Armed & Magical (Raine Benares, Book 2)

He is charming, hellishly attractive and smoking. And there's the other one: tall, blond, warm and reliable. The one's a cold-blooded dark mage turned rogue. The other one the paragorn of virtue. And you're the girl in the middle, unable to decide which one to taste a little more of... Raine is a character interestingly undecided and struggling. At the same time, she's trying to fend off a really evil dark magic that has her in its clutches, a secret goblin elite shaman troupe, nasty bureaucratic elves, elves warped into bureaucratic naivité. And she only wants to live... And protect her friends. Although this book is about white and black and mostly the grey in the middle, it's also about a world in which magic is a threat as much as a miracle. It tastes like a young wine, with a lot of delight, color and sparkle. It's a whirlwind adventure that leaves you wanting for more. More! More! You'd never think this was a sequel. It's fast-paced, engaging and imaginative and wondefully alive. Hopefully there's much more to come!

Raine is back! The adventures of Raine Benares, seeker and sorceress, continue in this 2nd book in Lisa Shearin's series. Shearin doesn't waste any time getting into the action. From the first pages, Raine sets off on rollicking adventure that will carry you away. I read the entire book in one sitting because I couldn't bear to put it down. Readers of this book can look forward to engaging characters, snappy dialogue, a tantalizing bit of romance, and a wonderfully written plot. Raine is one of my all time favorite characters in all of fantasy (my genre of choice). "Armed & Magical" is an excellent read that will leave wanting more. Let the countdown to Book 3 commence!

I just finished reading Armed & Magical, the new installment in the adventures of Raine Benares and I absolutely loved this book! Not a lot of time has passed since events of the last book, and Raine is now on the island of Mid in the care of Mychael, who is a paladin to the Conclave Guardians. She is still connected to Saghred, which is being held in the shielded containment rooms, and is determined to find a way to part with the soul sucking rock without parting with her own life. Even though she left her homeland for the time being, her troubles followed her all the way to Mid, acquiring new ones on the way. As more people learn that Saghred resurfaced after nine hundred years and about Raine's link to it, more fractions are now competing for its power. The political situation on Mid is delicately balanced and any shift in the power scale can mean death and imprisonment to Raine and her friends, especially the young and talented Piaras. That pretty much sums up the content of the book without giving much away. As I mentioned before, I enjoyed this book quite a bit, but I did have a couple of issues with it. Therefore I decided to add pros and cons to my review. Pros: 1. World building - The author created a very unique alternate universe with a few urban fantasy additions. The writing style had a perfect balance of world building and action, therefore I was rarely bored with too much narrative about the scenery. The antagonistic relationship between Elves and Goblins and their physical differences were well written, not to mention subcategories of mages and humans to add to the mix. Overall, this world was beautifully imagined and realized, which in my opinion very few fantasy writers are able to accomplish. 2. Mystery - The story was well paced and the mystery of the book well constructed. There was enough background behind every thread showing that the author didn't just pluck ideas out of thin air, but set up each separate storyline over the span of the book. Therefore plot resolutions were believable and well developed. 3. Supporting Characters - I don't think there is a single character in this book that I didn't like. The author was able to give everyone an interesting personality and I didn't feel like I was reading about the same person over and over. Female writers especially have that problem when writing tough male characters that come out too feminine (I'm sure you've seen that before). This book is different and both protagonists and antagonists of the series are defined with suitable roles. For example, Mychael is a stoic by-the-books type of guy, while Tam is a complete rogue, and their interactions with Raine were very realistic and convincing. Cons: 1. Raine the Invincible - I loved Raine's character - she is loyal, fierce, and utterly sarcastic. Although one quality I found quite annoying was the fact that she knew everything about everyone and seemed to be almost invincible in the most difficult situations. Sh

She was a good Seeker of objects and people and a fair sorceress, but a week ago Raine Benares was psychically bonded with the Saghred, a stone of immense power. It has boosted Raine's existing powers and given her unnatural talent making her one of the most powerful magicians in the Seven Kingdoms. However it is an evil object that thrives on eating souls with the last soul it swallowed being Sacred Nikpon. Raine forced that action which is why she has a link to the stone and its seemingly zillion stolen souls over the centuries wherever she may be. Right now Raine is on the Isle of Mid, home to the Conclave which polices magic users and hosts a highly regarded sorcerer's school. Raine hopes someone on the island can separate her from the stone. However, there are factions on the Isle some of whom are malevolent and demand something from Raine starting with the original owner of the stone who razed cities, empires and anyone who got in his way. Raine finds her elven brethren want her for her new power while the goblins demand the stone. Everywhere she turns she finds someone threatens her and her loved ones as ethics do not apply to the people seeking the power of the stone. Lisa Shearin has written a spellbinding fantasy that enables readers to believe in elves, goblins, and mages, oh my. The Shearin world seems real and that magic is a genuine skill thanks in part to the strong characterizations. There is plenty of partisan in fighting, intrigue, and action to keep readers turning the pages wondering what next will happen to the reluctant beleaguered heroine that is while debating her chances of surviving until the next assault occurs. Harriet Klausner

Armed and Magical picks up almost right where Magic Lost, Trouble Found left off. It's a week later and Raine is on the Isle of Mid with her cousin, Phaelan ("He was a pirate. Excuse me, a seafaring businessman."), and the leader of the Conclave Guardians, Mychael ("an enigma, wrapped in a riddle, coated in yum"). Raine's young friend Piaras is also there as a student. He is the most powerful young spellsinger to come along in decades. I don't know what to make of Piaras. He's way too powerful to be a sidekick. He gives Raine some serious competition power-wise, even with her Saghred-induced "resume enhancement". I like being befuddled like this. I keep wondering if before the series is over, Raine might find herself facing Piaras. It could be heart-wrenching. However, this is all idle speculation. I have no insider knowledge! As the blurb suggests, the protective Raine finds herself hunting down some missing students. She makes a trip to the library and makes her library-use roll big-time. She finds a tiny, almost unimportant-looking volume that turns out to be a journal of sorts, and the author is mighty interesting. Naturally, getting out of the library with the book is a lot more interesting than going in. Raine really can't go anywhere without running into excitement. Remember Sarad Nukpana, the power-mad sorcerer who tried to get his hands on the Saghred in the first book? Well, now that he's safely nestled inside the Saghred, they've become bosom buddies. And he's anything but neutralized. In this novel, Raine is a bit darker and a bit snarkier. She's still every bit as protective over those younger and/or weaker than she, so you still gotta love her. Still, the novel reads, very subtly, as if the Saghred is affecting her personality. In fact, it is so subtle that I applaud the author. There's no overt struggle, no in-your-face "Give yourself to the dark side, Raine" (although Sarad Nukpana does get cocky a time or two). The love triangle between Raine, Mychael and Raine's ex-boyfriend Tam continues to develop. Considering the compressed timeframe of these two novels, it's good that Shearin has not taken it too far. After all, in novel-time, only two weeks (or so) have passed. Raine is attracted to Tam and Mychael for different reasons. Tam has some fascinating developments that the reader (me) and Raine both should have seen coming, but did not. And there is some truly wicked kissing going on between them. Mychael gets his kiss in as well, and it ain't no good-boy kiss. The hilarious situations continue and are one-upped. Raine's magic has grown so powerful that it often works much better than she expects, with sometimes-hilarious results. I don't want to give it away because it is so funny, but there is one scene where Raine disguises herself that had me rolling with laughter. This followup does not disappoint. It continues to be as fun as the first novel, with lots of "how the heck is Raine going to get out of this" moments. It's