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Warrior of the Divine Sword #1
Magic Dark, Magic Divine
Falling asleep for almost 300 years was never part of Pennrae’s plan.
Of course, when you’re a mercenary with magical abilities and defy a spellbinding prophecy…bad stuff happens.
Now, magic is long gone from the world. So Penn works as a karate instructor, trying very hard to dodge her hot, flirty, and super annoying colleague, Callan. All is well until a Jigori – a nightmarish magic-eating monster – shows up at a New York City street fair, forcing Penn to use her Shaper magic, which allows her to transform wood and metal into deadly weapons.
Now, the Jigori’s master has her scent, and their eye on stealing her 300 years of life. If they succeed, Penn succumbs to centuries of sleep again, and magic will be unleashed on a completely unprepared world.
And to add to her ridiculously complicated life, something isn’t quite right with Callan. Which she could figure out if it weren’t for that evil, apocalyptic plot she’s trying to stop. But Penn may not have a choice – Callan could be the secret weapon she needs to save the world…
Of course, when you’re a mercenary with magical abilities and defy a spellbinding prophecy…bad stuff happens.
Now, magic is long gone from the world. So Penn works as a karate instructor, trying very hard to dodge her hot, flirty, and super annoying colleague, Callan. All is well until a Jigori – a nightmarish magic-eating monster – shows up at a New York City street fair, forcing Penn to use her Shaper magic, which allows her to transform wood and metal into deadly weapons.
Now, the Jigori’s master has her scent, and their eye on stealing her 300 years of life. If they succeed, Penn succumbs to centuries of sleep again, and magic will be unleashed on a completely unprepared world.
And to add to her ridiculously complicated life, something isn’t quite right with Callan. Which she could figure out if it weren’t for that evil, apocalyptic plot she’s trying to stop. But Penn may not have a choice – Callan could be the secret weapon she needs to save the world…
337 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 15, 2021
99 people are currently reading
1927 people want to read
About the author
A.J. Locke
13 books209 followersI'm your typical over-caffeinated writer with too many ideas and not enough time to do all of them. I write poetry and urban fantasy novels, and spend my days reading, writing and doing art all day. Not really, but a girl can dream. I'm an island girl at heart, originally from Trinidad & Tobago, but now make my home in NYC with my daughter.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 83 reviews
November 19, 2021
Magic Dark, Magic Divine by A J Locke
Warrior of the Divine Sword book 1. Fantasy romance.
Pennrae was magically put into a 300 year sleep. When she wakes Magic is mostly gone from the world so she rebuilds her life hiding her skills. When dangerous magic begins to threaten innocents, she exposes herself and friends to threats unimaginable.
Extreme world building that made the first quarter of the book slow and plodding for me trying to follow all the types of magic and what each did. At 28% the action began and all the background started to made sense. Penn and her friends band together to help the world against the evil that would impact the future.
The language and writing was detailed and modern. The overall fantasy was intriguing but for me it took too long for things to happen. They planned and worried for lots and lots of pages before proceeding. I did like those pages as it gave depth to the character relationships but it dragged for inaction in places.
Lots of twist and turns on magical time travel theory.
Two excerpts on the fantasy and romance:
“It was an oval, midnight blue stone, with streaks of black and white. At birth, Diviners used Mortalstones to bind our magic to our souls, to ensure it remained stable. When we died, our souls had to be ascended from the stones, which was why magic users were buried in grounds purified by Diviners. Otherwise, our magic-enhanced souls were susceptible to the machinations of dark magic.”
Excerpt on the romance:
“The couple times a man had taken my hand hadn’t felt right and I’d done whatever I could to extricate myself. Now I realized why. Before, it had felt imbalanced[…]
With Callan, I felt more comfortable because, as much as I wouldn’t willingly lead him into danger, I didn’t view him as someone much weaker than myself.”
I received a copy of this from NetGalley.
3.5
Warrior of the Divine Sword book 1. Fantasy romance.
Pennrae was magically put into a 300 year sleep. When she wakes Magic is mostly gone from the world so she rebuilds her life hiding her skills. When dangerous magic begins to threaten innocents, she exposes herself and friends to threats unimaginable.
Extreme world building that made the first quarter of the book slow and plodding for me trying to follow all the types of magic and what each did. At 28% the action began and all the background started to made sense. Penn and her friends band together to help the world against the evil that would impact the future.
The language and writing was detailed and modern. The overall fantasy was intriguing but for me it took too long for things to happen. They planned and worried for lots and lots of pages before proceeding. I did like those pages as it gave depth to the character relationships but it dragged for inaction in places.
Lots of twist and turns on magical time travel theory.
Two excerpts on the fantasy and romance:
“It was an oval, midnight blue stone, with streaks of black and white. At birth, Diviners used Mortalstones to bind our magic to our souls, to ensure it remained stable. When we died, our souls had to be ascended from the stones, which was why magic users were buried in grounds purified by Diviners. Otherwise, our magic-enhanced souls were susceptible to the machinations of dark magic.”
Excerpt on the romance:
“The couple times a man had taken my hand hadn’t felt right and I’d done whatever I could to extricate myself. Now I realized why. Before, it had felt imbalanced[…]
With Callan, I felt more comfortable because, as much as I wouldn’t willingly lead him into danger, I didn’t view him as someone much weaker than myself.”
I received a copy of this from NetGalley.
3.5
September 23, 2024
I really enjoyed stepping into the world of Magic Dark, Magic Divine. I had been searching for a fantasy series with a Black cast that was set in the contemporary world vs an alternate African inspired one.
Shaper warrior Penn is still adapting to the modern world after having been asleep for 300 years. Even though people no longer have magic the magical era wasn't forgotten and people can even test and see if they had magical ancestors. She's been keeping her identity a secret even from her friends while working as a karate instructor. Magic is slow reemerging in this world and Penn is discovering secrets about herself and her close friends. This is a fast-paced and fun story with an interesting magic system that wasn't too hard to follow along with. I also enjoyed the romance. I could read a whole book about Penn and Callan bantering. I also loved that everyone in the story was Black and felt like Black characters without emphasis being placed on white people.
ARC provided by Entangled Publishing for an honest review.
Longer review here
https://womenofcolorreadtoo.blogspot....
Shaper warrior Penn is still adapting to the modern world after having been asleep for 300 years. Even though people no longer have magic the magical era wasn't forgotten and people can even test and see if they had magical ancestors. She's been keeping her identity a secret even from her friends while working as a karate instructor. Magic is slow reemerging in this world and Penn is discovering secrets about herself and her close friends. This is a fast-paced and fun story with an interesting magic system that wasn't too hard to follow along with. I also enjoyed the romance. I could read a whole book about Penn and Callan bantering. I also loved that everyone in the story was Black and felt like Black characters without emphasis being placed on white people.
ARC provided by Entangled Publishing for an honest review.
Longer review here
https://womenofcolorreadtoo.blogspot....
October 16, 2021
This is probably the book of my dreams. Urban fantasy starring a majority Black cast (including the love interest) is so rare, and even more rare if it's authentic. Enemies-to-lovers romance on top is an extra treat too, and it's executed so wonderfully. They're both sassmasters and this book had me in tears as often as it had me at the edge of my seat because of all those masterful plot twists. The worldbuilding is so intense, so good.
This is exactly the Richelle Mead / Ilona Andrews -type Urban Fantasy I loved reading growing up and I'm so glad it's making a comeback.
Necromancers, a lot of sass, a badass heroine that's essentially Black Xena - a bunch of magical creatures that give off dark Pokémon for grownups vibes, mixed with an incredibly smart and complex plot. Hell yeah is pretty much the only accurate phrase to describe this book. Hell yeah.
I can't wait for the sequel!
This is exactly the Richelle Mead / Ilona Andrews -type Urban Fantasy I loved reading growing up and I'm so glad it's making a comeback.
Necromancers, a lot of sass, a badass heroine that's essentially Black Xena - a bunch of magical creatures that give off dark Pokémon for grownups vibes, mixed with an incredibly smart and complex plot. Hell yeah is pretty much the only accurate phrase to describe this book. Hell yeah.
I can't wait for the sequel!
July 25, 2023
I enjoyed it even though there were many convenient coincidences! Good ending.
November 13, 2021
There's this thing that I usually do, where no matter how much I'm enjoying a book, the closer I get to the end the more I just want to speed through the end to be done with it. I DID not have that problem with this book. I wanted to prolong it as much as possible but I could not help but speed through the ending as I was having such a great time with it.
What I loved about this one: the banter and chemistry between the love interests! If this book was nothing but the two of them teasing each other for 300 pages, I would still rave about it. But then, you add the high stakes of the possible end of the world, a found family and self-discovery, and I was sold.
The writing is very accessible and engaging, so you read it a lot quicker than you realize. It is easily a book that I could have read in one sitting if not for self-control and real-life commitments.
I will be desperately stalking the author's twitter and goodreads page waiting for news on book two!
What I loved about this one: the banter and chemistry between the love interests! If this book was nothing but the two of them teasing each other for 300 pages, I would still rave about it. But then, you add the high stakes of the possible end of the world, a found family and self-discovery, and I was sold.
The writing is very accessible and engaging, so you read it a lot quicker than you realize. It is easily a book that I could have read in one sitting if not for self-control and real-life commitments.
I will be desperately stalking the author's twitter and goodreads page waiting for news on book two!
April 7, 2022
There is a lot to appreciate about Magic Dark, Magic Divine. Not least of which is the awesome cover. The main character is likeable. The world is creative and Locke has obviously put a lot of thought into it. The side characters are fun. And I really appreciate the way they're all immigrants of one sort or another. One is a castaway in time, another an adoptee, a third the son of actual geographic immigration, the fourth a refugee from a secret, cloistered culture. They're all outsiders of a sort and, partly as a result, the found-family aspect of the book is very strong.
However, I need you to understand that I am a binger. When I read a book or series I like to do it in as few sittings as possible, one being the most ideal. So, when I tell you that I had to TWICE check this audiobook out from the library (21 days each time) before I managed to finish it, you should understand this to mean I was super disengaged. It took me almost a month to finish this book and I just wasn't bothered that I'd not finished it for most of that time.
I think the biggest issue for me was boredom. The book felt overly long and the pacing off. As I said, Locke obviously put a lot of thought into the magic systems and mystical creatures, etc. But all the way up to the end of the book the reader is still being told this leather comes from such and such animal, etc. It felt like the world-building never quite finished. Then, the villain (who had been a mere shadow throughout) was defeated quite anti-climatically and everything wrapped up pretty as a picture.
It wasn't necessarily bad, just too slow for me, I think. In a sense, I set myself up for the disappointment. I didn't recognize the author as someone I've read before (way back in 2016). I didn't get along with that last book either.
However, I need you to understand that I am a binger. When I read a book or series I like to do it in as few sittings as possible, one being the most ideal. So, when I tell you that I had to TWICE check this audiobook out from the library (21 days each time) before I managed to finish it, you should understand this to mean I was super disengaged. It took me almost a month to finish this book and I just wasn't bothered that I'd not finished it for most of that time.
I think the biggest issue for me was boredom. The book felt overly long and the pacing off. As I said, Locke obviously put a lot of thought into the magic systems and mystical creatures, etc. But all the way up to the end of the book the reader is still being told this leather comes from such and such animal, etc. It felt like the world-building never quite finished. Then, the villain (who had been a mere shadow throughout) was defeated quite anti-climatically and everything wrapped up pretty as a picture.
It wasn't necessarily bad, just too slow for me, I think. In a sense, I set myself up for the disappointment. I didn't recognize the author as someone I've read before (way back in 2016). I didn't get along with that last book either.
March 31, 2023
I’m one of those readers who’s generally skeptical about reading new to me authors. Especially authors I haven’t heard of before and my reader friends aren’t talking about. A.J. Locke was one of those authors. I remember seeing the cover of Magic Dark, Magic Divine and just simply LOVING it. The blurb didn’t stick with me and have me thinking my life would be incomplete if I didn’t read this story. However, at the time, I wasn’t really into fantasy books. I am so happy times have changed.
Magic Dark, Magic Divine is the first book in A.J. Locke’s Warrior of the Divine Sword series. The book starts a little slow, as the groundwork for the story is slowly laid out. Pennrae “Penn” Linbry was once a warrior bounty hunter, living in the magic-era, roughly 300 years ago. In order to save her mother and sister, she went against a Diviner’s prophecy resulting in her being forced to sleep for 292 years. Since waking up eight years ago, she lives in what is now Brooklyn, New York, working as a karate instructor and moonlighting as private security. Penn pretty much keeps to herself and only has a couple of friends, Gideon Tophe, a huge magic-era enthusiast who owns a consignment shop, and his husband, Toji Shimizu, an RN.
For 300 years, magic has ceased to exist. That is until Penn’s past and present worlds collide when the three attend a magic-era street fair where dangerous magic is unleashed. Unfortunately, this marks the beginning of the end of Penn’s quiet solitary new life. Soon she finds herself in a race against time to save not only Gideon, Toji, and Callan Rieve, her workplace enemy turned lover, but the world.
I LOVED Magic Dark, Magic Divine! A.J. has written a story with so much depth. The characters are all multi-layered. The mystery surrounding what’s happening is gripping and intriguing. The action scenes are well written, making the scenes easy to visualize. Magic Dark, Magic Divine reads like a teen/new adult romance, except for one very adult scene. The story alludes to something happening in the future, but to me doesn’t necessarily end in a cliffhanger. Needless to say, I need more books in this series.
~ Favorite Quotes ~
“Sometimes laughter is all we have.”
“Don’t ever underestimate the power of true friendship.”
“Actions spoke louder than words.”
“There are always choices.”
“There are consequences for every choice.”
“The power of friendship…it’s something else.”
**Personal Purchase**
Magic Dark, Magic Divine is the first book in A.J. Locke’s Warrior of the Divine Sword series. The book starts a little slow, as the groundwork for the story is slowly laid out. Pennrae “Penn” Linbry was once a warrior bounty hunter, living in the magic-era, roughly 300 years ago. In order to save her mother and sister, she went against a Diviner’s prophecy resulting in her being forced to sleep for 292 years. Since waking up eight years ago, she lives in what is now Brooklyn, New York, working as a karate instructor and moonlighting as private security. Penn pretty much keeps to herself and only has a couple of friends, Gideon Tophe, a huge magic-era enthusiast who owns a consignment shop, and his husband, Toji Shimizu, an RN.
For 300 years, magic has ceased to exist. That is until Penn’s past and present worlds collide when the three attend a magic-era street fair where dangerous magic is unleashed. Unfortunately, this marks the beginning of the end of Penn’s quiet solitary new life. Soon she finds herself in a race against time to save not only Gideon, Toji, and Callan Rieve, her workplace enemy turned lover, but the world.
I LOVED Magic Dark, Magic Divine! A.J. has written a story with so much depth. The characters are all multi-layered. The mystery surrounding what’s happening is gripping and intriguing. The action scenes are well written, making the scenes easy to visualize. Magic Dark, Magic Divine reads like a teen/new adult romance, except for one very adult scene. The story alludes to something happening in the future, but to me doesn’t necessarily end in a cliffhanger. Needless to say, I need more books in this series.
~ Favorite Quotes ~
“Sometimes laughter is all we have.”
“Don’t ever underestimate the power of true friendship.”
“Actions spoke louder than words.”
“There are always choices.”
“There are consequences for every choice.”
“The power of friendship…it’s something else.”
**Personal Purchase**
October 25, 2021
This book is a life, love, and death affirming masterpiece encompassed in a beautifully crafted urban fantasy whose main characters are POCs. This book grabbed me from the first page and keep me enthralled until the last page. Pennrae lived during the magic era but she and her familiar, a now extinct animal, were put in a sleep punishment after going against a diviner’s card reading. When she wakes up almost 300 years later, the world has moved on and magic is gone. Penn adjusts to modern life, limits any close relationships and keeps the magic part of herself hidden. Until events thrust her front and center into a fight to save the world. There are a lot of unexpected and exciting plot twists in the story but the world building is so phenomenal that every plot twist just adds to the delicious perfection of the tale. “There are always choices,” … “Just as there are consequences for every choice. You must decide which path you want, or need, to walk.” The story includes what you’d expect from this genre - fighting, dangerous situations, end of the world scenarios, paranormal creatures, evil masterminds, henchmen, loyal friends and family, tragic back stories, plot twists, mystical coincidences, snark, and laughs. It also includes witty dialogue, characters with depth, and an engaging storyline. Expect to laugh, to cry, to grit your teeth, to cringe, to shout, and to root for Pennrae, Ashe, Luce, Callan, Toji, and Gideon to save the world and for Penn to get her HEA with Callan. Fingers crossed that there will be more adventures for Penn and her collection of amazing heroes.
Merged review:
This book is a life, love, and death affirming masterpiece encompassed in a beautifully crafted urban fantasy whose main characters are POCs. This book grabbed me from the first page and keep me enthralled until the last page. Pennrae lived during the magic era but she and her familiar, a now extinct animal, were put in a sleep punishment after going against a diviner’s card reading. When she wakes up almost 300 years later, the world has moved on and magic is gone. Penn adjusts to modern life, limits any close relationships and keeps the magic part of herself hidden. Until events thrust her front and center into a fight to save the world. There are a lot of unexpected and exciting plot twists in the story but the world building is so phenomenal that every plot twist just adds to the delicious perfection of the tale. “There are always choices,” … “Just as there are consequences for every choice. You must decide which path you want, or need, to walk.” The story includes what you’d expect from this genre - fighting, dangerous situations, end of the world scenarios, paranormal creatures, evil masterminds, henchmen, loyal friends and family, tragic back stories, plot twists, mystical coincidences, snark, and laughs. It also includes witty dialogue, characters with depth, and an engaging storyline. Expect to laugh, to cry, to grit your teeth, to cringe, to shout, and to root for Pennrae, Ashe, Luce, Callan, Toji, and Gideon to save the world and for Penn to get her HEA with Callan. Fingers crossed that there will be more adventures for Penn and her collection of amazing heroes.
Merged review:
This book is a life, love, and death affirming masterpiece encompassed in a beautifully crafted urban fantasy whose main characters are POCs. This book grabbed me from the first page and keep me enthralled until the last page. Pennrae lived during the magic era but she and her familiar, a now extinct animal, were put in a sleep punishment after going against a diviner’s card reading. When she wakes up almost 300 years later, the world has moved on and magic is gone. Penn adjusts to modern life, limits any close relationships and keeps the magic part of herself hidden. Until events thrust her front and center into a fight to save the world. There are a lot of unexpected and exciting plot twists in the story but the world building is so phenomenal that every plot twist just adds to the delicious perfection of the tale. “There are always choices,” … “Just as there are consequences for every choice. You must decide which path you want, or need, to walk.” The story includes what you’d expect from this genre - fighting, dangerous situations, end of the world scenarios, paranormal creatures, evil masterminds, henchmen, loyal friends and family, tragic back stories, plot twists, mystical coincidences, snark, and laughs. It also includes witty dialogue, characters with depth, and an engaging storyline. Expect to laugh, to cry, to grit your teeth, to cringe, to shout, and to root for Pennrae, Ashe, Luce, Callan, Toji, and Gideon to save the world and for Penn to get her HEA with Callan. Fingers crossed that there will be more adventures for Penn and her collection of amazing heroes.
July 10, 2023
MAGIC DARK, MAGIC DIVINE is the first book in the Warrior of the Divine Sword series and, in it, we meet Pennrae who was first alive 300 years ago before she was put into a magical sleep because she broke a contract with a Diviner. She wakes up in a contemporary world, where things have definitely moved on. We meet her eight years down the line when she has managed to get a life put together for herself.
This is a fast-paced story that will keep you on tenterhooks as Pennrae goes from one explosion to another. She finds love and adventure, as well as allies she never expected. It is intricate and twisted which kept my attention from the very start.
Fair warning though - there is one part that had my f'ugly crying! I won't say more, but prepare yourself!
As it is the first book, you get the usual world-building but it is done in a way that is explanatory rather than just an info dump. I found this to be an excellent start of a new series, with a new-to-me author. I thoroughly enjoyed this story and can't wait to see where it goes next. Absolutely recommended by me.
** same worded review will appear elsewhere **
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Nov 5, 2021
This is a fast-paced story that will keep you on tenterhooks as Pennrae goes from one explosion to another. She finds love and adventure, as well as allies she never expected. It is intricate and twisted which kept my attention from the very start.
Fair warning though - there is one part that had my f'ugly crying! I won't say more, but prepare yourself!
As it is the first book, you get the usual world-building but it is done in a way that is explanatory rather than just an info dump. I found this to be an excellent start of a new series, with a new-to-me author. I thoroughly enjoyed this story and can't wait to see where it goes next. Absolutely recommended by me.
** same worded review will appear elsewhere **
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Nov 5, 2021
January 16, 2023
Pennrae is a shaper magic warrior and bounty hunter from the magic era, who wakes up in the future after a 300-year slumber after she went against a Diviner’s card reading during Auraxa Reiv, a rare celestial alignment. In the modern era, she is in NYC, and the magic is gone, or is it? Between trying to keep a low profile, save the world from an apocalyptic end, and a budding, new love interest you will be entertained. I loved this book for its magic systems, world-building, her Circoux familiar named Ashe, the found family, magical time travel, and adventure.
It was refreshing to read an urban fantasy where a Black woman has magical powers and solve a mystery. I am looking forward to reading the sequel.
It was refreshing to read an urban fantasy where a Black woman has magical powers and solve a mystery. I am looking forward to reading the sequel.
November 15, 2021
DNF@28% because I'm picky like that
Spoiler below
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Just when the story started to grab me, bam! Kiss in the middle of a big fight! With no kiss before that, just a mention of a date. Really?
Sorry, but I can't move past this...
3 stars
~ I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own ~
Spoiler below
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Just when the story started to grab me, bam! Kiss in the middle of a big fight! With no kiss before that, just a mention of a date. Really?
Sorry, but I can't move past this...
3 stars
~ I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own ~
November 16, 2021
I’m always interested in new urban fantasy, so this one, set in an alternate reality New York City and starring a majority Black cast, caught my eye. This is a solidly urban fantasy with a romantic subplot, with an intriguing magic system, lots of found family vibes, and a ton of action.
It’s been three hundred years since magic left the world, and only eight years since Pennrae woke up. A magic-era bounty hunter, going against a prophecy led to her sleeping for nearly three hundred years and waking up to a much different world. But there are signs that magic is re-entering the world in disastrous ways, and it may all link back to a dark magic user that has Penn firmly in his sights. With few allies and little time, can Penn survive long enough to save her friends and the world?
Pennrae’s a fun character. She’s a kickass warrior, someone more used to hunting down bounties than providing security for stodgy museum openings, but she’s adjusting. She’s spent the past eight years getting used to the modern world, and while she appreciates some of the new technological marvels (not the subway, though!) she still misses her old life. She’s cautious by nature, so while she’s made two friends, Gideon and Toji, she hasn’t spoken about her history with them. They’re as close as family, almost, but Penn can’t bring herself to be that vulnerable with them, especially if they don’t believe her.
Her closest relationship is with her familiar, Ashe, a magic era creature who has a limited shapeshifting ability to appear to be a normal dog instead of a large, rideable creature with multiple tales. Penn’s a Shaper who can manipulate metals and wood, something she puts to use making little sculptures to sell at Gideon’s store, but for the most part, she ignores her magic-era training and works as a teacher at a local dojo. It’s there she meets Callan, a fellow instructor, and initially she thinks he’s a jerk who can’t help showing off. But appearances can be deceiving, and it’s clear her initial impression is off the mark. The romance subplot between them is fun and full of lots of banter, though it did feel overshadowed by the rest of the book.
The magic system was complex and interesting. There’s not a lot of info-dumping so it takes a while to get a good explanation of how it works. Basically, there’s five classes of Talent magic: Tamers who raise and manage animals or plants; Temporals, time manipulators; Conjurers, who create and control magical constructs; Shapers, who manipulate physical objects; and Diviners, who use holy, celestial magic. Each had a corresponding nexus point that opened under a certain celestial alignment, and you had to be born while that point was open in order to have that magic. Every three hundred years or so, all of the nexus points open at once in a phenomenon called the Auraxa Reiv. The last one, and its surplus of magic, is what led to Penn sleeping for so long as opposed to just a few days. A Necromajin, a dark magic user, had used the opening to create a giant construct that basically had started to destroy the world, so the Diviners trapped it and then sealed all the nexuses, removing magic from the world. With the next Auraxa Reiv due soon, no one, least of all Penn, knows how the world will be affected.
It’s hard to go into too much more without spoiling something. There’s a lot of twists and red herrings, and much like Penn, a lot of things aren’t what they initially seem. There’s a ton of action, and it almost felt sometimes like Penn couldn’t take a breath before something new happened. I would’ve liked more time with Penn and Callan developing their relationship and maybe a few less twists, but in general I felt the pacing worked.
Overall, I’d give this three and a half stars. It’s definitely got some of that “first book in a series” things going on, so I’ll be very interested to see what happens in the next book!
I received an advance review copy of this book from Grey's Promotions. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Content notes:
It’s been three hundred years since magic left the world, and only eight years since Pennrae woke up. A magic-era bounty hunter, going against a prophecy led to her sleeping for nearly three hundred years and waking up to a much different world. But there are signs that magic is re-entering the world in disastrous ways, and it may all link back to a dark magic user that has Penn firmly in his sights. With few allies and little time, can Penn survive long enough to save her friends and the world?
“You should be grateful I enjoy your company so much I’d lie to you.”
“That is a very unstable compliment[.]”
Pennrae’s a fun character. She’s a kickass warrior, someone more used to hunting down bounties than providing security for stodgy museum openings, but she’s adjusting. She’s spent the past eight years getting used to the modern world, and while she appreciates some of the new technological marvels (not the subway, though!) she still misses her old life. She’s cautious by nature, so while she’s made two friends, Gideon and Toji, she hasn’t spoken about her history with them. They’re as close as family, almost, but Penn can’t bring herself to be that vulnerable with them, especially if they don’t believe her.
Her closest relationship is with her familiar, Ashe, a magic era creature who has a limited shapeshifting ability to appear to be a normal dog instead of a large, rideable creature with multiple tales. Penn’s a Shaper who can manipulate metals and wood, something she puts to use making little sculptures to sell at Gideon’s store, but for the most part, she ignores her magic-era training and works as a teacher at a local dojo. It’s there she meets Callan, a fellow instructor, and initially she thinks he’s a jerk who can’t help showing off. But appearances can be deceiving, and it’s clear her initial impression is off the mark. The romance subplot between them is fun and full of lots of banter, though it did feel overshadowed by the rest of the book.
The magic system was complex and interesting. There’s not a lot of info-dumping so it takes a while to get a good explanation of how it works. Basically, there’s five classes of Talent magic: Tamers who raise and manage animals or plants; Temporals, time manipulators; Conjurers, who create and control magical constructs; Shapers, who manipulate physical objects; and Diviners, who use holy, celestial magic. Each had a corresponding nexus point that opened under a certain celestial alignment, and you had to be born while that point was open in order to have that magic. Every three hundred years or so, all of the nexus points open at once in a phenomenon called the Auraxa Reiv. The last one, and its surplus of magic, is what led to Penn sleeping for so long as opposed to just a few days. A Necromajin, a dark magic user, had used the opening to create a giant construct that basically had started to destroy the world, so the Diviners trapped it and then sealed all the nexuses, removing magic from the world. With the next Auraxa Reiv due soon, no one, least of all Penn, knows how the world will be affected.
It’s hard to go into too much more without spoiling something. There’s a lot of twists and red herrings, and much like Penn, a lot of things aren’t what they initially seem. There’s a ton of action, and it almost felt sometimes like Penn couldn’t take a breath before something new happened. I would’ve liked more time with Penn and Callan developing their relationship and maybe a few less twists, but in general I felt the pacing worked.
“I’m not afraid of your darkness if you aren’t afraid of mine.”
Overall, I’d give this three and a half stars. It’s definitely got some of that “first book in a series” things going on, so I’ll be very interested to see what happens in the next book!
I received an advance review copy of this book from Grey's Promotions. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Content notes:
July 15, 2023
I received a free copy from Tantor Audio and voluntarily reviewed it.
Magic Dark, Magic Divine is one of the best urban fantasy books I've read in a while. I really enjoyed this book and listening to it was an awesome experience. From the first chapter it swept me up in the story and kept me captivated as I wanted to find out what would happen next. The plot was very well done and I really liked how things were foreshadowed and fell in place. I was able to predict a few twists and also was surprised by some even though realizing afterwards how much it made sense.
I liked Penn and seeing how she handled everything. She starts the book off trying to keep the secret of her magic and that she's from 300 years in the past a secret from even her best friends. Then strange things start happening, magic users show up and lose control of their powers and the nightmarish Jigori who eats magic. Penn has a lot to deal with in this book and I liked seeing how she dealt with it. I though her reactions and emotions felt very real, the way she shows her emotions and struggles with what's happening, how she tries to deepen her relationship with those close to her and the way she deal with everything going on. I really felt for her at times as she has to go through some tough stuff. She is a tough warrior, but also has a soft side and really cares for the people around her. While the book has a save the world type of plot, I also liked how it was personal for Penn and it made sense who she got involved.
The side characters are great too and I liked how they play a role in the story as well. I was a bit conflicted about the romance set-up, but I liked how Penn quickly realizes she was wrong about Callan when she gets to know him better and they grow closer. I liked seeing how their romance developed.
The world building was so well done and unique. I liked how the book sticks with 4 different magic classes and then there is dark magic as well. I liked learning about the magic era and also how that past is part of the world today. It made the world feel fresh and unique. I enjoyed learning more about how the different types of magic work and how magic users used their magic. There were also some interesting magic creatures.
I really enjoyed listening to this one. The narrator fit the book well and I really liked how she did everyone's voices. She had quite the variety of voices for the characters and that made every character come even more alive.
To summarize: I really enjoyed this book! This is one of the best urban fantasy books I've read in a while and I liked the unique take on magic. The plot was great with enough foreshadowing that later twists and reveals made sense. I liked Penn as great main character and I enjoyed reading about her and seeing how she handled everything. The side characters are great too and I liked the romance. The world building really stood out to me, it felt fresh and unique and I liked how the world had 4 different types of magic and how the magic era left it's impact in the modern day world. The narrator fit the book well and she had quite the variety of voices for the different characters. I really enjoyed listening to this book.
Magic Dark, Magic Divine is one of the best urban fantasy books I've read in a while. I really enjoyed this book and listening to it was an awesome experience. From the first chapter it swept me up in the story and kept me captivated as I wanted to find out what would happen next. The plot was very well done and I really liked how things were foreshadowed and fell in place. I was able to predict a few twists and also was surprised by some even though realizing afterwards how much it made sense.
I liked Penn and seeing how she handled everything. She starts the book off trying to keep the secret of her magic and that she's from 300 years in the past a secret from even her best friends. Then strange things start happening, magic users show up and lose control of their powers and the nightmarish Jigori who eats magic. Penn has a lot to deal with in this book and I liked seeing how she dealt with it. I though her reactions and emotions felt very real, the way she shows her emotions and struggles with what's happening, how she tries to deepen her relationship with those close to her and the way she deal with everything going on. I really felt for her at times as she has to go through some tough stuff. She is a tough warrior, but also has a soft side and really cares for the people around her. While the book has a save the world type of plot, I also liked how it was personal for Penn and it made sense who she got involved.
The side characters are great too and I liked how they play a role in the story as well. I was a bit conflicted about the romance set-up, but I liked how Penn quickly realizes she was wrong about Callan when she gets to know him better and they grow closer. I liked seeing how their romance developed.
The world building was so well done and unique. I liked how the book sticks with 4 different magic classes and then there is dark magic as well. I liked learning about the magic era and also how that past is part of the world today. It made the world feel fresh and unique. I enjoyed learning more about how the different types of magic work and how magic users used their magic. There were also some interesting magic creatures.
I really enjoyed listening to this one. The narrator fit the book well and I really liked how she did everyone's voices. She had quite the variety of voices for the characters and that made every character come even more alive.
To summarize: I really enjoyed this book! This is one of the best urban fantasy books I've read in a while and I liked the unique take on magic. The plot was great with enough foreshadowing that later twists and reveals made sense. I liked Penn as great main character and I enjoyed reading about her and seeing how she handled everything. The side characters are great too and I liked the romance. The world building really stood out to me, it felt fresh and unique and I liked how the world had 4 different types of magic and how the magic era left it's impact in the modern day world. The narrator fit the book well and she had quite the variety of voices for the different characters. I really enjoyed listening to this book.
November 16, 2021
Wonderful paranormal story that has action, romance, and suspense. Penn the main character is a warrior from another time. Now she lives 300 years into the future with her familiar. It has twists and turns as well as intrigue and those whose goal is to release dark magic back into the world. I received a complimentary copy via NetGalley and chose to write a review. Hopefully there will be another book to make it a series.
November 22, 2021
I won this book on a giveaway but I only sign up for those that I want to read and this one was one of them. It did not disappoint. I look for strong kick-ass women characters and interesting adventures/stories and this had a bit of all that and then some, if you want a great adventure. Magic, magic-era creatures, betrayal, double-crosses, battles, time-travel, family, friends and ultimately love! I can't wait to read the next one.
January 5, 2022
I enjoyed the book; it was a pretty easy read. As with many Time-Travel books, certain aspects of the time-travel implications don't line up. If you go back to the past and prevent something from happening, then it doesn't align that some of the outcomes of the event you prevented still exist in the future and some don't. But overlooking that, it was an enjoyable enough read that I will likely read the next book in the series.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 19, 2021
I loved this story so much the magic system was divine. I thought it was really unique something that I have never really seen before in urban fantasy. I thought the romance was really cute highly recommend you read this book.
November 23, 2021
A Wonderful Magical Story
I really loved this book. It had such a unique story and it was so interesting to see how the different pieces of the story all came together. I’d recommend to anyone looking for a great fantasy to read.
I really loved this book. It had such a unique story and it was so interesting to see how the different pieces of the story all came together. I’d recommend to anyone looking for a great fantasy to read.
January 10, 2023
World Building at Its Finest!!!
This story was masterfully written! I loved the steamy scenes, the tear jerking ones, and the action packed ones as well! I hope you make this a series Ms. Locke. ;-) These characters seem to be the type that will not let you rest until you share with us all they have to say. All in favor....me me me...lol In all seriousness, I am so happy that I came across this work you had published for us readers. I look forward to reading more of your writings. Bravo!
This story was masterfully written! I loved the steamy scenes, the tear jerking ones, and the action packed ones as well! I hope you make this a series Ms. Locke. ;-) These characters seem to be the type that will not let you rest until you share with us all they have to say. All in favor....me me me...lol In all seriousness, I am so happy that I came across this work you had published for us readers. I look forward to reading more of your writings. Bravo!
November 30, 2021
(ARC provided by NetGalley; opinions are my own.)
This was an enjoyable urban fantasy with new twists on magic. It started off with a great hook, but did get a bit clunky with the world building. Penn is a self-described "warrior" but that is not really explained until later in the book. Once I got to settle in I really enjoyed the story. The characters were well developed, and the plot moved right along. It was not all action, which is good. Instead with memories inserted and interactions with various characters, you really get to immerse yourself in Penn's life and the world that was created. The plot twisted just enough to not be too predictable (I did know who the bad guy was pretty early on but it did not ruin the story for me). All in all, I really liked Penn, and by the end I knew I would be continuing with this series.
This was an enjoyable urban fantasy with new twists on magic. It started off with a great hook, but did get a bit clunky with the world building. Penn is a self-described "warrior" but that is not really explained until later in the book. Once I got to settle in I really enjoyed the story. The characters were well developed, and the plot moved right along. It was not all action, which is good. Instead with memories inserted and interactions with various characters, you really get to immerse yourself in Penn's life and the world that was created. The plot twisted just enough to not be too predictable (I did know who the bad guy was pretty early on but it did not ruin the story for me). All in all, I really liked Penn, and by the end I knew I would be continuing with this series.
November 15, 2021
The concept of this book caught my attention right away as a Fantasy fan. A world full of magic, Shapers, Diviners and Temporals, very unique to this story.
I loved both Pennrae and Callan and how they met while in a Taekwondo Martial Arts gym. Another thing I really liked about this story was Ashe, who in all honesty, might be my magical spirit animal. Even as Pennrae's familiar, Ashe held her own. She was loyal and didn't take any crap! In the Fantasy world, there's always that one thing that sets a story apart, for Magic Dark, Magic Divine, it was the Cephis. Having a protector the size of a doll with divine magic was just perfect.
I was excited to get started, however It took a while to grab my attention and I felt that some of the chapters were too long winded. It's possible that the journey from future to the past and one place to another confused me, causing me to lose interest at times. There was a lot happening in this first book and I feel like it took away from what could have been a great start to this series. Having the glossary was helpful, but I was on information overload and couldn't enjoy the book the way it's meant to be enjoyed. I wanted to love it, but just couldn't get into it. I gave it 3 stars for the potential, concept and characters.
I loved both Pennrae and Callan and how they met while in a Taekwondo Martial Arts gym. Another thing I really liked about this story was Ashe, who in all honesty, might be my magical spirit animal. Even as Pennrae's familiar, Ashe held her own. She was loyal and didn't take any crap! In the Fantasy world, there's always that one thing that sets a story apart, for Magic Dark, Magic Divine, it was the Cephis. Having a protector the size of a doll with divine magic was just perfect.
I was excited to get started, however It took a while to grab my attention and I felt that some of the chapters were too long winded. It's possible that the journey from future to the past and one place to another confused me, causing me to lose interest at times. There was a lot happening in this first book and I feel like it took away from what could have been a great start to this series. Having the glossary was helpful, but I was on information overload and couldn't enjoy the book the way it's meant to be enjoyed. I wanted to love it, but just couldn't get into it. I gave it 3 stars for the potential, concept and characters.
November 15, 2021
I loved being plopped right into this story, without a whole lot of fluff or extraneous dumping of info right at the beginning. Instead the magical/non-magical world is built brick by brick by the plot, and by the unfolding of the story. It felt intriguing, and when I felt I was missing something it was soon explained. Pennrae is our bad-ass heroine, who has been asleep for 300 years and is hiding her magical powers. But there is danger afoot! Mysterious deaths are happening! Truly though, I loved the representation, I loved the diverse entire cast of characters that felt natural and not at all forced. I do think perhaps there was maybe a bit too much explanation and descriptions of our magical world, but this is the first in a series and this is to be expected. If you are a fan of urban fantasy, a plot-driven novel with lots of great, well-rounded characters, you will absolutely enjoy this. I look forward to reading more! I received this free e-ARC from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review, and all opinions are my own.
November 15, 2021
Thank you to Netgalley and Entangled Publishing for an e-arc of this book!
3.75*
Magic Dark, Magic Divine was the first installment in a fantastical romance series by A.J. Locke. I wish there was a bit more romance but I loved the build up between certain characters. I thought the magical elements were super cool and I really enjoyed how the events of the story progressed. I was on my toes, didn't know who I could trust and was intrigued by the cast of characters. I also loved the found family trop between Pennrae, Gideon, Toji and Callan. Friendship was a really strong theme here and that was something I loved seeing within the story. Pennrae had incredible character development and it was great seeing her let others help her in the journey she was facing. This was a really unique type of story and I'm excited to see what will happen next.
3.75*
Magic Dark, Magic Divine was the first installment in a fantastical romance series by A.J. Locke. I wish there was a bit more romance but I loved the build up between certain characters. I thought the magical elements were super cool and I really enjoyed how the events of the story progressed. I was on my toes, didn't know who I could trust and was intrigued by the cast of characters. I also loved the found family trop between Pennrae, Gideon, Toji and Callan. Friendship was a really strong theme here and that was something I loved seeing within the story. Pennrae had incredible character development and it was great seeing her let others help her in the journey she was facing. This was a really unique type of story and I'm excited to see what will happen next.
May 27, 2023
Loved the world that was created!
This book has it all! The heroine, the conflict, the love interest. Locke did an excellent job of creating a world that is relatable but fantastical at the same time. This needs to be a longer series. Penn is a bada** with a heart of gold. The visits to the past that help shape her future will keep you interested til the last page!
This book has it all! The heroine, the conflict, the love interest. Locke did an excellent job of creating a world that is relatable but fantastical at the same time. This needs to be a longer series. Penn is a bada** with a heart of gold. The visits to the past that help shape her future will keep you interested til the last page!
April 27, 2023
Amazing from page one. So many unexpected twists of fate. The magic that commenced was overload personified. All the characters were strong personalities and the way they entwined to produce the outcome was nothing short of miraculous. I had a difficult time putting it down when I had to leave.
December 5, 2021
A slow book to get into its a fantasy paranormal with some romance.
Didn't grab my interest.
It was okay but not for me.
Voluntarily reviewed.
Didn't grab my interest.
It was okay but not for me.
Voluntarily reviewed.
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June 3, 2022
4 stars. I would have loved this more if the Author hadn't crammed what was 3-4 books into one. It felt info dumpy and like it was missing information all at the same time.
April 14, 2023
Ahhhhhhhh
This book is everything I’ve wanted in an adult fantasy novel!! Magic, mystery, black folk, adventure, and a little heated fellowship!!!!
Y’all need to read this!!!!
This book is everything I’ve wanted in an adult fantasy novel!! Magic, mystery, black folk, adventure, and a little heated fellowship!!!!
Y’all need to read this!!!!
November 17, 2022
I've read a few books this year that are sound in terms of their emotional beats - so they make it to my Best of the Year list - but have significant flaws that drag them down to the Bronze tier, and this is one.
Let's get the copy editing out of the way first. A collection of the usual mistakes (excess coordinate commas, occasional missing past perfect tense, the odd dangling modifier, vocabulary errors, a hyphen consistently where it doesn't belong - in "magic-era" when it's an adjective and a noun rather than a compound adjective - and the odd missing or incorrectly placed apostrophe), plus one I haven't seen before: overcorrection of "laid" to "lay" when "laid" is in fact the correct verb. It isn't great; it isn't terrible; I've seen a lot worse. There are a lot of them, but most of them are repetitions of the same few errors.
The real issue I had was the worldbuilding. The main character (we quickly learn, so this isn't a spoiler) is from the should-not-be-hyphenated magic era, a period 300 years before when magical practitioners and magical creatures existed, thanks to a set of portals that periodically opened to let particular kinds of magic into the world. Those portals had to be closed to contain a dangerous, destructive monster during a kind of magical peak that happens every 300 years, and that peak is about to happen again. The protagonist, Pennrae, spent all but the last eight of those 300 years in magical stasis as a result of disobeying guidance from a Diviner, one of the types of magic user, for reasons that seemed good to her at the time (and are, like the whole story, emotionally realistic).
In some unexplained fashion, she has, in those eight years, completely mastered modern life, got hold of whatever identification documents are required for her to live and work in a modern city, and learned karate well enough to be an instructor. She comes off as a completely modern woman in every discernable way, apart from having a history in which she was a magical bounty hunter 300 years ago in a very different world, making her what I call a "decal character": her origin is stuck on her superficially, but everything else about her makes her feel like she's grown up in the modern world.
She lives, in fact, in New York, so called and completely recognizable as closely resembling the modern city of our world, except for an additional park, a few monuments, and some other remnants of the magic era. Instagram exists, there are cellphones, and in general this is almost entirely the New York that you and I could go and visit, with a couple of mostly cosmetic differences. The magic era, on the other hand, does not feel like our world's eighteenth century in any way whatsoever, and the placenames and even the geography don't seem to correspond to our world either. The geography, in fact, is very unclear. The portals (it turns out) were in New York, a fact which has somehow been forgotten, unlikely as this may seem. Pennrae's mother and sister, murdered by a warlord in the magic era, are buried in an old cemetery in New York for plot-relevant reasons, so was the warlord's territory then part of what's now the US (or whatever the country is called - we never see any more of it than New York City)? Or were they, for reasons never gone into, taken to NY for burial despite dying elsewhere? Pennrae's hibernation took place in Namibia, suggesting they were in Africa, and they are of African descent, but if so, why are they now buried in NY? I couldn't make any sense of that side of things at all.
Also, everyone appears to speak modern English in all places and times we visit, but all of the terminology of magical creatures and magic use feels vaguely a bit Latinate-ish, kind of like in a certain boy wizard book, but not actually derived from any language I'm familiar with. It doesn't strike me as African in origin, either. It feels just made up, with some influence from real European languages, but by someone who isn't a linguist.
What the whole thing feels more like, in fact, is a portal fantasy, in which the "magic era" is actually a different world, and the New York that so closely resembles our own is our own; but we're told it's a part of the same world's history.
So, on the one hand, we have a modern-seeming woman in a modern-seeming setting doing modern things. On the other, what feels like a completely invented secondary fantasy world. And between them, a bridging explanation that for me completely failed to match up or make sense.
The other big flaw: I spotted the villain at the 36% mark, and it took the protagonist until 81%. That's almost half the book where I had figured it out and she hadn't.
Still, as I say, the emotional beats worked well enough that I do recommend it. I don't think I will be looking for future books in the series, though.
Let's get the copy editing out of the way first. A collection of the usual mistakes (excess coordinate commas, occasional missing past perfect tense, the odd dangling modifier, vocabulary errors, a hyphen consistently where it doesn't belong - in "magic-era" when it's an adjective and a noun rather than a compound adjective - and the odd missing or incorrectly placed apostrophe), plus one I haven't seen before: overcorrection of "laid" to "lay" when "laid" is in fact the correct verb. It isn't great; it isn't terrible; I've seen a lot worse. There are a lot of them, but most of them are repetitions of the same few errors.
The real issue I had was the worldbuilding. The main character (we quickly learn, so this isn't a spoiler) is from the should-not-be-hyphenated magic era, a period 300 years before when magical practitioners and magical creatures existed, thanks to a set of portals that periodically opened to let particular kinds of magic into the world. Those portals had to be closed to contain a dangerous, destructive monster during a kind of magical peak that happens every 300 years, and that peak is about to happen again. The protagonist, Pennrae, spent all but the last eight of those 300 years in magical stasis as a result of disobeying guidance from a Diviner, one of the types of magic user, for reasons that seemed good to her at the time (and are, like the whole story, emotionally realistic).
In some unexplained fashion, she has, in those eight years, completely mastered modern life, got hold of whatever identification documents are required for her to live and work in a modern city, and learned karate well enough to be an instructor. She comes off as a completely modern woman in every discernable way, apart from having a history in which she was a magical bounty hunter 300 years ago in a very different world, making her what I call a "decal character": her origin is stuck on her superficially, but everything else about her makes her feel like she's grown up in the modern world.
She lives, in fact, in New York, so called and completely recognizable as closely resembling the modern city of our world, except for an additional park, a few monuments, and some other remnants of the magic era. Instagram exists, there are cellphones, and in general this is almost entirely the New York that you and I could go and visit, with a couple of mostly cosmetic differences. The magic era, on the other hand, does not feel like our world's eighteenth century in any way whatsoever, and the placenames and even the geography don't seem to correspond to our world either. The geography, in fact, is very unclear. The portals (it turns out) were in New York, a fact which has somehow been forgotten, unlikely as this may seem. Pennrae's mother and sister, murdered by a warlord in the magic era, are buried in an old cemetery in New York for plot-relevant reasons, so was the warlord's territory then part of what's now the US (or whatever the country is called - we never see any more of it than New York City)? Or were they, for reasons never gone into, taken to NY for burial despite dying elsewhere? Pennrae's hibernation took place in Namibia, suggesting they were in Africa, and they are of African descent, but if so, why are they now buried in NY? I couldn't make any sense of that side of things at all.
Also, everyone appears to speak modern English in all places and times we visit, but all of the terminology of magical creatures and magic use feels vaguely a bit Latinate-ish, kind of like in a certain boy wizard book, but not actually derived from any language I'm familiar with. It doesn't strike me as African in origin, either. It feels just made up, with some influence from real European languages, but by someone who isn't a linguist.
What the whole thing feels more like, in fact, is a portal fantasy, in which the "magic era" is actually a different world, and the New York that so closely resembles our own is our own; but we're told it's a part of the same world's history.
So, on the one hand, we have a modern-seeming woman in a modern-seeming setting doing modern things. On the other, what feels like a completely invented secondary fantasy world. And between them, a bridging explanation that for me completely failed to match up or make sense.
The other big flaw: I spotted the villain at the 36% mark, and it took the protagonist until 81%. That's almost half the book where I had figured it out and she hadn't.
Still, as I say, the emotional beats worked well enough that I do recommend it. I don't think I will be looking for future books in the series, though.
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