reviewed by
JENNIFER KAHNG
Raine Benares is many things: relative to known pirates, elf, very good seeker, decent sorceress...and exceptionally snarky.
Magic Lost, Trouble Found is a story of adventure, magic, some romance, and action. Told from Raine's point of view, we're taken on a journey that takes place in less than a week. It involves an amulet. A really ugly yet highly powerful and much sought after amulet. Which leads to an equally ugly and even more powerful Stone of All Evil.
Well, it's not really called that, but it may as well be.
And clearly Raine's snarkiness is rubbing off on me.
At times, her running dialog can be a bit much, especially since her sarcasm is a tad repetitive when read, but I know exactly the kind of girl Raine is and what she will and won't do and what she thinks about the people she's around. And she's around quite the cast of characters.
There's Piaras, a young powerful spellsinger in the making, and the little brother she always wanted. Garadin, her godfather and current teacher to Piaras. Phaelan, her closest cousin and notable pirate. These are some of the people Raine knows as the story starts and who accompany her, for the most part, though the hectic few days we're with her.
There's Tamnais Nathrach, a former goblin royal who is interested in Raine for more than just her skills as a seeker. At times, we're left wondering just what Tam's intentions are.
One person totally new to Raine is Mychael Eiliesor, a Conclave Guardian Paladin Master Spellsinger Healer from the Isle of Mid. Whew, that's a nice set of titles. And, apparently, he's also quite nice to look at. Also an elf, Mychael and Raine cross paths due to the fact that what she wears around her neck is the responsibility of his order. He's also one of the only people after the amulet that doesn't also want to kill Raine. In fact, he'd like to spend some quality alone-time with her. But, duty first.
That's quite the list of characters. And that's only on the good side.
The people, or things, on the bad side are few, but what they lack in quantity the make up for in extreme badness.
Suffice it to say, Shearin puts together a rich environment of fantasy and adventure and it's that aspect that kept me reading. The story, I thought, was compelling and interesting. I had a pretty good idea of the general outcome, but the journey there was much fun to read and quite worth it.
And then there was the romance. Or lack of it. Shearin has just enough tension (well, ok, and a few kisses) between Raine and the two men personally interested in her to leave me, and possibly Raine, wanting more.
Shearin seems poised to give us even more of a rich environment to play with in her next book and I can't wait to see what adventures and mischief (and maybe a few more kisses!) Raine gets herself into.
