Review: Influential Magic (Crescent City Fae) – Deanna Chase

Posted 4 July, 2013 by Linda @ (un)Conventional Bookworms in Reviews / 0 Comments

Review: Influential Magic (Crescent City Fae) – Deanna ChaseInfluential Magic by Deanna Chase
Series: Crescent City Fae
Published by Bayou Moon Press on 6 March 2013
Genres: Fantasy, Paranormal, Romance, Suspense
Pages: 318
4 Stars

Willow is able to sense when a vampire approaches, which is really great since she's a vampire hunter for the void. What not many people know is that being close to a vampire also drains her energy, and being touched by one bruises her.

Working for the void is not what Willow had planned, but once she signed the dotted line, that was magically enhanced, she cannot help but obey. Unfortunately, her evil aunt is her boss,

*I received a free ARC of Influential Magic from Bayou Moon Press via Netgalley in exchange of an honest review*

Influential Magic is a very refreshing paranormal urban fantasy story! There are both fairies and vampires, but they are not exactly the same as they are in other stories. Willow has some strange powers, she can transform the essence of plants, which is one of the reasons her bakery is so successful. She also can tell if a vampire is near, and more importantly, when a vampire is near, it sucks out her energy. That is one part of her power she is trying to keep secret – just as she tried to keep one of her new cakes a secret – it gives the person who feeds it to another power over them. Unfortunately, the Void, and Willow’s aunt had to be told, and ever since that day, Willow lives in fear that the vampires will be able to get their hands on her influence.

Influential Magic is populated by witches, vampires and faeries. There are humans, too, but they are not really important for the story. Willow has two mysteries she really wants to solve, the first one is her brother’s death. She is convinced her twin brother was killed, even if his death was said to be accidental. The second mystery is more urgent, it appears her life is in danger, and she isn’t sure who she can trust anymore. David is now a vampire, her own aunt treats her worse than any of the other Void employees, and her best friend Phoebe is acting strangely and keeping secrets from her as well. Then, there is Talisen, her brother’s best friend – who started flirting with her over the summer. She has no idea who she can turn to, but Tal is the one who seems to be most firmly on her side.

The paranormal creatures in Influential Magic are different from the same kinds of creatures in other stories. Wil looks kind of human, apart from her flimsy fairy wings – that she can use to fly! Vampires stick together, but sometimes, they have to be hunted by the Void and taken care of. The witches are very powerful, but it is not obvious where their powers come from. The intrigue of the creatures mixed with the two plots make Influential Magic move forward at a fast pace, and the reader seeing everything from Wil’s point of view, it is not easy to try to figure out what is going on. Especially when Phoebe and David start to keep things from Wil – is it to protect her? Or rather to ambush her more easily?

As the story unfolds, there are a lot more questions than answers at first, and Influential Magic is a tangled web of characters that are not usually working together trying to do so anyway. Wil is hurt more than once, both emotionally and physically, and the biggest secret of all was not that David has become a vampire! The characters are mostly fleshed out, but I wish I would have gotten to know Phoebe and David a little better – it is understandable that they needed to keep some things under wrap, but I would have enjoyed to ‘get’ them and not be kept in the dark alongside Wil. Towards the end, the action is very fast, and there are several surprises along the way.

If you want a paranormal romance that is different, and that has great characters and an exciting plot, you should get your hands on Influential Magic and just sit back and enjoy! I know I would love to read more about the Crescent City Fae in the future.

The familiarity of the situation set my nerves on edge. how many times had we sat together, sharing a comfortable silence?

Talisen stood against the wall, staring at me. Heat rose to my face. My outburst had left a gaping crater between us. The truth was, i had no idea what he saw when he looked at me. A sister? A close friend? A backup girlfriend if he ran through the world’s female population?

No. That wouldn’t be me. I wouldn’t compromise my inner strength just to take the easier route.

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Linda @ (un)Conventional Bookworms

About Linda @ (un)Conventional Bookworms

Linda is an English as foreign language teacher and has a Master's degree in English Language and Literature. She's an avid reader, blogger, compulsive one-clicker and a genre omnivore. Ever since she learnt how to read she has been seen with a book or two in her hands everywhere she goes.

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0 responses to “Review: Influential Magic (Crescent City Fae) – Deanna Chase

    • LOL I love how we keep ‘making’ each other add more books all the time, Stormi 🙂

      Thanks for stopping by.

    • It is really well done, Melliane. But I totally get what you mean about huge TBR piles 🙂

      Thanks for stopping by.

    • This one is very well done, Brandee, and I loved the powers Willow have, as well as the mystery part of the whole story.

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