I wanted to blog a review on this book because the third book is due to be released in a few weeks, and I know I'll want to blog about that book quickly after I've read it. Reckless Magic is the beginning of the Star-Crossed Series. I downloaded the book because it was free, and that was the only reason why. I was even a little hesitant to read it, but I am so glad I did. This book had me hanging onto every word, and I must admit I finished it in one sitting. The story line about the star-crossed lovers is used a lot, but what I love about this book is that it goes beyond that. There is a world opened to us in which magic, love, hate, war, compassion, and royalty are all combined to enthrall our minds with imagination and adventure into a world we long to be a part of. The romance is only a portion of the moral battle as Higginson also lunges the conflict of family or love, revenge or understanding, and responsibility to the mind or the heart. I can honestly say after reading the first two books of the series, my heart was aching along with that of the main characters, and I could feel their pain manifesting. That's how good the book was for me.
The book beings with a catchy introduction depicting a vision of a woman dropping off a set of twins to an unknown gentleman's house. "'That's not possible.' Twins did not exist in their culture, or at least they hadn't in thousands of years." Together, they devise a plan to separate them for they know the lives of the babies depend on it. The book then fast forwards to introduce our main character, Eden Matthews. She is 17 and is transferring to a new school, again. Eden has had many unfortunate events happen to her and that has caused her expulsion from many schools. She only hopes her bad luck won't follow her here. She lives with her aunt, a doctor, and has the notion that her parents are dead. Always, she has been an outcast and prefers it to stay that way.
On her first day of school, she has the misfortune, or fortune depending on how you look at it, to run into Kiran Kendrick and his sidekick Talbot. Kiran pokes fun at Eden instantly and Talbot just doesn't seem to acknowledge her. To make matters worse, her teachers dislike her, she's behind in every subject, and every student at the school looks like a supermodel. Thankfully, she makes one friend, Lily. It seems no matter where Eden goes, she runs into Kiran and Talbot, and she senses a surge of electrical wave whenever Kiran is near. This electrical surge is how all of her misfortunes started , so she desperately tries to suppress sit. After an unsuccessful attempt, she faints in her English class and she is mortified. The next day at school she continues to find herself yet again the subject of Kiran's teasing and this time she cannot suppress her surge. She shoots Kiran with an electricity, only to be sent to the Principal's office. Eden is sure she will be expelled again, but it seems no one noticed what happened. She is free to stay, for now.
Eden hopes to relax her mind with a blissful sleep and finds herself in a romantic dream with Kiran. He sweet talks her and she falls right into his arms allowing herself to enjoy every part of her dream. Their interlude is quickly interrupted by men in black and she wakes up dumbfounded of what just happened. Just her luck, the school is also going on a P.E. adventure called camping and she is forced to be stuck with all her classmates for the whole weekend. It also doesn't help that Kiran continues to tease her and all the other girls seem to hate her. Especially Seraphina, Kiran's girlfriend. After a nasty exchange of words between Eden and Seraphina, Eden and Lily retreat from the group only to find Kiran and Talbot asking them to go into the woods with them. Reluctantly, they follow but Eden soon senses trouble. They find themselves surrounded by the men in black from Eden's dream. She can feel her electrical surge increasing within her when she notices the men and Lily have turned into animals. Is this real? To further complicate the matter, Kiran and Talbot are moving at record speed and strength. When Eden feels the trouble her friends are in, her body responds by shooting electricity towards the men and she blacks out. Her teacher arrives to the commotion and Eden finds herself on her bed at home.
So what the heck is going on here? That's what Eden is wondering! Principal Saint arrives to her bedside and feels he has a lot of explaining to do. He informs her that what she saw was indeed true, and she herself is a witch. Furthermore, she, as well as her classmates, belong to a group called Immortals. She is only one of five types of Immortals, the others being Titans, Psychics, Shape-shifters, and Mediums. The school is a specialty school for magic and until now, they had not thought to enroll Eden there. Everyone but her has been using magic, not to mention they have all been able to read her mind. Eden is shocked, but she at least feels like she somewhat belongs now. She returns to school to find everyone staring and talking about her, and Lily is nowhere to be found. Kiran and Talbot keep their distance from her as Seraphina clings onto Kiran like her prized possession. Luckily a new friend arrives just in time!
With long black hair and tattoos, Avalon also doesn't fit in with the other Immortals at school. He quickly befriends Eden and she finds him very appealing. She feels a strong connection with him and together, they quickly find trouble. Eden is over the fact that Kiran is devoted to Seraphina, but fate always finds a way. One day at school, Avalon loudly whispers to Eden if she owns anything sexy. A jealous Kiran can only grimace at the question, but Eden decides that she is up for some fun, not to mention making Kiran jealous. Wearing the shortest and tightest black dress, they go into a secret nightclub. He leaves her side for a mere minute and who else shows up but Kiran. He barely gets a word in when Talbot and Principal Saint arrive to interrupt them. Eden is told she is not allowed at this place, and that she needs to stay away from Kiran. Poor Eden seems to always be getting in trouble with Kiran when all she tries to do is stay away from him. Kiran demands they allow him to walk her out as he ushers her into the hallway, presses her up against the wall, and engages her in a fully sensual kiss. He hesitantly walks away and Eden is left to wonder what just happened. She also realizes now she must walk home alone. She senses a group of large men coming after her and struggles to evade their grip. Too fast for her, they catch her and as she puts up a fight, she ends up draining their magic. Avalon quickly comes to her rescue.
Upon her awakening at home, more explanation is needed as to why she must stay away from Kiran and what happened after the night club. Along with being in the realm of Immortals, there is also a monarchy, and Kiran is the crowned prince. He is betrothed to Seraphina and was sent to school to get to know her better. The only problem is, he has no attraction to her and he is interested in Eden. On top of that, there is a feud between Eden's family and Kiran's family, so there is a slight chance they can ever be together. Just a note too, Eden finds out Avalon is actually her brother, and Principal Saint is her grandfather. The history of the family is long and explained well in the book. It is similar to Romeo and Juliet but with a magical twist. Eden also finds out Lily is in jail at the royal palace just because she is a shape shifter and they have been banned from the Immortal realm. Eden struggles to find a way to rescue her friend while dealing with Kiran in the process.
Eden continues to have dreams about Kiran and finds herself falling more in love with him. Although they are forbidden to be together, they find opportunities to sneak away and indulge in their love for each other. This new-found romance with the enemy finds Eden surrounded by moral dilemmas. Does she side with her family and join the Resistance that her brother leads? What must she do about her love for Kiran, who's situation is as gloomy as hers? What other facts will surface about the past that will dictate her fate? How will she save Lily, or will she fail in her attempt to do so? This book still has many more adventures to reveal that will take Eden all the way to Romania in efforts to find the answers to her questions.
I COMPLETELY recommend Reckless Magic. Honestly, I have only covered a mere portion of what happens in this blog. Higginson couldn't do more to capture our attention with her writing and her attention to detail makes us yearn for more of the storyline. I also would like to add, as a side note, that the book is no longer free but $0.99, still an amazing deal for this book. Also, if you don't have an e-reader, you can always download the Kindle App to read on your smart phone, tablet, or computer. As for now, it doesn't look like the books are in print form, but I wouldn't be surprised to see them soon. Read this novel and enjoy it as much as I have!!!
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