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Spiretown
Updated Five year Anniversary Edition! Completely revised, rewritten, and expanded!
It’s been several years since the end of the Mage wars. Those born with the taint of magic are sent to places like Spiretown: a city within a city that serves as a prison for its inhabitants.
Templar Battalion Commander Collin Anderfels is one of the wardens of Spiretown, protecting the plainblood citizens of Port Ari from the mage scourge behind the walls. But lately, a group of rebel mages inside of Spiretown are causing trouble, destroying the prison ghetto one building at a time. When Collin and his men follow up on an anonymous lead, within minutes, five men are dead, and Collin’s life is changed forever.
Logan Grey is a mage and the self-proclaimed mayor of Spiretown. He’s well acquainted with the criminals both in and outside of its walls. Until now, everything—including the Templars—have been under his control, but rebel mages, calling themselves the Red Seal, are threatening his way of life. When a church is destroyed, killing several Templars and some of Logan’s own people, he reaches out for help from a very unwilling source.
Somehow, beyond prejudice and deceit, these two unlikely partners find themselves becoming more than just allies. But can a love born from lies survive when the gates of hell are torn open?
It’s been several years since the end of the Mage wars. Those born with the taint of magic are sent to places like Spiretown: a city within a city that serves as a prison for its inhabitants.
Templar Battalion Commander Collin Anderfels is one of the wardens of Spiretown, protecting the plainblood citizens of Port Ari from the mage scourge behind the walls. But lately, a group of rebel mages inside of Spiretown are causing trouble, destroying the prison ghetto one building at a time. When Collin and his men follow up on an anonymous lead, within minutes, five men are dead, and Collin’s life is changed forever.
Logan Grey is a mage and the self-proclaimed mayor of Spiretown. He’s well acquainted with the criminals both in and outside of its walls. Until now, everything—including the Templars—have been under his control, but rebel mages, calling themselves the Red Seal, are threatening his way of life. When a church is destroyed, killing several Templars and some of Logan’s own people, he reaches out for help from a very unwilling source.
Somehow, beyond prejudice and deceit, these two unlikely partners find themselves becoming more than just allies. But can a love born from lies survive when the gates of hell are torn open?
307 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 2, 2012
19 people are currently reading
424 people want to read
About the author
Lia Black
12 books145 followersLia Black tends to do everything the hard way; beginning with being born backwards into the world and now raising a teenage daughter by herself in conservative Upstate NY. Her career choices are no less extreme, including occupations of fine artist, computer geek, firefighter, and mortician’s assistant— just to name a few.
A fellow Author describes Black's mind as "a glorious kaleidoscope of f*ckeduppery"; she loves the challenge of writing about people who probably have no business being together on the same planet, and who occasionally deal with questionable sanity/morality. It’s fun to glue broken things together and try to make something interesting and new.
--She especially loves broken boys who have lots of fascinating pieces.
Her characters often suffer through the worlds she creates for them, which leaves them a little cranky and sometimes less lovable than others in a romance genre. Yet Black swears that someday, "there will be comedy."
A fellow Author describes Black's mind as "a glorious kaleidoscope of f*ckeduppery"; she loves the challenge of writing about people who probably have no business being together on the same planet, and who occasionally deal with questionable sanity/morality. It’s fun to glue broken things together and try to make something interesting and new.
--She especially loves broken boys who have lots of fascinating pieces.
Her characters often suffer through the worlds she creates for them, which leaves them a little cranky and sometimes less lovable than others in a romance genre. Yet Black swears that someday, "there will be comedy."
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 48 reviews
January 14, 2023
*3.5* Fantasy, mystery, Templars vs Mages, manipulative demons and intricate dream worlds, MM love story. This is a dated story so be prepared for older technology like faxes and home phones.
Collin is a Templar, fiercely prejudice against anyone with any magical powers.
Witches, mages, wizards, sorcerers—they were all the same thing. Dealing with them was Collin’s job: overseeing one of the largest and most dangerous prison camps created after the Magewars.
Logan is an incredibly powerful Dreamer, he can project himself into others during dreaming. He saves Collin's life one evening during a mission gone wrong.
He was far too attractive to be a normal human, too exotic, and it was likely this reason he’d never been apprehended; the press would love his face too much. Poster-pin-up boy for mages’ rights.
The story hovered on the edge of greatness multiple times. It was such a wonderful outline of a story, and some of the scenes were incredibly well done. But overall it felt disorganized, and it didn't flow smoothly.
Even with saying all of that, this author continues to impress me with her writing, and character development. I absolutely love the multi-faceted characters she creates.
I really wish there had been more time for these characters to go from fearfully hating each other to head over heels in love. Not to mention one character was strictly heterosexual while the other was bi. There just wasn't enough time spent on the abrupt switches in personality.
Although he’d told himself that he could have sex without getting emotionally attached, he realized now he’d only been fooling himself. He was falling in love with something he’d sworn an oath to eradicate.
Crazy brutal battle at the end of the story. Hfn. I don't see that a second book has been published, which is a shame, because this is a really wonderful universe.
Collin is a Templar, fiercely prejudice against anyone with any magical powers.
Witches, mages, wizards, sorcerers—they were all the same thing. Dealing with them was Collin’s job: overseeing one of the largest and most dangerous prison camps created after the Magewars.
Logan is an incredibly powerful Dreamer, he can project himself into others during dreaming. He saves Collin's life one evening during a mission gone wrong.
He was far too attractive to be a normal human, too exotic, and it was likely this reason he’d never been apprehended; the press would love his face too much. Poster-pin-up boy for mages’ rights.
The story hovered on the edge of greatness multiple times. It was such a wonderful outline of a story, and some of the scenes were incredibly well done. But overall it felt disorganized, and it didn't flow smoothly.
Even with saying all of that, this author continues to impress me with her writing, and character development. I absolutely love the multi-faceted characters she creates.
I really wish there had been more time for these characters to go from fearfully hating each other to head over heels in love. Not to mention one character was strictly heterosexual while the other was bi. There just wasn't enough time spent on the abrupt switches in personality.
Although he’d told himself that he could have sex without getting emotionally attached, he realized now he’d only been fooling himself. He was falling in love with something he’d sworn an oath to eradicate.
Crazy brutal battle at the end of the story. Hfn. I don't see that a second book has been published, which is a shame, because this is a really wonderful universe.
March 12, 2018
Dark urban fantasy set in a grim future after the mage wars between plainblood humans and those humans who are tainted with magic (mages). Wonderful world building. I truly hope for more to come in this world, as I would welcome the chance to re-visit.
The characterizations are outstanding. The MCs, Logan and Collin, are do-what-you-have-to sort of guys. Watching the changes in them as their relationship develops, as they come to trust and care for each other, truly made this story special for me. I adored sexy, tattooed and pierced Logan with his androgyny and flamboyance. And Collin with his repressed dominant tendencies just waiting to come out. They're complex characters that are imperfect but very real in that imperfection but wonderfully right for each other.
The characterizations are outstanding. The MCs, Logan and Collin, are do-what-you-have-to sort of guys. Watching the changes in them as their relationship develops, as they come to trust and care for each other, truly made this story special for me. I adored sexy, tattooed and pierced Logan with his androgyny and flamboyance. And Collin with his repressed dominant tendencies just waiting to come out. They're complex characters that are imperfect but very real in that imperfection but wonderfully right for each other.
June 4, 2016
Free today (4th Feb 2013) on Amazon.co.uk
Lia Black creates a world where Mages live in regulated ghettoes. Collin is a Templar Commander charged with keeping control of the Mages of Spiretown. Logan is a powerful Dreamer and brothel owner who styles himself mayor of Spiretown. The story brings them together in an improbable pairing.
"How old were you when you realized you were... different?" Logan opened his mouth, then smiled slyly, "What sort of different? Gay different, magic different or just plain fucked-in-the-head-crazy different?"
Lia Black creates a world where Mages live in regulated ghettoes. Collin is a Templar Commander charged with keeping control of the Mages of Spiretown. Logan is a powerful Dreamer and brothel owner who styles himself mayor of Spiretown. The story brings them together in an improbable pairing.
"How old were you when you realized you were... different?" Logan opened his mouth, then smiled slyly, "What sort of different? Gay different, magic different or just plain fucked-in-the-head-crazy different?"
May 4, 2013
3.5 stars rounded up for being free.
This was a cool little alternative-earth book about an America where magic exists and mages are considered too dangerous to roam around freely, so they get rounded up and chucked in ghettoes. Enforcing all of this are the Templars, an elite brand of police who deal with magic-users. The romance is of the enemies-to-lovers/gay-for-you variety, when Collin; a heterosexual Templar commander is forced into close-quaters with Logan; a powerful/sexy mage.
Things I liked: it was engaging, it was hot, the actions sequences are deliciously gory and I loved the tropes.
This I disliked: the whole book has a kind of superficial feel; as if the characters, situations and concepts are only lightly brushed on and everything happens way too fast.
The other thing (and I may be mistaken here) is that even though the setting and plot are different, a lot of the concepts and terminology seemed to be plucked straight from the awesome video game Dragon Age and for some reason this really bothered me. But still, an enjoyable read overall.
This was a cool little alternative-earth book about an America where magic exists and mages are considered too dangerous to roam around freely, so they get rounded up and chucked in ghettoes. Enforcing all of this are the Templars, an elite brand of police who deal with magic-users. The romance is of the enemies-to-lovers/gay-for-you variety, when Collin; a heterosexual Templar commander is forced into close-quaters with Logan; a powerful/sexy mage.
Things I liked: it was engaging, it was hot, the actions sequences are deliciously gory and I loved the tropes.
This I disliked: the whole book has a kind of superficial feel; as if the characters, situations and concepts are only lightly brushed on and everything happens way too fast.
The other thing (and I may be mistaken here) is that even though the setting and plot are different, a lot of the concepts and terminology seemed to be plucked straight from the awesome video game Dragon Age and for some reason this really bothered me. But still, an enjoyable read overall.
May 5, 2013
It probably says a lot that it took me four days to read this....and I still skimmed the lonnng action sequence at the end. Although the story moved on at a fast pace and the plot kept me engaged, the characters never lived up to their potential. I've read some amazing character-driven romances lately, and these two MCs seemed like flat caricatures in comparison.
If you're looking for a light, action adventure fantasy with a dash of romance thrown in this might be the book for you.
If you're looking for a light, action adventure fantasy with a dash of romance thrown in this might be the book for you.
February 7, 2013
3 1/2 - 4 Hearts
Review written for MM Good Book Reviews
http://mmgoodbookreviews.wordpress.com/
Spiretown, a place where people born with the taint (magic) are shipped to when their magic becomes apparent. Logan is a mage, who has his own little part of the world in Spiretown, but he needs help when he discovers the Red Seal (a group of rogue mages) are targeting him, so he approaches an unlikely source for assistance. Collin is a Templar Commander, his group are there to keep the mages in place and to destroy any who succumb to the demons, and being approached by a mage for protection is astounding, beginning to have feelings for the mage just might destroy him.
This story is slightly dark, with prejudice, hate, anger and fear, breaking down those emotions and finding love. When Collin’s team is lead into an ambush by the Red Seal, he never thought his saviour would be a mage, but that mage wants something in return, he wants protection. Logan needs the help of the Templar if he is going to bring down the Red Seal, saving Collin fit into his plans, and now he just needs his web of lies to come to fruition. But neither Logan nor Collin reckoned on an emotional connection forming between them, but it is that love that just might save them all when the Red Seal attempt to rip open the gates of Hell.
This is a great story if you are looking for a story that is drenched in angst and darkness. After the Mage Wars, all humans showing the taint of magic were rounded up and put in places like Spiretown, children taken from their parents were handed over to the clergy and Logan was one of those children. Templars are plainbloods (humans with no ‘taint’) who are given the task of dealing with any mages who succumb to demons, many of them, like Collin, hate the mages due to losses of family in the Mage Wars. Logan is a special mage though, he has special abilities that the Red Seal want, Logan turns to Collin for help and it begins a complex relationship between the mage and the Templar.
I have to admit to that this story isn’t black and white, neither character is particularly lovable due to their personalities, but the longer you read the more you understand what drives them. The storyline is brilliant, but twisted, and at times will turn your stomach, especially when it comes to Logan’s past. We see a huge development in Collin’s psyche as he comes to realise that not all mages are evil and that some humans do deserve what they get, the relationship he develops with Logan is not easy, but it is something that he would give everything up for. Logan is a very complex character and how he has been treated as a child has left scars on his soul, it has also moulded him into the way he is now and it’s a miracle he isn’t completely insane.
I have to recommend this if you love angst, demons, mages, harsh lives, some hot sex, great descriptions, some horrific scenes, a love emerging against the odds and an ending that has hope.
Review written for MM Good Book Reviews
http://mmgoodbookreviews.wordpress.com/
Spiretown, a place where people born with the taint (magic) are shipped to when their magic becomes apparent. Logan is a mage, who has his own little part of the world in Spiretown, but he needs help when he discovers the Red Seal (a group of rogue mages) are targeting him, so he approaches an unlikely source for assistance. Collin is a Templar Commander, his group are there to keep the mages in place and to destroy any who succumb to the demons, and being approached by a mage for protection is astounding, beginning to have feelings for the mage just might destroy him.
This story is slightly dark, with prejudice, hate, anger and fear, breaking down those emotions and finding love. When Collin’s team is lead into an ambush by the Red Seal, he never thought his saviour would be a mage, but that mage wants something in return, he wants protection. Logan needs the help of the Templar if he is going to bring down the Red Seal, saving Collin fit into his plans, and now he just needs his web of lies to come to fruition. But neither Logan nor Collin reckoned on an emotional connection forming between them, but it is that love that just might save them all when the Red Seal attempt to rip open the gates of Hell.
This is a great story if you are looking for a story that is drenched in angst and darkness. After the Mage Wars, all humans showing the taint of magic were rounded up and put in places like Spiretown, children taken from their parents were handed over to the clergy and Logan was one of those children. Templars are plainbloods (humans with no ‘taint’) who are given the task of dealing with any mages who succumb to demons, many of them, like Collin, hate the mages due to losses of family in the Mage Wars. Logan is a special mage though, he has special abilities that the Red Seal want, Logan turns to Collin for help and it begins a complex relationship between the mage and the Templar.
I have to admit to that this story isn’t black and white, neither character is particularly lovable due to their personalities, but the longer you read the more you understand what drives them. The storyline is brilliant, but twisted, and at times will turn your stomach, especially when it comes to Logan’s past. We see a huge development in Collin’s psyche as he comes to realise that not all mages are evil and that some humans do deserve what they get, the relationship he develops with Logan is not easy, but it is something that he would give everything up for. Logan is a very complex character and how he has been treated as a child has left scars on his soul, it has also moulded him into the way he is now and it’s a miracle he isn’t completely insane.
I have to recommend this if you love angst, demons, mages, harsh lives, some hot sex, great descriptions, some horrific scenes, a love emerging against the odds and an ending that has hope.
March 27, 2015
I REALLY liked this. I struggle finding paranormal/uf books I like in the m/m genre but this one really worked for me. It's about Collin, a paranormal cop who monitors the mages in their world. Collin believes they're all bad and has helped in the persecution of their race. He's assigned to protect the leader of the mages, Logan, and finds out all his preconceived ideas are wrong. Logan challenges his belief system and the two men end up finding friendship and then love. Lot's of magic, demons, and fighting bad guys along the way.
This book hit all my happy buttons. Paranormal, GFY, hurt/comfort, broken-damaged boys, giving up everything for love. *sigh* My happy heart hopes there is going to be another book about these two. The ending wasn't enough for me. I still really enjoyed this book though.
This book hit all my happy buttons. Paranormal, GFY, hurt/comfort, broken-damaged boys, giving up everything for love. *sigh* My happy heart hopes there is going to be another book about these two. The ending wasn't enough for me. I still really enjoyed this book though.
Want to read
April 29, 2013Free on Amazon right now (4/28/13). Not sure for how long though...
February 10, 2013
In this urban fantasy humanity is divided between plainblood, normal human beings, and tainted, a minority who possesses powers that appear magical. The tainted are powerful but vulnerable to the influence of demons who may possess them to enter the human reality.
Past wars have brought humanity to a situation where the tainted no longer have rights and are enclosed in areas similar to ghettos, policed by templars, plainblood specially trained to contain them.
Of course plainblood are not lambs: with the excuse of containing those tainted who are actually dangerous they abuse, coerce and enslave a whole minority. Ms Black fantasy story is a perfect paradigm for all those times when humanity decided some of its members where enemies to be crushed.
Other authors would have chosen a different approach, giving the political intrigue much more attention.
Ms Black chooses to use her well crafted setting as a background for a scorching romance instead. Logan and Collin are polar opposites and as it always happens they find themselves attracted to each other.
Logan has a past of horrendous abuse to overcome while Collin has some heavy issues of his own. The "lovers-with-a-past" and the "gay-for-you" themes have been done many times before, but the author deftly manages to skip the worst clichés and attain a modicum of plausibility.
Romance, rollercoaster adventure and supernatural lore are mixed into an interesting plot which never drags and is nearly always professionally done.
Past wars have brought humanity to a situation where the tainted no longer have rights and are enclosed in areas similar to ghettos, policed by templars, plainblood specially trained to contain them.
Of course plainblood are not lambs: with the excuse of containing those tainted who are actually dangerous they abuse, coerce and enslave a whole minority. Ms Black fantasy story is a perfect paradigm for all those times when humanity decided some of its members where enemies to be crushed.
Other authors would have chosen a different approach, giving the political intrigue much more attention.
Ms Black chooses to use her well crafted setting as a background for a scorching romance instead. Logan and Collin are polar opposites and as it always happens they find themselves attracted to each other.
Logan has a past of horrendous abuse to overcome while Collin has some heavy issues of his own. The "lovers-with-a-past" and the "gay-for-you" themes have been done many times before, but the author deftly manages to skip the worst clichés and attain a modicum of plausibility.
Romance, rollercoaster adventure and supernatural lore are mixed into an interesting plot which never drags and is nearly always professionally done.
December 9, 2012
Spiretown is not a happy place. It's where mages are relocated against their will; a place where they can be forgotten. It's a grim corner of the world, and a romance set here isn't going to be all butterflies and sunlit fields.
The characters are real, imperfect people who are forced together. They're smart and they're sexy and they make the most of the situation they're in. They find each other and they start to build something together.
'Spiretown' isn't fluffy. It's challenging and rewarding. It's at times cold, intelligent, funny, despairing and moving. It's full of love and hope, and I found it very satisfying.
The characters are real, imperfect people who are forced together. They're smart and they're sexy and they make the most of the situation they're in. They find each other and they start to build something together.
'Spiretown' isn't fluffy. It's challenging and rewarding. It's at times cold, intelligent, funny, despairing and moving. It's full of love and hope, and I found it very satisfying.
November 23, 2015
Dark but delicious! My daughter reads manga and watches anime and the most tragic MCs always seem to have white hair and something wrong/different with their eyes - I found it interesting that Logan fit this mold and often had flashes to those mediums reading this novel :)
I like both characters and all their flaws. There is lots of violence but also tender moments. I loved the world building and vivid descriptions.
There is a head hopping/POV switiching problem that threw me from time to time, but other tan that a great story.
I like both characters and all their flaws. There is lots of violence but also tender moments. I loved the world building and vivid descriptions.
There is a head hopping/POV switiching problem that threw me from time to time, but other tan that a great story.
Read
December 5, 2017Done! And it only took me a little over 5 years...
January 17, 2016
The rating is entirely me. There are plenty of people awarding this book with 5 stars, so it must be me.
My major pet peeves:
I do not like horror and I do not like books that rotate solely around one or two characters, unless those characters are marooned or isolated from the rest of the world and society against their will (nods to Robinson Crusoe and The Broker).
This is a character driven book, and though MCs are pretty entertaining by themselves, they live in a bubble. There are some people momentarily poking in and out, but only to convenientlymanipulate prompt the boys and the plot along and add to the character development. However they hold no substance and are eerie at best; they are in the book for the author's convenience. Imho.
Urban Fantasy is not a proper tag, it's more like a "guestroom" or a "kitchen" fantasy, considering that most of the action takes place inside Collin's house and there are maybe 2 extra characters that somehow matter and live outside of Collin's house.
I guess the question of segregation and discrimination that this book brings up should be a good cause for an extra star, but I don't think I can muster energy to do it. The book drained me.
2.5 stars.
My major pet peeves:
I do not like horror and I do not like books that rotate solely around one or two characters, unless those characters are marooned or isolated from the rest of the world and society against their will (nods to Robinson Crusoe and The Broker).
This is a character driven book, and though MCs are pretty entertaining by themselves, they live in a bubble. There are some people momentarily poking in and out, but only to conveniently
Urban Fantasy is not a proper tag, it's more like a "guestroom" or a "kitchen" fantasy, considering that most of the action takes place inside Collin's house and there are maybe 2 extra characters that somehow matter and live outside of Collin's house.
I guess the question of segregation and discrimination that this book brings up should be a good cause for an extra star, but I don't think I can muster energy to do it. The book drained me.
2.5 stars.
February 16, 2020
Most everything in this book testifies to it belonging to Mrs Black's earlier days as a writer. The loose, if not lax, prose mirrors the dark paranormal universe in attendance here in lacking ease and sophistication and polish a good deal, info dumps of very dull and unimaginative stamp being woven into the dialogue in static, awkward fashion:
"'Well maybe I have a right to be angry about my best friend fucking my fiancée while I'm out doing my job to keep this city safe!" Collin threw the glass in his hand towards the wall across the room, shattering it against the plaster, but Marian cried out as if he'd been aiming at her. She was right—he had become angrier lately, but he had good reason. The mages had started a collective—a little group that called themselves the Red Seal, who had been destroying Spiretown one section at a time. That would have been fine with Collin if he'd believed they'd stay contained behind those leaded concrete walls, but they wouldn't, and once they got out, all hell would break loose with them. So far, the tips they'd received had all been dead-ends but he couldn’t stop following them... he knew he was on the verge of something big. Collin combed his fingers through his dark auburn hair, his anger retreating for the moment"
or embedded within the narrative which they considerably slow down, notwithstanding any other considerations, for example when there was the pressing need for further pieces of description (in which case the writing degenerates into extended strings of bland filling materials through the utter thicket of which the thread of the action all this hangs upon gets lost sight of):
"it was five-of-midnight when they rolled into Spiretown. Named for its overabundance of churches, the mage's compound was a blight on the landscape. Broken crosses and crumbling steeples pierced the skyline over abandoned buildings and empty streets. It had been an area plagued by crime and poverty even before the mages had been moved in, and the city was all too happy to hand it over to the Templars for control. The Templars, a name borrowed from the legendary Knights Templar of the Crusades, had been formed during the final stages of the Magewars; a specialized branch that was neither military nor police, and whose sole jurisdiction were magic-users. They had weapons that could disrupt the necessary energy, or mana, that mages drew from the environment, and because Mages could wear no real armor, once their magic was suppressed, they were easily subdued. But it was more than weapons that made a Templar; it was a solemn oath to drain the planet of the evil that mages attracted, by controlling and eventually eliminating all of those who would be magnets. Spiretown was surrounded by a thirty-foot high wall. The only ways in or out of the series of connecting streets and dead-end alleys was the front gate or hidden passages used by the Templars. Ironically, the passages had been obscured by the very magic they sought to contain—another example of an apostate mage selling out his or her own people for personal gain".
Most of the paranormal lore is not even explained out, merely dropped on a need to know basis upon the unfortunate reader, who is left to struggle with more or less hideous lingo and all but self-evident statements of fact:
"he could barely make out the heat-signatures of the bodies from his angle, but the amount and placement of the heat confirmed the arrivals were mages; their hands, torsos, and fabled "third eye" were glowing white-hot".
The breezy, almost desultory tone of the narrative itself is not very conducive to smooth reading, not merely out of itself but also because it clashes with the very dark atmosphere Mrs Black wants the readers to lose themselves into:
"Saint Isolde's stone walls created a decrepit shell around burned-out church pews and squatters' abandoned bedding. Mages seemed to have an affinity for old churches, carrying out their black masses for the obvious irony of it. Collin had broken up more than his share of demonic rituals here and was not entirely surprised to see the faded sigils still etched into the floor. What was surprising, however, was that there were no active wards. Mages were typically a lot more paranoid; they had every reason to be. It was easy getting into the church— and that was a bad sign. They had five mages confirmed inside the main chapel. Collin's guts twisted and he felt that uncomfortable chill that always preceded trouble. He was ready to withdraw and pull his men out when all hell broke loose".
The entire cast of characters does not showcase better writing values and cannot be expected to demonstrate great authorial control, given the painfully contrived web of links established between the leads and their entourage: Collin is your run-off-the-mill paranormal slayer with very little in the way of psychological range who gets saved and then taken control off by rare paranormal Logan, a Dreamer who can kill in his astral projections and who has a vested interest in protecting the half-breed daughter Collin's deputy Philip had with a paranormal, and so on and so forth. The more I can state about the plot itself, that it is merely serviceable, has to do both with the author's poor powers of imagination and the one-dimensional stamp of the universe building and all the characters. Hard to do better with such tepid, formulaic guidelines.
In so many words, an original fanfiction writ large. One star and a half, rounded up because it is not too cringeworthy.
"'Well maybe I have a right to be angry about my best friend fucking my fiancée while I'm out doing my job to keep this city safe!" Collin threw the glass in his hand towards the wall across the room, shattering it against the plaster, but Marian cried out as if he'd been aiming at her. She was right—he had become angrier lately, but he had good reason. The mages had started a collective—a little group that called themselves the Red Seal, who had been destroying Spiretown one section at a time. That would have been fine with Collin if he'd believed they'd stay contained behind those leaded concrete walls, but they wouldn't, and once they got out, all hell would break loose with them. So far, the tips they'd received had all been dead-ends but he couldn’t stop following them... he knew he was on the verge of something big. Collin combed his fingers through his dark auburn hair, his anger retreating for the moment"
or embedded within the narrative which they considerably slow down, notwithstanding any other considerations, for example when there was the pressing need for further pieces of description (in which case the writing degenerates into extended strings of bland filling materials through the utter thicket of which the thread of the action all this hangs upon gets lost sight of):
"it was five-of-midnight when they rolled into Spiretown. Named for its overabundance of churches, the mage's compound was a blight on the landscape. Broken crosses and crumbling steeples pierced the skyline over abandoned buildings and empty streets. It had been an area plagued by crime and poverty even before the mages had been moved in, and the city was all too happy to hand it over to the Templars for control. The Templars, a name borrowed from the legendary Knights Templar of the Crusades, had been formed during the final stages of the Magewars; a specialized branch that was neither military nor police, and whose sole jurisdiction were magic-users. They had weapons that could disrupt the necessary energy, or mana, that mages drew from the environment, and because Mages could wear no real armor, once their magic was suppressed, they were easily subdued. But it was more than weapons that made a Templar; it was a solemn oath to drain the planet of the evil that mages attracted, by controlling and eventually eliminating all of those who would be magnets. Spiretown was surrounded by a thirty-foot high wall. The only ways in or out of the series of connecting streets and dead-end alleys was the front gate or hidden passages used by the Templars. Ironically, the passages had been obscured by the very magic they sought to contain—another example of an apostate mage selling out his or her own people for personal gain".
Most of the paranormal lore is not even explained out, merely dropped on a need to know basis upon the unfortunate reader, who is left to struggle with more or less hideous lingo and all but self-evident statements of fact:
"he could barely make out the heat-signatures of the bodies from his angle, but the amount and placement of the heat confirmed the arrivals were mages; their hands, torsos, and fabled "third eye" were glowing white-hot".
The breezy, almost desultory tone of the narrative itself is not very conducive to smooth reading, not merely out of itself but also because it clashes with the very dark atmosphere Mrs Black wants the readers to lose themselves into:
"Saint Isolde's stone walls created a decrepit shell around burned-out church pews and squatters' abandoned bedding. Mages seemed to have an affinity for old churches, carrying out their black masses for the obvious irony of it. Collin had broken up more than his share of demonic rituals here and was not entirely surprised to see the faded sigils still etched into the floor. What was surprising, however, was that there were no active wards. Mages were typically a lot more paranoid; they had every reason to be. It was easy getting into the church— and that was a bad sign. They had five mages confirmed inside the main chapel. Collin's guts twisted and he felt that uncomfortable chill that always preceded trouble. He was ready to withdraw and pull his men out when all hell broke loose".
The entire cast of characters does not showcase better writing values and cannot be expected to demonstrate great authorial control, given the painfully contrived web of links established between the leads and their entourage: Collin is your run-off-the-mill paranormal slayer with very little in the way of psychological range who gets saved and then taken control off by rare paranormal Logan, a Dreamer who can kill in his astral projections and who has a vested interest in protecting the half-breed daughter Collin's deputy Philip had with a paranormal, and so on and so forth. The more I can state about the plot itself, that it is merely serviceable, has to do both with the author's poor powers of imagination and the one-dimensional stamp of the universe building and all the characters. Hard to do better with such tepid, formulaic guidelines.
In so many words, an original fanfiction writ large. One star and a half, rounded up because it is not too cringeworthy.
zz-dnf
May 9, 2021DNF @ 17%, but this one's partially on me. The early world-building was working fine for me before I randomly didn't read *anything* for a couple of days -- ??! -- and apparently my brain did a complete reset because I came back in a completely different kind of reading mood. I was going to finish this out first, but the tone shifted between the MCs around that time and suddenly felt like the overdone, unrealistic "unwanted insta-lust, but I HATE you (because I'm stereotyping you even though you clearly don't deserve it)" trope that rarely works for me.
May 21, 2013
This was FANTASTIC! Totally not what I was expecting. I could not stop turning the pages because I wanted to know what would happen next. My god, this was good. A different kind of tale, indeed. I do hope that there is thought on a sequel for this story. Wow! This one goes on My Favorites list. Loved the story.
May 21, 2015
Lovely, gritty alternative Earth setting, with magic-users oppressed, segregated and heavily policed. Great characters (loved Logan), well paced action and a very satisfying read. Hope there are some sequels in the works, or other books in this same world.
December 1, 2015
I really enjoyed this book. The only thing that threw it off was the POV flip flopping in the middle of a scene. If there is going to be different POVs in a book I prefer them to be separated by scenes and/or chapters so that there is no confusion whose head you are in.
dnf
June 11, 2013Kindle freebie right now. Thanks to ttg for the heads up.
http://www.amazon.com/Spiretown-ebook...
http://www.amazon.com/Spiretown-ebook...
May 30, 2020
Very, very intense, but worth the read! This is a second read for me, (actually looking for a similar book I'd read before) but was still great. This is an enemies to lovers novel, with a slow buildup. Like I said, very intense and angsty, but worth the time to read it.
August 14, 2018
The plot is good but the execution isn't the best. I enjoyed it until the end though. Then it got to be a bit much. Good characters and good world building.
March 9, 2017
At 36%:
This book does a good job of showing segregation, discrimination against anyone different.
I expected the relationship between Templar Collin and Mage Dreamer Logan to be one of equal. But at this point, Logan is weepy and talks about being a 'sub'- D/s is something I didn't expect in a book themed 'Urban fantasy.'
At 100%:
I still cannot understand how a child who has undergone so much pain and been sexually mollested can be open to D/s.
But other than that, the last 50% of the book was fast paced and I couldn't stop reading.
This book does a good job of showing segregation, discrimination against anyone different.
I expected the relationship between Templar Collin and Mage Dreamer Logan to be one of equal. But at this point, Logan is weepy and talks about being a 'sub'- D/s is something I didn't expect in a book themed 'Urban fantasy.'
At 100%:
I still cannot understand how a child who has undergone so much pain and been sexually mollested can be open to D/s.
But other than that, the last 50% of the book was fast paced and I couldn't stop reading.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 23, 2020
Magical M/M romance, but no Disney here, boys!
I've read a few of these "straight guy meets gay guy and doesn't know what to do with him" stories, but so far I haven't come across one quite like this one. First of all, nothing like setting the scene in a world of magic and demons to give a new perspective on things - interesting that the society in the story seems to be more mage-ophobe than homophobe. Then, there's the question of how well we get to know the straight guy in stories like this; sometimes things happen a bit too quickly to be really believable, but you say to yourself "well, hey, it's a story." But in this book, you're in Collin's head much of the time; as Collin's thoughts and personality evolve, you really feel like you get to know him, and the paths he takes seem, to me, very plausible (of course, WANTING him to go down that road sure helps the believability factor, too). And as Collin comes to understand Logan, you do too. And Logan is far from the typical gay guy in these stories... usually the gay character's the one I can most easily relate to, but when I first met Logan I wanted to smack that smug grin off his face.
As you read on, you get very attached to both of them, and the story becomes very emotionally moving, much more so than you think it possibly could given where things start out at the beginning. I bookmarked several passages that really hit me, and two days after reading it (even though I've started two other books in the meantime), I still have to go back and re-read those passages. Mentally I haven't closed this book yet; it's still with me. I really would have enjoyed maybe just one more chapter to really feel like I got to "the real ending", but I loved it. Very good story, good premise, satisfying ending and definitely a good M/M romance.
I've read a few of these "straight guy meets gay guy and doesn't know what to do with him" stories, but so far I haven't come across one quite like this one. First of all, nothing like setting the scene in a world of magic and demons to give a new perspective on things - interesting that the society in the story seems to be more mage-ophobe than homophobe. Then, there's the question of how well we get to know the straight guy in stories like this; sometimes things happen a bit too quickly to be really believable, but you say to yourself "well, hey, it's a story." But in this book, you're in Collin's head much of the time; as Collin's thoughts and personality evolve, you really feel like you get to know him, and the paths he takes seem, to me, very plausible (of course, WANTING him to go down that road sure helps the believability factor, too). And as Collin comes to understand Logan, you do too. And Logan is far from the typical gay guy in these stories... usually the gay character's the one I can most easily relate to, but when I first met Logan I wanted to smack that smug grin off his face.
As you read on, you get very attached to both of them, and the story becomes very emotionally moving, much more so than you think it possibly could given where things start out at the beginning. I bookmarked several passages that really hit me, and two days after reading it (even though I've started two other books in the meantime), I still have to go back and re-read those passages. Mentally I haven't closed this book yet; it's still with me. I really would have enjoyed maybe just one more chapter to really feel like I got to "the real ending", but I loved it. Very good story, good premise, satisfying ending and definitely a good M/M romance.
April 15, 2015
I loved the world-building. It was enough and at the same time not too much. I loved how Collin slowly grew up to accept not everything is black or white. I loved Logan and how he was both vulnerable and strong. The way he talked about the abuse made me want to hug him.
So why not 5 stars?
The head-hopping. It wasn't so bad that I wanted to DNF the book, but it's a pet-peeve of mine. I also would have liked to see how things went after the end. What happened with Collin's job? What about Tomas? I hope there will be more books in this world.
So why not 5 stars?
The head-hopping. It wasn't so bad that I wanted to DNF the book, but it's a pet-peeve of mine. I also would have liked to see how things went after the end. What happened with Collin's job? What about Tomas? I hope there will be more books in this world.
May 24, 2020
I liked the idea of this story, but I didn’t feel like I connected with the characters. For example, . I also found myself skimming a lot of the descriptions as they felt like a bunch of extraneous information that maybe overset the atmosphere.
May 27, 2014
More like 3.5 stars, but I rounded up.
Enjoyable even if the plot could seem a little all over the place. The characters were really interesting, as was the world-building. It read as rather open-ended, so I do wonder if there is the possibility of a sequel in the future. As I feel some opportunities were missed, I believe there is room for expansion, but it still made for a good story as a standalone work.
Enjoyable even if the plot could seem a little all over the place. The characters were really interesting, as was the world-building. It read as rather open-ended, so I do wonder if there is the possibility of a sequel in the future. As I feel some opportunities were missed, I believe there is room for expansion, but it still made for a good story as a standalone work.
September 11, 2014
For some reason, this one fell a bit flat for me but heck if I can explain why. The D/s aspect threw me off as I didn't realize this story had that when I bought it. (I have to renember to use the full website when looking for new books to read instead of the app). That might be why it fell flat because I don't care for that much so I skimmed through those parts. I gave it extra stars for creativity, though.
January 25, 2017
Logan and Collin. Loved some parts...chemistry, urban fantasy feel, interesting world, didn't want to put this down. Not so fond of the rapid, unexpected POV changes and the extended length of the action scene late in the story. The plot felt superficial in places, and more depth in these areas would have been ideal. Rounding up to 4 stars because the foundation is well done, and I enjoyed the story immensely. Looking forward to more books from this author.
B-, 3
B-, 3
February 3, 2018
Lia Black paints a unique world and characters with bold strokes of her pen. Overall a really good story. This is an enemies-to-lovers story. A dark urban fantasy of mages/demons prisoners in Spiretown vs humankind’s jailers the Templars. Logan and Collin. It’s a story about corruptions, prejudice, and survival. But I really did not like where the story ended. For me it was just too disturbing, and not enough resolution.
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