Through NetGalley, I received a free copy of CASTING SHADOWS (Book 4 of the MagicSmith Series) by L.R. Braden in exchange for an honest review. The Purity candidate has been elected and discrimination against fae and magic users has become the accepted norm. Alex and her group are still trying to lie low and avoid conflict, but crimes against the magical are escalating, and no one is seeking justice for those harmed. When Alex learns that May, the young sister of Alex’s friend Emma, didn’t come home from school, Alex has a seeing that a fae took May. Alex can’t let the world know that the fae are kidnapping children because it would flip hostilities into war, so Alex must brave the realms of faery, defy her grandfather, overcome her ignorance of her magical abilities, and defeat new and old foes to accomplish her quest.

I enjoy this series and liked this book. It seemed to go by too quickly and left me wanting more. I recommend this book to fans of the series. I recommend the series to fans of urban fantasy featuring vampires, werewolves, fae, witches, wizards, and interdimensional travel.

#CastingSahdows #NetGalley

After reading a series of disappointing books that had me DNFing left, right and centre this was a breath of fresh air.

Set in a world where humans and the fae were at war and are now in an uneasy peace, with pure human bigotry on the rise, when werewolves and vampires are still a secret, one young woman stands at the centre of it all.

Alex Blackwood, our halfer blacksmith is back. After the events of the last book it is only a matter of time before the videos of Alex confessing she is immune to iron and Sophie transforming into a werewolf are broadcast.

Then May’s little sister goes missing and Alex discovers she’s been abducted by a fae. What follows had enough magic, battles, vampires, strange creatures and intrigue to keep me glued to my Kindle.

If you used to love PNR and/or Urban Fantasy but you’ve read all the books by your favourite authors and the others are all a bit meh, I highly recommend this series which is just getting into its stride.

I cannot wait for the next book, but I fear Alex’s love life may not be all plain sailing ...

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

New challenges, new threats, additional dangers from the PTE and other race hating humans, complicated dealings with fae lords, new magical twists. Between all her old problems and her increasing new ones, Alex is kept on her toes, running to put out every new fire.

This series hasn't failed to constantly provide fresh content. There are new threats and problems, new magical developments, new fae realms and adversaries. Alex has a great team of friends who have her back. Her own character hasn't flattened out yet; she's still fighting her fears and understanding her motives, even finding out that there are still more secrets she's yet to learn of her own family.

I'm still upset that there's so little hope for Alex's future in the human realm. With all the anti fae and anti magic crackdowns, it seems inevitable that Alex will lose all she ever had in her human life. It's a depressing background thought while I'm reading. At least Alex recognizes all the issues of having a relationship with a vampire. It's refreshing to read a book that doesn't romanticize blood drinking and immortality and all the other issues of a human/vamp relationship.

But Alex is still up there, kicking her way past every insurmountable challenge.

I received a copy in exchange for an honest review.

**I was provided an electronic ARC via the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for honest review.**

Alex and crew return in the latest installment in the Magicsmith series by LR Braden. This is the fourth book in the series, which makes it increasingly difficult to discuss without spoilers.

All of the the things that made the first three appealing were carried through in this book as well. LR Braden makes characters accessible and has a way of developing even side characters so that they are relatable and have potential to be favorites.The writing is fast-paced and easy to fly through.

We got to see more of Alex's character growth in this book than the others, though I missed Kai's presence. I look forward to learning more about Haru and Chase in future works in the series.

I look forward to continuing this series and reading whatever other books LR Braden puts forward.

Thank you Netgalley. I really like this series and was looking forward to this installment. I was not disappointed! There was a good plot that made sense throughout. There is some romance but it was not such a major part that it was distracting. I kinda wish there was a little more heat between Alex and James. It has only been 3 or 4 months that all this is happening after all. I thought this was going to be a 4 book series but with the end I think there will be another which makes me very happy.

A fast paced book with plenty of thrills. Alex will travel to fae on a rescue mission as persecution of paranormals come to a head as the new governor wages all out war on non humans. Excellent characters, great storyline. I voluntarily reviewed this book for Netgalley.

-- Read this review, and others, on my blog at www.hookedbythatbook.com --

Alex Blackwood is back, and in even more trouble than before, if that is even possible. The PTF is heavily breathing down her neck, and anybody that is associated with her.

At the start of the story Alex is facing a huge, but fairly vague threat from the PTF. Later on she had a specific focus to rescue May and the other missing children. This made the danger to her and her friends more immediate, and more interesting to read. Alex developed a lot in terms of relationships, how she views herself, and using her magic.

For some reason, I’m still not that into Alex and James as a couple. But James does stand by her the entire time, and gives her the space she needs to do what has to be done. He was a strong and necessary support for her when things got really tough, especially mentally.

Things do look a bit bleak at this point for Alex and her friends. But with Alex learning more about her powers and able to use them more effectively, there is also a lot of hope.

This story has lots of action, some relationship mending, and Alex and James getting even closer. I look forward to the next book.

Thank you to Bell Bridge Books and Netgalley for providing me with an ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This may be my favorite of the series so far! There has definitely been a lot of character growth for Alex throughout the series and she is finally becoming the hero/person I hoped to see. I loved that the fae realms were featured. The storyline of this book was great, and the overall plot arc is moving along. My one complaint is that I want a little more focus on and movement in the real world events of Purity, not just her adventure. Can’t wait for the next one!

An excellent addition to a great series that I love.
It's as engrossing as usual and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Great characters, world building and plot.
Can't wait to read the next installment.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

This series keeps getting better and more exciting as Alex becomes more enthralled with the supernaturals. Trouble is brewing and Purity is send out the PTF to bring in supernatural creatures or those suspected to helping them or those humans with magic. Alex will due anything to keep her friends safe and she seems to keep on getting house guests too. Alex's next adventures involve avoiding the PTF and finding out where the missing children have disappeared to. Alex will discover more things about herself and have to face truths that she has kept buried. Alex belongs to neither the fae nor the humans, yet is being forced to pick a side. War is coming and Alex is caught in the middle. Alex do anything to keep her friends and loved ones safe, even if it means making bargains.
I received this novel from net galley and the publisher as an ARC. Thank you! All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I love this series! Alex is full of surprises and never fails to keep my attention. There is such a variety of beings including a chimera that my mind was spinning keeping them straight. Such a unique world to fall in to.

This is an excellent series that gets better and more complex with each addition.

Alex is tasked with finding friend, Emma's sister. The sister has been kidnapped and is in Faerie. That is a very simplistic summation.

Nevertheless with every book, Alex continues to grow and change. She learns quite a bit about herself and her background.

I am also a fan of other character, especially Alex's love interest.

I highly recommend this book, especially to lovers of the urban paranormal fantasy genre.

I received a free ARC. I am leaving my honest review.

This is the fourth book in this series, and I love that it just keeps getting better and better. Tensions are getting much higher between humans and non-humans, and of course Alex is one of the ones at the center. But her friend’s sister has been kidnapped so she must put everything aside and find her. The plot just keeps getting more and more complex, and the revelations towards the end were just so surprising. I generally see those coming. LOL! I love the excellent writing, complex characters, interesting plot, and the great action, and I think those who love urban fantasy will, too. Highly recommend! I was provided a complimentary copy which I voluntarily reviewed.