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Review: Wicked Enchantment by Anya Bast (Dark Magick #1)

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Wicked Enchantment by Anya Bast // VBC ReviewWicked Enchantment (Dark Magick #1)
Anya Bast
Published: Jan. 5,2010 (Berkley)
Purchase at: Book Depository or Amazon

Reviewed by: Amber

Rating (out of 5): 3.5 stars

Incubi are known for their sexual prowess, and being only half incubus hasn’t hindered Gabriel one bit. Any woman in the Seelie court would jump at the chance to spend time with him. Any woman except Aislinn, who is still dealing with her last break up. Unfortunately, the Summer Queen has decided that it’s time Aislinn move on and has assigned her to be Gabriel’s guide while he remains in the Rose Tower, awaiting the verdict for his petition of residence.

The Summer Queen isn’t the only one hoping Gabriel succeeds in growing close to Aislinn. The Shadow King has set his sights on her and has demanded Gabriel lure her to the Black Tower.

To top it off, the druids responsible for the fae’s imprisonment more than 300 years ago are searching for the Book of Bindings. They believe this book, which could free the fae, now lies within the fae’s city.

I can’t say Wicked Enchantment starts off with a lot of action, but the social interactions are intriguing. Aislinn and Gabriel learn more about themselves through each other’s influence. Gabriel’s presence is especially important for Aislinn as he provides the opportunity for her to learn more about her magick, which she has to keep hidden.

Gabriel’s had a hard life that’s made him intense and passionate. I love that he defends the Unseelie against the prejudice that has been ground into the Seelie by their queen. I love the way he’s offended that Aislinn can’t see him as more than half-incubus, incapable of love. The chemistry between the two kept me on edge.

Sadly, I began to lose interest in him when it seemed like the only way Gabriel could express his love is through sex. At one point, it borders on creepy. It might be insight into his character, being that he is half incubus and has never really loved a woman, but through his narrative we see that he knows and understands his feelings, he just doesn’t choose to express them using this crazy concept called words.

The biggest problem I had with Wicked Enchantment was that I felt like I had been dropped into a world that had already been established. There were references to groups of people that I’d never heard of before, and characters, particularly Bella and Ronan, whose backstories I felt I should have already known. Trusting the cover when it says “first in a new series,” I read on. (There was a glossary in the back, but not being in the habit of reading the back pages of a book, I wasn’t aware of that until the end.) My patience was rewarded and I was finally enlightened.

I was a little miffed to find, after I’d finished reading, that there actually is a previous novella featuring the two characters, titled Sweet Enchantment. (Find it in the Hot for the Holidays anthology.) Mentioned nowhere on the previous works page. Even without having read the novella, Wicked Enchantment is still a good read. There really isn’t anything that isn’t recapped, albeit a little later on than I was comfortable with.

The second half of the book is way more action-packed and it spices up Aislinn and Gabriel’s romance. The entire novel is shrouded in mystery as we’re left to wonder why the Shadow King is obsessed with Aislinn. Though the book focuses on Aislinn and Gabriel, there’s a host of secondary characters that add flavor to the novel. By the end of the book, things are wrapped up nicely, leaving the perfect opening for a sequel, which I will be adding to my to-read list.

Sexual content: Graphic sex

2 Responses to “Review: Wicked Enchantment by Anya Bast (Dark Magick #1)”

  1. I read Bast’s Elemental Witches series a year or two ago. I’ve been meaning to try some of her other books out.

  2. tw1016 says:

    Your blog post was most helpful. It’s been a while since I have read anything new from Anya Bast. I’ve been meaning to read one of her most recent series but its so hard to find any of her novels, especially at Barnes & Noble. Please let me know if you know of any inexpensive places that sell Anya Bast’s novels.

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