Magic in Light (Supernatural Community #1) By Krista Street
I really enjoyed how Daria’s healing magic worked and the quirks that made her bloodline unique. To be able to heal someone, she must take their illness into herself and then destroy it. This poses a big risk to Daria herself, since there is a chance the illness will spread through her body and weaken her so much so that she is unable to fight it and ends up dying. The clear limitations and risks to her magic added tension to the story and provided more insight into Daria as a character.
Daria does also have telekinetic abilities as well, but that is only mentioned at the very beginning of the book and at the very end. I had actually forgotten about them until they were brought up briefly at the end.
Since this is the first book to the series, I am assuming these abilities will come more into play in later books and weren’t just a pointless addition.
Or at least I am hoping.
The characters in the book were solid, if a little bland. And the romance was pretty much an ‘insta-love’ kind. We did have a few scenes where Daria and Logan talked and bonded, but by the end of the book I didn’t feel as if we knew him.
Daria’s love for him seemed to stem around the fact that she could actually touch him without pain. Which - I understand is the premise for their romance but it shouldn’t be the only thing driving the relationship.
That or her boobs.
Why would I bring her boobs into this, you ask?
Great question. I asked myself the same thing multiple times while reading this book. I swear, at every possible opportunity Street brought up and described Daria’s boobs. How they were feeling, what they were wearing, how much attention they demanded. I think they had more character development then any of the actual characters. At one point, Daria overhears Logan talking with his friends, one of which says;
“I get it,” Brodie replied. “She’s drop-dead gorgeous. I’ll give you that, and fuck, those tits of hers.”
Now isn’t that what every girl wants to hear? Doesn’t that just make you swoon? Being reduced to a pair of tits is oh-so sexy.
While Daria’s boobs were mentioned to the point of hilarity, her virginity wasn’t, which was something I appreciated. The fact that she was a virgin was simply a consequence of her magic, not an overused character quirk.
Something that I can’t decide if I like or not is Daria’s ignorance of the supernatural world.
I assume this will be explored more in later books so I will have to wait and see.
The main plot of the book is to figure out who is threatening and cyberstalking Daria. Sadly I found the execution to be lacking after the first 50% of the book. Once a particular character shows up, it becomes pretty clear who the stalker is and Daria’s choices suddenly turn reckless. Any surprises that the author was hoping for were clear before they even happened, leaving me more annoyed at Daria’s and simply waiting for the book to wrap up.
While there were some things I found lacking in this book, I can see that it has potential and maybe some of the questions and issues I had with this book will be cleared up in a later one. I am willing to read the second book in this series, but will likely not read past that if some of the issues I mentioned above haven’t improved.
Check out my blog, Cauldron Book Reviews for book recs and reviews like this one!
Magic in Light (Supernatural Community #1) I really wanted to like this book. So much. I absolutely adore Krista Street’s Compound 26 series and really enjoyed the Forgotten series as well, but this one seemed far more rushed than her others. The characters were extremely shallow, the romance felt forced, the world building was weak, the dialogue was childish and the plot was overly simplistic.
I have always been a fan of any story with healer type character, and I was so excited to read this series, but Daria really disappointed me. I appreciated her kindness, but she was a very awkward narrator. I wanted to know more about her powers, her life on the road, or really anything other than the desires of her nipples. Seriously, she is so uncomfortably aware of her nipples and comments frequently on how erect or visible they are.... cringe! She was also a very weak character, I wanted to see fire and resolve and strength but she was a bit of a simpering mess. I understand she has suffered some traumas, but I didn’t like how she responded. I felt that all of the other characters were kept at arms length and we never really got to know them. I wanted to see more development in the relationship between Daria and Logan, more moments of connection, but she was far too focused on his chiseled, rippling body.
Speaking of that wall of muscle, Logan was... flat. I didn’t love him, I didn’t hate him, I honestly didn’t really care. I felt like he was a cardboard cut out of every 15 year old girl’s fantasies. The “perfect” man. He listens and doesn’t really comment, he watches her like he wants to devour her but is mysterious enough to maintain the air of intrigue, he’s gorgeous and super protective. But I really couldn’t pin point anything specific about his personality... because he didn’t have one. He wasnt funny, or broody, or angsty or flirtatious, he was just... hot? We know literally nothing about his past, or how he really feels about Daria, other than in the second to last chapter when they hump in the woods and he kinda, sorta, seems to say he wants to be with her forever? Maybe? It was all very unclear.
And that intimacy scene made me SO uncomfortable. Just some of the words the author chose made the flow very clunky. Also, they’ve known each other for what, a week? Less than that? Granted, there are some incredible romances where that’s how long the couple builds their relationship, but they really didn’t experience anything together, or bond in any other way. Except for the lust of course. My main reaction throughout the book was raised eyebrows and silently muttering frustrated questions to myself.
The word that comes to mind for this book is cringy. The dialogue was very stilted and forced and the scenes with her father/ stalker were so SHORT. If left absolutely no time for build up or drama or suspense or any kind of action. And the way Logan dealt with the situation was also rather strange. I liked the other three guys, they actually had more defining characteristics than all of the main characters combined.
I doubt I will read the next few books, but if Street writes another series I will still check it out, because I am seriously, madly, in love with her Compound 26 series.
If you like short, insta love romances with a wolf (briefly) involved, and little to no character development or plot continuity and cheesy dialogue then this is the book for you! Magic in Light (Supernatural Community #1) Magic in Light by Krista Street Review
Synopsis-
A supernatural healer threatened by a deadly stalker. An alluring bodyguard she can't resist. And his secret that will shatter her entire world.
People on the brink of death come to me for life. I touch them, and my magic burns away their sickness. My gift is exhausting and painful, even dangerous.
Which means I never intentionally touch anyone, and no one touches me.
So dating? Definitely not happening.
All of that changes when a cyber stalker threatens to burn me at the stake. I reluctantly hire a bodyguard, a six-foot-three mountain of temptation named Logan Smith, literally at my fingertips at all times.
Every fiber of my twenty-one-year-old virgin body vibrates for him, but when I accidentally touch him, my gift doesn’t activate. Nothing happens except a zing of desire.
This is bad.
My mother told me about potential mates, but I’m Logan’s employer. And come on, just look at him. Those broad shoulders and that firm backside...he’s got to have a girlfriend back home.
But when the stalker crosses a line, Logan reveals a side of himself he kept hidden.
He’s not who he claimed to be.
And his secret not only shatters my entire world but threatens everything I once believed.
‘I sank to the floor, my mind reeling as reality set in. My breath came out in ragged pants. Did that really just happen? Because as much as I wanted to deny what had just occurred between Logan and me, I couldn’t. That only meant one thing. My mother was right. Mates did exist.’
Daria can’t touch anyone or be touched by anyone because of her healing light abilities. She will soak up their pain or sickness. So she’s basically like the ultimate empath.
“She said that a time would come when I would feel both the dark and the light.”
She then meets Logan Smith. And when he touches her, nothing happens. She doesn’t soak up his energy or anything. It’s like touching a brick wall. And for her, that’s a delicious secret that needs to be cracked. She will find out just who he is.
“The women in my family only ever have one child. We’re a line of women who birth sole daughters. Having a brother or a sister was never in the cards for me.”
All the women in the family look the exact same. Blonde hair, pale skin and turquoise eyes. And they only give birth to one daughter. And only daughters.
‘One was a blond with a ready smile. Another had brown hair, wore aviator sunglasses, and had a face cut into planes and angles. And the last had the boy-next-door appeal—brown hair, glasses, and a baseball cap.’
Mmmm yes. Meeting the boys. ;)
4.5/5 Stars! Magic in Light (Supernatural Community #1) Ok so I really enjoyed this book! Paranormal Romance is like my happy place in the book world it’s what I grew up reading with one of my best friends! This book was so fun and entertaining!
Magic in Light follows Daria who is a supernatural healer. She can heal people from terminal illnesses with her touch alone but it’s painful for her to do so. This means she never intentionally touches anyone outside of her clients on her healing tours. She is in the midst of one said tour when she starts receiving death threats. Daria grew up being told to stay clear of the cops so instead she hires a personal body guard Logan. Once Logan is on the scene things get both better and worse. The death threats not only continue but worsen, while Daria finds true companionship and a possible mate with Logan whom she can touch without activating her healing powers. Logan is a bit of a mystery and is keeping secrets that have the ability to change Daria’s life and the way she sees the world. Who is threatening Daria and can Logan keep her safe while protecting his secrets and navigating the developing feelings/relationship between Daria and himself?
There are definitely some areas of growth for this book but I know that it’s part of a series so I’m very interested to see the continued development of this world and it’s characters. I would have liked to get to know Daria a little more before Logan’s character was not only introduced but introduced as a potential mate which happens in the first 5 pages of the book. I also want more development of the magic that Daria has and how it works. The reader is given information of her healing powers but her other powers are just brushed over and only mentioned a few times. That being said these are all things I’m looking forward to seeing more development in during the rest of the series.
Thank you Krista Street for sending me this E ARC, above is my honest review. Magic in Light (Supernatural Community #1) A bodyguard with secrets is hired to protect a witch trying to save the world...
This book has been on my tbr FOREVER, and I finally decided to tackle it. Although I enjoyed it, I actually correctly guessed all of the plot twists that happened throughout the novel--who/what Logan really was, who Daria's stalker was, and pretty much the entire last 30% of the novel. I'm pretty sure I even know who Crystal will turn out to be.
The writing at times was also a bit juvenile, but the thing that stuck out to me the most was how much the heroine talked about her boobs and nipples. The words boobs and nipples are mentioned 16 times! Other than that I found myself enjoying the story overall, especially when Logan got all j/p alpha towards the end. I will be continuing on in this series and look forward to some more drama between Logan and Daria ♡
My Logan, determined to protect Daria from every possible danger....
Magic in Light (Supernatural Community #1)
Krista Street ☆ 3 read & download
A supernatural healer threatened by a deadly stalker. An alluring bodyguard she can't resist. And his secret that will shatter her entire world.
People on the brink of death come to me for life. I touch them, and my magic burns away their sickness. My gift is exhausting and painful, even dangerous.
Which means I never intentionally touch anyone, and no one touches me.
So dating? Definitely not happening.
All of that changes when a cyber stalker threatens to burn me at the stake. I reluctantly hire a bodyguard, a six-foot-three mountain of temptation named Logan Smith, literally at my fingertips at all times.
Every fiber of my twenty-one-year-old virgin body vibrates for him, but when I accidentally touch him, my gift doesn’t activate. Nothing happens except a zing of desire.
This is bad.
My mother told me about potential mates, but I’m Logan’s employer. And come on, just look at him. Those broad shoulders and that firm backside...he’s got to have a girlfriend back home.
But when the stalker crosses a line, Logan reveals a side of himself he kept hidden.
He’s not who he claimed to be.
And his secret not only shatters my entire world but threatens everything I once believed.
Can I get a magical power like Daria’s please?
Street’s venture into paranormal romance is delightful. I need me a Logan in my life.
Magic in Light (Supernatural Community #1) Dumbass TSTL woman, I cannot even finish reading this because I want to believe the stalker killed her and I give zero fucks about the hero's mystery. Magic in Light (Supernatural Community #1) Get it here:
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This book was a nice breath of fresh air! The world-building was good and I have a feeling that it's going to become more and more prominent as the series progresses. The writing style and overall pacing of the story was also very good.
Daria was an interesting character to get to know! It's been a few years since I've read about a healer and I had forgotten how fascinating the powers can be. I liked that the author brought together an everyday paranormal creature with a less known/recognizable one. Though let's all just say how annoyed I was with her at ditching her security for a meeting that was sketchy from the getgo.
Logan was also a breath of fresh air when it came to his emotions. I still get taken aback when a book has a hero that actually emotes and has the maturity to have a conversation that mentions *gulp* feelings of any kind. I liked how attentive and protective he was with Daria and the people she loved. He was such a sweet guy with a controlling streak when things got dire.
Logan's packmates stood out in the story, which is a strange sentence coming from the person that usually lets the background characters blur together when they're introduced one on top of the other. Each one had distinct personalities and abilities. I hope we eventually get to read their stories when they find their respective mates.
The ending was bittersweet and emotional! I understand that their respective lives must go on, but I just want them to be happy together. I can't wait for the next book in the series!
My Favorite Quotes:
It may take a few years, five years, ten years ... h*ll, maybe even twenty years, by at some point in the future you'll be able to remember them without it choking you.
I don't operate on luck. Magic in Light (Supernatural Community #1) DNF for this book, but I skimmed the first three books in this series and then read almost the entirety of book 4. LOL. It actually wasn’t bad, but I’m not leaving a rating because I didn’t read the whole book.
This series is a little more mature than the typical YA read, since it does have a decent amount of on-page sex, but it’s still written in a way that screams YA the rest of the time.
Some major spoilers ahead…
I started this story, but there was an OW drama thread that seemed questionable to me, so I decided to not waste my time listening before finding out if there would be cheating or something else major that would bother me.
Well, it turned out that the hero was engaged to be married, but it was an arranged marriage and he had never been romantically interested or involved with his fiancée. Unfortunately, he doesn’t tell the heroine about any of this before getting with her, and actually actively lied to her by telling her that she wasn’t his girlfriend. Semantics, right? Worse, he seems to full intend to go through with the wedding when the time comes.
There’s a ton of drama surrounding the wedding, and he even brings the heroine to his pre-wedding celebration to introduce her to his family, where they all call her his mistress.
The funny thing is, after skimming through books 1, 2 & 3, I actually started reading book 4 and ended up reading the whole thing. It wasn’t half bad, but definitely too young for me. And the OW drama does get resolved in a way that worked for me, not just the typical mean OW runs away with her tail between her legs.
So if you’re late teens, early 20’s, or if you like reading a spicy YA, this series would probably be a good choice. You can get the entire series on audiobook as a collection through hoopla, which is nice. And it’s also on KU.
Magic in Light (Supernatural Community #1)