-
REVIEW: Elixir of Strife by Nazri Noor
Stolen Hearts: Elixir of Strife – Nazri Noor
Water, water, everywhere.
Leon Alcantara and Maximilian Drake have barely caught their breath after saving the city from an untimely fate. Now the Jade Spider has a new assignment. A local magical plant shop has requested a strange elixir, the liquid essence of purest water.
In pursuit of the ocean potion, Max stumbles upon a tormentor from his past. Leon faces the challenge of hosting a second dragon, a legend much closer to home. And the mysterious Masques are more watchful than ever, shadowing the boys at every turn.
But strangest of all is a fresh spate of elemental anomalies in Dos Lunas. Life or death, sink or swim, Leon and Max must rise to the challenge — or drown under a tide of wicked magic.
Nazri Noor’s stories are full of cocky but lovable magical boys and their misadventures. Stolen Hearts is another urban fantasy series featuring two witches, Max Drake of the prominent Brilliante clan and Leon Alcantara, son of a Filipino immigrant and last of the long line of Alcantara bruhas. They partnered to work as finders of magical artifacts in Dos Lunas.
In the second book, Elixir of Strife, the two witches were commissioned to find the Essence of Water. This magical elixir can be added to a potion, making it more potent while multiplying it infinite times. Their clients were Daniel de Lion from the de Lion clan and a demon hag who called herself Edelweiss. The two were agriculturists or, in Edel’s case, “hagriculturist.”
Dan de Lion is the more difficult of the two, arrogant and impatient. I thought he might be connected to Leon since their names are too similar. Edel turned out to be a potential ally. She’s growing the “evil olive,” a magical olive so potent that a drop of its oil could have some interesting, if dire, results.
This part piqued my interest, and I really thought the evil olive would have a more significant effect on the proceedings. Sadly, it was underutilized. I’m hoping it will reappear in future books because some events and characters from the first book were referenced or made their reappearance.
The humor is one of my favorite aspect of the writing. The internal dialogues, particularly Leon’s, amused me to no end. Leon, like many Filipinos, is extra scrappy and resourceful, able to repurpose any handy material for his magic. Most of his education came from his late bruha mother and, not born with a silver spoon, learned to be exceptionally creative with limited magical ingredients.
I loved how the author incorporated Filipino culture and lore into the story. There were moments when Leon would be reminded of his native country, and his reflections were often both nostalgic and humorous. It was also fitting for him to finally acquire a water dragon from the Philippines.
In the original Filipino lore, Bakunawa is a dragon who swallows the sun or moon, causing the eclipse. In this context, he becomes a powerful water dragon who swallowed the ocean. I’m excited to see more dragons in future books! I’m living for the anime vibes!
Max is no slouch either with his badass diamond-based magic. So far, he relies on his tried-and-tested spells, but I’d love to see his magic evolve. This rich boy knows he has looks, power, and resources, and while he’s not pretending to be humble, he isn’t one to brag unnecessarily. As one of the old magical families, Max has connections and friends he shares with Leon.
Guillotina is Max’s bodyguard and best friend. She packs one heck of a punch! Johnny Slivers is a bar owner and music geek. Loved his powers! He can manifest deadly pins, hence the name. Roscoe is Johnny’s boyfriend and is equally powerful, able to create hexes.
The most intriguing characters will always be the Jade Spider and the Mask. Spiders are information mongers, and there are several kinds. The ones we know are the Quartz Spider, who was a bad guy, and the Jade Spider, who is currently a sort of handler for Max and Leon. She may be allied to them now, but she pinged my “spidey senses.”
The Masks are magical police, seemingly omniscient and always mysterious. Their masks have a crescent design, and they appear and disappear like the Cheshire Cat in Alice in Wonderland. They have taken a particular interest in our boys. I want a book about the Masks!
I have always loved that the author’s works are action-packed, as they remind me of anime fight scenes. This installment is more subdued in terms of action and the plot was a bit too expected, but there was enough spells and sass to satisfy my otaku self.
Elixir of Strife explores the intriguing world of liquids, encompassing everything from water manipulation to perfumes, potions, cocktails, salt water, and even urine. While the author’s style is already recognizable, leading to a sense of predictability, one thing’s for sure: it’s hella fun and solidly entertaining!
Rating:
4 Stars – minor quibbles but I loved it to bitsSoundtrack: Something in the Water
Artist: Kami Kehoe
Album: Something in the WaterP.S.
Even if each book has a different mission, Stolen Hearts should be read in order. Dos Lunas is where it’s at and Max and Leon’s (mis)adventures start in Hex and the City.
If you like my content, please consider using my Amazon affiliate links below to buy your copy of Elixir of Strife. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying Amazon purchases at no additional cost to you.
ELIXIR OF STRIFE: Kindle | Audiobook
If you like my content, please consider supporting me on Ko-fi or PayPal. Your donations will help keep this website going. Thank you so much!
-
COVER REVEAL: P.O.O.F Please by D.G. Carothers (Giveaway)
-
BLOG TOUR: Consort of the Dragon King by Ariella Zoelle Writing as Zarina Aston (Excerpt & Giveaway)
-
RE-RELEASE BLITZ: Drawn by Dragonblood by Lynn Burke
-
REVIEW: Secondhand Skin by Hailey Turner
Soulbound: Secondhand Skin – Hailey Turner
Nothing says you can’t steal a heart. Keeping it though? That’s another problem.
Wade Espinoza knows a thing or two about hoards. As a dragon, he’s got plenty. What he doesn’t have is a relationship, and he swears he’s not looking for one. But when he’s sent to Boston to answer a cry for help from another pack, he’s drawn into a mess of fae bargains centered around a selkie who Wade instantly becomes obsessed with.
Riordan Maguire is struggling to keep his selkie clan out of the clutches of a fae lord who will do anything to take over their territory. Partnering with the Boston god pack means coming face-to-face with the first person he’s ever wanted to willingly give his sealskin. Too bad Wade isn’t local and is something altogether strange that Riordan isn’t sure he can trust.
Amidst a growing danger in the streets and Boston Harbor, Wade and Riordan are desperate to find a way to keep everyone safe. For bargains are dangerous things to break, but so are hearts. Wade isn’t willing to shatter either of theirs in a race against time that could see Riordan torn from him forever.
Secondhand Skin is an exciting new standalone novel set in Hailey Turner’s best-selling Soulbound Universe focusing on Wade Espinoza.
Like most MM romance readers, I have an undying love for Patrick and Jono and the Soulbound series by Hailey Turner. But I confess, I got stuck in the middle of the series because my lazy reader brain could not handle recalling all the details of the previous installments and the many things happening in the present.
One of the most unforgettable characters was Wade Espinoza, the teen dragon Patrick and Jono rescued from slavery. Wade, like all dragons, has a bottomless pit for a stomach.
I still recall with amusement the scenes where Patrick wondered how he could stretch his government salary because, at the rate he was going, Wade could eat them out of house and home. I really loved Patrick for this.
Secondhand Skin is Wade’s book. Now 23 years old, Wade has grown into a confident (sometimes overly so), irreverent, fun-loving, sassy, protective, and loyal dragon so adept at hiding his true identity that even powerful beings can’t tell what he is. Still, a bottomless pit.
His pack gave him a mission to go to Boston to help the dire of the Boston god pack, Ella, find her alphas abducted by an evil fae, Niall. This led him to cross paths again with the selkie, Riordan, whom he met at Gerard and Orla’s wedding.
The Maguire clan is in dire straits. The same evil fae was responsible for attacking Saoirse and stealing her sealskin. Riordan and his older brother Donal were given the ultimatum to hand over their sister or Riordan. And as the clan leader, Riordan handing himself over means handing over the clan.
So Wade, Ella and the Maguires banded together to deal with the Niall problem.
I’m not too familiar with Western folklore so at first I thought selkies were seahorses. The Maguire siblings actually shift into seals! How cute! The relationship between the Maguire siblings is one of my favorite parts.
A selkie’s most precious possession is their sealskin, which can transform into anything, like a leather jacket for Riordan. Owning a selkie’s sealskin means you can control the selkie. The sealskin is usually gifted to their mates.
Wade was taught a few tricks by one of the toughest negotiators, Sage, fae-trained lawyer, tiger shifter, and wife to billionaire seer Merek. Our boy also inherited most of Patrick’s brash, not-taking-any-of-your-shit, kamikaze style of dealing with a problem.
The difference between Patrick and Wade is Patrick will throw himself directly in the line of fire to save someone despite knowing he might not survive. Wade will throw himself directly in the line of fire to save someone with all the confidence that he won’t even be scratched.
Personally, I thought his characterization here was Gary Stu-ish, like an overpowered anime character. Magic has no effect on him so he’s hardly threatened by anything. If someone becomes too inconvenient, he knows he can just eat them.
He bulldozed his way into high-level fae homes and gets away with disrespect because of his pack’s reputation and when he releases his dragon-y aura, it intimidates people. Also, he’s on a first-name basis with god-tier folks many people feared.
He doesn’t worry about spending millions of dollars bribing Carmen the succubus and her master the psycho vampire Lucien because, very conveniently, Wade has a billionaire in his pack.
So apart from a tragic past, our boy really had it easy, relatively. He even found his mate, Riordan. I loved how the selkie’s calmer energy grounded Wade’s more excitable one.
I miss the days when our heroes went through hoops of fire in their adventures. Here, it’s the Maguire clan that is put through the wringer.
But mini gripe aside, this is the same fast-paced, action-packed, completely engrossing magical romp we loved from Hailey Turner. The sass and humor were spot on and the fight scenes! There’s nothing like the Soulbound fight scenes!
These are easily some of the most jaw-dropping, high-stakes battles between our heroes and pissed-off gods/goddesses with fabulous displays of magic and no-punches-pulled derring-do. The cameos from the folks we loved and loved to hate since the beginning of the series were cherries on top of this spectacular chaos and mayhem.
The blurb said this could be read as a standalone but I recommend delving into the Soulbound main series first since many references and characters were mentioned.
Secondhand Skin is Wade coming into his own. His adventure is filled with excitement, magic, supernatural creatures, and a pack that always has his back. Overall, a rip-roaring addition to the Soulbound universe!
Rating:
4.5 Stars – perfection is only half a step awaySoundtrack: I Am Your Skin
Artist: The Bravery
Album: Stir The Blood
If you like my content, please consider using my Amazon affiliate links below to buy your copy of Secondhand Skin. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying Amazon purchases at no additional cost to you.
SECONDHAND SKIN: Kindle I Audiobook
If you like my content, please consider supporting me on Ko-fi or PayPal. Your donations will help keep this website going. Thank you so much!
-
RELEASE BLITZ: Consort of the Dragon King by Ariella Zoelle Writing as Zarina Aston (Excerpt & Giveaway)
-
BOOK BLAST: The Dragon King’s Assassin by Amy Sumida (Excerpt)
-
NEW RELEASE: Dragon’s Folly by Joy Lynn Fielding (Excerpt & Giveaway)
-
RELEASE BLITZ: Secondhand Skin by Hailey Turner
-
BLOG TOUR: Mage of the Dragon Prince by Ariella Zoelle Writing as Zarina Aston (Excerpt & Giveaway)
