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Book Review of Burning Lamp (Arcane Society, Bk 8) (Dreamlight, Bk 2)

Burning Lamp (Arcane Society, Bk 8) (Dreamlight, Bk 2)
CollegeKid0010 avatar reviewed on + 19 more book reviews


I started this book expecting it to be the same as the other Arcane Society novels, but was surprised to find that it wasnt. It has the same strong, unique characters, a good plot, crafty villainseverything that makes a Quick book, but it felt different too. I guess thats a good thing, considering that it is supposed to be a parallel, almost opposing story to all of the Jones novels. Oh, and did I mention, its book two? Reading out of order again: guilty as charged.

This book felt short to me, though it could have been that I was enjoying the story and not paying attention to how far along I was. I like Griffin. Hes a strong, self-assured and capable man, and his career is rather unique. Having a character whos some kind of criminal mastermind sounds like a clichéd idea. But it isnt with Griffin. Quick weaves his web of power very convincingly, and Griffin understands his responsibilities and the risks in a way that tell you his world is a real one. Adelaide is interesting; definitely not your run of the mill girl for this day and age. She has a really in-depth background with a lot of cool stuff, but I felt her story was still kind of flat. I knew she had been all over in the new world and had done and was still doing rather dangerous things, but I just couldnt bring her background story into the actual novel. The one exception is where the novel starts, with her brothel raids.

I loved the re-intro of Lucinda and Caleb; very cool, very cool. Theres no better way to make a story vivid than to bring back other much-loved characters who have already helped to establish the world.

There are several scenes throughout that caught me unawares and had really obvious messages in them. For one, I was surprised Adelaide let Griffin walk off with the lamp, especially after she had carried it around with her for so many years. She said she was glad to be rid of it, but given the energy and time shed put into preserving it, I would have thought shed be a little more protective. Another scene was when Griffin took a bullet meant for AdelaideI just kind of laughed and thought, Yeah, theres the beginning of the romance. My favorite scene is probably the first face-to-face meeting between Caleb and Griffin. Theyre both strong males who meet on fairly level ground, both needing information, but both also determined to hold their own and not give too much away. Putting two such characters together can either go badly or well, and Quick of course, does it well.

Overall, The Burning Lamp is a good read, though I think I prefer the Jones books. But the excerpt from the third book at the end is pretty awesome, so Im going to stick out this series.

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