Magicians' Reckoning

Spellsmith & Carver #3

by H.L. Burke

Auric Spellsmith and Jericho Carver forged a friendship through fire. Now they face a new enemy: a being from the Fey Realms who threatens their friendship as well as the life of one they both love.

The loss of his father leaves Auric reeling even as Jericho and his wife Rill are overwhelmed by the arrival of twins. When a mysterious Fey begins abducting local children, Spellsmith and Carver prepare for a full-on assault.

An attack close to home drives a sudden wedge between Jericho and Rill. With his friend's heart and confidence shattered, Auric steps up to defend their fractured family. Time's running out to save the stolen children, and the family must rally together to stop the Fey predator.

But the cost might be Rill's very soul.

Genres: Fantasy, Steampunk, Fae, Romance, Adult

202 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2017

About the author

Born in a small town in north central Oregon, H. L. Burke spent most of her childhood around trees and farm animals and was always accompanied by a book. Growing up with epic heroes from Middle Earth and Narnia keeping her company, she also became an incurable romantic.

An addictive personality, she jumped from one fandom to another, being at times completely obsessed with various books, movies, or television series (Lord of the Rings, Star Wars, and Star Trek all took their turns), but she has grown to be what she considers a well-rounded connoisseur of geek culture.

Married to her high school crush who is now a US Marine, she has moved multiple times in her adult life but believes that home is wherever her husband, two daughters, and pets are.

She is the author of a four part fantasy/romance series entitled "The Dragon and the Scholar," the Award Winning (2016 Realm Award for Young Adult Fiction) Nyssa Glass Steampunk series, and MG/Fantasy "Cora and the Nurse Dragon," among others .

Sign up for her monthly newsletter at www.hlburkeauthor.com

http://www.amazon.com/H.-L.-Burke/e/B...

Reviews

[H.L. Burke]

Just because I'm to the point of counting books I've written this year in my Goodread's reading challenge, because dang it, I read this book through a BUNCH of times during edits, and I need to get up to 55 books by the end of the year or I will disgrace myself and my family for generations.

No rating because would you take me seriously anyway? Though I liked it. The writer's cat is cool to hang out with, too. She has a great cat.

[Heather Hayden · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an awesome (and somewhat heartbreaking) conclusion to a great gasplamp fantasy series.

[Kara · Rating 4 out of 5]

my rating is 4.5

I couldn't wait to read this book but on the other hand, I didn't want Auric's and Jericho's story to end! Never have I encountered a series where two men go from completely disliking one another to becoming best friends and family to one another. And then you have Rill and Lotta!! Brilliant female love interests who enhanced this story that much more....however, as sad as it is that this series has concluded, I have enjoyed it more than I thought possible.

Loved how the story started and wishing it could have STAYED in that moment, everyone's together, someone's having a baby, Jericho is finally part of the family and life is looking good for the Spellsmiths. Just end the book right there and all is well, right? Not so much. Apparently, there's an evil fey going around kidnapping children, they just disappear, and a few women in the village are also gone. This mystery has the entire town panicked and Iris, Auric's mom, immediately sets out to find the culprit since she is most qualified.

Things spiral out of control pretty fast after that and then my least favorite part of the book happens. Rill and Jericho are looking to hire someone and something terrible happens to Rill. It's so subtle that no one even notices even though I tried screaming at Jericho and Auric as I read it, to warn them. Since everyone is sleep deprived and consumed with adjustments in the family, neither brilliant magician realizes what has happened.

Auric and Lotta are falling in love but long distance relationships can test the strongest couples. I would've liked more of Lotta in the story, but loved how she's there in the end. Lotta finally gets her animated animal and it was adorable how Jaspry reacts to it!

My favorite scenes are when Auric and Jericho are together, plotting to save someone dear, and just being there for one another. The sense of friendship and family between them is comical, precious, endearing, and refreshing. They are real with one another, supportive, yet they also know when to glare at each other without offending the other one. There's never a dull moment and even if I don't approve of certain details along the way, their relationship makes this series delightful for me.

Burke just has this way of writing that grabs me, makes me fall in love with the characters and has me rooting for them the entire time! The writing is brilliant from the beginning and it grips my heart reading these flawed but special characters that endure so much and make me feel as if I'm right there beside them the whole time. I'm not into Harry Potter or magician stories in general, but S&C is a delightful read and one I highly recommend.

Thanks to the author for the review copy provided. No compensation was given, the comments are my own.

[deborah o'carroll (offline during 2026) · Rating 5 out of 5]

(Review originally posted on my book blog: https://thepagedreamer.wordpress.com/...)

Firstly, I LOVE THIS COVER TO BITS. <3 (And I’m not going to lie: I’m super pleased how it fits with my blog’s colors. XD)

So much happens in this story... Death, birth, marriage, life, laughter, love, heartbreak, magic, snark, clockwork fox, friendship, and fun. It’s all in there, and well-written and emotional, and I’M ADDICTED TO THIS AUTHOR’S BOOKS, OKAY? Okay.

It came super close to losing a star due to some sad things, buuut I’m mostly just relieved that it turned out much better than it looked like it might. XD

This book had SO MANY FEELS involved. It made me cry a couple times too—tears streaming down my face near the end there. It packed a punch. ;) Normally books making me cry isn’t a thing in their favor, but I guess it just depends on the one. I laughed, I cried, it moved me, Bob. But I’m not FURIOUS at it, like I would be if certain unforgivable things had happened, and it actually ended really well, considering, so I’m happy. ^_^ But I will say no more on that count, because spoilers. ;) BUT I’M MOSTLY OKAY, HONEST, THANKS FOR ASKING.

It’s sort of like the three books in this trilogy are stepping stones, as far as audience goes, though. To ME at least, the first book feels like YA—more lighthearted, focused on the buddy (or really-not-buddy. XD) relationship between the two heroes, with a dash of romance between one of them and the other’s sister, and it’s a wild romp in Faerie. Basically my favorite thing. The second one felt more New Adult to me, with a newly-wed couple and more issues like law and some other issues, and more to the steampunk city, and not as much magic. It just felt... older, somehow? And then the third one feels more Adult (to me) since it’s dealing with a married couple and being new parents, and also some dark subjects, and more about being grown ups, and there’s just... a lot going on. So the first one is very much my favorite, and the other two books... I don’t connect with their lives as much since it’s outside of my experience? But of course, since I love the characters so much, I wanted to follow them and see what happened, so. ;) Just so readers are aware that the content matures as the books progress, which kind of surprised me, but hey. And it’s just hard to top the brilliance that was book one. XD

I loved Lotta in this!! I don’t know why, but the parts from her perspective where she was comparing human emotions etc. to machines (because she’s an introverted, technical person and understands how to fix things, but other people are kind of a mystery for her) were just awesome. I LOVED how she used her unique outlook to manage to deal with people. :) And she and Auric are really cute, sooo. ;)

Jaspyr! Jaspyr the clockwork fox was in this more and I LOVE HIM SO MUCH. There were THINGS going on and I won’t spoil them but alsdkfjkldj so much awesome. :D Oh, and Rill of course is always a good thing. :) And certain side characters who I also love...

There were some characteristic banter moments between my precious, favorite lads, Auric and Jericho, because their buddy relationship is the BEST. :) There’s not as much as in the first book, of course, but still some fun. And in a way there wasn’t much TIME for that, since it’s a somewhat more feelsy book and all the characters go through the wringer and just— *collects them all and wraps them in blankets and gives them tea because the poor precious characters*

There’s also more Faerie stuff going on again in this one than in the middle book (not as much as in the first, but some) and it was creepyyyy. O.o Meep. Though I did want to smack some of the characters’ heads together BECAUSE THEY SHOULD HAVE KNOWN BETTER. Goodness. It was kind of stressful but engrossing, I suppose. XD And I still love this world, and magic system, and just all of it. <3 So much great, vivid fantasy in this gaslamp, steampunk, fantasy world. :)

Anyway, it was a good conclusion to the Spellsmith and Carver trilogy, a tad more adult/dark/sad than I expected (but I lived. ;)), and there was still a lot of awesomeness and fun, and I just love Jericho and Auric and Rill and Lotta and Jaspyr and the rest SO MUCH. <3 If you enjoyed the first two, you’ll probably like this one as well!

Now, allow me to direct you toward Magicians’ Rivalry, book 1, because I know I’ve said it before, but you need that book in your life if it isn’t yet. ;)

I received a free e-ARC of this book from the author (thank you!); these opinions are entirely my own.

Favorite Quotes

Accepting his proposal … more like putting together a machine from scrap without any schematics to reference. How did one make a marriage? There really should be instruction manuals about that sort of thing.

***

Lotta tried to remember what friends having tea were supposed to talk about. She’d tried to read a book that involved a lot of talking over tea once, but had only got about halfway through before putting it aside in favor of a steam engine repair manual. Now she regretted that.

***

Auric managed an anxious laugh. “Well, if you do kill me, I’ll try not to take it personally.”

“It’s not funny.” Jericho scowled.

***

Lotta dug through her bag. Her uncle always told her it was a bad idea to travel with dynamite. Well, she was about to prove how wrong he was!

***

“Or blow up her beacon!” Lotta instinctively reached towards her satchel.

“I think we should try and scope things out before we rush in and demolish things.” Jericho’s tone could’ve scrubbed rust off old iron.

***

The door knob rattled.

“I said, go away!” Auric pulled the pillow over his head.

A whiff of burnt cedar and a slight crackling of magical energy, and the door popped open.

Auric tossed his pillow into Jericho’s face. “Did you just use an unlocking spell on my door?”

Jericho tucked his stylus into his pocket. “No.”

[K.M. Carroll · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read an ARC of this book, and wow. I think the author saved the best for last.

In this book, Auric and Jericho are pitted against a merciless fey monster that forces them to confront their deepest fears. For instance, Jericho comes face to face with the wounds he carries from his abusive father, and fears that he'll be abusive, too. It's raw and painful and utterly delicious.

Auric and Lotta are back, and Auric has to almost single-handedly save the day, because Jericho is off angsting. Auric really steps up to the plate and takes charge, too. After he's kind of been in Jericho's shadow for the first two books, it's wonderful to really see him shine.

Also, this book has magic again. Book 2 had almost no magic, so it's really nice to go back to seeing them have to carve spells and drop their styluses and look for something to scribble on. This book wraps the trilogy up nicely, but almost leaves me wanting more adventures with Auric and Jericho.

[Sharon Hughson · Rating 4 out of 5]

It took me several chapters to get into this book although the middle hooked me good. It earns 4.4 out of five stars.
One of my favorite things about this series is the snarky interaction between the main characters. There wasn't as much of that in this book because tragedies were striking them right and left. I did like those feels, too, I just missed the sarcastic friendship.
Maybe there were too many POV characters? I don't know what kept me from engaging early on, but I do know the mystery seemed simply solved and the climax, while tragic, wasn't unexpected. The romance between Lotta and Auric needed more development. As someone who had a long-distance relationship, I know it's the HEART of the letters that develops things, and Lotta's seemed to lack that (until the end).
An acceptable ending to an entertaining trilogy. I definitely wouldn't pass this series over if you like fantasy and engaging characters.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

THE FEELS THOUGH

Ok, so, that was a lot more emotional turmoil than I expected. It was a really good book, with we'll developed characters and an exciting plot and magic and romance and all that, but everything kind of falls apart for our heroes and it hurt. Also, as a note, this reads more adult than YA, just because of some of the references to certain things and a few of the struggles that came up. Still a good book, but not my favorite in the series

[C.O. Bonham · Rating 5 out of 5]

Magician's Reckoning is the third and final book in H. L. Burke's Spellsmith and Carver series.

*This is the last one, there are no more books. Please read responsibily and start with book one.*

I finished this book during the wee hours of the morning. The conclusion of this story will keep you up until you finish it. It will keep you up until you run out of tissues and it will give you a literal hangover due to the fluid loss. In short, it has many feels.

[Kat Heckenbach · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a bit more serious than the two that preceded it. Yes, there is still witty banter and moments that happen just in the heat of things to lighten the mood, but it still hits on more intense themes. And while the books are definitely clean enough for teens, the shift is toward adult relationships like marriage and family, whereas the start of the series has a bit more of a YA feel. The story world is, of course, just as cool, with an awesomely inventive magic system. There's still a bad guy to face and a town to save, but the story does focus more on the romance/relationship side. The characters have really taken a place in my heart in this series and it's hard to say goodbye to them.

[Elizabeth Lavender · Rating 5 out of 5]

This final journey for the Spellsmith and Carver family proved an intensely emotional, but fitting conclusion. Family and protecting it at all costs were core at the first part of the journey and it comes full circle in this final journey. It’s the thread that runs through the tapestry of the Spellsmith and Carver lifeline, one that binds them. We saw its beginnings with Auric’s and Rill’s parents, protecting them in ways they never realized for ages and enduring years apart to keep their children safe. We met Auric, and there was no mistaking the weight he placed on himself of keeping the family whole, using his magic to save those he cares for and making difficult decisions that he can’t help questioning now. Lastly, we’ve journeyed with Rill and Jericho and held our breath with them as they saw their happily ever after almost cut short more than once, but they held on to each other and came through.
However, with a Fey loose that is snatching local children, this battle they all face will stretch the bonds of family like never before. With the death of her husband, Iris must dig her heels in and find a way to protect her children as well as her newborn grandchildren and defeat the Fey. Then despite Auric’s efforts, he looks out to see that all possibilities come out to the same, that no matter what he does, he can’t save his family. Moreover, that sadly there are some decisions you can’t come back from, that they have the capability of breaking you. It’s a sobering moment for Auric as the burden of what must be done falls full on him. For Jericho, his own inner battle resurrects itself and threatens to defeat him, one that leaves him a shadow of the man Rill loves. It’s a horrible thing to watch Jericho believe the things he does about himself, for him to think Rill would actually see him like that after everything they had shared. Even if he can see past the lies and reclaim who he is, will it be enough to save his family, to save his Rill? Then for Rill, she has always fought before and the stakes were high, but she is a wife and mother this time. She has to think beyond her life, what she might have to do to ensure her family is safe from the threat of the Fey. What answers her back is not the happily ever after she wanted.
Family. To save it can be costly. Sometimes it means fighting to preserve it or sacrificially giving everything so others live. It’s a heartbreaking reality, a battlefield this family will have to endure.

[Sara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Magicians' Reckoning by H L Burke
🎩 Friendship
🎩 Running out of time
🎩 Missing children
🎩 A mysterious fey
🎩 Closed door romance (married couple, no spice)
Genre: Steampunk fantasy
An awesome ending to the series! Time's running out to save the stolen children, and the family must rally together to stop the Fey predator...
Fast paced and action packed! I loved seeing Rill and Jericho and Lotta and Auric again and of course Jaspyr and Buzzby were the cutest! I would happily read more about this world and characters. With some of the topics discussed I would say this one is NA rather than YA but still clean. Definitely reccomend this series!
Book 3 in Spellsmith and Carver series (should be read in order)
Opening line: "April rain pattered against the windows of the candlelit room. Jericho Carver bent over in his chair, aching head in his hands, straining to hear anything from the room across the hall."
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

[Katy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having read the first two in this series, I was interested in finishing the story, though I kept putting it off since I knew it would be the end. There were elements of this installment that I really liked, but others felt a little "off" to me, and I'm not sure how to explain why. The dangerous antagonist really increases the level of danger for the heroes, and I really like the role of Jaspyr the mechanical fox in this book. I recommend this series to fantasy readers who like interesting systems of magic painted on a steampunk background. The main characters will steal your heart and linger in your mind long after you've finished the books.

[C.A. Morley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Family drama, missing kids, unexplained deaths, and a marriage proposal all come together in this steampunk adventure. This book can be read on its own but it's best read in the order it's written. The characters are so believable. The struggles of being first-time parents to twins, marital discord, losing loved ones, and other situations are so real. The bromance between Auric and Jericho is one of the best in fantasy. This has high stakes and romance as in the previous books, and it is a great ending to an exciting steampunk trilogy.

[Erin Dydek · Rating 5 out of 5]

An Intense Finale

Magicians’ Reckoning is an excellent blend of suspense, emotion, and triumph resulting in a highly satisfying conclusion to the Spellsmith & Carver series! Through the heartache and bittersweet moments, I appreciated getting to see each character’s vulnerabilities addressed and dealt with as the family worked together in the fight against a terribly troublesome fey creature. This book made me love each character even more and I truly felt the pain and sacrifices made. Such a good ending!

[Liz Delton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great end to the series, though I am so sure the characters' stories could continue if Burke wanted to write them! It was wrapped up well, but I can just imagine them getting into all kinds of magical shenanigans. This story is alternately heartbreaking and heartwarming, because Rill, Jericho, Auric and Lotta are so real and human. As they try and fight against a terrible fey force, they all go through some kind of transformation; confronting old fears and new.

[Gretchen · Rating 5 out of 5]

More Spellsmith and Carver Please, Preferably with Glass Harts

I feel a bit like Oliver Twist. Please may I have some more. HL is one of my favorite authors and Magicians’ Reckoning was a satisfying conclusion to the delightful partnership of Auric and Jericho with the Spellsmith parents, Rill, Lotta, and of course, Jaspyr!
That said, I’d love to see a crossover with the magicians and Nyssa Glass and Ellis Hart.

[Jessica C. · Rating 5 out of 5]

And now for the startling conclusion...

Magicians' Reckoning is the spellbinding conclusion to the Spellsmith & Carver series.

This awesome contained all the action, deep emotion, and devoted friendships I was looking for. I even went back and reread a couple of the particularly gut wrenching parts. :D Burke has written one of the best grief scenes I've ever read. :'(

If you're a fan of either bromance or romance, I highly recommend this whole series!

[James · Rating 2 out of 5]

Meh

Not sure if they have any plans for the book but it seemed that the book was not planned for growth. To many key people died in one family to get me excited about anymore in this series.

[ACH P · Rating 4 out of 5]

Why did this book have to be so sad? I felt for all the characters, the whole time. That said, Auric, Jericho, Rill, and Jaspyr were wonderful as usual, I loved the subplot with Lotta, and it was nice to see more of Iris. Possibly my favorite of the three, despite the sadness. :( Four stars!

[Kandi J Wyatt · Rating 5 out of 5]

This trilogy was excellent. I loved the interaction of the characters and the plot in all three books.

[Lj · Rating 4 out of 5]

A solid finish to a good series.

[Susan Brinkman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Changes

Changes are happening for the Spellsmith family. They rally together and learn to use each others strengths to get the problems fixed. More character and plot development.

[Kathleen Robertson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good book, but it made me so sad. Poor Auric, my heart just breaks for him.

[Kristi Cramer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sweet finale to a sweet series. Though this one had its share of sad events. I confess I wasn't sure how it would turn out, besides an HEA.

[Anna Tan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ooof, this was the darkest of the three, and the most heart-wrenching.

There's a mysterious Fey creature kidnapping children in the next town and now they've set their sights on the Spellsmith family. Can Spellsmith and Carver deal with the troubles ahead? Do they know each other well enough to be able to keep their family together and tell the truths from the lies? And what of Lotta, who's hopefully going to join them - but isn't quite part of the team yet?

Magicians' Reckoning is filled with loss - starting with the loss of Hedward, then spiralling as this Fey creature slowly breaks apart the relationships that bind them. Starting with putting a wedge between their best team: Jericho and Rill. While in Magicians' Trial the two men managed to work pretty well together, in this one, the self-sacrificing idiots are at it again. Jericho is reeling at his own actions, Auric is angry and confused, and Rill is trapped. And Lotta, trying to make sense of it all, is who she is: awkwardly practical amidst all the angst.

I'm all here for the snark and the wit and the floundering men, but this one goes deeper, setting up deeper emotional stakes - and harsher physical stakes too. The story starts with loss - and if they don't find and catch this Fey creature, it will end up with loss too. No matter what they do, there's a possibility that someone will die. And Spellsmith and Carver will have to choose who.

As a third in the series, it's a fitting end. Amidst all the excitement and magical battles and adventure...this one will tug at your heartstrings.

[Steve · Rating 5 out of 5]

In this gripping conclusion to the Spellsmith & Carver series, the families are faced with tragedy and trials like they've never known. They also face a new enemy with magic unlike anything they've ever encountered. Buckle in it'll be a bumpy but satisfying ride.

[Corinne Morier · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was fine. I was hoping for this to hurt me and make me cry giant tears of sadness that it’s the last book, but there was too much fluffy romance and not enough killing and fighting Fey creatures like in Book 1 or legal intrigue with their jobs at stake like in book 2. I’m very sorry to say that I never got interested in the romance between Lotta and Auric and the ending wrapped up too quickly for me and spent too much time on establishing that yes, Lotta and Auric are married now. Still a rather solid ending to this trilogy and am planning a reread of the entire series at some near point in the future. This could simply be a “it’s not you it’s me” problem because I’ve been having trouble falling in love with anything I’ve read lately.