Dangerous Magic by Monica Fairview

Dangerous Magic is not the typical book I would eagerly wait to read because I am not much into magic, however, everything in it is so perfect, that after reading it, I am now eagerly anticipating the sequel to be transported into this this magical realm once more.

I’ve read a few books that have magic elements in it, but Dangerous Magic is in a completely different league and stands out from all others. Unlike other books, the magic element in Dangerous Magic is not something that is simply added to a Darcy and Elizabeth story, it is the story itself, which makes the plot much more interesting and compelling in my perspective. I can easily see this book becoming part of a long term series, and I can see the resemblance it has to the appeal Harry Potter generated in millions of readers.

In Dangerous Magic the war between England and France is not fought by the usual military soldiers, it is fought by their best mages, and England is losing ground being almost dependent on Mr. Darcy, one of its strongest mages. However, he is a Janus Mage, which means that for him to be at his best, he must be paired with a “twin” mage. With only a few other mages compatible with Mr. Darcy’s magic, and being Elizabeth Bennet his best match, she is called to serve her country. However, she is not just required to fight the French, she is required to marry Mr. Darcy, a man she never met before.

Even though the story starts out with a forced marriage scenario, it doesn’t follow the usual plot lines we are used to. First, the main focus is not the marriage itself, but the bonding that needs to be created between Elizabeth and Darcy for them to be ready for the war against France. Secondly, instead of having one of them resenting the other because of the marriage, we see Elizabeth and Darcy joining forces to achieve a common goal. They have different views on how magic can be used, but their love for their country and their sense of duty, will bring them together, and slowly, they start seeing how their opposite views will make them stronger. I loved to see how resilient Elizabeth and Darcy’s connection was and how their love slowly grew into something bigger then themselves. I felt they could conquer everything as long as they were working together.

Most scenes in this book are placed at Founder’s Hall, where the most talented mages of the country are training to be ready for battle, and I loved everything about that place. I loved the existing rules and habits, the different rooms of the Hall, which were vivid in my mind due to Monica Fairview’s excellent writing, and most of all, I loved getting to know the different types of mages that exist. It made perfect sense for some mages to be specialised on attack, others to specialise on defensive spells, and also for healers to be around to care for the ones fighting in the front lines. This entire magic background made the book enthralling.

Another aspect I loved in Dangerous Magic was how Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth’s personalities were so well adjusted to the type of magic they practised. It was only logical that Mr. Darcy practises an academic magic, which follows the rules and requires a lot of study to memorize spells, while Elizabeth’s magic is more self-governed and based on instinct. Their strength and worthiness was proved in the final battle, and were it not for their divergent yet compatible gifts, all would be lost. I felt transported into this world and I was fighting alongside Darcy and Elizabeth on that last battle. Not every book can make me feel inside the story, but Dangerous Magic did that from the first word to the last one.

Darcy was in essentials the same we see in canon, except that in this book he is probably the only Mage who can save England from Napolean, giving him an additional charm that will certainly appeal to all readers. And Elizabeth’s character was pure perfection. I loved everything about her, but especially her resilience and ability to adapt to new and trying situations.

Dangerous Magic is a book that transports its readers into a wonderful new realm full of excitement. It is so well written that each scene is vivid and appears to be happening right in front of us. The magic element, the Hall, the war with Napolean and Elizabeth and Darcy’s romance all blend into an engaging story that I could not put down. I read this book non-stop and when I finished reading it, I felt the immediate need to either re-read it or read a sequel. I wanted to keep fighting the French mages with Darcy and Elizabeth, and even though it is a standalone, I wanted to know if they will win the war, if Elizabeth will form a friendship with Miss Bingley, if Lady Alice will receive her rightful punishment and how the Darcy’s will bring their magic into battle. Luckily, I know a sequel is in the works, and I can only hope it is released very shortly, because I am eager to read it.

Summing up, Dangerous Magic is a book no one should miss! It is a well written and engrossing story that creates a universe difficult to forget. It is one of my favourite books this year and I highly recommend it to everyone! If you love books around magic, you’ll be hooked with this one, and if you don’t, well…let’s just say that is about to change 🙂

Dangerous Magic was released today and you can find at:

Amazon.com

Amazon.co.uk

and on Kindle Unlimited