The Magician’s Curse

Herman has a most unusual name which has been a burden to her all her school life. Why on earth would her parents saddle her with a boy’s name? As this interesting book, filled with magic and mystery progresses, Herman finds out that it is not only her name that is unusual about her, or her parents choice that is unusual about them.

Herman’s mother has been very ill for a long time and her father is never there to offer any support to his family. Herman assumed the role of mother to her younger brother, Chad, when she was very young and now she is breaking free to establish a life for herself. She plans to bring her brother to live with her once she is settled and earning an income. On the train to her new job, Herman meets a riveting young man who introduces himself as Stephen. Much to Herman’s surprise, Stephen professes to be as taken with her as she is with him, so when he asks her to work for him as his assistant she doesn’t put up much of a fight. Fortunately for Herman, Stephen, who is a magician, is genuine in his offer for her to become his assistant and she quickly discovers that there is more to his magic than meets the eye. In fact, Herman soon comes to realise that the household staff and Stephen’s entire lifestyle is fairly unorthodox.

The attraction between Herman and Stephen is incredibly strong but Herman can sense there is something not quite right with their relationship and this causes her to hold back from committing herself completely to him. What is Stephen’s secret and will Herman be able to accept it when she eventually discovers what it is? I did like the fact that the character of Stephen illustrated respect for Herman and gave her the opportunity to make her own choice about his unusual situation.

This book is for adults and, although not graphic, it does contain descriptions of sex and suggestions of sexual freedoms. The romantic aspect of this book is the overriding genre with the supernatural element playing a lessor role.

I found this book good enough to finish. Character development was promising, and it was fun to have Canadian references. But there were serious problems with this book. Start with who the intended audience might be. An androgynous, pretty, makeup using H is not meant to appeal to adult women. But, our h runs away from a home situation to solve all her problems, has a serious self-worshiping experience about how beautiful she is and lots of sex — not exactly YA material there. The curse is lacking in complexity and imagination, yet is way over-explained. Add that to the idea that a real magic user would automatically have the skills to be a good stage magician, much less that a magic user would take easily avoidable risks of discovery. Lastly, the pace and plotting lags. I would not read further books in this series, but I’d give this author another try.

Characters are really fantastic. Really enjoyed reading

Very amateurish writing.

Shallow depiction of what could be an interesting tale. The characters were one-dimensional; the female in particular just turning 18 and as ignorant and sappy as they come. What actually happened in the book could have been told in a short story the length of a chapter, instead it goes for over 250 pages of nothing. Lots of teasers to try and sell future books in the series. I’m not wasting any more time to see if a viable plot ever develops in this series.

A demon incubus passed from generation to generation and handed down from father to son is the creative genius of Canadian author, Linda G. Hill. In, The Magician’s Curse, those infected with the scourge have one sole purpose in life – to seduce women and create offspring. Stephen Dagmar inherits this bane of his existence which ties his family to their servants, the Currys’ involving some creepy relationships in the true gothic sense of the genre.

Yet, as the author states, “Things don’t always go as planned.” Enter, Herman Anderson, an almost eighteen-year-old ready to break free from the restraints of a broken family. Her mother is dysfunctional with some kind of strange malady, and her father is gone most of the time. Yet, determined to strike out on her own, Herman leaves behind her eleven-year-old brother to fend for himself with the promise that she will send for him when she is situated at the job she accepted at a far from home horse farm.

While on the train heading to the new job, Herman engages in a conversation with the captivating magician, Stephen Dagmar. There is an immediate attraction between the two, and the story takes off, sweeping the reader off your feet in much the same fashion. Before you know it, Herman is under Stephen’s spell and agrees to become his magician’s assistant.

I found this reaction hard to believe at first until I realized there was more at play here. Much in the same way that Dracula held power over the ladies, Stephen Dagmar commands the physical attraction of men and women alike. Herman is no exception, and for one so young and inexperienced in the ways of men, she falls for Stephen immediately. Stephen senses something special in Herman and is clearly smitten himself.

Immediately, Herman enters the fairy tale world of Dagmaru, the magician, where money is no object. Stephen spends lavishly on the teen, and as they get to know one another, their physical attraction grows. Finally, in desperation, Stephen explains that until Herman is eighteen, they will not consummate their relationship. There is a dark thread of sexual tension that runs through the book from beginning to end that at times gave me the shivers.

Deep down I suspected that I knew where the story was headed, but for the life of me I couldn’t predict the twists and turns the novel produced. The writing was crisp and clear as it propelled me on toward the explosive ending. In fact, the suspense kept me turning pages long into the night. Even so, by the end of book one, I was haunted by more questions than answers. I look forward to the second book in the series with the hope that these issues will be solved.

The Magician’s Curse is a deliciously eerie tale unlike any I’ve read so far. Be prepared to be seduced by the supernatural potential of the series. I loved it and can’t wait to find out what happens next!

MY RATING:
Character Believability: 5
Flow and Pace: 5
Reader Engagement: 5
Reader Enrichment: 5
Reader Enjoyment: 5
Overall Rate: 5 out of 5 Stars