Thursday, September 29, 2011

Review: "Remedial Magic" by Jenna Black

"Remedial Magic" (Faeriewalker, #0.5)
by Jenna Black

Genre: Fantasy/Faeries
Reading Grade: Young Adult (short story)
Publishing Type: traditional
Publication Date: December 17, 2010
Source: Kindle store (freebie)
Age Rating: 14+

Having a prodigy for an older brother is not so fun…especially one who is magic wiz-kid. But Kimber has a plan to finally step out of his shadow.


My Review

I immediately took a liking to this short story. It's told from the POV of a fifteen-year-old girl named Kimber, who is a wise-cracking genius college student (already). She is a faerie, but is sorely lacking in the magical abilities department, so this is a source of pain and embarrassment for her. To make matters worse, her older brother of two years, named Ethan, is a phenomenally gifted faerie and attracts plenty of female admires, much to Kimber's chagrin. Well, he steals all her friends away because they are female.

So, Kimber gets this idea to have a faerie tutor come to the house while she thinks no one is home to help her develop her abilities. The tutor is a college freshmen, like herself, but she's eighteen, as most college freshman are. Somehow things go horribly wrong and Ethan shows up only to steal yet another potential friend from Kimber.

The YA voice in this story was spot-on and refreshingly hilarious. I could easily hear Kimber's voice in my head. The drawback is that it is far too short to really convey a complete story. It's more like the beginning of a good story, and maybe some of the middle, but none of the end. So, I can't give it as many stars as I'd like for that. Mostly, the preview to the first Faeriewalker book is there, right afterward, demanding to be read.

I had already purchased Glimmerglass (book 1 of Faeriewalker), before I obtained this title, but I now believe I'll enjoy it, although the protagonist is not the same person. Still, I believe in the author's writing and voice, which are both superb. Recommended for those who simply want a taste of the Faeriewalker series before committing to it.

My score: 4 out of 5 stars.

9 comments:

  1. I really need to get myself a Kindle. Remedial Magic sounds hilarious. The whole brother/sister dynamic would be interesting to read if it's well done as it seems to be. Shame that Glimmerglass isn't in the perspective of the same character.

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  2. I have to say I love the sound of it that you describe! It sounds like a real enjoyable read. I love when the narrator has those hilarious voices. It sucks that it was a bit short though, but perhaps worth a try anyway! Great review. :)

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  3. @Lan: Yes, get a Kindle! They are wonderful. These days, they're only $79.

    @Rebecca: It is worth a read, since it's free, after all. You've got nothing to lose, and it's really funny.

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  4. Will check it out! Thanks for the heads up. Free reads are a great way to discover new authors...

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  5. I've been wondering about this series. Remedial Magic might be a good place for me to start. Love finding new things to read. Great review!
    (new follower!)

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  6. @BJ: You're welcome, of course. Can't hurt to read something for free, that's for sure.

    @Andrea: Yes, it's the perfect way to see if you'll like the Faeriewalker series. Thanks for following!

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  7. Wise-cracking geniuses are usually good for some fun. :)

    I love all the freebies available for e-reader peeps too!

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  8. @Lindsay: Yes, they are and it's great that we live in a era of many free books, even if they are free virtual books.

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  9. Despite some bad reviews, this short story actually caught my interest in a good way. It made me want to begin reading the series.
    The 'spelling mistake' mentioned in many reviews was intentional, and I think that most of the negative reviewers would have realized this if they had continued reading. There were no spelling mistakes in the rest of the story.

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