Review - Antique Magic by Kait Disney-Leugers

I did not expect to enjoy this book as much as I did. Romantic fantasy is far from my preferred genre, but this book was good.

What works well:

The strongest element of the story, and of the author’s universe, is the universe itself. Things are happening here and now on planet Earth, and the fantasy element is woven into the realistic element very believably. Our Heroine, Brie St. James is a college student looking for extra work. She takes a part time job at an antique boutique that is way more than meets the eye. This shop serves as a hub for various supernatural creatures to procure goods and services that they need to secretly coexist with their human neighbors. Not a trope that I’m overly familiar with (maybe it’s a smaller, more eclectic version of Diagon Alley), but one that is executed well, with enough details and backstory to help the reader truly accept that this sort of fantasy world can plausibly exist in our own world. With such a strong foundation of world-building, I was able to accept some of the lesser developed elements of the story.

What needs work:

Brie St. James is a character who seems unsure of herself at times, and very confident at other times. This is human nature, of course, but her personality displayed inconsistencies that did not parse with my understanding of her. I still found her to be enjoyable, despite wincing at the sensibility of some of her choices or thoughts. The secondary characters were better developed, with a lot of well-placed humor.

The pacing also had some issues. Some scenes that I thought should move more quickly were a little slow, while other critical reveals seemed too immediate when they should have simmered for a while.

Recommendation:

I’m a sci-fi guy through and through, but I enjoyed this read, despite my critiques above. At the end of the day, this is a debut novel by a rookie author. I know, from having recently completed my own sci-fi manuscript, that writing is HARD. Ms. Disney-Leugers will grow as an author. She will improve her connection with her characters, and the pace of her stories. And as said above, the world she has created is fun and scary and, most importantly, believable. It will be worth the while of anyone who loves Romance or Dark Fantasy to join her on this first leg of her writing journey and beyond.

Link to book on Amazon:

https://a.co/d/ihC0XAa