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The Book of the Caretaker #2
One Magic
Her greatest strength, and weightiest burden, are her own selfless heart.
Morgan is now Queen and Caretaker of Chemerie, mother to powerful twin children, and charged with many daunting tasks. Her most significant challenges are to ensure the survival of her fast-maturing children, restore the precious connection once felt between her human and dragon brethren, rebuild a lost portal, and teach those ignorant of their magic to wield it responsibly. Any one of these could prove fatal were she to face it alone.
Her brother has found his mate at last. However, the woman’s uncontrolled magic puts both of their lives at risk. Morgan tries to help but soon finds herself stranded on a distant planet after an attack born of ancient hatred destroys the portal home. Returning to her family requires navigating a world ruled by a ruthless warlord wielding dark magic stronger than any she has yet faced.
Though powerful and skilled with magic, Morgan is still vulnerable, imperfect, and in no way, invincible. To survive the coming storm, she must redefine what it means to be strong, to see that offering one’s own life can be as selfish as it is selfless if the true cost is not considered.
Morgan is now Queen and Caretaker of Chemerie, mother to powerful twin children, and charged with many daunting tasks. Her most significant challenges are to ensure the survival of her fast-maturing children, restore the precious connection once felt between her human and dragon brethren, rebuild a lost portal, and teach those ignorant of their magic to wield it responsibly. Any one of these could prove fatal were she to face it alone.
Her brother has found his mate at last. However, the woman’s uncontrolled magic puts both of their lives at risk. Morgan tries to help but soon finds herself stranded on a distant planet after an attack born of ancient hatred destroys the portal home. Returning to her family requires navigating a world ruled by a ruthless warlord wielding dark magic stronger than any she has yet faced.
Though powerful and skilled with magic, Morgan is still vulnerable, imperfect, and in no way, invincible. To survive the coming storm, she must redefine what it means to be strong, to see that offering one’s own life can be as selfish as it is selfless if the true cost is not considered.
484 pages, Hardcover
Published August 16, 2019
22 people want to read
About the author
April C Royer
3 books13 followersApril C. Royer is a chemistry professor and fantasy author from Chattanooga, TN. As a professor, she expects her students to own their future. As a writer, she requires the same of her characters, but gives them a bit of magic, and fiercely protective dragons, to help them on their way. When not teaching or writing, she enjoys reading, gaming, fly fishing, and wakesurfing with family and friends.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
August 23, 2019
Okie dokie y'all, let's get into the nitty-gritty of this series!
*Rubs hands together*
Soooooo, I know that for the first book in this series I gave it a 5 stars. My ratings, most of the time, are based purely on writing style and readability. Needless to say, book one was very readable and the writing style was great. However, the content was a bit lacking and I was left with an enjoyable, but a tad on the boring side, read. After reading One Magic, though, I was blown away. I have no clue if The Caretaker was just setting the stage or what, but holy Jesus lord! Here's my thoughts:
The writing style. Really, the writing style could make or break this book. When done wrong, it will make most readers (including me) groan and die of second hand embarrassment. However, when it is done right, it will have most readers (including me) squealing and chanting "more, more, more!" in their heads. April C. Royer did it the right way.
The new characters. While all of the old characters are kept around, many new ones are introduced, and a few new species, too. Again, this can be a bit tricky, especially for authors who are writing their first book or book series, and even if they have written many books before, the influx of new characters can and will overwhelm readers. One Magic is one of the exceptions. The people (cat-things, dragons, and mermaid-things) all played an essential role, and not only that, they evoked so much emotion from me that by the end, I felt hatred, annoyance, anger, sympathy, and love for them, depending on who they were, of course.
The old characters. Okay *deep breath.* Morgan and Alec, an insta-love done with no angst, which made their relationship readable, quite unlike others (looking at you, Kiera Cass). In this second book, their relationship was flushed out and made wayyyyyy above enjoyable to read, without making it a focus for the whole novel. Props to the author for that! And also, we see traits in their relationship this time around that we didn't see in The Caretaker: jealousy, anger, fighting, just conflict in general and that makes it immensely more real and believable. Moving on . . . Daniel was a little annoying to read, but loveable. He's like the one friend that won't ever shut up about his or her opinions, but then you get one on one with them and its like "Oh. You CAN shut up. But wait, keep talking." Essentially, he can be a bit abrasive with his opinion-sharing and protectiveness of Morgan, but then we see him alone with *spoiler* Taru, and then we want more of Daniel. The twins are weird. Don't get me wrong, I like them, but they're weird. As children/toddlers/babies, they were a tad on the annoying side, but then, halfway through the book its like WHAM BAM! We're awesome now! However, I might be a bit biased in my annoyance. Morgan is my favorite character in this book, and . . . it's like this. Me: "Look at Morgan! She's the greatest!" Author: "Not anymore! Look at the twins! They're the greatest!" Me: *broods while making friendship bracelets for me and Morgan.*
The actual storyline: So, in book one we see Morgan defeat some bad dudes, some dragons and people die, wedding, kids, The End. (Names not disclosed because spoilers). In book two, we get battles, missions for Morgan, new species, conflict between species, kidnappings, duels between teenagers, near-death experiences and much, much more. This book was just a sushi role of action, love, betrayal, and loss (wow I feel like a chef, AND a reviewer from the New York Times! *giggles behind handkerchief*). There was a lot in this book, but the author didn't rush through any of it, nor did she linger for too long on anything.
Overall, this book was just phenomenal, and it will stay on my favorites' shelf, and very close to my heart, for a very, very long time.
*Rubs hands together*
Soooooo, I know that for the first book in this series I gave it a 5 stars. My ratings, most of the time, are based purely on writing style and readability. Needless to say, book one was very readable and the writing style was great. However, the content was a bit lacking and I was left with an enjoyable, but a tad on the boring side, read. After reading One Magic, though, I was blown away. I have no clue if The Caretaker was just setting the stage or what, but holy Jesus lord! Here's my thoughts:
The writing style. Really, the writing style could make or break this book. When done wrong, it will make most readers (including me) groan and die of second hand embarrassment. However, when it is done right, it will have most readers (including me) squealing and chanting "more, more, more!" in their heads. April C. Royer did it the right way.
The new characters. While all of the old characters are kept around, many new ones are introduced, and a few new species, too. Again, this can be a bit tricky, especially for authors who are writing their first book or book series, and even if they have written many books before, the influx of new characters can and will overwhelm readers. One Magic is one of the exceptions. The people (cat-things, dragons, and mermaid-things) all played an essential role, and not only that, they evoked so much emotion from me that by the end, I felt hatred, annoyance, anger, sympathy, and love for them, depending on who they were, of course.
The old characters. Okay *deep breath.* Morgan and Alec, an insta-love done with no angst, which made their relationship readable, quite unlike others (looking at you, Kiera Cass). In this second book, their relationship was flushed out and made wayyyyyy above enjoyable to read, without making it a focus for the whole novel. Props to the author for that! And also, we see traits in their relationship this time around that we didn't see in The Caretaker: jealousy, anger, fighting, just conflict in general and that makes it immensely more real and believable. Moving on . . . Daniel was a little annoying to read, but loveable. He's like the one friend that won't ever shut up about his or her opinions, but then you get one on one with them and its like "Oh. You CAN shut up. But wait, keep talking." Essentially, he can be a bit abrasive with his opinion-sharing and protectiveness of Morgan, but then we see him alone with *spoiler* Taru, and then we want more of Daniel. The twins are weird. Don't get me wrong, I like them, but they're weird. As children/toddlers/babies, they were a tad on the annoying side, but then, halfway through the book its like WHAM BAM! We're awesome now! However, I might be a bit biased in my annoyance. Morgan is my favorite character in this book, and . . . it's like this. Me: "Look at Morgan! She's the greatest!" Author: "Not anymore! Look at the twins! They're the greatest!" Me: *broods while making friendship bracelets for me and Morgan.*
The actual storyline: So, in book one we see Morgan defeat some bad dudes, some dragons and people die, wedding, kids, The End. (Names not disclosed because spoilers). In book two, we get battles, missions for Morgan, new species, conflict between species, kidnappings, duels between teenagers, near-death experiences and much, much more. This book was just a sushi role of action, love, betrayal, and loss (wow I feel like a chef, AND a reviewer from the New York Times! *giggles behind handkerchief*). There was a lot in this book, but the author didn't rush through any of it, nor did she linger for too long on anything.
Overall, this book was just phenomenal, and it will stay on my favorites' shelf, and very close to my heart, for a very, very long time.
October 26, 2022
Thank you to the author for this arc copy in exchange for a review! At this time The Queens Aegis is about to be released and I am honored to be apart of her author journey.
In this installment of the Caretaker trilogy we follow our heroes of Chemerie through the trials and tribulations of life, love, and the evils of not only dark magic but also darkness of heart. As with the first book this story was very clean, polished, precise, and put together which is a unique feeling in books such as this and I appreciated how you could see the authors personality and love for this book shining through the words. For example the chemistry esque descriptions or reasoning for things made me smile as I know the author also teaches chemistry.
In terms of Daniel’s relationship with his mate I struggled a little because although I understood how this was supposed to convey how deep their connection is that they were willing to marry so soon after meeting but it’s not… I had no connection to the characters or see why they would want to be together? Something that’s hard to swallow is with it being so clean there is a disconnect because I can’t FEEL that love so it feels like I’m being told how to feel instead of actually connecting with the characters and some of their struggles.
I also struggled with the twins growing rapidly but still being treated as their actual age? Which.. I understand in a fantasy setting having things that are abnormal/made up be normalized for the sake of the story but it was… not entirely appreciated.
I also felt like a lot of the book could have been shortened? It was very up and down with the enthusiasm for the story because many scenes I didn’t feel necessary or like it contributed to the plot. Essentially the plot got lost in all the many scenes.
Overall I liked the heart of the story, the clear effort, love, and precision to detail out in this story.
In this installment of the Caretaker trilogy we follow our heroes of Chemerie through the trials and tribulations of life, love, and the evils of not only dark magic but also darkness of heart. As with the first book this story was very clean, polished, precise, and put together which is a unique feeling in books such as this and I appreciated how you could see the authors personality and love for this book shining through the words. For example the chemistry esque descriptions or reasoning for things made me smile as I know the author also teaches chemistry.
In terms of Daniel’s relationship with his mate I struggled a little because although I understood how this was supposed to convey how deep their connection is that they were willing to marry so soon after meeting but it’s not… I had no connection to the characters or see why they would want to be together? Something that’s hard to swallow is with it being so clean there is a disconnect because I can’t FEEL that love so it feels like I’m being told how to feel instead of actually connecting with the characters and some of their struggles.
I also struggled with the twins growing rapidly but still being treated as their actual age? Which.. I understand in a fantasy setting having things that are abnormal/made up be normalized for the sake of the story but it was… not entirely appreciated.
I also felt like a lot of the book could have been shortened? It was very up and down with the enthusiasm for the story because many scenes I didn’t feel necessary or like it contributed to the plot. Essentially the plot got lost in all the many scenes.
Overall I liked the heart of the story, the clear effort, love, and precision to detail out in this story.
October 20, 2022
This was just as good if not better then the first. The world is well described and magic and action don't disappoint. The caretaker family has it up and down and have to learn so hard lessons on the way. Can't wait for book 3.
February 12, 2023
The children
I loved how the children grew into their magic and did not become headstrong. And, I loved how Morgan affirmed her love for Alex after being confronted.
I loved how the children grew into their magic and did not become headstrong. And, I loved how Morgan affirmed her love for Alex after being confronted.
September 25, 2022
READ. THIS. BOOK. 😩🥹 The magic, dragons, badass FMC continues in this fast paced journey. Few stories have the character development and deep relationships this author manages to create with all her characters ((human and dragon)). She creates a world I truly would want to live in. 🤍🙏🏼 diving into the next ASAP👀🐉✨👑
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews