Much Ado About Magic (Enchanted, Inc., #5) in SOS: Serious Overload of Series

May 01, 2017 Thenia rated it liked it

Shelves: r-ab, reviewed, paranormal, series, magic, 2021

Much Ado About Magic on Books On Track

It's been many years since I read the previous book of the series, which at the time I thought was the last one, so my recollection of the world and characters was vague to say the least.

Katie, a magical immune, is offered a new position in the magic company she used to work for, Magical Illusions, Inc, and she is thrown right into the deep end.

A villain appears to have cast compulsion spells all over the magical community, including her boyfriend Owen, and

Much Ado About Magic on Books On Track

It's been many years since I read the previous book of the series, which at the time I thought was the last one, so my recollection of the world and characters was vague to say the least.

Katie, a magical immune, is offered a new position in the magic company she used to work for, Magical Illusions, Inc, and she is thrown right into the deep end.

A villain appears to have cast compulsion spells all over the magical community, including her boyfriend Owen, and Katie will do everything in her power to make sure he is stopped.

When Owen is (view spoiler).

Katie and Owen are now closer than ever and (view spoiler).

The series is light and engaging, with all sorts of magical shenanigans happening, and I am looking forward to reading about Katie and Owen's next adventures in the next book in the series, No Quest For The Wicked.

Previous book reviews:
✦ Don't Hex with Texas (Enchanted, Inc. #4) ~ ★★★★ (17/01/2012)
✦ Damsel Under Stress (Enchanted, Inc. #3) ~ ★★★ (19/11/2011)
✦ Once Upon Stilettos (Enchanted, Inc. #2) ~ ★★★★ (25/01/2010)
✦Enchanted, Inc. (Enchanted, Inc. #1) ~ ★★★★ (23/01/2010) ...more

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Jan 18, 2019 Diane ~Firefly~ rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: kindle, magic, paranormal, chick-lit

Great to see all the questions from the series answered, although surprised as well since there are more books.

What I enjoyed:
* Learning more about the magical world and the council (view spoiler)
* Finding out who was behind everything since the beginning
* Nita is a blast!
* Owen's mom is a force to be reckoned with
* The villain was brilliant and stupid at the same time (view spoiler) ...more

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Jul 21, 2012 The Flooze rated it liked it

Shelves: urban-fantasy-paranormal, romance_or_chicklit, owned, vanquished_2012

*3.5*

A welcome continuation to the series, wrapping up many of the loose ends that made the fourth book so irksome as a series ender.

Considering the author put this one out herself, I was a tad worried. However, as the updates kept coming in and Ms. Swendson announced she'd landed the same editor used for the previous volumes, I became eager to dive in. The result is a polished, professional piece that shows the merit of self-pub when in the right hands. I'm so happy the author went ahead with *3.5*

A welcome continuation to the series, wrapping up many of the loose ends that made the fourth book so irksome as a series ender.

Considering the author put this one out herself, I was a tad worried. However, as the updates kept coming in and Ms. Swendson announced she'd landed the same editor used for the previous volumes, I became eager to dive in. The result is a polished, professional piece that shows the merit of self-pub when in the right hands. I'm so happy the author went ahead with this project; it wasn't fair for the original publisher to drop this mid-series - especially considering its similarity to many currently popular titles.

Much Ado About Magic follows in the same vein as the previous installments, maintaining the chick-litish style of urban fantasy that's entertaining and easily devoured in a short time span. Katie is the country girl gone city, but she never comes across as trying too hard to be either. I found her and her boyfriend, Owen, a little less saccharine this time which was a welcome change. I just wonder when and if they're ever going to get some genuine quality time together so we can see what their relationship is really like.

The glimpses into office life at MSI are still amusing - from the constantly partying sales team to the gargoyle security force - and I enjoy learning about the more practical aspects of running a magical company. I feel like the author has the organizational chart mapped out and has dealt with her own fair share of office politics, making Katie's work life relatable. I also like seeing NYC through the eyes of a relative newcomer and found myself smirking in agreement through some of the descriptions (I may have looked around the train once or twice wondering if any fellow commuters might be sporting an illusion...but New York has enough weirdness without digging around for more).

I only have a few gripes about this book. One is inherent to the category: being chick-litish, it doesn't have the opportunity to get very gritty or deep in terms of character development or true villainy. That could be a personal thing, as I generally gravitate towards series where few characters are completely safe from severe injury or death. The other is the passage of time. The book covers about a month and a half(?) of Katie's life and it was a bit hard for me to resolve how much time was spent doing more mundane things. Again, this is probably related to the category but I find it interesting to think Katie's life seemed almost too normal for me.

As for the overall plot, this volume focuses on uncovering more baddies and resolving the Idris issue for good(?). It's a much stronger finish to the story arc, giving us names and motivations and solving other mysteries we didn't even know we wanted solved, so I'm very grateful to Ms. Swendson for getting this book out. My only questions now are what what will Katie and Owen have to deal with next? And will they ever have time for a proper date or two!

I'm going to make some tea and find out. ...more

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