Review – Midlife Magical Challenge (Leveling Up, Book 6) by K.F. Breene (4/5 stars)
Reading Level: Adult
Genre: Paranormal
Length: 361 pages
Publisher: Hazy Dawn Press, Inc
Release Date: December 12, 2022
ASIN: B0BM5964FM
Stand Alone or Series: 6th book in the Leveling Up series
Source: Borrowed eBook through Kindle Unlimited
Rating: 4/5 stars
“The signs are unmistakable, Momar isn’t just targeting Austin’s brother.
When one of Momar’s grunts breaks into Austin’s territory looking to grab Jessie for questioning, Jessie and her crew realize they are under fire. In order to protect themselves, it becomes obvious they need backup.
Thankfully, the basajaun’s people have invited Jessie and her crew into the basajaunak lands. This is their golden opportunity to seek their help.
The problem is, a host of mages and mercenaries are following them. Once they take Jessie this time it won’t be just for questioning, and she won’t be coming back.
To omit this detail to the basajaunak would result in punishment. And everyone knows “punishment” with basajaunak is synonymous with an unmarked grave. But to tell them would get their visit canceled and force them to face the threat alone. Either way could mean certain death.
Decisions, decisions.”
Series Info/Source: This is the sixth book in the Leveling Up series. I borrowed a copy of this on ebook through Kindle Unlimited.
Thoughts: This book starts where the last book left off. Quite a bit of time has passed since the last book came out and I did struggle a bit to remember who all the different characters were, especially side characters like Nathaniel and Nessa. There are so many characters that a glossary of names would be helpful at this point. This was a decent installment in this series but not my favorite of the series.
Jessie and crew are getting ready to face off with Momar after some of his grunts try to kidnap Jessie. Jessie’s group ends up trekking out to the home of the basajaunak to seek their assistance. Unfortunately, this leads a group of killers and mages straight to the basajaunak’s home.
This was a decent installment in the series but not my favorite. Jessie still isn’t fully embracing her link with the house and this is handicapping her, she does make some progress with embracing and growing her gargoyle magic in this book. Austin is also holding back from fully committing to Jessie’s magic and cause.
While a lot of this book felt like filler, there were some aspects I enjoyed. I enjoyed learning about the basajaunak more. I also really thought Nieve was amazing in this book, she really goes above and beyond just being a grumpy old woman this round. I also enjoyed the silly antics with the gnomes and getting to see the vampire Edgar in all his hilariously creepy glory.
My Summary (4/5): Overall this was a decent installment in this series but definitely one of the weaker books of the series. A lot of this feels like filler and things moved slower than expected. I enjoyed meeting more of the basajaunak race and some of the antics of the side characters. I plan on continuing to read this series for now, but hopefully future books have a bit more action and make more progress.
