Book Review: Much Ado About Magic

By Gail Allison

Katie Chandler is back. She’s back in New York, back working for MSI (Magic, Spells, and Illusions, Inc.), and back together with Owen Palmer, one of the most powerful wizards of his time. As a magical immune, Katie is completely unaffected by all the magic around her. Where most people would just see commuters and clouds, Katie sees fairies fluttering around Central Park and gargoyles patrolling the skies of the Big Apple. Her immunity makes her an invaluable resource at MSI, where spells and enchantments are the order of the day. When things start to go awry, though, she may be right in danger’s path as one of the only people who can see through all the illusions to the heart of the deception. And with one of the most knowledgeable wizards at MSI as her boyfriend, she may find herself in the middle of a magical war before she can say “abracadabra”.

I cannot even begin to describe how excited I was to hear that there would be additional books in Shanna Swendson’s “Enchanted Inc.” series. I had read the first four books at least twice over, and enjoyed them thoroughly, so to hear there would be additional installments? Thrilling!! These books are just so well written, and such a pleasure to read that once I pick one up, I can’t put it down. Ms Swendson has created some very well-rounded characters that keep jumping off the page more and more in every new book. For example: we finally got to learn about Owen’s parentage in "Much Ado About Magic."  His adoption had been mentioned in passing in the previous novels, but many pre-existing questions were answered in "Much Ado..."  The best part of the novel: the fact that the end was a cliff-hanger, so there (hopefully) will be more to come!!

Ever since I found this series a few years ago, I’ve been a die-hard fan. Ms Swendson’s language and characters are so believable they really make you want to start looking around for fairies hiding in plain sight or for wizards sitting next to you on the subway. They’re an easy read, and hit just the right tone for the end of the day when my brain is starting to turn off. Or when I’m sitting outside in the sun. Or when I’m tucked up inside because it’s snowing out. Really, they’re fantastic books to pick up any time. It’s absolutely a series that I recommend to most people, just because it is so enjoyable for such a diverse crowd.

If you have yet to join the e-reader generation, you can still get a head start on this series by picking up the first book, "Enchanted Inc," which is available in paperback on amazon.com. At the moment, "Much Ado About Magic" is only available in digital copy, but the first four books in the series are all available in hardcopy. Each one of these books has a permanent place on my bookshelf as re-reads. These books are definitely recommended if you need a little more magic in your life. And really, who doesn’t?!?

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