Armed and Magical (Raine Benares Series #2)

spellbinding fantasy

She was a good Seeker of objects and people and a fair sorceress, but a week ago Raine Benares was psychically bonded with the Saghred, a stone of immense power. It has boosted Raine¿s existing powers and given her unnatural talent making her one of the most powerful magicians in the Seven Kingdoms. However it is an evil object that thrives on eating souls with the last soul it swallowed being Sacred Nikpon. Raine forced that action which is why she has a link to the stone and its seemingly zillion stolen souls over the centuries wherever she may be.-------------- Right now Raine is on the Isle of Mid, home to the Conclave which polices magic users and hosts a highly regarded sorcerer¿s school. Raine hopes someone on the island can separate her from the stone. However, there are factions on the Isle some of whom are malevolent and demand something from Raine starting with the original owner of the stone who razed cities, empires and anyone who got in his way. Raine finds her elven brethren want her for her new power while the goblins demand the stone. Everywhere she turns she finds someone threatens her and her loved ones as ethics do not apply to the people seeking the power of the stone.------------ Lisa Shearin has written a spellbinding fantasy that enables readers to believe in elves, goblins, and mages, oh my. The Shearin world seems real and that magic is a genuine skill thanks in part to the strong characterizations. There is plenty of partisan in fighting, intrigue, and action to keep readers turning the pages wondering what next will happen to the reluctant beleaguered heroine that is while debating her chances of surviving until the next assault occurs.---------------- Harriet Klausner

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Superb

A worthy sequel. Series gets better and better!

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Excellent series

Books in this series are in my top 50 books of this decade. Simply fabulous!!!

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

great adventure

Raines adventures on the isle of mid is both exciting and alittle steamy in some areas. don't worry though it is all clean fun. i am a big fan of Lisa Shearin and can't wait until the next books come out.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

It's magical!

Armed & Magical is the 2nd in a unique fantasy series by author Lisa Shearin. The books feature contemporary characters and dialogue in an old world setting of taverns and tall ships, sorcerers, pirates, and magic. Raine Benares is an admirable heroine: she is plucky, resourceful, sassy, and ultimately determined to do the right thing. I want to be just like Raine! I found the secondary characters to have remarkable depth. Their personalities and backgrounds are unfolding to the reader just as the story unfolds over time. This is a sequel which will definitely have its readers begging for more! Ms. Shearin has hit on just the right note of fast-paced entertainment and intriguing plot-twists. The first book, Magic Lost, Trouble Found, and Armed & Magical, sit side-by-side on my keeper bookshelf anxiously awaiting the arrival of the next book in the series, The Trouble with Demons. I strongly recommend Armed & Magical- it has a special magic all its own!

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Fun Fantasy Adventure

As the sequel to her debut novel, MAGIC LOST, TROUBLE FOUND, Lisa Shearin's latest Raine Benares adventure, ARMED & MAGICAL, had a lot to live up to. And boy did it deliver! Lively dialog, great action and top notch descriptions combined to make this book an energetic read. The characters were solid and believable -- even the new ones -- with plenty of tension and twists to keep both them and the reader thoroughly occupied. Be prepared to lose track of time -- most pleasurably.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

LOVED THIS BOOK!

I was waiting so long for this second book in the series that I was worried that it would not live up to the expectations. Boy was I wrong! This book was exciting and full of adventure and passion - much like the first in the series, Magic Lost, Trouble Found. I highly recommend both of these books by Lisa Shearin. They are superb!

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Fun, fast read, enough twists to keep you involved

This is the second in the Raine Benares series. Raine is definitely fun to read about. I enjoy her fierce protection of the people she loves, and her earnest self evaluation about her own motives. This isn't a great series, but it is a good one.

The secound book in a fantastic series!

This book continues the story of rain. It is amazingly writen and continues a wonderful story. This is one of my favorite series of all time. This book is about after rain gets to the island of Mid. She is still linked to the soul stealing rock. And her relationship with mycheal is becoming more interesting. I loved this continuation of a fantastic novel such as magic lost, trouble found. I completely recomend this series!

Armed and Magical

I'm a sucker for funny books. Any type of humorous book will do, but after stumbling upon Lisa Shearin's Magic Lost, Trouble Found earlier this year, I knew I had found a kindred spirit in one Raine Beranes. She's an elf, a seeker (someone who can find things with magic), and comes from a long line of pirates and criminals. Just how she found herself on the opposite side of the law still baffles Raine but she's good at what she does and is happy doing it.

As a seeker, Raine has always possessed a respectable amount of magic but after finding (and bonding) with a magical stone called the Saghred a few weeks prior, she's now got more dark magic at her fingertips than she knows what to do with. Raine's new goal in life? Find a way to get rid of the stone without it killing her in the process. Hoping for an answer, she's traveled with Paladin Mychael Eiliesor to the Island of Mid (home to most mages per capita) along with Piaras, her pseudo younger brother, an aspiring young spellsinger who's hoping to get some much-needed training in Mid. Getting rid of the stone is easier said than done however, since her new found skills seem to be a red-hot beacon - attracting every crazy, power-hungry mage in existence who would like their very own catastrophe-causing stone at their beck-and-call.

If that not enough to give a girl stress: Piaras' awesome spellsinging abilities have garnered no little interest and when several other talented spellsingers go missing, Raine is determined to get her loved ones out of dodge before the sparks really fly. But the Saghred is not about to let Raine off that easy, what with the stone's power becoming harder to resist daily since the arrival of some truly nasty goblins who would like nothing better than to take back what they see is rightfully theirs. Throw in Raine's oh-so-inciting temptation to get a little closer to Tam (goblin aristocrat turned nightclub owner in possession of some seriously sexy eyes) which have begun to have incendiary results - and things just take off from there.

Stepping back into Raine's life was like taking a deep breath and then trying to run flat-out for the next 5 to 10 days. It's non-stop action, full of Raine's hilarious quips and her trademark no-nonsense approach to any situation: get in, get out, don't get killed. Simple enough. I'm still laughing over the things that come out of that girl's mouth. Also one of the most loyal characters I've ever met, Raine would go through fire (or at least a roomful of nasty goblins) for those she loves with both knives drawn and not even think twice about it. Raine does have her faults, but she's the first to admit to them and never tries to be more than she appears. Armed & Magical is an original, laugh out loud funny book and I can't wait to see where it will take Raine next. That is, as long as Tam is coming along.

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So much Fun!

Loved this book. An original character and situation (and I've been reading fantasy for years). The first in the series was so good, I actually stopped off on a 6 1/2 hr drive home to get the second one so I wouldn't have to wait to find out what happens.

Don't judge a book by its cover

It took me weeks before finally giving in and purchasing this series mainly because of the covers. The cover art of this series gives the impression that the storyline is silly and fluffy somehow. I was pleasantly surprised once I started reading that Raine Benares is both funny, clever and an easy heroine to cheer on. Lisa Shearin's writing style is both quirky and smart with a snappy sense of humor that comes across the pages. Don't judge these books by their covers, Raine and her adventures will be a welcome addition to your book collection that may just make you laugh out loud.

Angieville: ARMED & MAGICAL

Two Raine Benares books down and I can say three things: first--I am officially a Lisa Shearin fan, second--I liked ARMED & MAGICAL just as much as (if not more than) MAGIC LOST, TROUBLE FOUND, and third--it's going to be a long wait for book #3, THE TROUBLE WITH DEMONS, to come out the end of April.

ARMED & MAGICAL begins immediately after the first book ends. Raine and Co. are on the Island of Mid, restlessly holed up in the finest suite the Conclave and its Guardians have to offer. The paladin has assured Raine that someone within the magical university hierarchy will be able to help rid her of her increasingly uncomfortable link to the Saghred--the ancient, malevolent stone intent on sucking her soul dry. Unfortunately, a notorious elven assassin seems to be targeting the paladin and the archmagus--Raine's two lone friends in this new, hostile environment. After singlehandedly foiling this attempt, Raine joins the hunt to unearth who is paying the assassin and why he seems to be amassing a group of hostage spellsingers. Never more than a step away from death, Raine finds herself embroiled in goblin/elf warfare as well as some nasty political power wrangling at the university. When Tam appears unexpectedly in the middle of a particularly harrowing encounter in a dark alley, their already hazy relationship quickly shifts to an even murkier shade of gray, and Raine struggles to figure out just which shady character is behind which threat and whether or not any of them can be trusted.

One of the best things about these books is the ripping good pace they keep. The first covers only the space of a week, and the second not much more. Yet they are filled to the brim with near constant action, infectious humor, and a wide range of intriguing characters. They are all fun and worth getting attached to, but the best interaction, IMO, is reserved for Raine's encounters with Tam (more than he appears shaman turned nightclub owner love interest) and Piaras (pseudo younger brother more powerful than you spellsinger). I like how saavy Raine is at handling the various male figures in her life. I like how she is exactly who she claims to be (and she never claims to be perfect). And I particularly like how fierce she is when it comes to protecting her family. Here is one of my favorite examples of Raine's lively sense of humor when dealing with said men:

I couldn't keep a little smile off my face. "Most girls get flowers or candy. I get a declaration of martial law."

Well, I can't keep a smile off my face when I read a Lisa Shearin book. So it's a match made in heaven.

Light, Fun, Reading

This was great. I really like the characters and the new world.

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