DNF @40%

This book just wasn’t for me. I was drawn in by the premise but the plot and characters just couldn’t hold my interest, I was also really annoyed by some plot turns.

• Firstly, the blurb didn’t state the romance would be between a teacher and his student( though both are adult men ) I just HATE this romance trope. This is a complete personal preference.

•Secondly Isaiah, the love interest, is creepy. He can access your mind and accesses James personal thoughts without permission. When James tries to talk about boundaries, this is his response:

“ “Hmmm. Well, I’m not going to let you go. That’s not going to happen.” Isaiah leaned forward, too close. In fact, he came in so close I was forced back. His gaze never wavered as he stared at me with those soul-catching blue irises. Before I knew it, I was lying on the bench, and he’d pressed his body on top of me and whispered in my ear, “I don’t do boundaries very well. You intrigue me, and I like you too much.”

That alone is one of the reasons why I couldn’t enjoy this. I ignored the romance and continued on a bit for the characters but they remained two dimensional and boring.

*Thank you to netgalley and publisher for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.*

This was way better than I was expecting, because the beginning was a bit faltering and I wasn't sure if I was going to like it. But boy, I did!

Sometimes the characters were a bit flat, but overall, the story was so good!

This was way better than I was expecting, because the beginning was a bit faltering and I wasn't sure if I was going to like it. But boy, I did!

Basically, the premise is that there's this facility where powerful, out-of-control magic-users learn to use their gifts properly, and the protagonist is a teacher there who is forced to return after a year's absence to fulfill his contract and is assigned a class of six adult students. It kind of reminded me of the X-Men if the mutants were more paranormal than sci-fi (although I guess there's a bunch of overlap there anyways).

I really liked the plot and the way everything unfolded; one criticism I had was that some of the characters - especially the cookie-cutter villain - were a little flat, and one-dimensional at times, but there was some definite character development in some of them that I liked. Stereotypical villains are one of my pet peeves though, which is why this is a four star rather than a five, although there's an introduction to a more interesting antagonist towards the end of the book that promises great things from the second volume...

Full review to come.
I deeply apologize, but life is a handful lately and I'm using all my free time to read, not review. I hope everybody understands.

I had no idea what to expect when I downloaded Magic or Die from netgalley. Think of Magic or Die as an X-Men - type action/romance, but the Professor X character is younger, angry, and driven to alcoholism by grief; and he only has a few weeks to train his students or they will be killed off as "threats" to the larger community. I really liked the setting and the characters were quite interesting. The different types of abilities were unusual, particularly the Arcane talents. My only really complaint centers around the romance between James and Isaiah; they had very little chemistry; so little that I found the romance strained credulity. Nonetheless, this was a fun book, and I think that anyone looking for a super-powered romance (but no actual super heroes) will enjoy it.

I wasn't quite sure what to expect from this book, but I ended up really enjoying the book. Basically, the story involves a "school" for magic. The school is less Hogwarts and more Alcatraz. Overall, the book was engaging and a lot of fun to read. It was refreshing to read an LGBTQ-themed Urban Fantasy novel where the sexual escapades weren't the most interesting part of the book. I think the author has done a great job of setting up the series, and I can't wait to see what's in store for this group of misfits and outcasts when the next book arrives.

PS. I was given a copy of this book prior to its release date for review purposes.

"Magic or die" was a good read, with some interesting developments magical superpower wise. This part was great and well done. I also really appreciated that the students were all together and not bickering and demoralizing one another. The romance was sweet, even if it was a nearly instalove story (more insta-lust and insta-friendship story) with a little too much "cuteness" and "furryness" for sure!
The story is a neat situation of good guys against bad guys, but without any unduly simplifications.
The main part is rather homogeneous, without much developments, but an easy and interested read. The atmosphere was strong and the characters believable in their otherness mixed with everyday-people-ness.
The end was a bit ackwark: the story should maybe have stop a little earlier. There are some absurd decisions (stay put when they should run, go in a very dangerous place without any real need instead of staying put) just to introduce the sequel - a shame.

A book I recommend for readers who love super powers mixed with learning, and appreciate strong and healthy relationships between people solid in adversity.

I received a free review copy of this book from Netgalley.

Librarian: Nope. This book isn't a good fit for my collection. It's far too adult to even consider adding. However, an adult services librarian should consider it if they feel like they have a need for more urban fantasy/LGBT titles.
Reader: There are certain tropes that exists in a large percentage of urban fantasy series. These tropes are so common that I actually made a spread sheet detailing how they appear in each series, so that I can refer to it when performing readers advisory on the topic. For the most part this story fits rather neatly into the boxes that most of these stories do (I.E. Hero who doubts own heroism/has major flaws, vaguely sinister "good guy" organization that the hero works for slash/is affiliated with, etc.) There are some exceptions (the protagonist is a gay man, so there's no "sexy, female partner/authority figure/potential love interest", and there's nothing vague about the sinister nature of the CMRD), but for the most part the story feels predictably familiar, in all the right ways. It is scarier than a lot of books in this genre, so be prepared for a few minor chills.
3.5 stars

I really enjoyed reading this books for many different reasons. I loved that the protagonist was flawed and sometimes unlikeable. I liked that the powers these people have weren't something to be desired and made me grateful I had nothing to do with them.

The novel revolves around James, a man with a few special powers. He has a contract with the CMRD and has to fulfill it - teaching students to control their powers all while being haunted by a ghost of one of his past students. It's a struggle to work with so many strong personalities in one room, but if he doesn't sort them out, they will be executed.

I loved the ideas of the Arcanes - people being possessed by some sort of spirit. Poor Annabelle! I'm hoping that in the future we get to see more indecision from her. She came from a religious background so this would have to bother her more than what is shown! She obviously couldn't worry about it too much in this book because it was a survival instinct that took over, but due to the ending, she doesn't have to support it anymore. I'm hoping to see great inner conflict from her!

I loved Chris as well! He has such a great backstory and I'm so curious about the mystery around him being taken in. Was it the CMRD? Or something else? Is his brother dead? I'm so ready to find out!

However, it had some inconsistencies that bothered me. Our protagonist, James, is scouted to teach these children because he's apparently powerful and unique. However, we see time and time again that he's not that powerful and not really that unique either. He has the power to control other people, but only if they are willing or don't know about his power. And he can also make shields that everyone else seemed to be able to as well. He couldn't hold onto either power for very long so how is he meant to be that powerful compared to everyone else who can do really amazing stuff. Like the guy who can turn back time? That's awesome!

Isaiah is a strange romantic option. First, he's described as resigned and not so happy, and we meet his demon first which is awesome! I was hoping Isaiah would be different, but instead he's practically the same character. So how is someone that holds himself in such a resigned manner be so outgoing? It just seems like the author set out to write one character and then got bored and changed him halfway.

Back to the powers - the whole reason James is there is to teach them. But... he doesn't. He's so "smart" at the start, but then claims to actually know nothing. He basically hands them books and they teach themselves. So why couldn't they have books earlier? Why did James have to teach them himself? And for people so "out of control" they learnt to control themselves within a few pages and be perfectly fine and managing powers they didn't even know they had.

To be fair, the ending was amazing and I really want to read the sequel. I feel like this series will get better and better and I'm excited for that!

Magic Or Die ~ J.P. Jackson



I never know what to expect when it comes to LGBTQ novels. I can honestly say this one was thoroughly entrancing. Well written and it kept the main protagonist down to earth. The story line was energetic and captivating. There was no more erotic plot points then there are in a Laurell K Hamilton book.

The main Protagonist James Martin is almost an Everyman. He is a normal guy and not filled with overly stereotypical fluff that you see in most gay portrayals. He is in a downturn of life when we meet him and see that not everything is glamorously fabulous. While overcoming the death of his boyfriend, he is roped into working for the very organization that is responsible for his death. But once he sees that there are people that need him, he knows that there is only one thing to do.

Not wanting to give much more of the story away I'm keeping this review shorter and more to the point. I am looking forward to the next installment of the series.

Now Available For Your Reading Pleasure.

Great start and plenty of background information. From the start the story hooks you. Demons, magic and shape shifting. One broken man to reign in five out of control subjects in six months or they die, each one with a unique power. Isiah, Annabelle, Ning, Chris and Camila. Favourite character was Isiah. The demons were creepy but cool, Miriam needs to die and Cody was full on chills down your spine. Really enjoyable and so much going on. Loved it. Looking forward to the next book.