Magic Corrupts, Magic Conquers
By A.J. Locke
Warrior of the Divine Sword book 2

**I received a copy of the book from Entangled Publishing and Net Galley in exchange for a voluntary and honest review. My opinions are my own and not solicited.**
I highly recommend reading the first book as this story line picks up right where the last book ended.

What if everything you knew changed when you woke from a 300 year old sleep? Now you are both a celebrity and because things have changed also an enemy. There's now a new enemy that Pennrae and her friends will fight because it's taking over all of her friends and it wants just one thing: Penn's magic for if it has it the world will start anew.

She will also have to give something up when the soul mate when Callan is suddenly gone. What will the deity ask for? Can she save the world again with her faithful magic companion and her friends ? We'll have to wait for the next book to find out.

I have a problem with reading books where there’s a change in the time line because I’m always trying to mentally figure out what would have happened and what should be happening, when I really should just be enjoying the book. When I wasn’t trying to do that, I really enjoyed this latest in the series. Pennrae is a great character, and I enjoyed her and Callan. I was thrown for a loop at the end of the book when she made a decision, which made me so very angry with her, but now I’m wondering what that’s going to bring in the second book. Recommend. I was provided a complimentary copy which I voluntarily reviewed.

4.25/5 stars! This is the second book in the series. If I had known that, I would have read the first one because there is a lot of existing world-building in book 2 that is confusing at first without having read the first book. That being said, I really enjoyed this book. Penn is fun and sassy, which I appreciate in a heroine. This story has a great set up for a book 3; fingers crossed.

I received an advance review copy for free through NetGalley, and I am leaving this review voluntarily

This book is the second in the series and definitely links closely to the events of the first book - 'Magic Dark, Magic Devine.' I think you will struggle somewhat to follow all the ideas if you haven't read this first book that did considerable building of the story world.
Penn has become a quite reluctant hero in a world which really needs her - she really does have to save the day. It is a strong second saga for this character and you do become quite invested. There is a definite feeling at the end that there is more to come.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Enthralling, heart pounding, and wildly appealing fantasy

I loved returning to the world of Pennrae and her friends. This beautifully crafted and expertly delivered fantasy novel will give you all the feels - laughing, crying, swooning, cringing, teeth gritting, and cheering. The book picked up where the first book left off and I was once again sucked right into the story and unable to put it down. Pennrae has returned to the altered modern world now that she stopped the Majimorta and prevented the collapse of magic. Feeling she was needed more here, she chose to return to the modern timeline after receiving a reading that predicted her friends would face hardships. While magic has returned to the world, there are also new problems including some caused when Pennrae left the past to return to the altered timeline. Even though this is book two, the storyline was engaging and fresh rather than just a barely concealed repetition of book one. Many of the characters from the first book are in this story and there are also a few new characters who are introduced. The world building was superb drawing from the last book and weaving in new threads to match the altered timeline. The story includes all the goodness that you’d expect from this genre - fighting, dangerous situations, end of the world scenarios, paranormal creatures, evil entities, henchmen, loyal friends and family, tragic back stories, mystical coincidences, snark, and laughs. I love that Pennrae’s character, despite her unique overwhelming powers and how the rest of the world views her, is still kind, self-deprecating, modest, reluctant, and at times resentful which makes her a very likeable and relatable hero. “Why couldn’t we save the day and live happily ever after? Why was there always a price to pay and heartache to endure?” While this book can be read by itself - there is enough back story included so that you will not feel lost - do yourself a favor and read the first book as well because they are both phenomenal. Just like the first book in the series, the story arc for this book concludes by the end but we are left with a small teaser/not quite a cliff hanger for the next book which I will be eagerly awaiting.

4.5 stars (I'm deducting a half star cuz this hurt my feelings *sniff*)

Reentering this world and encountering these characters again felt like coming home. I didn't realize how much I missed Penn and Callan's banter and in-your-face love until I opened the book and am immediately confronted with it.

Ashe and Gideon don't miss their opportunity to remind you that they're *also* important.

This book shows Penn coming to terms with all of the trauma and upheaval of book one while being thrust into yet another life-or-death world-saving adventure. The stakes are just as high as book one and I was on the edge of my seat the same way. But this one hurt me more.

I NEED BOOK THREE IN THE NEXT 2.5 SECONDS PLEASE!!!!

This is one book where reading the first book in the series is a must - the worldbuilding , the characters and their relationships are too complex to start with this book

Penn was just a karate instructor , who having saved the world as it was is now is a celebrity ........ but the release of magics has also released an ancient forest guardian - who sees Penn as an enemy
Penn needs to release the full power of her divine magics and along with her friends must again risk all to save the world once more
The ending of this book leaves everything up in the air for the next book to resolve leaving me with too many questions

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own

Penn is back and the world has changed to a mixture of magic and tech as it was supposed to be. The evil she was fighting has been defeated and she and Ashe are hailed as heroes. But now there is a new and more insidious evil to combat, it will take all that Penn is to defeat it. I hated the way this story ends but just know the author will make it right in the next book. This is a wonderful addition to the saga and I can’[t wait for the next installment.