His Dark Magic

His Dark Magic by Pat Esden is the first book of the Northern Circle Coven series. This series is a romantic paranormal fantasy with characters in the new adult age range.<br /><br />Chloe Winslow is a young witch that is approached with the offer of joining the Northern Circle Coven. After a traumatic event in her past Chloe is lured into all of what the coven seems to be offering along with being attracted to one of it’s members.<br /><br />Despite numerous warnings from family and friends Chloe finds herself going through the coven’s initiation and joining their group. Once inside though Chloe finds that the magic she was intrigued by is much darker than she ever expected.<br /><br />His Dark Magic was a solid series opener in this particular genre. There was a good mix of romance and story to blend together. However, for me I didn’t think this one was overly new or original in the content. I know I’ve read many times how one is drawn into dark magic and conjuring up something more sinister than imagined so while it was a decent story in the end I thought this one was just alright at three stars.<br /><br />I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.<br /><br />For more reviews please visit <a target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow" href="https://carriesbookreviews.com/">https://carriesbookreviews.com/</a>

Find this review and others at <a href="https://www.carleneinspired.com" rel="nofollow noopener">Carlene Inspired</a>.<br /><br />Chloe Winslow wants a fresh start in Vermont, an opportunity to be the version of herself she knows she can be, all while studying medicine in hopes of righting the wrongs of her past. As a witch who is unaware of her true strength, Chloe is invited to the mysterious Northern Circle Coven, with their high priestess offering her the chance to harness her powers. Chloe finds herself crushing on fellow coven member, Devlin, with her lust for him and her desire to learn glossing over her common sense. When the coven attempts to awaken Merlin himself they find that not every member's motive is for good and Chloe must trust blindly and put her faith behind her untrained power to discern good from evil.<br /><br />The foggy Vermont shores are meant to be an escape for Chloe, a place for her to learn how she can combine her power and medicine, but it soon becomes a fight to not drown in the dark magic that calls to her as the coven unearths the shade of Merlin. A classic new adult character, Chloe easily allows her emotions to get the better of her, allowing the story to be a mix of romance and gothic witch drama. She discovers that trust, while easy to give at first, can be tested too many times, and that power can be intoxicating even when thought to be used for good. I enjoyed Chloe's naivety and felt it really allowed the story to progress with significant character development. I was intrigued by her past and her future hopes, especially as she joined the coven and fell for the promise of power. Her romance with Devlin, though brief in their interactions, happens very quickly, which really highlighted Chloe's youthfulness. However, she builds a strong friendship with another local witch and I loved them as friends, their dialogue was so fresh and entertaining. <br /><br />His Dark Magic was the perfect story to introduce a new series, especially with the format of the Northern Circle Coven series where each is told from the perspective of different characters. While the setting, general character personalities, and the overarching plot line of light versus dark magic is obvious, there was little detail given on the rest. I wanted to understand the characters and their ties to the coven more, in fact I wanted to understand the coven more in general. We aren't given enough information and while the characters are fiercely protective of it we don't understand why. On top of that, we aren't given motives behind why some of the characters have chosen to go dark. It's a very large part of this first novel and I think it could have been explained further. I am, however, looking forward to exploring the dark versus light side of the characters in the future novels, especially now that lines have been drawn and characters have chosen sides.<br /><br />His Dark Magic is a stunning fantasy and paranormal release from Pat Esden that introduces a new series that I am very much looking forward to reading. It reminded me of the books I used to read about witches in the early '00's that I enjoyed so much. I enjoyed the characters, the overarching theme of good and evil, the friendships, and I loved the contemporary setting that the coven managed to somehow still fit into. I recommend His Dark Magic to fans of new adult paranormal/fantasy reads.<br /><br />ARC provided.

I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Truthfully, I am already an Esden fan from her prior Dark Heart series (love me the djinn). So I was looking forward to falling in love with a new set of new adults discovering their power and walking the edge of darkness and light.<br /><br />Chloe made a mistake that lead to a tragedy. Now she's just at school in Burlington, VT trying to pick up the pieces of her life and make a career in medicine to find a way to atone.<br /><br />But Chloe is a witch. While her ability to sense magic and cast wards isn't anything special, she longs to be part of a coven that would give her life purpose. When a handsome stranger drops off an invite to the nearest coven as a potential initiate, she can't resist attending. Lured by the promise of a magic that will help her atone, she is slowly, bit by bit, lured to the dark side of magic.<br /><br />Confession: I didn't fall in love with Devlin, the male lead, as I did with Chase from Esden's other series. (Although Chloe had no problem falling for him-- steamy fun times were had) However, I did fall in love with Chloe's friends. The little merry band of friends outside the Northern Circle Coven, including Keshari with her demon-avoiding atomizer, were awesome and engaging. There's definitely potential in some of the coven members (Midas the engineer, Em the AA attending alcoholic, and Chandler, the welding artist with her son) but we didn't spend enough time with them for me to get hooked as we did with Chloe's Wiccan friends.<br /><br />The other thing this book does well is give you a sense of place. From the Burlington Earth Clock to Lake Champlain, I could totally visualize each scene's surroundings in a solid way. And this is chock full of cool little witchery details like sand is just dozens of tiny crystals and the way to make rosemary oil, and the more gruesome method of casting an illusion on oneself. There's also a bunch of bonus Arthurian myth thrown in for those of us who might at one time have been addicted to the musical Camelot....<br /><br />Great opening for a new series. I can feel the potential in many of the characters and hope to follow them on further adventures.

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✨ BOOK REVIEW ✨<br />Magic!!! ?<br />It’s been a long time since I read a book about witchcraft. His Dark Magic, is a book about craft, betrayal, friendship and family. I really loved the premise of this story, merging the old folklore tales with something so up to date. The main character, Chloe, has a very tortured but good soul and she is really likeable and relatable. Desperate to fit in and to prove she is better than her previous mistakes. <br />The writing is lovely, very short chapters, fast paced and exciting. Characters are well developed with some surprising ally and enemy moments. I also really love the cover!! Looking forward to reading the next book ?<br />=====================<br />

This is the first book of the Northern Circle Cover series, and it delivers witches, romance, suspense and action. A fun read for fans of modern-day paranormal/supernatural stories!

Sometimes you just need a solid witch paranormal and man, does Pat Esden deliver with His Dark Magic! <br /><br />Chloe and Devlin have immediate chemistry, but Esden takes time to develop their relationship. There's a great balance of romance (and related intrigue), friendships (I loved Chloe's apartment mates and Keshari), and general witchiness and mystery. Something's clearly off, and the signs are there but delivered subtlely enough to keep you guessing.<br /><br />This book is a standalone within the interconnected Northern Circle Coven series (thank goodness, because the next book's not coming out for a while).<br /><br /><em>I won an advanced copy of His Dark Magic and am voluntarily leaving a review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.</em>

This book is way outside my normal reading—and it was a really fun foray into a new genre. Witches and demons running loose on a Vermont campus—what more could you want? The book kept me up way later than I wanted on more than one occasion. The entire second half of the book was really compelling stuff, shifting between taut suspense and really exciting action. <br /><br />Loved this one.<br />

Thank you to Lyrical Press and Netgalley for a copy of the eARC in exchange for a fair review.<br /><br /><br />Chloe has recently moved to Vermont to go to school, and she is surprised by an early morning visit with a magical invitation. Chloe is excited at the prospect of redeeming herself and joining a new coven. Plus it doesn't hurt that Devon is sexy and interesting.<br /><br /><br />Soon Chloe finds herself caught up in a relationship with Devon and trying to fit in within the Northern Circle, when she finds out that they want to awaken Merlin, even though she isn't sure it is a great idea she goes along with it. However, Chloe keeps getting mysterious warnings and soon she doubts the Circle's motives and Devon's as well.<br /><br /><br />Can she help stop what she has unleashed upon the world? Is Devon who she thought he is? Will Chloe be able to redeem herself or will she give into the darkness?<br /><br /><br />I must admit I have read some of the author's other books so even though I don't normally read this genre I thought why not. I wasn't disappointed, this was a good book. I know that doesn't seem like high praise, but considering I set aside more books than I don't in this genre the fact that I read it all the way through should tell you a lot. I thought it was interesting world, I liked the magic and I really liked Chloe and her friend! I thought the friendship was one of the best parts of the story.<br /><br /><br />I liked Devon and Chloe, and thought he really came through in the end. I am excited to see where the story goes, I wonder if it will focus on two different characters in the next book or if it will still be Chloe.

This massively entertaining blend of magic, intrigue, and romance kicks off a new series for author Pat Esden, and if this first entry is any indication, this is one to watch!<br /><br />HIS DARK MAGIC is a well-crafted and cleverly plotted urban fantasy, and fans of the genre should love this first entry in the Northern Circle Coven series. (I'll be picking up the second book in the series right after I finish this review-- I'm intrigued by the way Esden planted the seeds for book 2 without ever distracting my attention from this volume!)