Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

This story is not a magical fantasy, but rather a standard romance dressed up in fantasy clothes. The magic system, though it has potential, is not developed. The villains seem to have no purpose other than being evil. The plot moves forward on events improbable even within the realm of magic. That’s because all of these things are just props for the real story: a romance. I’ll provide one example. There’s a scene where the evil-mage ex-wife of the good-mage male love interest shows up at his house, physically rips his heart out, and then teleports away in a shower of blood. The pretty young female love interest, who has been apprenticing for a couple of weeks, and who has so far made nothing more complex than origami frogs, finds a piece of paper, figures out how to fold it into a functioning heart, brings it to life, and inserts it into the good mage’s chest. That she does this at all is incredible. But okay… maybe the heroine is just a magical and origami-folding super genius. But is it believable that she begins after the guy’s heart has been ripped out and gets it all done before he dies? Keep in mind that the story emphasizes how exquisitely precise the origami must be folded for the magic to work. A loving young girl replacing a guy’s heart that’s been ripped out by a nasty ex-wife has symbolism appropriate to a romantic fairy tale. So, if you’re looking for a romantic fairy tale with a contemporary twist, you might love this book. But a good magical fantasy, it is not.