4, 2018
Good read
Another fast paced exciting novel
Full of unexpected twists an turns
Very well written characters interesting
Concept behind the tale really good
Another fast paced exciting novel
Full of unexpected twists an turns
Very well written characters interesting
Concept behind the tale really good
August 18, 2016
Burned: An Urban Fantasy Novel (The Thrice Cursed Mage Book 3) by J.A. Cipriano continues where Book 2 ended. It is a paranormal story about Mac Brennan with his demon arm. His assignment is to kill Pierce Ambrose. I gave it four stars. It needs editing for typos and homonyms.
He survives a plane crash. "I might not be able to walk without assistance or see past my blurry vision, but I’d be damned if I was going to let her walk around wearing the costume Pierce had put on her when he’d tried to turn her into a sex puppet."
Mac still has snarky dialogue: "Hey, I might be overly paranoid, but I was also alive."
He is having trouble using his demon arm. He's imprisoned and needs to escape to rescue his family. "I reached out for my magic, desperate to escape, but as I tried, I found I couldn’t. It was weird, sort of like reaching into a darkened room for a switch you knew was there and finding only blank wall. Fear twisted up in my guts. If I didn’t have my magic, how was I going to get out of this? No. That was the wrong way to think.
After all, I was Mac Brennan. I’d get out of this. I just needed to wait for my opportunity and pounce on it like a cupcake at a baby shower."
Danton was going to help Mac, but Mac was uncertain of his sincerity. "Was he seriously implying God and His Holy Angels were telling him to help me? I’d fallen out of an airplane, not a turnip truck."
I look forward to reading Seized: An Urban Fantasy Novel (The Thrice Cursed Mage Book 4).
Link to purchase: https://www.amazon.com/Burned-Urban-F...
He survives a plane crash. "I might not be able to walk without assistance or see past my blurry vision, but I’d be damned if I was going to let her walk around wearing the costume Pierce had put on her when he’d tried to turn her into a sex puppet."
Mac still has snarky dialogue: "Hey, I might be overly paranoid, but I was also alive."
He is having trouble using his demon arm. He's imprisoned and needs to escape to rescue his family. "I reached out for my magic, desperate to escape, but as I tried, I found I couldn’t. It was weird, sort of like reaching into a darkened room for a switch you knew was there and finding only blank wall. Fear twisted up in my guts. If I didn’t have my magic, how was I going to get out of this? No. That was the wrong way to think.
After all, I was Mac Brennan. I’d get out of this. I just needed to wait for my opportunity and pounce on it like a cupcake at a baby shower."
Danton was going to help Mac, but Mac was uncertain of his sincerity. "Was he seriously implying God and His Holy Angels were telling him to help me? I’d fallen out of an airplane, not a turnip truck."
I look forward to reading Seized: An Urban Fantasy Novel (The Thrice Cursed Mage Book 4).
Link to purchase: https://www.amazon.com/Burned-Urban-F...
February 15, 2017
I really enjoyed this book and have enjoyed the characters and the series quite a bit.
J.A. Cipriano weaves an interesting story line and you can't help but to get sucked in.
I will definitely continue to see what else happens to Mac...or those who mess with Mac.
J.A. Cipriano weaves an interesting story line and you can't help but to get sucked in.
I will definitely continue to see what else happens to Mac...or those who mess with Mac.
May 4, 2016
What can i say but wow again 3 for 3, the book picks up right where we left mac at the end of book 2 and does not slow down until the very end and even then its fast paced. once again started reading and could not stop until i was finished. In this book we learn a little more insight into Mac and a small amount of his deal but not much. We get a few hints but not really enough to sort things out and know the full story of what happens and why. it answers some questions but the answers leave you wanting more and asking more questions brilliantly done.
the book moves fast and free and their are no dull moments and if you where not feeling for mac and what has happened before this book you will feel for him once its completed. and asking if anything will be easy and with no strings. all in all the best of the 3 and cant wait for the 4th. only thing i thin, the book could have been longer (more so i had more mac to read as its like a drug you cant put it down and when you do you want more)
the book moves fast and free and their are no dull moments and if you where not feeling for mac and what has happened before this book you will feel for him once its completed. and asking if anything will be easy and with no strings. all in all the best of the 3 and cant wait for the 4th. only thing i thin, the book could have been longer (more so i had more mac to read as its like a drug you cant put it down and when you do you want more)
May 3, 2016
Just when you thought it couldn't get any better, the book jumps right back into the action with Dante, Ricky, and Mac. Mac is still looking for his sister and nephew, and the clues come flying, but sometimes the clues are not what you want. They seem to lead poor Mac on a merry little goose chase, and we find out about the Gnome and Gremlin feud, and why one should never mention a certain movie and feeding after midnight.
Also, find out the ups and down of a werewolf/cursed relationship and more about Dante's past that was a big surprise. And did I mention the part about being kicked out of Heaven?
All in all a great book, thing get neatly tied up in the end, but still Mack is practically living with Murphy's Law, so the ending not what I was expecting but still it was a surprise.
Also, find out the ups and down of a werewolf/cursed relationship and more about Dante's past that was a big surprise. And did I mention the part about being kicked out of Heaven?
All in all a great book, thing get neatly tied up in the end, but still Mack is practically living with Murphy's Law, so the ending not what I was expecting but still it was a surprise.
May 14, 2016
Action packed from the start. It helps a lot if you read from the beginning otherwise you will be confused. A demon kidnapping an assassin’s family & the assassin is in the process of doing what the job is to get back his family. The mix of Danton, Ricky & Mac as they search for the person that needs to be taken out. You will be drawn into the story, cheering for your favorite character. An amazing series.
*Disclaimer... I received a copy for the purpose of review. The opinion stated above is 100% my own.*
*Disclaimer... I received a copy for the purpose of review. The opinion stated above is 100% my own.*
May 10, 2016
This book starts right where the last one ends. Perhaps because it's been sometime since I read the last one, I was a little lost when it started. But the book retained the pace and continued to keep me engrossed. However after a point, Mac's attitude becomes tiresome and predictable. That's the only reason I'm giving it three stars. A few questions from the previous books are answered and a few new ones pop up in this. I'm really curious to know who the cat demon in his head is.
So despite the three stars, I'm still looking forward to the other books in the series.
So despite the three stars, I'm still looking forward to the other books in the series.
June 10, 2016
Fun
This book is perfect summer reading. There is enough homage to Jim Butcher's Dresden Files to acknowledge the similarities, but the series is a fresh take on your standard shadowy good versus evil. I've read the first three in this series, and the character development is really taking off. The pace is fun, and the story is fantastic as well as fantastical. If you like the modern day magic storyline, Cipriano delivers.
This book is perfect summer reading. There is enough homage to Jim Butcher's Dresden Files to acknowledge the similarities, but the series is a fresh take on your standard shadowy good versus evil. I've read the first three in this series, and the character development is really taking off. The pace is fun, and the story is fantastic as well as fantastical. If you like the modern day magic storyline, Cipriano delivers.
June 14, 2016
Burned
Another riveting read, you have feel sorry for Mac and a lot of sympathy for the situation he finds himself in. He is a really Good Bad guy, who I would want in my corner any day of the week. I love the Interactions between Heaven and Hell, in fact I love everything about this book. He makes me laugh and cry all at the same time. This Author is becoming one of my favourites of all time. Fab
Another riveting read, you have feel sorry for Mac and a lot of sympathy for the situation he finds himself in. He is a really Good Bad guy, who I would want in my corner any day of the week. I love the Interactions between Heaven and Hell, in fact I love everything about this book. He makes me laugh and cry all at the same time. This Author is becoming one of my favourites of all time. Fab
June 22, 2016
Another great addition to the cursed mage series. The books may be a little shorter than I'm accustomed to but they are action-packed and full of great humor. I especially love the references to everything from saturday morning cartoons to other fantasy series
August 16, 2016
hmm.. this one wasnt my favorite of the series so far but i am still enjoying it.. more mystery.. more magic.. more love.. more exciting things to wait and see what happens. i enjoyed it and am glad i got to review it
May 9, 2016
Whoa
Really good, fast moving trilogy of a guy who sells his soul to a demon to try and rescue his sister and nephew.
Really good, fast moving trilogy of a guy who sells his soul to a demon to try and rescue his sister and nephew.
May 11, 2016
Great reading when you get a"Mac" attack
This third installment was the best read yet.
Lots of action and surprises.
Creativity plus.
Highly recommend this work of urban fantasy.
This third installment was the best read yet.
Lots of action and surprises.
Creativity plus.
Highly recommend this work of urban fantasy.
May 22, 2016
Great book
I'm glad that I found this author and these books. Totally captivating and thoroughly enjoyable. Great author and a great series.
I'm glad that I found this author and these books. Totally captivating and thoroughly enjoyable. Great author and a great series.
October 22, 2016
Still great
Each book I've read so far has been awesome and I just want to keep reading. Mac is a great character and I love learning more about him with each new novel.
Each book I've read so far has been awesome and I just want to keep reading. Mac is a great character and I love learning more about him with each new novel.
January 22, 2017
Fun read
The series is a fast paced and enjoyable read. The characters are imaginative and the humor and sarcastic wit is delightful
The series is a fast paced and enjoyable read. The characters are imaginative and the humor and sarcastic wit is delightful
January 24, 2017
Series is really great
each book ends with a cliffhanger that segue s into the next book. if you are waiting for the next Harry Dresden book, this is a good substitute.
each book ends with a cliffhanger that segue s into the next book. if you are waiting for the next Harry Dresden book, this is a good substitute.
Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews