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Reckless Magic

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Reckless Magic

Written by: Rachel Higginson
Narrated by: Bailey Carr
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"Twilight meets Harry Potter." Fans of magic, mystery and romance will fall in love with book number one in the Amazon Best-Selling Star-Crossed Series!

Sixteen-year-old Eden Matthews has been in and out of private schools for the last two years. She can't seem to stop herself from closing them down. Kingsley is her last chance to finish high school. Only Kingsley isn't like the other schools she's been to. The students are different. But, then again, so is she. After meeting Kiran Kendrick, the mysterious boy who seems to be the source of all her problems, she is suddenly in a world that feels more make-believe than reality.

When her best friend Lilly is taken away and Kiran's life is threatened, Eden finds herself right in the middle of an ancient war that is so much bigger than high school. She alone has to find a way to save her best friend and the boy who has captivated her heart.

Reckless Magic is an intricate story about adventure, magic and forbidden love. Eden Matthews is an unlikely heroine determined to save the world and be with her one, true love before it's too late.

©2011 Rachel Higginson (P)2016 Audible, Inc. Fantasy Fiction Romance Magic Paranormal Heartfelt High School
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Once this Rachel Higginson story gets going, it reveals a gripping Civil War within the magical community. Higginson's vision involves four classes of "Immortals" - Titans, Shapechangers, Witches, and Mediums - who are battling for control of the direction their species should take.

The premise is fascinating.

Unfortunately, Higginson spoils the opportunity to deliver a captivating chronicle by spending fully a third of this book character-building a painfully clueless MC ('Eden Matthews').. the author really should have spent that effort on World-building instead of providing a character study for a genuinely annoying petulant/self-absorbed protagonist. Additionally, the confused teenage romantic feelings are taken to an extreme.. in fact, think of any YA cliché (e.g. misunderstood high-school misfit with remarkable powers that nobody knows about) and Higginson dials it to 11 - all the while exhibiting glaringly substandard vocabulary & prose.
[Note: Despite those deficiencies, Higginson describes an imaginative world and includes scenes of well-choreographed magical combat & plausible romantic feelings. The wasted opportunity is disheartening]

Bailey Carr's overenunciation and weak voice-acting are likewise unfortunate: She reads too slowly (consume this recording at 1.20X), but her timbre, cadence, and tone are creditable. The choice of reader for the series by Audible Studios Inc. was a defensible one.
Each sentence, sadly, ends with a James Hetfieldesque "Ah" (as in any early Metallica song) - and when coupled with perhaps the worst British accent I have ever heard (for Titan bodyguard 'Talbot') - the narration downgrades my assessment. If you are deadset on reading the 'Star Crossed' series and have the option of reading a text (paper or eBook) version, do that.

Altogether, this iteration of 'Reckless Magic' only rates 5 stars out of 10. Even disregarding the subpar delivery, it's "adequate" at best. You aren't crazy to give this book a listen if you can get it as a 'Plus' selection (included with your subscription).. but unless you are a rabid fan of YA Fantasy, spend your Credit elsewhere.

Bit of a Letdown..

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Narrations is kind of annoying. A bit too breathy and fantastical when it would be much more enjoyable if it was said more plainly.

I found the beginning of the story a little bothersome but found it got better later on. Perhaps I also didn't like that they kept her in the dark the way they did.

The fact that they keep saying "could care less" rather than "couldn't* care less" grinds my gears though. Not as bad but still notably annoying to me was saying "on accident" rather than "by accident", but they don't say it nearly as often as the former.

The end way good and makes me excited for what happens next.

Gets better

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uses "gypsy" and "communist" to describe Romania and Roma people and homeless Romanians. "dirty" and "primative" also used to describe the Roma people. typical story line of elite rich kids with magic and money and privilege fighting against each other. good narration.

Great narration. Tired story.

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Worth the read but not my favourite lead characters. Eden was very whiny, but had a fun storyline.

Worth a try

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Such a well written series with complex characters and a story line that continues on through all the books. Every book in this series was captivating. Wish there were more to read!! Buy it - you won't regret it if you love adventure and fantasy!

If you loved this you'll for sure want to read the Throne of Glass series by Sarah Maas!

LOVE

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