I’m one scrappy wizard.As someone with barely a flicker of magic, I’ve spent my life being mocked and surviving fights with bullies. But when my parents die in an accident, and I find myself responsible for our whole wizard house and family, I know my usual tactics aren’t going to cut it.The situation veers from bad to catastrophic when my backstabbing cousin stages a coup and takes my family … takes my family hostage.
I barely manage to flee, but the only supernatural willing to help me is Killian Drake–the most feared vampire in the region, and a far more deadly villain than the jerk threatening my family.
Is Killian sexy and charismatic? Heck yeah.
He’s also so powerful that my flight or fight instincts kick in every time our eyes meet. And he’s definitely using me as his personal magic detector in his feud against the local fae.
But Killian is also the first person to believe I might have more than just a scrap of magic. And if I can convince him to train me, I might get strong enough to free my family and get my house back.
I’m not sure what happens when a scrappy wizard is taught how to fight by a hall of deadly vampires, but I’m about to find out.
Magic Forged is the first book in the Hall of Blood and Mercy trilogy, which features vampires, wizards, fae, and werewolves. It’s packed with humor, adventure, and a sweet, slow burn romance between a vertically challenged wizard and the most lethal vampire in town.
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I loved everything about this book and the rest of the series. I picked it up hoping it would be a nice diversion and then ended up staying awake until almost four in the morning. Let’s just say I wasn’t super productive the next day because I spent the entirety of it reading the next book in the series.
Being inside Hazel’s head is so much fun. Although she has spent her entire life without the same magic the rest of her family has, she doesn’t let that stop her. That tenacity is what catches Killian’s eye and shows him she’s capable of more than the average wizard.
I loved their exchanges and the tension the author managed to create between them.
With a cast of supporting characters that are just as awesome as the mains, you won’t want to put the books down.
I’ve read most of KM Shea’s books, the Snow Queen series, the Timeless Fairy Tales and Fairy Tale Enchantress series along with the Magical Beings Rehabilitation Center (loved that one). I’ve enjoyed most of them and was a bit surprised to see that she branched out into urban fantasy. I’ve had Magic Forged on my kindle for weeks and finally decided to give it a try. I wasn’t sure what to expect and ended up just loving it! The story pulled me in from the first page and just didn’t let up. I loved the main character, Hazel Medeis, the ‘dud’ wizard who is trying to get by more on wits than her dismally small amount of magic. Hazel suffers a life changing tragedy early in the book, and isn’t prepared for the change in her status. I won’t say much because I don’t want to spoil the story, but Hazel’s optimism, courage, and willingness to reexamine lifelong beliefs were a strong theme in the story. Hazel was straightforward without being snarky. I don’t mind the snark factor you find with so many other urban fantasy characters, but Hazel was refreshing. The story is fast paced, tense in places, humorous in others and completely engrossing. Well done Ms. Shea! I can’t wait to dive into the next book of the series.
‘Magic Forged’ is book one in K. M. Shea’s Hall of Blood and Mercy trilogy.
Hazel is the new Adept to the Medeis House, after her parents died in an accident. But whilst grieving for her loss, another member in her House stages a coup to take the House from her. With no choice but to run she tries to find help from other Wizard Houses but is turned away, with no choice but to seek the Vampires, Hazel makes a deal for servitude to the Drake Family; which is ran by the most lethal Vampire Killian Drake.
A new to me author, and i can say with absolute honest I am now a fan.
I love reading this world, characters and storyline. The concept of supernatural fractions being separate whilst also interacting at the same time was enjoyable to read about. Watching Hazel go from the timid, naive girl to a strong independent, bada** chick was great. Her beliefs in right and wrong makes her a formidable person, she is willing to stand up against the strongest, scariest and most lethal of people for what she believes in.
The whole dynamic of this book was so well balanced it had humour, action, suspense, angst, witty banter, slow burn attraction, and edge of your seat nail biting moments.
Loved the whole series. bought them all and the companion series as well!
Just flat out fun to read. A great twist on a paranormal world. Adored all the characters. Devoured it in two nights!
There is much talk nowadays about how to respect other cultures, other ethnicities in our North American society. The Canadian salad, the American mixing bowl – both point at the challenges of people from multiple cultures, languages and ethnic identities living together and respecting each other. This novel takes it several steps further. Humans have enough trouble getting along; throw in wizards, vampires, shifters and fae and the salad or mixing bowl becomes potentially volatile. I was on tetherhooks while reading this; I was sure the fireworks would begin at any moment. Good thing that Hazel can calm things down so well!
A nice start to a series! Easy to read and following along and the author used excellent descriptions to picture the background.
I enjoyed the idea that due to the magic dying out, the supernaturals decided to go public. Though, they still keep mostly to themselves and have a different set of rules to follow than regular humans.
The story starts out with a coup in a wizard house and the main character seeks refuge with a vampire family. This leads the way to some fun banter between the main character and other creatures that could kill her.
My issue is the serial murderer killing people and how sometimes that plot gets forgotten about in the midst of training stories and hanging out in a pool. The main character seems to go back and forth on whether or not the murders are on her mind and if she should be bothered by them.
I would recommend this for pretty much anyone who likes urban fantasy for any age group. There’s maybe one actual swear word, so if you don’t like swearing this is for you.
I have enjoyed everything I have read by this author and this was no exception. Witty dialogue, interesting plots, clean romance and a great cast of characters!
K.M Shea is a fun author. Her books are geared to younger readers but I enjoy them. I just read this whole series in a couple days. Her books just suck you in. You just have so much fun and care about her characters. The first book was a little slow to start and I did wonder if all this was going anywhere but she had to establish a whole lot before the excitement kicks in. It was worth it, the second book was awesome. I enjoyed the whole series.
Some violence but nothing overly described and people heal. 12 and up
4.5 Stars
This book was so much fun! A couple of my favorite authors were talking about how excited they were for it so I decided to pick up a copy and give it a try. I’m so glad I did. I hadn’t read anything by K.M Shea before, but this book has made me an insta-fan. It’s clean urban fantasy, which isn’t always easy to find, so I loved that. The world building was fantastic. It was unique, but not so far out there that it was hard to grasp.
Told mostly from wizard Hazel Medeis’s point of view, with the exception of one chapter, she was a likable and scrappy narrator. In fear for her life, Hazel makes a hasty deal with Killian Drake, the head vampire of the Midwest. A deal she’s hoping doesn’t come back and bite her. This book is loaded with lots of great characters, endearing and nefarious alike.
I was glued to the pages and didn’t want it to end. I’m glad I don’t have to wait too long until the next book is released. If you’re a fan of urban fantasy, I definitely recommend it.
“Magic Forged” by KM Shea is fabulous! I love and re-read her YA urban fantasy series, The Magical Beings’ Rehabilitation Center, and “Magic Forged” has that same energetic, wryly funny and original vibe. The world building is great, with lots of potential for conflict as well as unexpected friendships. Whilst I’m not normally a fan of vampires, the ones in this story are awesome. And it’s great to have a story where a powerful vampire doesn’t fall into insta-lust with the heroine. Nope. It’s much more fun than that!