Mine to Spell (Mine #2)

I don't think there would have been a better way of continuing after Serena or moving on to the next book any better than Cynthia does. Loved it

Mine to Spell is book two in the Mine series set in Chardonia - a country whose women are slaves and must obey every whim of their warlock masters. I briefly met Cynthia in the first book, she is Serena's younger sister and next in line to be sold. Seeming to accept her fate, she launches herself into the process only to find herself becoming a victim to one of the warlock's darkest secrets. Using a secret of her own, she manages to gain her freedom - and lands herself in another mess. Cynthia seems to be great at finding herself in a mess. But she's determined to prove she can find her own way out. Most of the story revolves around the quickly disintegrating situation for women in Chardonia and Cynthia's fight to prove they are just as good as the warlocks. But along the way she does find a bit of romance. It's not the main part of the story, but an important element as Cythina grows and develops her secret - I really want to tell you all what it is, but that would completely ruin the big reveal in the book. I'm excited to see what happens next to the women of Chardonia. I saw that book three, Mine to Fear, is coming out this month, and I think it will going into my cart as soon as I see it in paperback. While each individual story may not have a 5 star rating, this world Janeal Falor has created is addictive.

I was eager to read another book about Serena, her family and friends. This one is different than the first one. It pictures different main character and goes further into the story, gives some new twist to it, brings in some new facts.  This time story was told from Serena’s sister, Cynthia’s, point of view. I liked to know Cynthia more, to know her thoughts, her wishes and secrets. It gave bigger picture of the story. She’s different person having her own perspective and opinion about things, her own wishes and choices. Her situation was different than that of Serena’s was, and yet there were still difficulties to deal with. That gives a whole new story to read and enjoy.  Tension growed chapter after chapter and even more than in the first book. More and more challenges and obstacles arised. It made me angry to see how warlocks behaved with Cynthia and others. It's incredible to see how much cruelty can be in people. I wondered what bad things are coming, how they would deal with them, how everything would go. I was anxious about Cynthia‘s future and about future of those close to her. I was guessing there's even more secrets and I was curious what‘s behind them. I was excited to know what this story would bring. There were also some new charaters introduced and so more ones I started to care about. And again I enjoyed fun moments what made me smile despite all the troubles going on around. I loved to read one more book in this series. It showed that sometimes getting what you want means changing the world you live in. And you have to dare to do it. Now I‘m wondering what would happen in the next story and I‘ll be waiting for more. I have received this book free from the David Estes Fans and YA Book Lovers Unite! group and the author in exchange for a honest review.

What a fantastic journey.  Falor has created a vivid world for her characters to live in.  Her picturesque descriptions meld right into the narrative giving her readers an entirely unique platform to journey through.  Falor’s tone mixes eloquence with realism in a natural manner that makes this novel stand out.  I found myself holding my breath, trying to guess what would happen next.  My heart went out to the characters and my nerves were on edge with the plot.  It was fantastic. The characters in this one come to life even more than in the previous novel.  Falor’s character development allows you to get to know these individuals on a very personal level.  You get to know their hopes & their dreams, their fears and their worries.  At the same time, they are developed like real individuals.  You never feel like you’ve read their biography, but rather that you’ve actually met them. Overall, this novel was fantastically captivating.  I couldn’t put it down.  I’d definitely recommend it to others and cannot wait for more from this author. Please note that I received a complimentary copy of this work in exchange for an honest review.

*I received this book for free from the author, in exchange for an honest review.* OK, this is supposed to be honest, so - bad news first: there were several editorial issues, such as odd wording and weird or redundant sentence structure. Also, I found a lot of the "OMIGOSH! NO WAY." moments to be rather predictable; though, in Ms. Falor's defense, that may be due to the fact that I read a LOT and am probably about twice the age of her target demographic. (I'm 31…but don't tell anybody - I wouldn't want them to think I'm weird or something...)  Now that THAT's out of the way, here's the GREAT news: the story was so interesting, fun, and engaging, I didn't really mind! I wasn't sure, after reading You Are Mine, that I'd like Cynthia as much as I liked Serena. As it turns out, I like them both (though I might even like Cynthia just a smidge more! Who knew?) Needless to say, I'm now anxiously awaiting the next tale (presumably involving Bethany) I even went ahead and bought < Mine to Tarnish, since I'm a HUGE fan of Katherine's. Great writing & thank you so much for sharing, Janeal!

Face-Paced, Enjoyable, Liked a Smidgen Less Than the First Book ***I received a copy of this book from NetGalley and the author in return for my honest review.*** While I really liked this book, I didn't like it as much as the first one. It could have been my mood, the change in POV, or some combination thereof. I'm not 100% sure. I was a little sad that the second book wasn't from Serena's POV. In fact the interaction you get with Serena makes her seem not very confident. Almost like she lost a little bit of the oomph from the first book, but then again you are only getting her sister's POV of her. The plot line of the second book would not have been as successful, if not from Cynthia's POV. I could have gone for a dual POV of Serena and Cynthia, but that's okay. I do like that the plotline of this book does answer one of the questions I had from the first book, "The only thing that I don't quite understand is how the magic works. Clearly boys are trained on the use of magic, but I didn't hear of any girls accidentally discovering how to use their own magic. I would assume it would happen at least occasionally." Well, it DOES happen! ***SPOILER ALERT!***When it does bad things happen to the woman who does magic and then she is erased from the memory of her loved ones.***END SPOILER*** Like with the first book, I could have also done with a little bit romance. The romance that was there, was sweet though. I liked all of the "good" characters and despised the "bad" ones. I liked finding out a little bit more about the world outside of Chardonia. I would still like to see one of the characters travel and experience first hand one of the outside countries that doesn't treat women as bad as Chardonia.  At least one of my other wishes for the second book also happens in this one, so I was pretty happy about that too.  The ending is pretty abrupt and I can't wait to see how that works out in the next book. Since the author switched up POV's for this book, I wonder who we will follow in the next. Serena? Cynthia? Some combination thereof? Another sister? Waverly? Someone else entirely? Overall, I really liked the story and would definitely recommend it to a friend. Although, I would have them read the first book first, so they can get more background on the world this series is set in. Happy Reading!

I love some action. This book has it! I love a bit of romance. Again, this book has it! And who doesn't love an awesome, strong heroine? Uh, I do! This is a great read and I loved every minute of it. I have read the first book in the Mine Series as well and I have not been disappointed in either books. This book is definitely a great read -KatieSalers

When I finished You Are Mine I wasn't sure where we would go from there in terms of plot and character. I loved Serena and her story but I was concerned about the diversity of story to be told here, would it be the same breaking-the-mold and fearing for her life just like the first book in the series? I really wanted to know what would happen from that point on especially being a free women in a male dominated world but would it get monotonous? Picking up Mine to Spell I was surprised by what I found mostly because I didn't see it coming. Changing POVs to Christina, Serena's little sister, was a brilliant move. It gave us a new and refreshing story to tell, along with a different perspective about the changes that we built from the first book to this one. Christina was progressive like her sister but still more timid to change which made her decisions throughout this book stark in contrast to Serena's. That was awesome in terms of keeping me entertaining and guessing at the same time. I wasn't sure what she was going to do at moments throughout the story and that made for a great read. Her stubbornness mirrored what clearly runs in the family, but what I saw in Christina was more than just a fighter but a survivor as well. Pairing Christina's story while continuing to learn and build about Zade, Serena and all the others we met was what made this story perfect for me. I loved expanding the world but not letting the characters get lost in it by spreading them out. Plus,, the author drew from similar elements, such as the warlock tournament, that created a seam for these stories to woven from that let them shine on their own but still feel like the same series. I can't wait to see what is ahead for our girls in Chardonia and Mine to Spell was a fantastic follow up!

I love this series! Fascinating world, danger, romance... It is very clean and no swearing, which I appreciate. You will fall im love with these characters and leave each book wanting more!

4.5 stars This was a great addition to the Mine series. I will always love Serena because her story affected me in a way that I cannot describe, but Cynthia is a close second. She has grit and determination, and she doesn't allow obstacles to become excuses. She just keeps plowing forward. I think Janeal must have channeled early feminists such as Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton because Cynthia truly embodied the attributes of these women. This book highlights what a battle it must have been to gain women equality under the law and makes one appreciate how far we've come. And how far we still need to go. Women still make less than men for the same job, and female professors get tenure almost a year later than their male counterparts. Cynthia is a great study in what it takes to forge new paths. The ending has left me wanting more, of course. I was kind of hoping for a Waverly novel next time, but not since I read the last chapter. Now I must have a Serena/Cynthia (and Zane too - please more Zane!) novel. I hope Ms. Falor's writing process is speedy! The world building is amazing in this series. There are numerous cultures that we are being introduced to and at times can be a little confusing, but Falor does a good job of reminding the reader what is what. She has created a world where the subjugation of women is at the forefront. One can literally feel the oppression of these women. Coming from an American background, this seems alien to me, yet it is sadly life for many women across the globe. I think books like this series are important not only for its entertainment value (and they are definitely entertaining), but to reach further than our own world view. These are the kind of books that make us grow and think and broaden our horizons. I love novels that make you think and evaluate your beliefs. I am taking a half star for minor editorial problems such as missing commas or apostrophes and mistakenly using effect and affect a couple of times. While they were relatively minor, they did lessen my enjoyment of the book.

(Source: I received a digital copy of this book for free on a read-to-review basis. Thanks to author Janeal Falor.) Serena may have gained her independence, but now her younger sister Cynthia is about to come of age. Will Cynthia do as society decrees and sell herself to a warlock? Or does she have other ideas in mind? This was a story about one girls fight for independence, and a life worth more than being someone else’s possession. Cynthia was a girl who wanted to stop hiding, and stand up for herself, but she really did worry me at times. Even though the things that she wanted wouldn’t be unreasonable to us, in the world in which she lived things were very different, and I did wonder just how much trouble she could possibly get herself into! I understood her need for freedom, and her wish to be as powerful as any man, but dear me, she certainly took some risks. The storyline in this wasn’t really what I was expecting, and while I understood the way that Cynthia tried to free herself, I also worried about what would happen because of it. It’s quite difficult to say more without possibly dropping spoilers, so let’s just say that having already been warned about her actions and their consequences by Zade, Cynthia pretty much flouted her abilities in the most public way possible, and also pretty recklessly, and I wasn’t the biggest fan of this sort of behaviour. There was some romance, which was sweet in places, and we also got to see a little more of Serena and Zade which was good. The ending to this was okay, and there was a little bit of a cliff-hanger. It will be interesting to see where the story goes from here. Overall; okay story, with a risk-taking heroine, 6 out of 10.

4.5/5 stars Janeal Falor has done it again guys! I absolutely loved this second book in the Mine series! Falor has created such an incredible, yet oppressive society of warlocks, magic, and women who must marry and serve a Master. The previous book really sets the stage for change in Chardonia and this book continues to break all the rules of society. While the first book followed Serena, the eldest sister of the warlock Stephen's family, this book follows her sister Cynthia, who has just reached the age to be married and sold to another master. I do not want to spoil the previous book for those who have not read it, but Serena has really shaken up society's rules and expectations of women and now serves as the family's Master. She is not bound to any warlock, but has found her former Master to be Zade, a trust-worthy, loving companion who truly cares for her and her family's safety. With such a huge change always comes repercussions. Cynthia steps up to try and appease society's dismay of what her sister has done and show that Serena is as capable of being the head of the family as any other man. However, in doing so, Cynthia is willingly giving up her freedom, not truly understanding just what she's getting herself into. Even more than that though- Cynthia harbors a great secret- one that is unheard of and could potentially get her killed. I really enjoyed the storyline for this one. I loved where Falor took it and how she showed that even though women may be oppressed in society, they are strong and determined and ready to fight back. Cynthia was a wonderful character to follow and she will do anything to keep her family safe from harm. We get to see plenty of Serena and Zade, which I loved, and while Zade was very stoic in the first book, we really get to see the depth of his feelings for Serena and the lengths he would go to protect her and her family. Waverly, Zade's sister, is also present and is a good friend and mentor to Cynthia. However, the mentor really worth mentioning (because he stole my heart right away) is Lukas. Lukas hails from Chryos, and is in Chardonia for the tournament. He is a good, brave man and as a friend of Zade's he has been tasked to protect Cynthia, as she really stirs the pot and has a lot of angry warlocks after her. I am really glad Falor upped the romance in this novel. Watching Cynthia struggle to work out her feelings for him is quite wonderful. I felt this book was very action packed and we get quite the surprise at the end, which left me with a heavy sense of dread in my heart. I am very nervous about the next installment and what it will mean for Cynthia, Serena, and their family. If you are looking for a good fantasy series- this is the one to pick up!

I love the world that Janeal has created in these books! Cynthia's story is well written, entertaining and engrossing. I love it just as much, if not more than, Mine to Spell. At the beginning of the story, Cynthia makes the decision to sacrifice her future for the safety of her family. After making that fateful decision, what transpires is the growth of a strong woman in a mans world, shaking off the fetters of a lifetime of indoctrination. The discovery of her personal strength, and revelation of the false pretenses that the government has inflicted on the women of her country is a fascinating story, and she happens to find love along the way too. I love Janeal Falor's books and would definitely recommend this to anyone who likes a well written fantasy book. *Note: I received a free eARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

In this, the second of the Mine series, Janeal Falor has created a protagonist and situation which contrast to those we saw in You Are Mine. Although Cynthia is Serena's sister, she is a far more forthright character who still bears much resentment towards their father for their upbringing and towards Chardonian society for its attitude towards women. Cynthia knows that she has more magic in her blood than her elder sister, making her more powerful. Her secret is that she already knows how to control this magic, giving her the advantage. After Zade's public declaration of freedom for Serena, Cynthia refuses to be claimed by any male, little realising the danger she places herself and her family in. She aims to be recognised as Chardonia's first female warlock and makes it her mission to free women from their bonds of slavery. Cynthia's adventure is a courageous one and we find her life threatened several times, though luckily Zade gives her protection in the form of Lukas. Cynthia and Lukas' relationship differs from that of Zade and Serena mainly because it is secondary to the story. They begin as training partners and friends before acknowledging the passion between them. Although the politics of the fantasy world in Mine To Spell is abhorrent, Janeal Falor redeems herself with characters like Waverly and Katherine and the close relationships Cynthia shares with her sisters. Mine To Spell has one of those fast, exciting and shocking endings which makes any reader think, "I can't be finished yet!". I suspect that Bethany will be the subject of the next book but personally I would love to read Waverly's story. Although I enjoyed this less than You Are Mine it is a great story and I love Janeal Falor's writing. I received this as a complimentary review copy, but this has had no influence on my opinion.

Comparing the second book in the series to the first book is hard. The first book was a page-turning wonder...this book was like slogging through mud. Page after boring page that got you nowhere closer to the end. The magic was as lack luster as the characters and plot. I could kick myself for wasting $4.99, but then again I had high hopes after reading the first book. Save your money and buy an expensive cup of coffee or try another author. This was such a major disappointment. Jp