Book Review: Dark Heart of Magic by Jennifer Estep

Dark Heart of Magic (Black Blade #2)
Author:  Jennifer Estep
Publisher:  Kensington, 368 pages
Publication Date:  October 27, 2015
*ARC received from publisher via NetGalley

From Goodreads:
As a thief, I stick to the shadows as much as possible. But when the head of the Sinclair Family picks me to compete in the Tournament of Blades, there's no escaping the spotlight—or the danger.

Even though he's my competition, Devon Sinclair thinks I have the best shot at winning what's supposed to be a friendly contest. But when the competitors start having mysterious "accidents," it looks like someone will do anything to win—no matter who they hurt.

As if I didn't have enough to worry about, mobster Victor Draconi is plotting against Devon and the rest of my friends, and someone's going around Cloudburst Falls murdering monsters. One thing's for sure. Sometimes, humans can be more monstrous than anything else…

Review:
It's rare that I like a sequel better, but I really enjoyed this entertaining and fun book. There's a magical competition, mystery (someone is murdering creatures and also sabotaging the tournament), a touch of romance, and the darkness is balanced by humor. This series reminds me a bit of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, it has that whimsical quality to it.

Loving the fact that there's no love triangle, and the author does a nice job of developing the characters. Even though it was obvious who the killer was, Dark Heart of Magic was a great followup and I can't wait for the next one!

Posted by: Pam