Tricky Magic

L.L. Campbell — 2021

Ellea is a Witch, a mix of both the respected Seers and the feared Tricksters. On top of that, she has also spent her whole life in the shadows of her parents' infamous attempted destruction. After Ellea’s frequent and feared vision of the future shifts into something darker and more terrifying than before, she runs to a town that used to be a haven for her as a child. But things are no longer as they seem. The world of Supernaturals is so much more than she thought and after a run in with a mysterious hunter, she finds her and her powers spiraling. Will the town of Glenover be the place she finally leaves her fears behind and embraces a new future? Or will her powers become destructive and result in her own destruction by the frustratingly handsome hunter?

Reviews

freya.nightwolf@freya_nightwolf

Sep 4, 2022

This book has a lot of potential. It's a light read, fun and you will find yourself reading in a day [if you don't have work or other things to do on that day]. I like how the characters are written and how they grow, so you will immediately have a favorite or one that you would like to strangle :)). The chapters are short, so "one more chapter" will turn into finishing the book instantly. They are well structured and you will not find detail-dumping. It's also written in DUAL POV, which is perfect. DEMONS, WITCHES, WOLVES, VAMPIRES, PRINCES OF HELL, MAGIC, VISIONS FROM THE FUTURE, TAROT CARDS = PERFECT FANTASY WORLD The relationship between Ros and Ellea it's well written and you can see the conflict also the curiosity they have for each other. They grow kind of quickly. But having dreams about future events... well you can see why they respond to each other that quickly. I still don't know what to think about Belias, but I think he's going to be the one villain that I will like. The twins' thou... I could kill them right there and be done with them :)). I love Sam and Devon and can't wait to see more of these two. They are the perfect kind of best friends, anyone could ask for. You can say they are Ros's and Ellea's sidekicks :)). And also, Billy and Gram. I love them and I want to know more about them. Now, the way the book ended... I did not see it coming. I can't wait to see what's happening in book 2 [hopping for more history and info about certain princes of hell] and I want to know everything about "dear old, dad" :)). The King of Hell is in the house!!! BTW, thank you Lexi for making the King and the main Prince with shadows and black hair! I can't understand those who are writing this kind of character, and making them blonds. I just can't. It just doesn't make any sense to me :))) There are two things I didn't like. Or more like they were missing: I did expect more history and some flashbacks, especially when we're talking about Ros and Ellea. I think these things are essential when building characters that have a hard childhood or the people around them see them as threats or are over 1000 years old. You feel the need to know more about them and I think it would've helped, especially for them to grow as individuals. The second thing I didn't like is the missing plot and this would've been completed by the history of the characters. I kept expecting a plot twist or something to make me say "holy shit, this is bad" or "now he/she has some explaining to do". Everything went too smoothly. The only "holly hell" I had was at the end of the book, combined with the epilog... but that's that. I'm not going to give any spoilers, because I think everyone can enjoy this book. It has magic, smut, a fantastic world combined with mortals, and action [fighting, training, and the action between characters that shows you how they grow from the start of the book, till the end of it]. Thank you, Lexi, for the ARC. I can't wait for the second book to come out. I think book 1 is just the beginning. I have a feeling the second book will have all the "holy hells" and "heart attacks" that we need. You did say at the end, "See you in Hel", so yeah, I can't wait to see what's going to happen there and to find out more about Ros's curse. Because I do believe she's his "cure" and salvation.

Naomi@nomipanini

Aug 30, 2022

This book and I have a love-hate relationship. One moment I want to punch it in the boob and the next I want to smother it with kisses and give it all my love. And why these conflicting feelings? Amazing as the plot and the characters are, there's this thing it does where it has two voices and no I don't mean Ros and Ellea's voices. Ros' voice is largely consistent throughout the entire novel, but Ellea's sounds like two completely different persons every time. She sounds capable and confident one minute, then like a middle schooler who hasn't had all those years of practice and training.

Another thing(paradoxically) is that I understand that she is expected to be independent and strong, but it's okay to ask for help sometimes and I love how she's learning to rely on herself and others (who are not her uncle and gran) .

spoiler paragraph

However, there's that one time when someone is so worried about her and rushing to see if she's okay and they get mocked for it. I know she's trying to say she can fend for herself and doesn't need saving but it could have been executed a little differently and less rudely.

end of spoiler

Especially as she and Ros are on good terms now. I admire her curiosity because it's so relatable. ...her open mind and willingness to learn and not be too judgemental. After leading a highly sheltered existence, it might be difficult to break out of a mould and see the world with new eyes and I commend her for that.

In general, I enjoyed the book and it was easy to get into after the first couple of chapters. I can't wait to read Tricky Princess and get to know more about the characters and the beautiful found family they have formed. Reading the revised version of Tricky Magic was a delight(I was incredibly pleased to hear that the book now sounded so much more certain than it had previously.) and made me confident that the writing will get even better in the next book. After all, our beloved author appears to enjoy discovering better versions of themselves with each project.

This review contains a spoiler

Rebecca@sitreadsip

Aug 15, 2022

“𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘥 𝘯𝘰 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘶𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘴. 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘥𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘮𝘦𝘢𝘯 𝘴𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘴.” 𝐓𝗪: 𝐬𝐞𝐱𝐮𝐚𝐥 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭 (𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐩𝐡𝐢𝐜 𝐬𝐞𝐱 𝐬𝐜𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐬 🌶🌶🌶), 𝐯𝐢𝐨𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞, 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐮𝐦𝐚, 𝐞𝐦𝐨𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐚𝐛𝐮𝐬𝐞, 𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐩𝐡𝐢𝐜 𝐤𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐬𝐜𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐬, & 𝐚 𝐥𝐨𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐬𝐰𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠. Loved: • Hot sexy males • Magical creatures: Vampires, Witches (cool setup of witches), Wolven, Familiars, other creatures & Demons • Characters’ backstory & development were beautifully written • The tension between some of the characters were 🌶🔥🌶🔥 Basically the book was phenomenal. From the plot line all the way down to the physical pages. The design of the book alone is beautiful. If you love smutty/magic filled books I highly recommend this one! I can’t wait for the second book because I need more of Shadow Daddy! 😏 Thank you L. L. Campbell for gifting me the ARCe! I loved it so much I bought a physical copy! 😍

Tanya Segarra@bookishtanya

Aug 15, 2022

“Fears evolve and grow, welcoming another, one whose power will balance yours in destruction. You feed his fire as he feeds your chaos. You will turn worlds upside down” "What if you embraced things as they are and started living your life, not worrying about what is in the past or the future that isn't here yet?" “I would have done anything just to have your hands on me, hurting me, caressing me. You could have done whatever you wanted, and I would have thanked you for it.” “A hand cupped the other side of his face, and he looked back at her. Stormy gray eyes held him there, their pull so intoxicating. That single vicious look had his body begging to be allowed to drown in their depths.” Werewolves? Demons? Witches? Sign me up! First of all, thank you to the author for this revised ARC. 🖤 Told in dual POV and third person, we have Ellea who is a badass witch that’s been struggling to contain her powerful magic all her life. After an event happens, she has to take time for herself and stays in her family’s cabin. This is where she meets Ros who is one of her neighbors (and a demon but she doesn’t find out until later) and everything starts developing from there. I loved the longing, slow burn and banter between Ellea and Ros. Also the side characters are amazing and I love how they bring something to the story. It lacks a little in world building and some descriptions but it is still worth it. Reasons to read: •Familiars •Shadow play •RH (only at the beginning) •Strong, sassy and humorous FMC •Smut •Supernatural creatures •Possessive MMC 🌶🌶🌶 Warning, this ends on a cliffhanger.

Cici Pearson@cocoisabird

Mar 29, 2022

It was a fun, easy read! Interesting use of supernatural beings in a type of modern fantasy kind of setting. It wasn’t too spectacular but I did enjoy reading it. There was a few typos in it but maybe that is just the Ebook version I read. Ellea and Ros were an interesting couple, seeing them come together and how they used their powers (also learned to use their powers) was really cool as a concept.

Franccesca Jimenez @franccescareads

Feb 28, 2022

And here I am, again, happy but pissed because I found an amazing book BUT I have to wait for the second one. Tricky Magic was a really fun, fast paced and amazing read. Ellea is a great FMC, sarcastic, powerful and true to herself. Ros is everything you can dream of. Literally swooning over him. The characters are easy to like, the plot is actually quite good and it’s an easy read. The spice is also so, SO good. Long live shadow play 😏🥴