Probitionary FBI Agent Agatha Blackmore has just finished three grueling years at the FBI Academy at Quantico. She mastered every skill and task they laid before her. She now begins an Internship of sorts working for the Magical Crimes Division. Assassination, Murder, and Betrayal await her. How will she do in the real world? Will her Magick be enough to save her?
I was born in 1968 in Mineral Wells, Tx. I have lived all across the country:Alabama, Georgia, Florida, Texas, Alaska, and finally Missouri. I have worked as a Disc Jockey, Bookstore manager, Cook, and bowling alley attendant. I have a Telecommunication degree and a Culinary degree. I was a history major before I discovered multimedia. Gardening and cooking is my passion. My wife and I live outside of St Louis, Missouri. I have always been a Huge fan of Science Fiction and fantasy I bring my love of the genre to my writing. I'm a first time writer.
2.5 Stars. Unfortunately, this author, while very inventive and repeatedly creating promising story concepts and fictional worlds, has a tendency to devolve into overly elaborate and intricate world-wide conspiracies and political cabals. His characters, especially his antagonists and side characters are typically flat, oftentimes incompetent and uniformly marked by grotesque arrogance. Despite his somewhat stronger initial novels, T.S. Paul's stories inevitably slide into unreadable wish fulfillment the longer a series continues, his protagonists transformed into an overawing superbeing with an unrealistical moral superiority and hard to stomach universal competence which clashes with the general incomptence of their environment.
Ratings are based on this being unarguably just a fun action series full of stereotypes and tropes and having no pretense of being anything but. The author and Amazon have it with Teen and Young Adult although Goodreads doesn't reflect that yet.
Enjoyable read, the first book was a tad better for me although I will continue with this series.
Although I enjoyed the idea of this story and the plot itself, I am not a fan of the main character in this one. She really irritated me to be honest. Agatha is a witch, training to be a FBI Agent for the Magical Crimes Division and paired with a human mentor, who quite honestly, doesn't really seem to know much about the paranormal creatures in his world and the things they can do!
Agatha is supposed to be a not very good witch, yet everything she did, all her spells and investigating produces accurate results first time. I'm not saying I wanted her to fail, but I did want her to face a bit more of a challenge. Her go-to response to everything was to freeze it. The constant praise between her and Jack became annoying as well - "Well done Agatha!", "Oh thank you Jack. You're such a great teacher!" over and over, when he didn't really teach her much! Just came across as really false and patronising.
However. my biggest bug bear with this book as with a lots of the other readers and reviewers was the complete and utter lack of proofreading. As a teacher who has to try and decipher students' writing on a regular basis, I like to read books where I am not constantly correcting spellings, incorrect words, incorrect uses of or missing punctuation and unfortunately this book was rife with them! Some of my 10 year old pupils write better than this! T.S.Paul, please get a proofreader or a better one as this poor writing really distracts from the reading. I actually did start marking them as notes on my kindle, but it got that much that I was hardly reading, just adding notes constantly!
I probably will get round to reading the next book in the series as I have them on my kindle, having bought them all when I read and really enjoyed the novella, but definitely not yet!
I wish I could like this book series...or, properly phrased, I wish it were better written so I could like this book series. I gave it two stars, because I rounded up from the one star for the concept itself, and a half star for Fergus the endearingly obnoxious pocket-sized unicorn. Unfortunately, there are continuity problems, the dialogue does not flow, the plot is weak, and (considering it's a police-procedural book) the police procedures are incredibly bad. While the supporting characters (though poorly fleshed-out in most cases) are likeable enough , the main character vacillates between whiny and annoying and blotchy know-it-all and annoying, with occasional glimmers of less annoying. It was incredibly frustrating to read, because (with a bit of imagination) one could almost taste the story this could have been if it were good.
This was disappointing on many levels. I'm a fan of the genre, so I'm willing to forgive some things for a fun story. Unfortunately this isn't a coherent story, but three so-so stories connected by a thin frame. The dialogue is too full of exclamations and sentences twisted by irritating structure. The book is filled with unnecessary and boring details, and, I'm positive, every scrap of research done for the project. I'm taking a pass on more from this writer.
This was disappointing on so many levels. I'm a fan of the genre, so I'm willing to forgive some things for a fun story. Unfortunately, this isn't a coherent story, but three so-so stories connected by a thin frame. The dialogue is too full of exclamations and sentences twisted by irritating structure. The book is filled with unnecessary and boring details, and, I'm positive, every scrap of research done for the project. I'm taking a pass on more from this writer.
So much potential and so much fail. Not only does this author need an editor, she also needs a proofreader. So many mistakes could be avoided. She could flesh out her characters better and delve deeper into the overall story.
The storyline is intriguing. Apparently the heroine is a Mary Sue - she can do no wrong and she's basically untouchable. While she's late teens/early twenties, she's still immature and has no real growth as a character. Sure, her cases are resolved, but it's more of an "Oops." Or a "Did i do that?" Urkel moment. I'm interested to find out how the FBI Pack will operate. There's not really a pack mentality offered now, and it (the overall relationship) is not believable.
A lot of the early promise of the series (seen in book 0 and 1) is starting to evaporate. Yes, the other FBI teams don't like her/have gaps in her training. Yes, Agatha is the only one who can do all these complicated things. Yes, she had bad things happen when spellcasting in the past - yet somehow, the worst she's managed is to make jackalopes, and even that's not so bad or with any consequence. When push comes to shove, she's the BESTEST.
And don't even get me started on the horrible editing; I'm actually embarrassed for the person who willingly put their name on this as editor - that's not something to be proud of.
If you've read the first two books and are feeling like a massive completist, or for some reason need to see how Agatha would take on a dragon, feel free to read this. Otherwise, skip.
Although the editing is marginally better in this book, the language is still unnaturally stilted. There is still a misuse of capitalisation and apostrophes. There are still sentences missing key words and punctuation. All of these issues combine to create a choppy story that yanks you out of the moment every other paragraph or so.
I have this authour another shot since I could see potential, but I'm finished. If the authour and editor can't be bothered to correct such basic mistakes, I can't be bothered to read their works.
This series has so much potential but falls flat in so many ways.
The characters are mary-sue's that can do no wrong. Every time they encounter a problem- they all but breath a solution. Not to mention the fact that they suffer no apparent repercussions for the use of their powers. The main character is particularly frustrating. Her arrogant attitude and lack of respect to those around her is ridiculous. When she's not being an over-inflated witch she devolves into a whiny teen.
'Nobody touches the witch' gives me the eye-rolls, hard.
I read the first two books in the series. The stories are great,but the author appears to have no concept about phrasing and the use of commas. It seems to me that he either does not have a copy editor, or that person is not very good at the job. That, coupled with the other errors, will keep me from reading his other books.
But I won't give the story its five-star due until the author gets a real editor/proofreader. Preferably someone who knows how to use apostrophes, and the difference between 'to' and 'too' (which was sadly needed often in this book).
Really young adult level. The author's grammar is atrocious. The author consistently uses "I" erroneously instead of "me". Fifth graders know better. Somewhat slapdash. Poorly edited. Unpolished and superficial. But for all that, fairly entertaining.
Gone downhill from the previous book. Horrible copyediting interfered with story elements even when the story worked. Fun concept but a waste of my time.
In this second book Agatha is a probationary agent working with a non-magical FBI agent who investigate magic-related problems. This book felt a little too episodic and doesn't get into the issue of distrust of witches as much as the first book.
The background universe has a weak historical timeline, in both detail and plausibility. The present geopolitical map isn't clear, either. With all this vagueness, it's impossible to picture the paranormal society in anything like its entirety.
Paranormal creature groups are slotted into the current minority social positions of the U.S. It's time saving but like the rest of the background universe it doesn't advance or even support good storytelling. I've seen very many series that were much worse but bad is still bad.
Characters are thin and cutesy which I was hoping would change but that writing decision for the series seems to be final. The stories can't have emotional depth if university graduates are to be federal agents while displaying, interacting and reacting as if they were entitled twelve year olds. The books can't hide behind the YA label and probably belong to the guilty pleasure category. There's no serious urban fantasy or intense paranormal drama to be found here.
As long as the books are not expected to be more than they are, they hopefully won't encourage sexist stereotypes. I wouldn't recommend it to an undergraduate girl and I'm walking away from this series. Unfortunately the writer has joined a project with Anderle, so his current mediocre writing skills are sure to devolve.
Nice Urban Sorcery/Paranormal Law Enforcement Story
T'S. Paul's second book in this series is actually much better than the first -- and it was very good. Our protagonist is a Witch, the first witch working for the FBI. Paul has created a parallel United States, where magical beings came out of the shadows long ago. Many of the magical beings now live on reservations...in worse conditions than even the Native Americans. Our hero, Agatha, is a probationary FBI agent after finishing the training at Quantico. As part of the Magical Crimes Department of the FBI, crimes committed by, or victimizing, paranormal beings fall under their department's responsibility. Now that Agatha has joined the department it has two people assigned -- Agatha and Jack.
Constant conflict and action offsets the slow-drip delivery of background information about the various factions and conflicts between the factions. New races of paranormal beings surface constantly, and each has it's own history, rivalries, enemies and dark secrets.
RECOMMENDED AS: VERY GOOD URBAN SORCERY/PARANORMAL LAW ENFORCEMENT FICTION.
I find this series entertaining, but it has some issues. In terms of the story itself, the only problem I have with it is that the main character is just grossly over-powered and able to resolve any conflict with a wave of her hand. Ok, that's not ideal, but I'm still entertained. There is a bit of a problem with continuity between books. As the series progresses, it seems to be shifting from almost exactly earth to an alternate dimension with very similar but still different history. Example - the Pentagon is the Pentagon in one of the first book, but by book 4 it is the Octagon instead. Finally, the editing really needs an upgrade. There are a lot of cases of things that I would call proof-reading issues, but there are also areas where it almost seems like a different author has inserted a few pages in the middle of a chapter. Just a completely different "Voice" picks up for a while then returns to normal.
Again, I remain entertained by the story, which is really the whole point, but I hope the author will take a bit more care with consistency as the story progresses.
The first book is a great intro and this one takes place at the 4th year mark. It is a succession of cases, which was a nice addition to the unique story line. The characters are realistic, intelligent, and interesting. There is a subplot that will be interesting to see developed. I gave it four stars only because it needs some minor editing. The character's last name has a few changes in the first few chapters and is confusing. Blackthorn/Blackmore... there are also missing or added words that cause a bit of a stumble while reading but, they do not take away from the wonderful world and creative nature.
Graduation brings new growth to her Pack. They are all split into different groups to investigate. She goes with the sole Magical Division agent. He has a wide area, everything magical that the FBI turn up is his. How will she get on with him, as he has no magical powers of his own. Plus the others in the FBI are still set against her. Three separate cases fall in their jurisdiction. Cases involving dragons and genocide are just examples. Will she be able to overcome whatever is thrown at her and get justice? Great stories but wish the pack had been more together. However the personal growth of our witch is a delight.
The pack is each going their own way through the FBI on the job training, in the field with instructors. They can maintain their pack connection through her spell. Chuck gets to meet the forensic team and drive their semi/mobile lab and meet a vampire. Cat gets to go track a series killer and our probi gets to be part of a magical investigation team. The crimes are unique and very interesting, " gods" seem to pop up and be watching her, the counsel has a few bad apples, one in particular and their greed for power may become a problem, especially if they try and take her bracelet, not gonna happen! No one touches the witch!
Awesome adventures of witch FBI prob I and Fergus, of course.
Hahaha graduates from Quantico and is a part of Magic Criminal Investigation Unit as a prob I. She travels along helping solve magical crimes with her usual flair. We meet more interesting characters beside the characters from previous book. Fergus the micro unicorn is developing more personality and magic in his own right.
Again highly recommended. Can't wait for the next book in this series. Thank you for this hilarious, fascinating, and charming paranormal stories.
This author has a way of writing that is very juvenile. It literally reads like it was wrote by a teenager around 13 or 14 years old. A smarter then average one but still a teenager. Most of the characters are annoying. Especially the stupid unicorn. I assume he is added in for humor value but he's beyond irritating and would not be missed if killed off. Plus books where the main character is the only character that can do things that need doing and seems to always know everything are aggravatingly tedious to read. I do NOT recommend this series. I only read this second book to this series because I it was on sale with the first one so I bought them both. Money wasted.
I am looking forward to the next installment. I enjoyed the series a lot so far, it just keeps getting better. I read it in one sitting and found myself smiling or laughing out loud through a lot of the book. Fergus deserves pizza again, and I am really curious as to what will happen with the Jackalopes. Great characters and creatures. Thank you T S Paul for a great New series to follow.
The stories in this series (so far, I'm only on book two), are well written, with a good combination of investigative procedure, paranormal characters & interesting mysteries.
There is an interesting thread running through the series that promises some interesting revelations about the main character in the future. I'm looking forward to reading the rest of the series to find out what it will be.
Enjoyable. The story is only slightly diminished by poor editing, but solid & detailed nonetheless. Looking forward to the next book in this series. Agatha is a strong character who seems to look at several perspectives while getting answers, which is an admiral trait. My question is, will she always be ready for attacks, or will she miss a step along the way and suffer grave consequences? No one is perfect.
Agatha Blackmore is now a probationary agent for the FBI - and a powerful witch with some very powerful beings that take an interest in her! This book introduces us to Jack, the senior agent in charge of the Magical Crimes division of the FBI, and Agatha’s new boss. Between them, Agatha and Jack look into, and solve a number of magical crimes. An enjoyable take on the alternate paranormal universe idea, with a funny micro-unicorn for comic relief!
I really like the characters and the creative world-building. The plot is fun and the future looks bright for this series. There are annoying things about the story that I am choosing to overlook (like everyone shooting for no reason).
The writing needs help, though. I would suggest an editor and an 8th grade English teacher.