Incursion (Catalyst Moon - Book 1)

Lauren L. Garcia — 2016

A magic-torn world. Mages, held captive since magic first manifested in the world, seek to break their chains. Sentinels, warriors with an unnatural immunity to magic, are oathbound to keep the magic-users prisoner - at any cost. Two hearts, shattered by grief, bound together by fate. Kali, a mage fleeing her painful past, travels to a powerful healer in Whitewater City, hoping to mend more than her broken heart. One of her sentinel escorts is Stonewall, a man left with only his faith after the death of his brother. But when monstrous bandits destroy Kali's other escorts, the two unwitting companions must join forces to survive demonic creatures, bloodthirsty nomads, and a dangerous magic never seen before. Two hearts. One destiny. Opposing worldviews collide in Incursion, the first book in the Catalyst Moon romantic fantasy series where magic is new and a mage rebellion is on the horizon. Fans of T. Kingfisher, Sharon Shinn, Anne McCaffrey, Tamora Pierce, Lois McMaster Bujold, and Robin McKinley will love this engrossing, award-winning series. If you long for your next binge-read, but are weary of the grimdark trend, Catalyst Moon will transport you to a world of hope, love, and forgiveness, a world where magic, adventure, shape-shifters, and compelling characters await. Caution: lovers of snarky heroines, stoic heroes, grumpy/sunshine romances, and enemies-to-lovers report loss of sleep after starting this romantic fantasy journey. Thousands of readers have fallen in love with Catalyst Moon. It's your turn! Click or tap "BUY NOW" to start your journey. THE CATALYST MOON SERIES: Incursion (Book 1) Breach (Book 2) Storm (Book 3) Surrender (Book 4) Sacrifice (Book 5)

Reviews

Jolie@readwithme

Sep 16, 2021

Before I start my review, I would like to thank Inkitt for allowing me to review Incursion by Lauren L. Garcia. **All opinions stated in this review are mine and mine alone. I received Incursion from Inkitt for free for my honest and unbiased review** Now onto my review: This book was very interesting for me to read at first. The thought of a society who feared mages (ie moon blood) and keeps them sequestered from the other people in bastillions and are bound and guarded by sentinels when they do go out. I was fascinated by it. The overall story was great. Mage is getting transferred from old bastillion to a new one and her envoy gets attacked. Desperate to protect herself and the sentinels who is protecting her, she somehow does magic through her bonds and transports them far away from the scene of the battle. Now, if the author had continued and just wrote the story just from Kalinda/Stonewall’s perspective, it would have been boring. I think adding maybe Gideon/Eris story would have completed the story. But when you get into Milo/Flint’s issues and all of the other secondary characters and then it becomes confusing and drags the story down. I really did like Kali and Stonewall’s characters and I did like the fact that the author did a slow burn for the romance instead of Instalove. But I didn’t feel them as a couple….at all. Maybe because the romance was later on in the book and she was taken away from him before they could bump uglies. To be honest, I’m not too sure if they did have sex. The scene where they were in the inn and making out really didn’t say if they didn’t or not. I went with no but I could be wrong. It was very vaguely written. The book ended like I thought it would. There was no huge twist and I did see what happened coming from a mile away. With the way the book ended, there was no doubt that there is a 2nd book coming. How many stars will I give Incursion? 3/3.5 Why? A wonderfully written story that was a quick read. A little predictable at times and a little vague (see above) at times. But definitely keeps you focused on the book. Will I reread? Yes Will I recommend to family and friends? Yes Age range: Teens on up Why? Violence and maybe sex that was very vague.