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Otherworld #3
Dime Store Magic
Paige Winterbourne was always either too young or too rebellious to succeed her mother as leader of one of the world's most powerful elite organizations- the American Coven of Witches. Now that she is twenty-three and her mother is dead, the Elders can no longer deny her. But even Paige's wildest antics can't hold a candle to those of her new charge- an orphan who is all too willing to use her budding powers for evil... and evil is all too willing to claim her. For this girl is being pursued by a dark faction of the supernatural underworld. They are a vicious group who will do anything to woo the young, malleable, and extremely powerful neophyte, including commit murder- and frame Paige for the crime. It's an initiation into adulthood, womanhood, and the brutal side of magic that Paige will have to do everything within her power to make sure they both survive.
448 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published February 10, 2004
About the author
Kelley Armstrong
281 books32.4k followersKelley Armstrong has been telling stories since before she could write. Her earliest written efforts were disastrous. If asked for a story about girls and dolls, hers would invariably feature undead girls and evil dolls, much to her teachers' dismay. All efforts to make her produce "normal" stories failed.
Today, she continues to spin tales of ghosts and demons and werewolves, while safely locked away in her basement writing dungeon. She's the author of the NYT-bestselling "Women of the Otherworld" paranormal suspense series and "Darkest Powers" young adult urban fantasy trilogy, as well as the Nadia Stafford crime series. Armstrong lives in southwestern Ontario with her husband, kids and far too many pets.
Today, she continues to spin tales of ghosts and demons and werewolves, while safely locked away in her basement writing dungeon. She's the author of the NYT-bestselling "Women of the Otherworld" paranormal suspense series and "Darkest Powers" young adult urban fantasy trilogy, as well as the Nadia Stafford crime series. Armstrong lives in southwestern Ontario with her husband, kids and far too many pets.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,392 reviews
November 28, 2017
The best part of reading this was doing a buddy read with the MacHalo group. If you want to join a fun and active reading group, join this one. They are not crazy, but definitely pushing the boundaries pretty hard. You can even get away with barely participating, like me, and still be a happy member.
Okay, now that the commercial is over.
So, this book was about a witch, Paige, who has custody of a seriously bratty teenager who has strong magic. Let's just say that rebellious bratty kids with the power to hex adults is a really really bad idea. We learn this a few times when her little spells ended up in much bloodshed.
But, there are others who want bratty teen-witch for their own, and they are suing Paige for custody. Yes, this book is a custody battle. And, like all legal battles, there will be lying, scheming, murder, mayhem, zombies... and worst of all- lawyers...
For the first part of the book I was seriously wondering if I could get through it. There were summons', legal maneuvering, and depositions going on. It was that same feeling as when we all got excited that the Star Wars franchise was going to make prequels and then we got senate meetings for two hours.
Oh my gosh, could they ruin it any more than this?
Yes. Yes, they could.
Luckily, this was no regular legal battle, though. There was a hella lot more killing going on. So, it wasn't too boring. Just a bit boring.
Speaking of boring... our heroine meets her hero in the form of a young lawyer that is going to help her. She describes him as looking bland. She says that he's the kind of person you see and then forget a minute later. I would also describe his personality as bland. He's the kind of guy that won't laugh at a joke, but will point out the scientific errors in it. He's the kind of guy who will tell you when it is appropriate to use the word "whom". Stand back, ladies, he's taken!
Yes, our hero is a Hispanic version of Dwight. I'm not sure about his stance on beets.
Much like Dwight, though, this guy grows on you. He is always there for Paige when she needs him, and he is very steady in every way. I know, I know, your ovaries are probably quivering by now, but like I said, he's taken. You missed your shot.
Overall, when it came to rating this book and I was hovering over the stars, when the two-star rating came up as "it was okay", I felt like it completely captured my complex feelings over this book. It's like a mind-reader or something.
Will I read the next one? Maybe, if it is with the group. No, if it is dependent upon my motivation to read it on my own.
Okay, now that the commercial is over.
So, this book was about a witch, Paige, who has custody of a seriously bratty teenager who has strong magic. Let's just say that rebellious bratty kids with the power to hex adults is a really really bad idea. We learn this a few times when her little spells ended up in much bloodshed.
But, there are others who want bratty teen-witch for their own, and they are suing Paige for custody. Yes, this book is a custody battle. And, like all legal battles, there will be lying, scheming, murder, mayhem, zombies... and worst of all- lawyers...
For the first part of the book I was seriously wondering if I could get through it. There were summons', legal maneuvering, and depositions going on. It was that same feeling as when we all got excited that the Star Wars franchise was going to make prequels and then we got senate meetings for two hours.
Oh my gosh, could they ruin it any more than this?
Yes. Yes, they could.
Luckily, this was no regular legal battle, though. There was a hella lot more killing going on. So, it wasn't too boring. Just a bit boring.
Speaking of boring... our heroine meets her hero in the form of a young lawyer that is going to help her. She describes him as looking bland. She says that he's the kind of person you see and then forget a minute later. I would also describe his personality as bland. He's the kind of guy that won't laugh at a joke, but will point out the scientific errors in it. He's the kind of guy who will tell you when it is appropriate to use the word "whom". Stand back, ladies, he's taken!
Yes, our hero is a Hispanic version of Dwight. I'm not sure about his stance on beets.
Much like Dwight, though, this guy grows on you. He is always there for Paige when she needs him, and he is very steady in every way. I know, I know, your ovaries are probably quivering by now, but like I said, he's taken. You missed your shot.
Overall, when it came to rating this book and I was hovering over the stars, when the two-star rating came up as "it was okay", I felt like it completely captured my complex feelings over this book. It's like a mind-reader or something.
Will I read the next one? Maybe, if it is with the group. No, if it is dependent upon my motivation to read it on my own.
January 1, 2021
I absolutely adore Paige and identify with her purely.
If you haven’t read the first two books of this series, you need to turn that little butt right around and march to your library and check out Elena’s books Bitten and Stolen. Even though these stories are not always told by the same person, there is a flow to them. Like, for example, Paige and Savannah were not only introduced in the second book, Stolen, but they also rely heavily on the set up into this story.
Paige is a young twenty-something witch who is taking care of a tween named Savannah. Both of their mother’s died (reasons in the last book, Stolen) and they are constantly trying to make it work.
Well, here comes a Volo (telekinetic) half-demon cop named Leah who just really wants Savannah for some reason. Seriously I don’t know why she is so bent out of shape about her. She wants custody over the girl. But she isn’t a relative or anything.
In order to lay her claim, Leah goes and finds Savannah's dad. For some reason she believes that it is a sorcerer who is a big bad business lawyer, Nast Cabal. The Cabal thing is just too much for me to explain for you. It's kind of like Wolfram and Hart (TV show Angel, Buffyverse) except they are all sorcerers and family members? There are different branches for each family? You’ll have to read to find out exactly who they are.
There are satanic rituals, house burnings, running from the police, grave digging, conjuring demons, unexplained deaths and the dead walking in this book. The story itself is literally the most entertaining thing. You won’t get bored.
Now, the writing on the other hand… is literally better. Armstrong does not disappoint when it comes to writing in a way that makes you laugh and makes you feel for the characters she wants you to. Paige is nothing like Elena, yet she is everything and more. I love Elena and Paige for different reasons and I am happy that more than one character has been the center of a book.
Not to mention Lucas is 100% legit.
Get into this series if you like risky things, gore, horror, supernatural, twist, and nonstop wonderfulness.
If you haven’t read the first two books of this series, you need to turn that little butt right around and march to your library and check out Elena’s books Bitten and Stolen. Even though these stories are not always told by the same person, there is a flow to them. Like, for example, Paige and Savannah were not only introduced in the second book, Stolen, but they also rely heavily on the set up into this story.
Paige is a young twenty-something witch who is taking care of a tween named Savannah. Both of their mother’s died (reasons in the last book, Stolen) and they are constantly trying to make it work.
Well, here comes a Volo (telekinetic) half-demon cop named Leah who just really wants Savannah for some reason. Seriously I don’t know why she is so bent out of shape about her. She wants custody over the girl. But she isn’t a relative or anything.
In order to lay her claim, Leah goes and finds Savannah's dad. For some reason she believes that it is a sorcerer who is a big bad business lawyer, Nast Cabal. The Cabal thing is just too much for me to explain for you. It's kind of like Wolfram and Hart (TV show Angel, Buffyverse) except they are all sorcerers and family members? There are different branches for each family? You’ll have to read to find out exactly who they are.
There are satanic rituals, house burnings, running from the police, grave digging, conjuring demons, unexplained deaths and the dead walking in this book. The story itself is literally the most entertaining thing. You won’t get bored.
Now, the writing on the other hand… is literally better. Armstrong does not disappoint when it comes to writing in a way that makes you laugh and makes you feel for the characters she wants you to. Paige is nothing like Elena, yet she is everything and more. I love Elena and Paige for different reasons and I am happy that more than one character has been the center of a book.
Not to mention Lucas is 100% legit.
Get into this series if you like risky things, gore, horror, supernatural, twist, and nonstop wonderfulness.
July 15, 2015
I somehow missed reading this book, which is the 3rd novel in Kelley Armstrong’s Women of the Otherworld series and as I loved this series, decided that I wanted to know more about Paige Winterbourne.
Synopsis: Leader of the American Coven, guardian to the preteen daughter of a black witch … it’s not the lifestyle twenty-three year-old Paige Winterbourne imagined for herself, and it’s wreaking hell on her social life.
But she’s up to the challenge. When half-demon Leah O’Donnell returns to fight for custody of Savannah, Paige is ready.
She’s not as prepared for the team of supernatural’s Leah brings with her, including a powerful sorcerer who claims to be Savannah’s father. Cut off from her friends, accused of witchcraft, Satanism, necromancy, murder…Paige quickly realizes that keeping Savannah could mean losing everything else. Has she finally found a battle she isn’t willing to fight?
The first two books Bitten https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1...
and Stolen https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1... concentrated on Elena Michaels, the only female werewolf in the world, and now we have Paige’s story, we met before.
Paige, a young witch, who has inherited the leadership of the American Coven of witches after her mother was murdered, is living a quiet life in a small town and is the guardian of a teenage witch, Savannah.
When dark forces try to take Savannah away from her care, Paige and Savannah will have to fight the supernatural powers that are determined to do anything to get Savannah into their clutches.
The author has created likeable and endearing characters and it comes across in Paige, Savannah and Lucas, a sorcerer, who helps them and who also is attracted to Paige. Even though he dislikes witches and struggles to gain Paige’s trust, there’s a strong bond between the two…..and the way their relationship was handled really well.
An exciting, exhilarating and fun read…filled with witch and demon lore, engaging characters and a fast-paced story-line
This is such a fascinating world where clairvoyants, demons, humans, witches, necromancers, sorcerers, shamans, vampires, and werewolves live secretly in a modern human world.
I am such a fan of this series….
Synopsis: Leader of the American Coven, guardian to the preteen daughter of a black witch … it’s not the lifestyle twenty-three year-old Paige Winterbourne imagined for herself, and it’s wreaking hell on her social life.
But she’s up to the challenge. When half-demon Leah O’Donnell returns to fight for custody of Savannah, Paige is ready.
She’s not as prepared for the team of supernatural’s Leah brings with her, including a powerful sorcerer who claims to be Savannah’s father. Cut off from her friends, accused of witchcraft, Satanism, necromancy, murder…Paige quickly realizes that keeping Savannah could mean losing everything else. Has she finally found a battle she isn’t willing to fight?
The first two books Bitten https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1...
and Stolen https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1... concentrated on Elena Michaels, the only female werewolf in the world, and now we have Paige’s story, we met before.
Paige, a young witch, who has inherited the leadership of the American Coven of witches after her mother was murdered, is living a quiet life in a small town and is the guardian of a teenage witch, Savannah.
When dark forces try to take Savannah away from her care, Paige and Savannah will have to fight the supernatural powers that are determined to do anything to get Savannah into their clutches.
The author has created likeable and endearing characters and it comes across in Paige, Savannah and Lucas, a sorcerer, who helps them and who also is attracted to Paige. Even though he dislikes witches and struggles to gain Paige’s trust, there’s a strong bond between the two…..and the way their relationship was handled really well.
An exciting, exhilarating and fun read…filled with witch and demon lore, engaging characters and a fast-paced story-line
This is such a fascinating world where clairvoyants, demons, humans, witches, necromancers, sorcerers, shamans, vampires, and werewolves live secretly in a modern human world.
I am such a fan of this series….
December 4, 2017
*** 4.25 ***
This one was more fun than I remembered! That was a pleasant surprise, since the first book in the series was kind of hard to push through... However, the second and third books are starting to grow on me and I think the author is growing as well 😊! This book is about the young witch Savannah and her efforts to get used to her new family, her powers, and figuring out what is acceptable or not, very much in keeping with every single teenager in the heat of puberty, only when throwing a tantrum she can level a city block down to dust! Talk about a need for anger management before anything else 😈...
Savannah is the prize in a custody battle between her new guardian and her newly discovered father, who is a big shot sorcerer. His newly acquired desire to play daddy dearest is the fact that Savannah is an emergent powerful witch and the reputation of his house can really grow 👆 if she became a part of their daily operation. In Page, her current foster mom and tutor in the good-witch arts, she has a woman who is growing to love her more with every passing day and is passionate about making sure to keep her on the side of the good guys. It sucks that so many of those who are supposed to be among the good guys are making it so hard on the two young women... And don't get me started on supposed good lawyers... Ghhhhhrrrrrr! But, maybe there is one of the Lawyer persuasion, young, Hispanic, and new to the court proceedings, who might be brave and brazen enough to stand in their corner and go against a powerful House of Wizards... Maybe 😀! Oo, and maybe he is a total nerd and has hardly any personality, but I still think he is adorable 😎!
There is a recurring appearance by a bitch villain and some really spooky stuff happening in a funeral parlor, which gave this volume some creepy vibe and didn't leave any space for relaxation - once the action took off, it didn't let up!
I am looking forward to reading the next book in the series and hope the author cuts back even more on the info dumps the first book was so riddled with. This was sooooo much better!
I wish you all Happy Reading and many more wonderful books to come!
This one was more fun than I remembered! That was a pleasant surprise, since the first book in the series was kind of hard to push through... However, the second and third books are starting to grow on me and I think the author is growing as well 😊! This book is about the young witch Savannah and her efforts to get used to her new family, her powers, and figuring out what is acceptable or not, very much in keeping with every single teenager in the heat of puberty, only when throwing a tantrum she can level a city block down to dust! Talk about a need for anger management before anything else 😈...
Savannah is the prize in a custody battle between her new guardian and her newly discovered father, who is a big shot sorcerer. His newly acquired desire to play daddy dearest is the fact that Savannah is an emergent powerful witch and the reputation of his house can really grow 👆 if she became a part of their daily operation. In Page, her current foster mom and tutor in the good-witch arts, she has a woman who is growing to love her more with every passing day and is passionate about making sure to keep her on the side of the good guys. It sucks that so many of those who are supposed to be among the good guys are making it so hard on the two young women... And don't get me started on supposed good lawyers... Ghhhhhrrrrrr! But, maybe there is one of the Lawyer persuasion, young, Hispanic, and new to the court proceedings, who might be brave and brazen enough to stand in their corner and go against a powerful House of Wizards... Maybe 😀! Oo, and maybe he is a total nerd and has hardly any personality, but I still think he is adorable 😎!
There is a recurring appearance by a bitch villain and some really spooky stuff happening in a funeral parlor, which gave this volume some creepy vibe and didn't leave any space for relaxation - once the action took off, it didn't let up!
I am looking forward to reading the next book in the series and hope the author cuts back even more on the info dumps the first book was so riddled with. This was sooooo much better!
I wish you all Happy Reading and many more wonderful books to come!
November 27, 2023
“According to Cortez, the Cabals had strict policies against employing any supernatural being that might mistake them for lunch.”
I have to admit that after the first two books through Elena's point of view, I wasn't excited about switching points of view and diving into Paige's head. Willing to give it a shot, after taking the dive I didn't want to emerge again. Paige is awesome - while I may still like Elena a wee bit better, her story was just as good.
Paige and Savannah have been living together since the horrors that took place during Stolen, and not only are some not happy about it *cough* snooty coven *cough*, there is now a custody battle brewing that involves the super powerful Cabal and former villain Leah. Help comes from an unlikely place in the form of Lucas, a new intro for the series and someone I hope sticks around. There's some legal play going down but it's mainly a battle of the magic, set ups and luck. The office scene with the lawyer ending his career was kind of epic.
Paige grinded on my nerves some by not getting over some of her paranoia toward Lucas, but once she thaws out she's great. Loved the development of their bond. Lucas is described as a little generic and scrawny; he speaks with a lawyer's spiel and uptight manner for most of the book, but this just makes him more endearing. He's passionate about causes, he's protected for the weak, he's trying to make his way in the world. Savannah acts like a pre-teen girl which is annoying at least half the time.
The book wins with its storyline because there are different forces pushing against them, plenty of tension, action is kept strong, and personal relationships better the characters actually keep me caring. If I had to say a bad thing, it'd be Paige's naivitiy with falling into some of the traps was annoying. The funeral home, come on!
If you've shied away from reading more of the series because you don't want head-swapping, I assure you Paige's story is filled with magic, dimension, and all sorts of Urban Fantasy goodies.
I have to admit that after the first two books through Elena's point of view, I wasn't excited about switching points of view and diving into Paige's head. Willing to give it a shot, after taking the dive I didn't want to emerge again. Paige is awesome - while I may still like Elena a wee bit better, her story was just as good.
Paige and Savannah have been living together since the horrors that took place during Stolen, and not only are some not happy about it *cough* snooty coven *cough*, there is now a custody battle brewing that involves the super powerful Cabal and former villain Leah. Help comes from an unlikely place in the form of Lucas, a new intro for the series and someone I hope sticks around. There's some legal play going down but it's mainly a battle of the magic, set ups and luck. The office scene with the lawyer ending his career was kind of epic.
Paige grinded on my nerves some by not getting over some of her paranoia toward Lucas, but once she thaws out she's great. Loved the development of their bond. Lucas is described as a little generic and scrawny; he speaks with a lawyer's spiel and uptight manner for most of the book, but this just makes him more endearing. He's passionate about causes, he's protected for the weak, he's trying to make his way in the world. Savannah acts like a pre-teen girl which is annoying at least half the time.
The book wins with its storyline because there are different forces pushing against them, plenty of tension, action is kept strong, and personal relationships better the characters actually keep me caring. If I had to say a bad thing, it'd be Paige's naivitiy with falling into some of the traps was annoying. The funeral home, come on!
If you've shied away from reading more of the series because you don't want head-swapping, I assure you Paige's story is filled with magic, dimension, and all sorts of Urban Fantasy goodies.
March 27, 2018
Dual Review: Dime Store Magic & Industrial Magic
It took me a loooooong time to get around to continuing this series with Dime Store Magic. I loved Bitten and Stolen, but found myself a little bitter that the series would start following different characters from there. I think my overall sentiment was “well, if continuing is going to feel like starting a new series, it doesn’t matter when I read them (salty reader, party of one).” For the most part, that was true. The story in books 3&4 focuses on Paige and her involvement in the witch and sorcerer communities (Elena’s story is a footnote, and werewolves take a backseat to other supernatural beings). It does tie back to Stolen, but more in a spin-off kind of way.
I’m not going to lie – I didn’t hate it.
I think I can see what Armstrong is trying to do with the series, and think nowadays I’m more in the mood to appreciate a series that takes a little longer to get to the payoff. What it has going for it are interesting and sassy female characters (I think Paige is one of the most relatable uf leads I’ve come across even if she is a little typical), good mysteries, romance, and writing that you can really lose yourself in. The story components weren’t earth-shattering, but I absolutely love where I think it’s going and look forward to seeing through some potential plot points.
Dime Store Magic offered a good Kate Daniels/Julie* relationship between Paige and Savannah and had a lot of excellent witchy moments (by witchy I mean supernatural spell casting and other creepy shit). It also had a decently organic romance, which I always appreciate. I finished this book feeling genuinely excited to see where the story went next. I even picked up Industrial Magic within a couple weeks (a turnaround that’s pretty unheard of with me). *Side note: I realize this was probably written before the KD series, but as I’m a super fan of that one now, everything must be compared. ;P
Industrial Magic was less about Paige’s relationships and more about the politics and dynamics within the witch and sorcerer communities (with a dash of necromancer and vampire). It expanded the plot sufficiently for me even though the story went in a different direction than I was expecting. It was much more inclusive of other supernatural groups, which made the whole world feel more robust and well-developed. The further I read, the more I appreciate how Armstrong is writing this series.
Overall, comparing books 3&4 to 1&2 is like apples to oranges. They’re still fruit sitting together in the same basket, but the sampling experience is vastly different. Elena’s story was more carnal and sensory, whereas I would call Paige’s more thoughtful and conceptual. Armstrong did a great job adapting her storytelling to both of these unique POVs, but I can see how such a drastic change caused a lot of readers to complain of a quality decline. They say the apples aren’t as good; I say that’s because you bit into an orange when you were expecting an apple.
Recommendations: I personally think there’s more than one type of urban fantasy, and books 3&4 strike a very different note than books 1&2 (as discussed above). As someone who likes most types, I’d recommend both as long as you’re prepared for the change. These haven’t landed at the top of my uf list yet, but they’re making a very compelling (and entertaining) case. :)
Via The Obsessive Bookseller at www.NikiHawkes.com
Other books you might like:
It took me a loooooong time to get around to continuing this series with Dime Store Magic. I loved Bitten and Stolen, but found myself a little bitter that the series would start following different characters from there. I think my overall sentiment was “well, if continuing is going to feel like starting a new series, it doesn’t matter when I read them (salty reader, party of one).” For the most part, that was true. The story in books 3&4 focuses on Paige and her involvement in the witch and sorcerer communities (Elena’s story is a footnote, and werewolves take a backseat to other supernatural beings). It does tie back to Stolen, but more in a spin-off kind of way.
I’m not going to lie – I didn’t hate it.
I think I can see what Armstrong is trying to do with the series, and think nowadays I’m more in the mood to appreciate a series that takes a little longer to get to the payoff. What it has going for it are interesting and sassy female characters (I think Paige is one of the most relatable uf leads I’ve come across even if she is a little typical), good mysteries, romance, and writing that you can really lose yourself in. The story components weren’t earth-shattering, but I absolutely love where I think it’s going and look forward to seeing through some potential plot points.
Dime Store Magic offered a good Kate Daniels/Julie* relationship between Paige and Savannah and had a lot of excellent witchy moments (by witchy I mean supernatural spell casting and other creepy shit). It also had a decently organic romance, which I always appreciate. I finished this book feeling genuinely excited to see where the story went next. I even picked up Industrial Magic within a couple weeks (a turnaround that’s pretty unheard of with me). *Side note: I realize this was probably written before the KD series, but as I’m a super fan of that one now, everything must be compared. ;P
Industrial Magic was less about Paige’s relationships and more about the politics and dynamics within the witch and sorcerer communities (with a dash of necromancer and vampire). It expanded the plot sufficiently for me even though the story went in a different direction than I was expecting. It was much more inclusive of other supernatural groups, which made the whole world feel more robust and well-developed. The further I read, the more I appreciate how Armstrong is writing this series.
Overall, comparing books 3&4 to 1&2 is like apples to oranges. They’re still fruit sitting together in the same basket, but the sampling experience is vastly different. Elena’s story was more carnal and sensory, whereas I would call Paige’s more thoughtful and conceptual. Armstrong did a great job adapting her storytelling to both of these unique POVs, but I can see how such a drastic change caused a lot of readers to complain of a quality decline. They say the apples aren’t as good; I say that’s because you bit into an orange when you were expecting an apple.
Recommendations: I personally think there’s more than one type of urban fantasy, and books 3&4 strike a very different note than books 1&2 (as discussed above). As someone who likes most types, I’d recommend both as long as you’re prepared for the change. These haven’t landed at the top of my uf list yet, but they’re making a very compelling (and entertaining) case. :)
Via The Obsessive Bookseller at www.NikiHawkes.com
Other books you might like:
April 6, 2022
At the end of Stolen, Paige took custody of Savannah--an arrangement that promised to be entertaining as at age 22, Paige was only roughly ten years her senior. In Dime Store Magic, we fast-forward nine months. Things between Paige and Savannah are stable, but not comfortable; they're still trying to understand each other. This is complicated when Paige receives a summons to appear for a custody challenge. From Leah. Paige shows up only to find that the challenge is really coming from Kristof Nast, Savannah's biological father, a sorcerer and heir of the Nast Cabal. Not long after this, Lucas Cortez, heir of yet another Cabel, shows up on Paige's doorstep offering legal representation.
Havoc ensues.
This is not my favorite in the Otherworld series. Lucas and Paige lack the passion of Clay and Elena--aside from a comment Savannah makes to Paige insinuating Lucas likes her, I didn't realize they were seriously interested until they suddenly jumped each other. And while it is completely understandable that Savannah is having serious issues for various, valid reasons, the fact remains, in this book she is a B-R-A-T. A temper-tantrum throwing little hellion. And not at all in an amusing way.
Still, it was an entertaining, quick read.
Havoc ensues.
This is not my favorite in the Otherworld series. Lucas and Paige lack the passion of Clay and Elena--aside from a comment Savannah makes to Paige insinuating Lucas likes her, I didn't realize they were seriously interested until they suddenly jumped each other. And while it is completely understandable that Savannah is having serious issues for various, valid reasons, the fact remains, in this book she is a B-R-A-T. A temper-tantrum throwing little hellion. And not at all in an amusing way.
Still, it was an entertaining, quick read.
October 23, 2011
A really good read.
November 22, 2010
Well, what can I say? I'm definitely hooked! Even more than what I want to admit. Maybe it is because I was so sure I would not like this series. Of course no complains from me as this series turned out to be a wonderful surprise which I was definitely not expecting.Even though in this installment we get things from Paige's POV, which I thought would be extremely boring as I did not liked her in the previous book, we still get to read about this same world which is captivating me little by little. I like that in a paranormal series, to start book by book and get to know a bit more of that new world with each new installment we get to read. And I definitely love it when we get to read about a lot of different paranormal species in a same series.This installment is specifically about witches and sorcerers, but we still get glimpses about the other species as well. I thought it would't be interesting to read about them, but it ended up being original and refreshing. The author made a terrific work with the world building and the description of this two species, so elaborated that I just got sucked into the story. Read the whole book in a day, couldn't put it down.
I'm just not giving 5 stars still because the endings in this series are always incomplete, not exactly cliff hangers, just torturing little details you wanna know about but you never do. As we know there are still many more books so I am not worried about it, but I am a very curious person to be completely satisfied with a book without having all the information explained at the end. I can understand cliff hangers because they are about situations and actions, but in this case we just know somethings will come in the future and we just have to wait for the other books to see it.Just wanna clarify that from now on I am a fan! Just bring me more books because I wont be able to stop with this series for a while.
I'm just not giving 5 stars still because the endings in this series are always incomplete, not exactly cliff hangers, just torturing little details you wanna know about but you never do. As we know there are still many more books so I am not worried about it, but I am a very curious person to be completely satisfied with a book without having all the information explained at the end. I can understand cliff hangers because they are about situations and actions, but in this case we just know somethings will come in the future and we just have to wait for the other books to see it.Just wanna clarify that from now on I am a fan! Just bring me more books because I wont be able to stop with this series for a while.
January 3, 2016
★★½
Dime Store Magic is the third installment in Kelley Armstrong's urban fantasy series titled Women of the Otherworld. I loved the shifter characters featured in the first two books: Bitten and Stolen. In the second book: Stolen, I tolerated the witches that were introduced and seemed to slowly but surely take over the plot. Now in the third book, the shifters appear to be totally absent - this story is only about the witches. I'm not a happy reader right now since the only reason I follow this series is for the shifter pack.
However...
Even though I want to thoroughly enjoy my temper tantrum, I must take a moment to say Dime Store Magic wasn't a bad book. I wish it was so I would be justified in hating it but to be honest the story was fairly engaging. Needless to say, I didn't enjoy the characters much at all, and if this series continues with the witches then I may have to drop it so please tell me that Elena, Clay, Jeremy, and the rest of the family will be coming back...please!!!!
My favorite quote:
"She threw open her arms, embraced me, planted a kiss on my lips, then another on my left breast. I yelped...I grabbed the nearest discarded robe. "Could you please put this-- Could you all put these-- Could you get dressed, please?" The woman only bestowed a serene smile on me. "We are as the Goddess requires." "The Goddess requires you to be naked on my lawn?" "We aren't naked child, we're skyclad."..."That's --uh--very-- I mean--" I stammered. Be polite, I reminded myself. Witches should respect Wiccans, even if we didn't quite get the whole Goddesss-Worship thing. I knew some Wiccans, and they were very nice people, though I must admit they'd never arrived in my backyard naked and kissed my tits before.”
Dime Store Magic is the third installment in Kelley Armstrong's urban fantasy series titled Women of the Otherworld. I loved the shifter characters featured in the first two books: Bitten and Stolen. In the second book: Stolen, I tolerated the witches that were introduced and seemed to slowly but surely take over the plot. Now in the third book, the shifters appear to be totally absent - this story is only about the witches. I'm not a happy reader right now since the only reason I follow this series is for the shifter pack.
However...
Even though I want to thoroughly enjoy my temper tantrum, I must take a moment to say Dime Store Magic wasn't a bad book. I wish it was so I would be justified in hating it but to be honest the story was fairly engaging. Needless to say, I didn't enjoy the characters much at all, and if this series continues with the witches then I may have to drop it so please tell me that Elena, Clay, Jeremy, and the rest of the family will be coming back...please!!!!
My favorite quote:
"She threw open her arms, embraced me, planted a kiss on my lips, then another on my left breast. I yelped...I grabbed the nearest discarded robe. "Could you please put this-- Could you all put these-- Could you get dressed, please?" The woman only bestowed a serene smile on me. "We are as the Goddess requires." "The Goddess requires you to be naked on my lawn?" "We aren't naked child, we're skyclad."..."That's --uh--very-- I mean--" I stammered. Be polite, I reminded myself. Witches should respect Wiccans, even if we didn't quite get the whole Goddesss-Worship thing. I knew some Wiccans, and they were very nice people, though I must admit they'd never arrived in my backyard naked and kissed my tits before.”
June 1, 2015
Been four years since I read the previous book.
So, even though I don't remember the details, I do remember the feeling after finishing Bitten and Stolen (Books 1 & 2). Underwhelmed pretty much covers it.
For some reason that I can't really explain, I wasn't all that into Elena and Clay's story the way that most fans of the series were. I liked the writing, the world building, the action, but not the characters. I didn't like them but I didn't dislike them either, I just couldn't bring myself to care about what happens to them.
So it was with a heavy heart that I picked this one up, considering that most readers found it to be a lesser instalment in the series after the werewolf stories. And what do you know? I loved it.
Yeap, the odd one out once again, forever alone, call it what you want but I loved Dime Store Magic. The funny thing is that the MC, Paige, was in the previous book as well and I can't even remember her. I loved her in this one. She's tough, she's smart, she's funny, she's stubborn, she's lost, she's the girl next door and one that most readers will be able to relate to.
Savannah, well... She's 13 and a major pain in the ass. A total brat and not in the endearing term of the word. Reading about the two of them trying to understand each other, hell, to communicate, was frustrating and the same time totally understandable. Considering Savannah's upbringing and the events of the previous book, it would have been completely unrealistic to have it any other way.
Lucas... *sigh* I am alone in this one but I have a crush on him. His looks are average (Paige says that you wouldn't remember him 5 minutes after meeting him), he is a total nerd, he talks like Sheldon from the Big Bang Theory, he can't throw a punch to save his life, but he is so ADORABLE. He wants to make the world a better place and he offers his services to people in need (something like the cloaked crusader in a permanent Clark Kent disguise, according to Paige).
Keep in mind that this is an UF, not a PNR, so don't expect much on romance. Paige and Lucas do fall for each other, but that's a very minor part of the story and it happens well past the first half of the book.
What you can expect is a good written story, with much more information on the creatures of the Otherworld, lots of action, some funny moments and little romance thrown in to spice things up.
May 2, 2018
You should read this if you like: witch mythology with a twist, blood magic, covens, cults, non-skinny protagonists, slow-burn romance, small towns, necromancy, slight gore, and mild horror.
Dime Store Magic reminds me of that time I went to watch Avatar with my whole family. I mean, what an interesting concept! What graphics! But ultimately, I was bored out of my mind and fell asleep halfway through the movie. Same with this, expect the boredom was compounded by about 30%. And I fell asleep multiple times. *shrugs*
I picked this for a change of genre since I've been reading fantasy non stop for a while. Having read the first couple of books in the series, I was interested to explore more of this supernatural world. However, I think I might just stick to the Werewolves in this series. Compared to the Werewolf lore from Bitten and Stolen, the witch/sorcerer mythology kind of paled in comparison. Like its Puritan origins, the witch's Coven in Dime Store Magic are abysmally boring, steeped in petty superstition, and run by a trio of old, narrow minded women. The dialogues in this book made me want to pull my hair out! Nothing ever gets done in this Coven because of the sheer paranoia of the Elders. It was frustrating how they just refused to change, or listen to reason, or do literally anything helpful! Honestly, reading about this town and its people just made me feel terribly claustrophobic. If that was the author's intent, then I applaud you for doing such a terrific job of it. It wasn't a very pleasant experience however, and I don't think I would like to repeat it anytime soon.
The other problem I had was with the characters. I just, I felt nothing for them? Any of them? Expect maybe Savannah. I've never been the maternal sort. I'm not too fond of kids and don't ever want any for myself. Dime Store Magic just confirmed those feelings. There were times, while reading this book, that I seriously just wanted Paige to dump Savannah's whiny ass on the side of the road and set it on fire. Savannah is hands down the most fucking annoying teenage brat I've ever read about. I hated literally every. single .thing about this child. And honestly, no one was happier when she finally realized how much shit she is in. Like child, you need to fucking listen to your guardian for once in your God damned life or else she will end up dead and literally you only have yourself to blame! Ugh!!! I get she's 13. I just hated her anyways.
1.5 stars really. This book did nothing for me so I don't think I'll be continuing with this series anymore.
Dime Store Magic reminds me of that time I went to watch Avatar with my whole family. I mean, what an interesting concept! What graphics! But ultimately, I was bored out of my mind and fell asleep halfway through the movie. Same with this, expect the boredom was compounded by about 30%. And I fell asleep multiple times. *shrugs*
I picked this for a change of genre since I've been reading fantasy non stop for a while. Having read the first couple of books in the series, I was interested to explore more of this supernatural world. However, I think I might just stick to the Werewolves in this series. Compared to the Werewolf lore from Bitten and Stolen, the witch/sorcerer mythology kind of paled in comparison. Like its Puritan origins, the witch's Coven in Dime Store Magic are abysmally boring, steeped in petty superstition, and run by a trio of old, narrow minded women. The dialogues in this book made me want to pull my hair out! Nothing ever gets done in this Coven because of the sheer paranoia of the Elders. It was frustrating how they just refused to change, or listen to reason, or do literally anything helpful! Honestly, reading about this town and its people just made me feel terribly claustrophobic. If that was the author's intent, then I applaud you for doing such a terrific job of it. It wasn't a very pleasant experience however, and I don't think I would like to repeat it anytime soon.
The other problem I had was with the characters. I just, I felt nothing for them? Any of them? Expect maybe Savannah. I've never been the maternal sort. I'm not too fond of kids and don't ever want any for myself. Dime Store Magic just confirmed those feelings. There were times, while reading this book, that I seriously just wanted Paige to dump Savannah's whiny ass on the side of the road and set it on fire. Savannah is hands down the most fucking annoying teenage brat I've ever read about. I hated literally every. single .thing about this child. And honestly, no one was happier when she finally realized how much shit she is in. Like child, you need to fucking listen to your guardian for once in your God damned life or else she will end up dead and literally you only have yourself to blame! Ugh!!! I get she's 13. I just hated her anyways.
1.5 stars really. This book did nothing for me so I don't think I'll be continuing with this series anymore.
May 3, 2011
I haven't yet read Armstrong's "Bitten" or "Stolen" so had to pay very close attention to the first few chapters to get the feel of this world and figure out who was who and what they had to do with the current story but now that I've got most of it figured out the pages are flying. Paige is tough and gutsy and vulnerable as well. And I'm digging the gore, the suspense, the wise-a*s humor and the tension (sexual and otherwise). Kind of reminds of very early Laurell K. Hamilton before she became sex obsessed to the point where a coherent plot was no longer an option ;)
The action is pretty much non-stop and the secret world of witches and cabals working behind the modern day world is well done and a nice take on things. The fact that they have to hide their abilities from normal folks is a nice touch and adds a touch of realism to the plot but I'm a little annoyed at the author for taking such obvious joy at poking fun at modern day Wiccans in the "They Aren't Naked, they're Skyclad." chapter. Her Wiccans all seem to be a bit loony and stereotypical . . .
This was an enjoyable read with some great action, humor, romance and characterization but at times I feel like I was missing something when past events were mentioned in passing and probably should have read this series in order.
The action is pretty much non-stop and the secret world of witches and cabals working behind the modern day world is well done and a nice take on things. The fact that they have to hide their abilities from normal folks is a nice touch and adds a touch of realism to the plot but I'm a little annoyed at the author for taking such obvious joy at poking fun at modern day Wiccans in the "They Aren't Naked, they're Skyclad." chapter. Her Wiccans all seem to be a bit loony and stereotypical . . .
This was an enjoyable read with some great action, humor, romance and characterization but at times I feel like I was missing something when past events were mentioned in passing and probably should have read this series in order.
September 16, 2009
"Dime Store Magic" is the third book in Women of the Otherworld series. It is narrated from the POV of Paige, a Coven witch introduced in the second book of the series. The story is centered on Savannah, a powerful teenage witch who is taken care of by Paige. A custody battle ensues when Savannah's sorcerer father tries to bring the girl to his Cabal. He does it with the help of telekinetic half-demon Leah, also introduced in "Stolen." Paige quickly finds herself overwhelmed by both legal and magical assaults on her and Savannah and is forced to resort to the help of an unlikely ally - a sorcerer lawyer Lucas Cortez.
Once again, Armstrong creates a very convincing world of witches and sorcerers, Covens and Cabals, spells and rituals. I thought the hierarchies, the structures of the societies of the two races, even politics and history were very well thought out and written, and yet for some reason I wasn't taken by this new world as much as I was by the werewolf world in "Bitten" and "Stolen." Maybe it has something to do with overwhelming presence of elderly women and lack of strong sexy men, maybe I prefer violent cut-throat world of werewolves more, or maybe witches are simply not my thing.
The romance part also lacked. Paige's love interest Lucas is a nice enough guy, but nothing more. He is rather uptight, proper, and a bit goody-goody for my taste. This book certainly missed the passion and drama of Clay/Elena relationship. Plus, the entire romance part was very secondary to the main story line and introduced almost as an afterthought.
I will continue reading the series, maybe I will warm up to Paige and Lucas in the next book about them. Also, I am curious to see what will come out of Savannah's character. Right now she is one spoiled and snarky 13-year old. I think she will make a great protagonist in the future books (I heard she'll narrate books 11 and 12 of the series).
Once again, Armstrong creates a very convincing world of witches and sorcerers, Covens and Cabals, spells and rituals. I thought the hierarchies, the structures of the societies of the two races, even politics and history were very well thought out and written, and yet for some reason I wasn't taken by this new world as much as I was by the werewolf world in "Bitten" and "Stolen." Maybe it has something to do with overwhelming presence of elderly women and lack of strong sexy men, maybe I prefer violent cut-throat world of werewolves more, or maybe witches are simply not my thing.
The romance part also lacked. Paige's love interest Lucas is a nice enough guy, but nothing more. He is rather uptight, proper, and a bit goody-goody for my taste. This book certainly missed the passion and drama of Clay/Elena relationship. Plus, the entire romance part was very secondary to the main story line and introduced almost as an afterthought.
I will continue reading the series, maybe I will warm up to Paige and Lucas in the next book about them. Also, I am curious to see what will come out of Savannah's character. Right now she is one spoiled and snarky 13-year old. I think she will make a great protagonist in the future books (I heard she'll narrate books 11 and 12 of the series).
August 3, 2010
A ridiculously fast re-read, done mostly to keep my mind of a building headache. It's done well enough. I found the story interesting. I just remained amazed that Paige could be so naive. Mistake after mistake, and the classic romantic "throw your rescuer out on his heels" mistake. Still, maybe small town living and thinking help explain some of that.
November 21, 2023
If only Savannah hadn't been a total brat. Paige is likeable, but I really struggled with Lucas Cortez - what a wimp!
The story was fun, though. :-/
The story was fun, though. :-/
May 15, 2011
I read Bitten a few months ago and gave it four stars, but I didn't continue with the series. I'm not sure why because I really did enjoy Bitten. I have a feeling it was one of those times where I picked up the first book and I had a pile of other stuff to read and I just never circled back to it. I enjoyed Stolen the second book in the series, although not as much as the first. I was skeptical about Dime Store Magic because I didn't like Paige when I encountered her in the second book. I felt bad for her at times, but my feelings about Paige were much like Clay's about Paige. I was annoyed she was around interfering with the series.
Dime Store Magic revolves around a custody dispute over a young witch. Most of the book is an idiot plot, as in the main character has to be an idiot for the plot to move forward. Paige makes the wrong choice at every turn and walks into some very obvious traps. I can forgive a lot of it, but when she gets a phone call requesting she go to the funeral home where a man she's been accused of murdering is being waked... who would say 'gee golly okay, let's go.' No one. There was absolutely no reason the paperwork she was going to retrieve couldn't be sent to her via UPS. She walked into a trap that was built off a situation that had ALSO been a trap. Paige is an idiot and you have to spend 400 plus pages with her.
I didn't think she was a particularly good guardian and I didn't have a lot of interest in the coven side story so it was really hard for me to be emotionally invested in any of this. A lot of universe rules were broken in this book, including characters risking exposure they normally wouldn't risk. There's a whole scene at a funeral home that's totally implausible given the world building and the fact that Kelley Armstrong's universe is a hidden universe, meaning it exists within the one we all occupy. It's not so hidden with corpses flying around. I'm sorry, but I can only buy hidden universe stories if the hiding is taken seriously by the occupants of the world.
The romance is lackluster... the big sex scene was weird! I'm all for smut! I'm all for magic smut! I thought the sex scenes in Bitten and Stolen were well written... but this? Paige and Lucas didn't have a lot of chemistry to begin with and then when they finally sleep together it's all magic fireballs and radios. Also, I've never had a man stop kissing me when sex was fast approaching so he could like tune the radio station. I get what Armstrong was trying to do here. She had magical people, she had the opportunity to write a magical sex scene, but I just wasn't sold on how it happened or when it happened... I was mostly embarrassed to be reading it.
Unfortunately I was doing therapeutic book buying when I picked up Kelley's books. I own them all. I don't know if this means I'm going to skip the next one to preserve myself, take a long break between three and four, or if I'm just going to swallow the fourth book as a loss and move onto five.
Dime Store Magic revolves around a custody dispute over a young witch. Most of the book is an idiot plot, as in the main character has to be an idiot for the plot to move forward. Paige makes the wrong choice at every turn and walks into some very obvious traps. I can forgive a lot of it, but when she gets a phone call requesting she go to the funeral home where a man she's been accused of murdering is being waked... who would say 'gee golly okay, let's go.' No one. There was absolutely no reason the paperwork she was going to retrieve couldn't be sent to her via UPS. She walked into a trap that was built off a situation that had ALSO been a trap. Paige is an idiot and you have to spend 400 plus pages with her.
I didn't think she was a particularly good guardian and I didn't have a lot of interest in the coven side story so it was really hard for me to be emotionally invested in any of this. A lot of universe rules were broken in this book, including characters risking exposure they normally wouldn't risk. There's a whole scene at a funeral home that's totally implausible given the world building and the fact that Kelley Armstrong's universe is a hidden universe, meaning it exists within the one we all occupy. It's not so hidden with corpses flying around. I'm sorry, but I can only buy hidden universe stories if the hiding is taken seriously by the occupants of the world.
The romance is lackluster... the big sex scene was weird! I'm all for smut! I'm all for magic smut! I thought the sex scenes in Bitten and Stolen were well written... but this? Paige and Lucas didn't have a lot of chemistry to begin with and then when they finally sleep together it's all magic fireballs and radios. Also, I've never had a man stop kissing me when sex was fast approaching so he could like tune the radio station. I get what Armstrong was trying to do here. She had magical people, she had the opportunity to write a magical sex scene, but I just wasn't sold on how it happened or when it happened... I was mostly embarrassed to be reading it.
Unfortunately I was doing therapeutic book buying when I picked up Kelley's books. I own them all. I don't know if this means I'm going to skip the next one to preserve myself, take a long break between three and four, or if I'm just going to swallow the fourth book as a loss and move onto five.
April 16, 2023
2023
Still hold up.
New review-
Look, this isn't a perfect book. Let's be honest, but the one thing that Armstrong did in this series (and sadly it still stands out today) is she actually has the women interact with each other. The bad guys are men and women, and the good guys are men and women. The evil women work together and the good women work together. The women are not in competition with each other and are actually friends. Even today, this is somewhat rare in UF and it is so refreshing to see this.
Additionally, in this book Armstrong shows how being a good person who has had a stable life does not necessary equal boring. I like that.
There are problems with the book, as most of the other reviews have pointed out, and there are some over used cliches in the novel. I really liked, however, all the little in jokes about Paige being the good girl. The best character seems to be Lopez because he is so funny. This was the first book I read by Armstrong, and it got me to buy and read the rest in the series, at least in paperback.
Still hold up.
New review-
Look, this isn't a perfect book. Let's be honest, but the one thing that Armstrong did in this series (and sadly it still stands out today) is she actually has the women interact with each other. The bad guys are men and women, and the good guys are men and women. The evil women work together and the good women work together. The women are not in competition with each other and are actually friends. Even today, this is somewhat rare in UF and it is so refreshing to see this.
Additionally, in this book Armstrong shows how being a good person who has had a stable life does not necessary equal boring. I like that.
There are problems with the book, as most of the other reviews have pointed out, and there are some over used cliches in the novel. I really liked, however, all the little in jokes about Paige being the good girl. The best character seems to be Lopez because he is so funny. This was the first book I read by Armstrong, and it got me to buy and read the rest in the series, at least in paperback.
August 12, 2017
When I first realised the series moved away from Elena and the werewolves, I was slightly sceptical. After reading the second book, though my liking for Elena took a bit of a decline and I wasn't too bothered about getting away for a bit.
Following Paige's story would not have been my first choice, as she was very irritating in the last book. But this goes more in-depth with her character and she is much cooler than I first thought.
Not only has she taken teenage witch Savannah under her wing, she is also coven leader to a group of crusty old witches who would rather hide than stand up for anything.
She then finds herself being targeted by half-demons & sorcerers who are claiming family connections with Savannah and she has a battle on her hands!
Enter the lovable Cortez and things start to get real interesting! This pulls the series back up there from the last book. Looking forward to the next one!
Following Paige's story would not have been my first choice, as she was very irritating in the last book. But this goes more in-depth with her character and she is much cooler than I first thought.
Not only has she taken teenage witch Savannah under her wing, she is also coven leader to a group of crusty old witches who would rather hide than stand up for anything.
She then finds herself being targeted by half-demons & sorcerers who are claiming family connections with Savannah and she has a battle on her hands!
Enter the lovable Cortez and things start to get real interesting! This pulls the series back up there from the last book. Looking forward to the next one!
October 11, 2011
The thing about Kelley Armstrong is that while I didn't love the main characters or even the story line here, her writing is completely addictive and her world building amazing. I'm enthralled by her Otherwold and in awe of her ability to tell the reader so much about it without ever presenting it in an info dump or mind-numbingly confusing way.
That said, Paige is naive, boring and slightly TSTL. Savannah is interesting. And as for Lucas Cortez... see the description for Paige. The issue I have with Paige is that while she seems like a fantastic person to know in real life, for an urban fantasy heroine… she just doesn’t cut it. And the entire way the villains and mystery played out seemed like an episode of Scooby Doo gone awry. Even withunlikable uninteresting characters, Armstrong had me hooked the entire novel. Perhaps it's the ex-Catholic schoolgirl in me, but I loved all the witchy rituals and candle burning and whatnot.
I am in love with Armstrong’s story telling ability. In fact, Dime Store Magic would have gotten four stars from me if it weren’t for
That said, Paige is naive, boring and slightly TSTL. Savannah is interesting. And as for Lucas Cortez... see the description for Paige. The issue I have with Paige is that while she seems like a fantastic person to know in real life, for an urban fantasy heroine… she just doesn’t cut it. And the entire way the villains and mystery played out seemed like an episode of Scooby Doo gone awry. Even with
I am in love with Armstrong’s story telling ability. In fact, Dime Store Magic would have gotten four stars from me if it weren’t for
September 5, 2021
We meet Paige in book 1 she is a witch and when her mother passes on she becomes coven leader, but as we also learned she acquires a young witch Savannah whose mother has also passed on.
Paige sees this as a gift, Savannah not so much and gives Paige a lot of grief. (Savannah is 13)
The elders are not happy Paige is now the leader and was the event happen Paige gets hit with a lot of stuff. She needs help getting out of murder charges, enter Lucas Cortez.
Lucas and Paige have this back and forth you just know is sexual tension. They keep you on your toes, and oddly Savannah kind of listens to Lucas.
Normally magic isn’t my thing, but the way it unfolds makes it interesting and not really about the magic it’s more about the characters and how they use it.
What I liked was how fast paced this book is, how everything unfolds you don’t have to wait long for either a conclusion or the story to move on.
I love Paige and Lucas together, what I didn’t really like was how long that process took my gosh you could see the attraction from a mile away.
Savannah, as much as I like her, her bratty teen attitude was getting to me but she really does act like a teenager!
Not a huge fan of the narration, I don’t hate it. I just think she is a little old sounding for 23.
Paige sees this as a gift, Savannah not so much and gives Paige a lot of grief. (Savannah is 13)
The elders are not happy Paige is now the leader and was the event happen Paige gets hit with a lot of stuff. She needs help getting out of murder charges, enter Lucas Cortez.
Lucas and Paige have this back and forth you just know is sexual tension. They keep you on your toes, and oddly Savannah kind of listens to Lucas.
Normally magic isn’t my thing, but the way it unfolds makes it interesting and not really about the magic it’s more about the characters and how they use it.
What I liked was how fast paced this book is, how everything unfolds you don’t have to wait long for either a conclusion or the story to move on.
I love Paige and Lucas together, what I didn’t really like was how long that process took my gosh you could see the attraction from a mile away.
Savannah, as much as I like her, her bratty teen attitude was getting to me but she really does act like a teenager!
Not a huge fan of the narration, I don’t hate it. I just think she is a little old sounding for 23.
November 24, 2007
From a blog post I wrote in 2006:
I found a new author I really dig. Kelley Armstrong has a series of books out with supernatural characters. I whipped through Bitten, Stolen, Dime Store Magic, Industrial Magic, Haunted and Broken in no time at all.
The first two and the last books have as their main character the lone female werewolf in the world. The third and fourth book have a young witch as the focal point and the fifth one features the story of a dead (but ghostly) witch.
These were really good. My favorite topics, sex and violence, are in there but there's also a lot about personal relationships and a well developed world that the characters reside in.
The books share the same characters throughout. The stories and characters actually show growth which is nice. I'm really growing tired of series where the characters seem to be stuck at a certain point and it all feels like just more of the same (think Anita Blake).
Good stuff here, check it out.
I found a new author I really dig. Kelley Armstrong has a series of books out with supernatural characters. I whipped through Bitten, Stolen, Dime Store Magic, Industrial Magic, Haunted and Broken in no time at all.
The first two and the last books have as their main character the lone female werewolf in the world. The third and fourth book have a young witch as the focal point and the fifth one features the story of a dead (but ghostly) witch.
These were really good. My favorite topics, sex and violence, are in there but there's also a lot about personal relationships and a well developed world that the characters reside in.
The books share the same characters throughout. The stories and characters actually show growth which is nice. I'm really growing tired of series where the characters seem to be stuck at a certain point and it all feels like just more of the same (think Anita Blake).
Good stuff here, check it out.
June 1, 2012
Jesus God, this book is boring! It's one long explication of a magical quality that doesn't exist, explained by people I wouldn't allow in my home twice (I don't invite anybody back who lacks a personality). When the book takes a break from that, it's canting morality at me. I just cannot tell you how dull it is to listen to a person agonizing over the morality of a non-issue. And I most certainly do not recommend that you find out for yourself by reading this tripe. People with fully developed personalities know right from wrong and can pin it down for the rest of us in seconds.
May 14, 2022
This book filled me with so much anxiety. And Savannah was such a freaking brat all the damn time.
August 30, 2012
I love Kelley Armstrong's writing and I love the Women of the Otherworld series, but somehow I never got to reading Paige's books. I started the series with Haunted (#5), then found out I had to start with Bitten, loved that, read Broken and Stolen in the wrong order and then proceeded with Jaime's, Hope's and Robin's books. First it was a matter of not having access to the books, then I kept getting dissuaded because of all the Paige-hating.
Finally, I convinced myself to start reading the first page book on a holiday a few weeks ago and all that's left to say is: why the hell did I wait that long?
I loved this book. It was fun, engaging, dark at times, with a tiny bit of romance and a lot of Difficult Adolescent Girl (which reminds me: I love Savannah!). I liked that there was no fluff or magical solutions. When shit hit the fan, shit really hit the fan and some events had irreparable consequences.
I thought Lucas was most endearing and I loved his budding relationship with Paige, although I do think the actual 'connecting' should have happened a bit later in the book as to have it even more ground.
As for Paige: I don't get the hate. I personally admired her firm beliefs and her determination, Sure, she was stubborn at times and sure, she could have tunnel vision, but really: isn't that natural? When the people you love, your life, everything around you falls apart, you hold on to what you know. You try to re-affirm your usual life views. But if all else fails, and there's no turning back: you adjust. And adjust she did. That's why I really liked Paige. And this book.
My only peeves were the ending (which felt rushed) and the fact that we don't get a follow up on Savannah's feelings of .
Still: a greatly entertaining book: 4 stars.
Finally, I convinced myself to start reading the first page book on a holiday a few weeks ago and all that's left to say is: why the hell did I wait that long?
I loved this book. It was fun, engaging, dark at times, with a tiny bit of romance and a lot of Difficult Adolescent Girl (which reminds me: I love Savannah!). I liked that there was no fluff or magical solutions. When shit hit the fan, shit really hit the fan and some events had irreparable consequences.
I thought Lucas was most endearing and I loved his budding relationship with Paige, although I do think the actual 'connecting' should have happened a bit later in the book as to have it even more ground.
As for Paige: I don't get the hate. I personally admired her firm beliefs and her determination, Sure, she was stubborn at times and sure, she could have tunnel vision, but really: isn't that natural? When the people you love, your life, everything around you falls apart, you hold on to what you know. You try to re-affirm your usual life views. But if all else fails, and there's no turning back: you adjust. And adjust she did. That's why I really liked Paige. And this book.
My only peeves were the ending (which felt rushed) and the fact that we don't get a follow up on Savannah's feelings of .
Still: a greatly entertaining book: 4 stars.
September 15, 2017
About 18 hours ago, I finished writing my review for Bitten (Book 1), where I was ready to throw the whole series in the bin.
Here I am, 18 hours later, giving a 4 star rating to Book 3. I skipped Book 2 because fuck Elena and her whiny bullshit, but I wanted to give a second chance to Women of the Underworld. I'm so happy I did! Even though I was a little lost at times (especially during the first few chapters), I ended up really enjoying Paige's book.
Elena and Paige were exact opposites. Elena was your average Mary-Sue who was the most super speshul woman in the world. She was handed every amazing opportunity on a silver plate, which she knocked away then threw herself on the floor to have a hissy fit about "poor me", only to have 7 hot guys rush to baby her. She was selfish, shallow and thoroughly unlikable.
Paige was 100% what I'd call a strong female lead. She wasn't Rambo. She wasn't an emotionless murderer. She was just an average girl (plus witchy powers) who kept getting knocked down, betrayed and spat on. BUT, she didn't run away, even when she was lost or scared. She stood up for her loved ones and sure, she had plenty of fears and limitations - she wasn't the strongest or the prettiest, but she kept pushing herself. And THAT is exactly what made her special to me.
As for Lucas, he was a refreshing lead - he didn't walk around half naked, defeating the evils of the world with his chest hair. He was geeky and also a little lost, but he fought for a better world even if it put him in danger.
I'm excited to start Book 4 (still with Lucas and Paige) although I'm a bit apprehensive about the rest. I feel like Kelly Armstrong already included the best and worst kind of heroines so I guess I'm expecting all future ones to at least be likeable.
Here I am, 18 hours later, giving a 4 star rating to Book 3. I skipped Book 2 because fuck Elena and her whiny bullshit, but I wanted to give a second chance to Women of the Underworld. I'm so happy I did! Even though I was a little lost at times (especially during the first few chapters), I ended up really enjoying Paige's book.
Elena and Paige were exact opposites. Elena was your average Mary-Sue who was the most super speshul woman in the world. She was handed every amazing opportunity on a silver plate, which she knocked away then threw herself on the floor to have a hissy fit about "poor me", only to have 7 hot guys rush to baby her. She was selfish, shallow and thoroughly unlikable.
Paige was 100% what I'd call a strong female lead. She wasn't Rambo. She wasn't an emotionless murderer. She was just an average girl (plus witchy powers) who kept getting knocked down, betrayed and spat on. BUT, she didn't run away, even when she was lost or scared. She stood up for her loved ones and sure, she had plenty of fears and limitations - she wasn't the strongest or the prettiest, but she kept pushing herself. And THAT is exactly what made her special to me.
As for Lucas, he was a refreshing lead - he didn't walk around half naked, defeating the evils of the world with his chest hair. He was geeky and also a little lost, but he fought for a better world even if it put him in danger.
I'm excited to start Book 4 (still with Lucas and Paige) although I'm a bit apprehensive about the rest. I feel like Kelly Armstrong already included the best and worst kind of heroines so I guess I'm expecting all future ones to at least be likeable.
March 15, 2018
Another great installment of the Women of the Otherworld series! The first two were about werewolf Elena Michaels and the last introduced Paige Winterbourne, the protagonist of this story.
Paige is stubborn, smart, and determined – something her new ward Savannah should be happy about. Savannah lost her mother, Eve, in the last book and Eve was a suspected practitioner of black magic. Despite receiving no support from her coven, Paige is determined to keep Savannah and mentor her to be a witch for good.
Paige’s first challenge to her guardianship is a legal custody case from a sorcerer cabal (their corporate equivalent of a coven). Things go from bad to worse as Paige discovers the custody suite involves the psycho half-demon Leah and a powerful sorcerer who alleges he is Savannah’s biological father. From here things only continue to escalate and poor Paige and Savannah are dealing with issues ranging from annoying to downright life-threatening as the book continues. Luckily a sorcerer do-gooder/pro-bono attorney, Lucas, steps in to help and Paige and Savannah.
Yay for Lucas - but despite his help things keep spiraling out of control. This book started slow but ended up being quite a ride!
So far every book in this series has been completely different but I have liked them all. It is hard to compare since they are so different but so far I like #2 the best, then this and #1 is my least favorite (but it is still entertaining). Paige and Elena both know how to roll with the punches, though Paige is a bit more naïve and white-hat than Elena. .
Audio note: there was another narrator change and she was pretty decent – it’s a bit annoying to have so many narrators.
Paige is stubborn, smart, and determined – something her new ward Savannah should be happy about. Savannah lost her mother, Eve, in the last book and Eve was a suspected practitioner of black magic. Despite receiving no support from her coven, Paige is determined to keep Savannah and mentor her to be a witch for good.
Paige’s first challenge to her guardianship is a legal custody case from a sorcerer cabal (their corporate equivalent of a coven). Things go from bad to worse as Paige discovers the custody suite involves the psycho half-demon Leah and a powerful sorcerer who alleges he is Savannah’s biological father. From here things only continue to escalate and poor Paige and Savannah are dealing with issues ranging from annoying to downright life-threatening as the book continues. Luckily a sorcerer do-gooder/pro-bono attorney, Lucas, steps in to help and Paige and Savannah.
Yay for Lucas - but despite his help things keep spiraling out of control. This book started slow but ended up being quite a ride!
So far every book in this series has been completely different but I have liked them all. It is hard to compare since they are so different but so far I like #2 the best, then this and #1 is my least favorite (but it is still entertaining). Paige and Elena both know how to roll with the punches, though Paige is a bit more naïve and white-hat than Elena. .
Audio note: there was another narrator change and she was pretty decent – it’s a bit annoying to have so many narrators.
March 3, 2019
Was really great! Now onto the next one in the series.
December 31, 2017
I did a re-read of Dime Store Magic for one of my 2015 reading challenges. I can’t believe that it’s already been ten years since I first read this book.
After the events of Stolen, Paige Winterbourne has taken in thirteen year old Savannah Levine whose mother recently died. Savannah is a powerful witch for her age, but impulsive. It’s a dangerous combination that has the Nast Cabal (the supernatural equivalent of the mafia) tearing Paige’s life apart in a bid for custody. As her life continues to crumble around her, Paige is forced to accept assistance from Lucas Cortez, a young lawyer with his own motives for helping.
I decided to read Dime Store Magic again because I didn’t give Paige a fair shot the first time around. When I first read this, it was immediately after devouring the first two books in the series, which feature werewolf Elena Michaels. I had adored Elena and wasn’t excited to discover that the next book's narrator was going to be the twenty-something witch from Stolen. (Especially, since I hadn’t cared for Paige in that story.) While I had ended-up enjoying Dime Store Magic on my first reading, I still thought Paige was a little lack luster. It wasn’t until later in the series that I got into her and Lucas, as characters. So, I’m glad I did a re-read as I was able to appreciate them more this time around.
The most interesting thing about going back to this book was seeing just how far Armstrong has come with her characters and the world. There were several moments in the story where I thought Paige, Lucas, and the ideas behind witches were rather shaky and clichéd. It felt like Armstrong wasn’t sure where she wanted to take the characters at this point in the series. Despite this, I still enjoyed the book enough that I might also re-read Industrial Magic.
Overall, my grade for this book didn’t change. I would recommend Dime Store Magic to fans of the series, but I don’t think I would suggest you start off with this book. If you’re looking to get into the Women of the Otherworld series, I would suggest starting out with Bitten.
After the events of Stolen, Paige Winterbourne has taken in thirteen year old Savannah Levine whose mother recently died. Savannah is a powerful witch for her age, but impulsive. It’s a dangerous combination that has the Nast Cabal (the supernatural equivalent of the mafia) tearing Paige’s life apart in a bid for custody. As her life continues to crumble around her, Paige is forced to accept assistance from Lucas Cortez, a young lawyer with his own motives for helping.
I decided to read Dime Store Magic again because I didn’t give Paige a fair shot the first time around. When I first read this, it was immediately after devouring the first two books in the series, which feature werewolf Elena Michaels. I had adored Elena and wasn’t excited to discover that the next book's narrator was going to be the twenty-something witch from Stolen. (Especially, since I hadn’t cared for Paige in that story.) While I had ended-up enjoying Dime Store Magic on my first reading, I still thought Paige was a little lack luster. It wasn’t until later in the series that I got into her and Lucas, as characters. So, I’m glad I did a re-read as I was able to appreciate them more this time around.
The most interesting thing about going back to this book was seeing just how far Armstrong has come with her characters and the world. There were several moments in the story where I thought Paige, Lucas, and the ideas behind witches were rather shaky and clichéd. It felt like Armstrong wasn’t sure where she wanted to take the characters at this point in the series. Despite this, I still enjoyed the book enough that I might also re-read Industrial Magic.
Overall, my grade for this book didn’t change. I would recommend Dime Store Magic to fans of the series, but I don’t think I would suggest you start off with this book. If you’re looking to get into the Women of the Otherworld series, I would suggest starting out with Bitten.
December 22, 2016
Dime Store Magic is the third book in the Women of the Otherworld series, and as with the prior two books it’s a great read.
With this one, we see a change in perspective and at first I wasn’t quite sure how I was going to enjoy it. Through the first two books I was really pulled into the werewolf world and knowing a change was coming had left me tentative. Yes, I’d enjoyed the introduction to the other supernatural parts of the world we got to see in Stolen but I wasn’t sure where things would go. Fortunately, I very quickly found myself pulled into the story.
Paige turned out to be a very interesting character, giving us a very different viewpoint to that given in the first two books. The way the story was told from her perspective really pulled you in, leaving you entertained throughout, giving you a much wider view of the supernatural world. Looking at the witching world, it was a very different kind of story to that in the first two books. Yes, there was links, but at the same time it was a completely unique story.
Honestly, the development of the witching world was my favourite aspect of the story. We only got a glimpse of it in the prior book, but in this one we got a much better understanding of the witching world. Learning the rules and watching the interactions was so much fun, especially as we found out more regarding the divide between witches and warlocks.
That brings me nicely to my next point. Whilst the romantic element in this one was rather predictable, I really enjoyed watching it unfold. The romance in this was completely different to that seen in the prior book, ensuring the story was as far away from the prior books as possible in as many was as could be. We have a completely different personality with our main character; we have a completely different romance story; we have a completely different plotline. All in all, it works well to make this books stand on its own whilst remaining linked to the main series.
Honestly, this book is very different to the prior two books and I loved this change. It moves the entire series forward through introducing us to many new aspects of the world, allowing us to see things from another perspective, all whilst having a unique feel about it.
I really do need to get my hands on book four and continue on with this wonderful series.
With this one, we see a change in perspective and at first I wasn’t quite sure how I was going to enjoy it. Through the first two books I was really pulled into the werewolf world and knowing a change was coming had left me tentative. Yes, I’d enjoyed the introduction to the other supernatural parts of the world we got to see in Stolen but I wasn’t sure where things would go. Fortunately, I very quickly found myself pulled into the story.
Paige turned out to be a very interesting character, giving us a very different viewpoint to that given in the first two books. The way the story was told from her perspective really pulled you in, leaving you entertained throughout, giving you a much wider view of the supernatural world. Looking at the witching world, it was a very different kind of story to that in the first two books. Yes, there was links, but at the same time it was a completely unique story.
Honestly, the development of the witching world was my favourite aspect of the story. We only got a glimpse of it in the prior book, but in this one we got a much better understanding of the witching world. Learning the rules and watching the interactions was so much fun, especially as we found out more regarding the divide between witches and warlocks.
That brings me nicely to my next point. Whilst the romantic element in this one was rather predictable, I really enjoyed watching it unfold. The romance in this was completely different to that seen in the prior book, ensuring the story was as far away from the prior books as possible in as many was as could be. We have a completely different personality with our main character; we have a completely different romance story; we have a completely different plotline. All in all, it works well to make this books stand on its own whilst remaining linked to the main series.
Honestly, this book is very different to the prior two books and I loved this change. It moves the entire series forward through introducing us to many new aspects of the world, allowing us to see things from another perspective, all whilst having a unique feel about it.
I really do need to get my hands on book four and continue on with this wonderful series.
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