Audiobook Review – Make Mine Magic by Shanna Swendson, Narrated by Karissa Vacker (4/5 stars)
Reading Level: Adult
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Length: 7 hours and 28 minutes
Publisher: Audible Originals
Release Date: January 09, 2020
ASIN: B08231DN1X
Stand Alone or Series: Stand Alone
Source: borrowed Audiobook through Audible Plus
Rating: 4/5 stars
“Jilted at the altar, small-town librarian Claire is forced to go on her romantic honeymoon in New York City alone. After enduring one too many meals for two as one, Claire invites a seemingly harmless little old lady to join her for afternoon tea at the Plaza. Unbeknownst to Claire, said little old lady is actually a grand wizard, who bestows Claire with a magical amulet that makes her the sitting queen of the magical community. Claire is swept into the gilded world of New York City wizards – and a bitter power struggle for the throne. With the help of a cursed former prince, Claire must untangle this web of deception and find the magical community’s rightful leader before her “honeymoon” is over.”
Series Info/Source: This is a stand alone novel by the author of the Enchanted Inc. series. I borrowed this Audiobook through Audible Plus.
Audiobook Quality: This audiobook was well done. The narrator does a good job with the accents and it was very pleasant to listen to, not complaints.
Story (4/5): This was a cute and cozy little read about a woman, Claire, who was stood up by her fiance at the altar. Claire decides to take her honeymoon trip to New York City anyway on her own. Once there, she helps an old woman in need and is accidentally thrust into New York City’s magical community. This was a fun little read that was exactly what I thought it was going to be and exactly the type of book I was looking to listen to. It’s cute, there’s a good mystery, some fun magic, and some romance. It’s a self-contained story and was just a perfect fluffy read for the hectic time leading up to Christmas
Characters (4/5): I enjoyed all the characters in here even if none of them really blew me away. Claire was determined and hurt and I admired her actions throughout the book. The side characters are also well done but also fairly stereotypical, which to be honest was exactly what I was looking for when I picked this up.
Setting (4/5): This whole story is set in New York City, which is a fine setting. While I am not a huge fan of New York City it was kind of fun to revisit all the sites and sounds of it throughout this book.
Writing Style (4/5): This is a fairly simple story that is written in a way that’s easy to follow. It’s basically a cozy little mystery about Claire trying to unravel the secrets behind New York’s magic scenes and what this has to do with her. The characters are generally pleasant, everything is fairly predictable, there is a decent plot, and some sweet romance. While it’s nothing special, it was exactly the type of book I was looking to read and it was exactly what I thought it was going to be… which was perfect for my mood at the time. It was just a nice fluffy, little diversion and was decently written.
My Summary (4/5): Overall I enjoyed this, it was exactly the kind of book I was looking to listen to. I don’t listen to a ton of these kind of chick lit paranormal books, but that’s what I wanted and that’s what I got here. I keep planning on checking out Swendson’s Enchanted Inc series but keep getting diverted by other books; this book makes me want to keep that series on my to- read list. I would recommend it if you are looking for a fun, light, fluffy story that is fairly predictable and has some magic and romance in it and is a stand alone.
