9 member(s) found this review helpful.
I knew I wasn't going to want to put this one down as I was turning to the second page! Who knew being ultra-ordinary could turn out to be so interesting?
I share Katie's crush on Owen - the second he started blushing I was a goner. Why is he so bashful? What's up with his background? More Owen, please!
Anyway, the book has a few small flaws (the Mr. Mervyn character didn't work seemlessly, and a little more detail about the background of the magical world would have been nice), but they really don't detract from the story or from the fun of reading it.
Chick lit meets an inverted version of Harry Potter, and it really works. After this it was really hard to wait for the next books!
5 member(s) found this review helpful.
I rarely ever give a book the highest praise possible, but this book was funny, emgaging, silly & so make you feel good that you wanted to laugh, cry & shout all at the same time!
4 member(s) found this review helpful.
OK, I'll be trite and say that this book is ENCHANTING! The characters are so charming (pun intended) from the normal roommates to Katie's dreadful blind dates. Jeff the frog stalker, Owen the geeky wizard, Ari and Trix the fairy chicks, Sam the gargoyle...I could go on but I've given enough away. Pleased to say that there are at least 3 books so far.
4 member(s) found this review helpful.
Transplanted Texan Katie Chandler isn't sure what to make of New York City. She sees fairies and elves on the subway and a gargoyle that only sometimes perches on a local church. At first she ignores the mysterious e-mails about a job opportunity at a company called MSI but finally agrees to a meeting. She learns that MSI stands for Magic, Spells, and Illusions and that she is valuable to the company because she is immune to magic of any kind. Intrigued by the job and a handsome wizard named Owen, Katie signs on. Before long, she has come up with a slew of innovative ideas and drawn the attention of the head of the company, Merlin himself, who is dealing with a former prodigy gone bad. Swendson offers a quirky twist on supernatural powers, suggesting that not having any can actually be an asset. This appealing novel offers a charming cast of characters and a clever premise, and readers will hope that Katie's skills will be needed in New York City again soon.
2 member(s) found this review helpful.
In one word - the book was "charming". I think it has a sweet, uncomplicated appeal to it. Nice texan girl comes to New York and makes good using her common sense. I also like the idea of a secret side to the city, and the author does incorporate a lot of New York into the story. There is also a lot of interesting aspects to the magical world that the author included in the story (like how many frogs in Central Park really are princes and the hijinks that ensue when Katie gets talked into going to kiss some with her tipsy female coworkers). I'm having a little trouble categorizing the genre of this book though. The romance is so light I don't even know if I should mention it, but I think it's possibly going to come up more in following books. I think it comes closest to being chick-lit. Except ..I guess I'm used to chick-lit books being more stand-alone than this book feels (first in a series).