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15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Imaginative Series, August 1, 2008
This review is from: My Wicked Enemy (Mass Market Paperback)
Carolyn Jewel creates a new series with My Wicked Enemy. I have to admit the back of the book and the title made me feel like this book was just going to be alright and lost in the paranormal romance series. I was wrong. Jewel creates two characters that are unlike the typical hero and heroine.
Nikodemus is an old as dirt Fiend who swears, curses, and wants to kill Carson and Magellan. You have to understand in this series Mages/Witches/Magekind are bad news. They enslave Fiends and take away their good will. It's a war of good and evil, except everyone's in the grey a little. Carson is a witch who's been locked away from her power and now can't `pull' magic. So she's useless as anything but a battery to other Magekind and harmless to Fiends.
Carson witnesses a murder at Magellan's house and her innocent naivety comes crashing down. She runs away and straight into Nikodemus who swears she's on his to-do list today, fourth one down, "Kill Magellan's Witch.
Carson's character is filled with flaws physically and psychically. Through the entire book the reader is rooting for her survival and hoping she can come out on top. Nikodemus' character is definitely old-fashion good, but it takes the entire book before they actually get together. All around the plot is new and different then you're average vampire/werewolf romance and I'm looking forward to the next book. I hope she blows this series up big and expands on the Fiends who have already been introduced.
Put Carson and Nikodemus on your to-do list!
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17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Too Many Holes..., August 14, 2008
This review is from: My Wicked Enemy (Mass Market Paperback)
I picked this book up on a whim... The cover got to me, and I wanted to read lighter than "Breaking Dawn" and "Acheron". This proved to be worthy.
Now, I read the book, and I have to say, the characters were there. The plot was there. The fight scenes, the danger, everything that we come to look for in a PR was there... except for Clarity and Closure.
Let me explain...
We meet Nikodemus and he wants to kill Magellan and Carson. All we're told is that it's because Mages are evil and they enslaves Fiends. There's no real motive. I would have enjoyed that.
I've also read another review that touched on the love scenes in the book. On that point, I'll say that crude talk in the middle of sex is something that I would fully expect from Nikodemus. What I DIDN'T like was how Carson was put into an Anita Blake position and had sex with Iskander. I wouldn't think that she would have put up with something like that, nor would I have expected Nikodemus to just stand by and watch.
As a reader, I expect reasons for the changes of character. And I'm talking aside from "We're Fiends, that's what we do." (Yes, that is actually said in the book). And with no CLEAR explainations of what was going on with Carson and the others... with SO many questions left about Characters that are important (you'll see them in one scene, and then never hear about them in the end)... I can't give this book the glowing praise a plot like this deserves. There are just too many holes for my liking.
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14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Mixed Feelings..., January 12, 2009
This review is from: My Wicked Enemy (Mass Market Paperback)
First of all let me say that as someone who reads a lot, I can honestly say I've never come across a book that was less what I expected then this.
Plot Summery:
In the world there are demon like creatures called fiends, and there are magekind who try to capture and harness their power. Nikodemus is an ancient fiend who is trying to kill the mage Magellan (could we find more ridiculous names if we tried?). Carson is a witch who has spent the better part of her life under Magellan's psychological control. While she and Nikodemus ought to be sworn enemies, they instead become allies and lovers.
Things I Liked:
Some parts of this were actually sort of funny, sort of sexy, sort of entertaining. There are some decent ideas here, though they are never fully developed or explained. Nikodemus is actually a pretty interesting, rough around the edges character.
The Problems:
Writing style--or rather the lack of style. There are typos, big obvious ones. There are problems where dialogue is thrown in between unrelated descriptive sentences. The diction and syntax is just really rough, so the whole thing doesn't flow at all. You really have to concentrate to keep up with what's going on.
Plot holes--serious, gaping, plot holes. I still have absolutely no clue what the purpose or origin of the mages is. What they do with their magic or how it works or why they need it. To be fair there is some explanation but it's very vague, almost like the author couldn't be bothered to throw in some background. And those aren't the only questions left unanswered.
General content***Minor Spoilers Ahead***Shock value does not always equal entertainment. You have some really crude, not in the least bit romantic sex, followed by a three-way that comes out of left field. I don't have a problem with crude language or multiple partners, when it fits the context. In this case it doesn't. It's just kind of there, like all the other poorly strung together plot points. Plus, the characters are underdeveloped, and the relationship is half-baked.
I honestly can't say I'd recommend this to anyone as a romance. Possibly as erotica, but then you have to ignore the other long winded content.
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