Tag Archives: Clandestine Magic

Revolutionary (Clandestine Magic 3) by Colleen Cowley-a review

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Revolutionary (Clandestine Magic 3) by Colleen Cowley-a review

 

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ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date November 29 2020

In this final book of the Clandestine Magic trilogy, Beatrix Harper is poised to help her sister accomplish an audacious goal. They’re on the brink of winning back a key right for typics that wizards took away—and maybe, just maybe, getting women more rights in the bargain.

But first she has to rescue Peter Blackwell, trapped in a dark-magic coma. And figure out what a former friend is plotting after nearly killing Peter and disappearing. And stay one step ahead of the vice president’s men.

What her enemies have planned is worse than she realizes. Far worse.

••••••

REVIEW:REVOLUTIONARY is the third and final instalment in Colleen Cowley’s multi-genre CLANDESTINE MAGIC /paranormal/ UF/ Gaslamp fantasy series focusing on thirty-three year old, wizard/omnimancer Peter Blackwell, and his lab assistant suffragette Beatrix Harper. REVOLUTIONARY should not be read as a stand alone as it picks up immediately after the events of book two RADICAL

NOTE: If you have not read book two RADICAL, there may be spoilers in my review.

SOME BACKGROUND: CLANDESTINE MAGIC is classified as ‘Gaslamp Fantasy’ – a sub-genre of both fantasy and historical fiction with elements of steampunk and the paranormal. The story line is set in an alternate 21st century, one in which the rise of feminism and equal rights has only just begun, and women are still considered second class citizens with no power, no magic and no rights. For decades wizards aka men, have controlled the world, using magic and the elements to increase their power and domination but subtle cracks begins to fragment their authority, and a magical weapon commissioned by our story line hero is needed to regulate the users of magic.

Told from dual third person perspectives (Beatrix and Peter) REVOLUTIONARY picks up immediately after the events and cliff hanger of book two RADICAL wherein omnimancer/wizard Peter Blackwell, following a deadly blast, has been hospitalized, and Beatrix Harper fears for his life. Struggling to keep food on the table, our heroine must go in search of a new job, as her sister Lydia reconsiders her own education. Lydia, a modern day suffragette is fighting for women’s rights, rights forbidden by the wizards in charge but with both Peter and Beatrix’s help, hundreds of women have discovered that not only are they able to wield magic, but some or more capable than the wizards in control. As Peter continues his recovery, our hero will quickly learn that he has been targeted for ‘sins’ of the past, and without his cooperation, the life of the woman he loves, hangs in the balance. What ensues is the continuing and building relationship between Beatix and Peter, and the fall-out as several members of government are battling for control, in an effort to start a war with their Canadian neighbors.

REVOLUTIONARY and Clandestine Magic is an intricate and perceptive story line; an alternate tale of misogyny, discrimination, power and control wherein men and magic rule, and women are considered nothing more than second class citizens. As the women begin to fight for equal rights, their ability to wield magic proves that years of suffering had been at the hands of the men in charge-wizards who refused to step down from their position in power. The premise is dramatic, thorough, intriguing, unique and entertaining; the romance is passionate. Colleen Cowley pulls the reader into an intense and magical story reflective of society as a whole.

Reading Order and previous reviews
Subversive
Radical

Copy supplied for review

Reviewed by Sandy

Follow author: Website /Twitter /Goodreads/

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Radical (Clandestine Magic #2) by Colleen Cowley-a review

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Radical (Clandestine Magic #2) by Colleen Cowley-a review

 

Amazon.com / Amazon.ca / Amazon.uk / Amazon.au /

Don’t own a Kindle? Download the FREE Amazon Kindle App for your mobile device or pc

ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date October 25, 2020

Women have no ability to cast spells. That’s what wizards have said for generations—and it’s a lie.

In this second book of the Clandestine Magic trilogy, Beatrix Harper wants to expose that lie to protect her sister’s life. Her desperate plan: Train tens of thousands of women in secret, then shock the nation with a display of their magic. She thinks it will work—if only she can keep the details from her town’s wizard, Peter Blackwell.

But that’s nearly impossible thanks to their unwanted magical connection. Peter, meanwhile, fears that his own desperate goal—to counter the terrible weapon he should never have invented—is doomed to fail.

Their plans are about to collide. Disastrously.

If you’re a reader who prefers to know upfront whether a book has a happy ending, what the level of violence or trauma is, whether there are sex scenes and how substantial a part romance plays in the plot, you can find a link to those details in Colleen Cowley’s author profile. One scene in the book includes a character discussing a past trauma, and the link has more specifics.

•••••••

REVIEW:RADICAL is the second instalment in Colleen Cowley’s multi-genre CLANDESTINE MAGIC /paranormal/ UF/ Gaslamp fantasy series focusing on thirty-three year old, wizard/omnimancer Peter Blackwell, and store clerk/suffragette Beatrix Harper. RADICAL should not be read as a stand alone as it picks up immediately after the events of book one SUBVERSIVE.

NOTE: If you have not read book one SUBVERSIVE, there may be spoilers in my review.

SOME BACKGROUND: CLANDESTINE MAGIC is classified as ‘Gaslamp Fantasy’ – a sub-genre of both fantasy and historical fiction with elements of steampunk and the paranormal. The story line is set in an alternate 21st century, one in which the rise of feminism and equal rights has only just begun, and women are still considered second class citizens with no power, no magic and no rights. For decades wizards aka men, have controlled the world, using magic and the elements to increase their power and domination but subtle cracks begins to fragment their authority, and a magical weapon commissioned by our story line hero is needed to regulate the users of magic.

Told from dual third person perspectives (Beatrix and Peter) RADICAL follows several paths and picks up after the events of book one in which Beatrix sister’s Lydia, in her fight for women’s rights, may or may not have been the target of some very powerful men. In an effort to ‘arm’ women with magical powers, powers of which they have been led to believe have not been bestowed to their gendered sex, Beatrix recruits several women volunteers to teach them the ability to work with magic but someone is hoping to take them down, and in doing so destroy any semblance of a relationship between Peter and Beatrix. With the number of visiting wizards both seen and unseen, Peter begins to suspect they are under watch, first discovering the spells and hidden devices in all of their homes. As Beatrix and Peter’s relationship begins to take on a more ethereal existence, someone else is working behind the scenes to destroy everything they have accomplished to date.

RADICAL is a complex and detailed story of secrets and lies, power and control, misogyny, feminism, rights and beliefs. With elements of the paranormal, magic, and mayhem RADICAL is an edgy, unique and haunting tale of challenges, disillusionment, drama and desperation.

Click HERE for Sandy’s review of book one SUBVERSIVE

Copy supplied for review

Reviewed by Sandy

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Subversive by Colleen Cowley-Review & Guest Post

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Subversive (Clandestine Magic #1) by Colleen Cowley-Review & Guest post

 

Amazon.com / Amazon.ca / Amazon.uk / Amazon.au /

Don’t own a Kindle? Download the FREE Amazon Kindle App for your mobile device or pc

ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date September 27, 2020.

In an America controlled by wizards and 100 years behind on women’s rights, Beatrix Harper counts herself among the resistance—the Women’s League for the Prohibition of Magic. Then Peter Blackwell, the only wizard her town has ever produced, unexpectedly returns home and presses her into service as his assistant.

Beatrix fears he wants to undermine the League. His real purpose is far more dangerous for them both.

Subversive is the first novel in the Clandestine Magic trilogy, set in a warped 21st century that will appeal to fans of gaslamp fantasy.

••••••

REVIEW: SUBVERSIVE is the first instalment in Colleen Cowley’s multi-genre CLANDESTINE MAGIC /paranormal/ UF/ Gaslamp fantasy series focusing on wizard/omnimancer Peter Blackwell, and store clerk/suffragette Beatrix Harper.

Told from dual third person perspectives (wizard/omnimancer Peter Blackwell, and store clerk/suffragette Beatrix Harper) SUBVERSIVE follows in the aftermath of thirty-three year old, Peter Blackwell’s return to his hometown of Ellicott Mills, a return that finds Blackwell hiding in plain sight since Ellicott Mills has not had a wizard in a number of years. Needing an assistant, Blackwell forces Beatrix Harper into a contract, a contract that will bind our couple in everyway possible but Peter Blackwell is on the run, and his return to Ellicott Mills coincides with the suffragette movement of the Women’s League for the Prohibition of Magic, a league that wants to curtail the use of magic, as well as the wizard’s who push back. With Beatrix Harper by his side, Blackwell quickly discovers that all is not well in Ellicott Mills, including the mysterious appearance of another wizard, and the possibility of a mole in the Women’s League organization. What ensues is the acrimonious but forced relationship between Blackwell and Beatrix, and the potential fall-out as magic no longer appears to be the domain of only men.

SUBVERSIVE is classified as ‘Gaslamp Fantasy’ – a sub-genre of both fantasy and historical fiction with elements of steampunk and the paranormal. The story line is set in an alternate 21st century, one in which the rise of feminism and equal rights has only just begun, and women are still considered second class citizens with no power, no magic and no rights. For decades wizards aka men, have controlled the world, using magic and the elements to increase their power and domination but subtle cracks begins to fragment their authority, and a magical weapon commissioned by our story line hero is needed to regulate the users of magic.

Colleen Cowley pulls the reader into an imaginary, enchanting and intriguing story of discrimination, magical power, fate and fear. An enemies to lovers, forced proximity relationship between a wizard whose secrets are dangerous and dark, and a woman who only wants the right to be considered his equal. The premise is fascinating; the characters are colorful and energetic; the romance is complex as the attraction may not be natural or from the heart.

Copy supplied for review

Reviewed by Sandy

Follow author: Website /Twitter /Goodreads/

Helping out your imagination with some hard facts

Colleen Cowley

Even fantastical stories about wizards running America can benefit from some research.

That’s what I figured as I wrote a trilogy about that idea, anyway. The Clandestine Magic series opens in 2020, but it’s such a warped timeline that it feels more akin to the 1910s, complete with suffragist-like women. So there’s plenty of history to tap.

At heart, the novels are about Beatrix Harper, one of those activists, and Peter Blackwell, the wizard who upends her life. I wanted an immersive world for them, though. And that’s where research came in handy.

One gold mine for writers and readers alike: the Library of Congress’ website, where you can spelunk through history from your couch. Their collection of photographs is amazing, and it’s a great way to get a mental picture of places and people at a certain time.

Much of my trilogy is set in a fictionalized version of historic Ellicott City, Maryland. Very conveniently, the Library of Congress has photos of its picturesque Main Street and homes, so I could see what it looked like decades ago. (Many of the photos are copyright free. Very useful for, you know, sharing with people on your author website.)

Also very conveniently, the LOC has photos of all sorts of people, taken in all eras since the camera was invented. I had a lot of fun matching photos to characters, especially since many of the real women fought for equal rights in our timeline.

But there are so many other ways to get inspiration. Listening to Martin Luther King Jr.’s collected speeches, for instance. (The women in the Clandestine Magic world have similar aims, one good reason for me to pay careful attention, but more importantly: Everyone should listen to his speeches, and not just bits and pieces of “I Have a Dream.”)

I read a lot, too, of course, but I didn’t find out the craziest part of the women’s suffrage story until just recently — after I’d already finished writing the series. The 19th Amendment, the one that gave women the vote, was almost undone after the last required state approved it. As this New York Times piece puts it: Opposition forces, seeing a chance for a redo, “tried to persuade legislators with cash bribes, job offers, blackmail and bare-knuckled threats.” It got even wilder and more ominous from there.

Lesson learned: Nothing is more fantastical than real life.

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