Book Review: Rise of the Magi by Jocelyn Adams

Title: Rise of the Magi
Series: Lila Gray #3
Author: Jocelyn Adams
Publisher: J. Taylor Publishing (June 4, 2013)
Format Read: eARC Novel
Source: Publisher
Genre: Paranormal Romance

In a battle of wills, who is strongest? The one who hates or the one who loves?

In a test of faith, who will fight the hardest? The one who has everything to lose or the one who believes only in herself?

For Lila Gray, the answer is both. For the Magi, the questions are pointless since they can’t lose, and they’ve been waiting since before Lila’s birth for this one moment. Lila only needs to find them to understand her entire purpose in life. This time, though, instead of protecting her people, Lila may be leading them all, including her unborn child and the man she loves, to their deaths — and not by accident. 

In the ultimate trial of heart and soul, and the conclusion to the Lila Gray series, Lila will learn that the greatest weapon of war is herself, with one ultimate unknown. For which side will she fight?

Favorite Teasers: A bunch of trees are going to invade your cities and eat everyone in sight. – 10 %

God, I’d turned into such a sap. – 18%

If only everyone was so easily pleased. – 24%

Touching a wildcard would have been tantamount to grabbing hold of a sleeping dragon and giving it a poke in the side. – 41%

Shifters were made of awesome, no doubt about it. – 57%

Hindsight was as useless as stilettos on a frog. – 69%

A life that is not your own is no life at all. – 80% 

Review: Lila Gray’s final battle may end her world as she knows it in Jocelyn Adams’ Rise of the Magi.

The third and final book of the Lila Gray series, Rise of the Magi yanks the reader back into Lila’s world and doesn’t want to let the reader go. Familiar characters and new characters abound. I particularly loved the introduction of the witches and thought they added to the paranormal world Adams created. The best part of the book was Lila’s growth as a person and queen of the fae. The kick-butt, spunky heroine finally reveals her softer side not only to the readers but to the other characters. I just love Lila to pieces!

Adams brilliantly ties the characters and the plot together in a complex bow. This novel took each thread from the other books and weaved them together, so the reader gets a complete understanding of how everything is linked. For me, the plot served to show the characters’ growths and pushed the characters to their limits.

Adams also explores and explains more about the world Lila Gray lives in. The additional nuances from the previous books and the fantastic descriptions keep the reader grounded in this extraordinarily complex world.

This fast-paced novel had me laughing, cheering for the good guys to win, and cringing at the horrors the characters have to face. I think I sobbed off and on during the last twenty percent of this book—some happy tears too.

For a series with a strong heroine and fascinating paranormal world—with the bonus of very handsome fae men too—I highly recommend Rise of the Magi by Jocelyn Adams as well as the entire Lila Gray series.

 

Five Bookworms = I loved it!

Other Books in the Series:

 

Click here to read my review.

 

Click here to read my review.

L is for Lila Gray series by Jocelyn Adams

 

For 2013's A to Z Challenge, I am talking about book series, particularly some favorite series as well as series I've been waiting to read for a LONG time.

L is for ... Lila Gray series by Jocelyn Adams

From the very first chapter of The Glass Man, I have been a fan of Lila Gray. I can't wait to see what will happen next to the fae and mankind in this series!

Lila Gray is just a human—at least that’s her mantra when she accidentally topples a building or bends a paranoid local's gun into modern art. That she can sense and control the minds around her doesn’t prove anything, either. Unwilling to put others at risk, she hides in the wilderness from the beautiful creature who hunts her, one who sees her as his ultimate prize.

Alone, the egocentric Glass Man can kill with a thought. Mated with Lila, he's a supernatural weapon prepared to annihilate the humans he loathes.

Caught in the Glass Man’s latest scheme, Lila is plunged into a hidden fae realm, faced with a secret birthright and a forbidden romance.

With the Glass Man threatening everyone she loves, can Lila accept who she is in time to end his bloody reign? Or will she succumb to his dark power and become the vehicle of destruction for the human race?

Read my review of The Glass Man here.

Why me?

That’s the question Lila Gray asks every time yet another bad guy tries to destroy the earth, and she learns she’s the only one who can stop it. Once again, something’s on the prowl, leaving hundreds of comatose, soulless victims in its wake.

Couldn’t the deadliest assassins of the Otherworld go after someone else instead of the brand new Queen of the Seelie? One who still hasn’t adapted to her new role.

Lila would ask Liam Kane, King of the Unseelie, for advice, but something’s off with him, too. He’s holding back. In some way. About some thing. In fact, he refuses to tell her what’s going on.

The truth holds Lila back from the greatness of her role—the people she was born to lead—the man who she desperately loves—and the solution to the latest war raging around her.

To find the answers, she’ll need to fight through her own darkness and embark on a journey through her psyche.

If she doesn’t succeed, the Shadowborn will claim not only her world, but her soul.

Read my review of Shadowborn here. 

In a battle of wills, who is strongest? The one who hates or the one who loves?

In a test of faith, who will fight the hardest? The one who has everything to lose or the one who believes only in herself?

For Lila Gray, the answer is both. For the Magi, the questions are pointless since they can’t lose, and they’ve been waiting since before Lila’s birth for this one moment. Lila only needs to find them to understand her entire purpose in life. This time, though, instead of protecting her people, Lila may be leading them all, including her unborn child and the man she loves, to their deaths — and not by accident.

In the ultimate trial of heart and soul, and the conclusion to the Lila Gray series, Lila will learn that the greatest weapon of war is herself, with one ultimate unknown. For which side will she fight?

Book Review: SHADOWBORN by Jocelyn Adams

Title: Shadowborn

Series: Lila Gray #2

Author: Jocelyn Adams

Publisher: J. Taylor Publishing (October 1, 2012)

Format: eARC Novel

Source: Publisher

Genre: Paranormal Romance

Goodreads 

Intended audience: 18+, strong language, adult themes, some violence.

Why me?

That’s the question Lila Gray asks every time yet another bad guy tries to destroy the earth, and she learns she’s the only one who can stop it. Once again, something’s on the prowl, leaving hundreds of comatose, soulless victims in its wake.

Couldn’t the deadliest assassins of the Otherworld go after someone else instead of the brand new Queen of the Seelie? One who still hasn’t adapted to her new role.

Lila would ask Liam Kane, King of the Unseelie, for advice, but something’s off with him, too. He’s holding back. In some way. About some thing. In fact, he refuses to tell her what’s going on.

The truth holds Lila back from the greatness of her role—the people she was born to lead—the man who she desperately loves—and the solution to the latest war raging around her.

To find the answers, she’ll need to fight through her own darkness and embark on a journey through her psyche.

If she doesn’t succeed, the Shadowborn will claim not only her world, but her soul.

Review: A deliciously dark novel with a spunky heroine, Shadowborn is sure to please fans of paranormal and romance.

Lila Gray may be the new Queen of the Seelie, but how can she rule a people, if she can’t control the darkness within? And she’s supposed to somehow find a way to join the two faerie courts as well as stop the newest threat: the Shadowborn. As Lila embarks on a journey to find the answers on how to destroy the Shadowborn, she’ll learn more about herself and will have to make choices that will not only affect the world but her own soul.

Shadowborn takes place about a month or so from The Glass Man. Lila’s spunk, sarcasm, and insecurities make her one hell of a narrator for the story. As Adams pulls us deeper into the world she’s created, we learn more about the inner workings of the Seelie and Unseelie Courts as well as the magical realms around us, particularly the elves. The plot is fast-paced and such a fun and quick read, and I loved how Lila is able to face her personal demons while kicking the physical ones’ butts. Then, Adams leaves the reader with the mystery of the Magi and hope mixed with a good dose of fear for the future of Lila’s world.

I loved The Glass Man, but Shadowborn by Jocelyn Adams is even better! I can’t wait to read book three!

Five Bookworms = I loved it!

Other Books in the Series:

Click here to read my review.

Teaser Tuesday: THE GLASS MAN and SHADOWBORN by Jocelyn Adams

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:
• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title and author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

 

The Glass Man by Jocelyn Adams

0% of Kindle Edition

The thought of choking down another fat grub or crunching on a cricket made me gag, but berry season had ended a few weeks before, and I couldn't find anything else. Autumn in the north was pretty, but the cuisine sucked.

 Shadownborn by Jocelyn Adams

13% eARC

"You don't really expect us to sit on our duffs while our citizens are having their souls ripped out, do you? Because that's what it sounds like to me."

Do you have a teaser? Feel free to share one or a link to one in the comments.

Book Review: THE GLASS MAN by Jocelyn Adams

Title: The Glass Man

Series: Lila Gray #1

Author: Jocelyn Adams

Publisher: J. Taylor Publishing (October 1, 2011)

Format: Kindle Novel

Source: Purchased

Genre: Paranormal Romance

Goodreads 

Intended audience: 18+, strong language, adult themes, some violence.

Lila Gray is just a human—at least that’s her mantra when she accidentally topples a building or bends a paranoid local's gun into modern art. That she can sense and control the minds around her doesn’t prove anything, either. Unwilling to put others at risk, she hides in the wilderness from the beautiful creature who hunts her, one who sees her as his ultimate prize.

Alone, the egocentric Glass Man can kill with a thought. Mated with Lila, he's a supernatural weapon prepared to annihilate the humans he loathes.

Caught in the Glass Man’s latest scheme, Lila is plunged into a hidden fae realm, faced with a secret birthright and a forbidden romance.

With the Glass Man threatening everyone she loves, can Lila accept who she is in time to end his bloody reign? Or will she succumb to his dark power and become the vehicle of destruction for the human race?

Review: The Glass Man by Jocelyn Adams swirls in a heady display of romance, adventure, and a struggle for the light and dark that readers of paranormal romance won’t want to miss out on!

Lila Gray believed all her life that she was human, even if she was a bit extraordinary. But as soon as she stumbles upon a small farm, her world is turned upside down. Not only is she a Seelie, or one of the fae, but she’s also their queen since her mother’s death. The Glass Man—King of the Unseelie Court—wants nothing more than to join with her to destroy the human race. There’s one problem, though. Lila already is Goddess-mated with another. The Glass Man threatens all she loves, but can she find the strength to resist his dark temptation? 

The Glass Man throws the reader right into Lila’s destroyed world. We experience who she is and what she is with her. Lila is a strong character, but she can’t ignore her fae temptations. The other characters are well-thought out and come across as deep, three-dimensional characters the more I read of the novel. The plot is fast-paced. The romance burns with its fiery passion. The introduction of various creatures adds to the overall story. One of my favorites is the shapeshifting houses, which I found to be a unique element to this fantastic story.

Take one-part dystopian, add in hot romance and faeries, then you have Jocelyn Adams’ The Glass Man.

Five Bookworms = I loved it!