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Book Review of Magic Lost, Trouble Found (Raine Benares, Bk 1)

Magic Lost, Trouble Found (Raine Benares, Bk 1)
reviewed on + 40 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 5


This is the beginning of a wonderful swords/sorcerers series. I picked it up at a train station bookstore when I was stranded on a business trip and desperate for any escapist reading. It turned out to be a pretty good read. Enough that I went looking for the next installment. Then it kept getting better with books 2 and 3, which flesh out the main characters nicely while featuring even more fast-paced catastrophe and intrigue. The heroine is a magnet for magical troubles who somehow manages to stay just one step away from disaster. The story is packed full of all the classic fantasy characters: mages and elves, goblins and demons, pirates, knights and bards. With lots of nifty bladed weapons thrown in. Yet it's got a sort of modern, ironic tone. Raine would actually be a great character no matter what kind of costume drama or urban fantasy you dropped her into. Kickass but still sweet and funny. She comes from a long line of dashing pirates and charming conmen, but she knows the real thieves are often politicians and bureaucrats. Despite her magical abilities and demon-bashing skills, you could easily imagine meeting up with her for a beer at the corner pub.