Review of the Raine Benares series by author, including Magic Lost Trouble Found and Bewitched and Betrayed. The series feels like reading a really good tabletop roleplaying adventure.
This Raine Benares series feels like modern urban fantasy, but it is set in a secondary world with a technology level around 1600s (I think). It is high fantasy with elvers, goblins, magic items and all that jazz. I call it metropolitan fantasy because it is very much centered around huge cities in the same way that urban fantasy is, but to distinguish it from urban fantasy, that is my clever name for the genre. I have read a handful of secondary world fantasies that fits this genre and so far I liked all of them.
My review of Magic Lost Trouble Found by Lisa Shearin
I have to say that Magic Lost, Trouble Found was wonderful pretty much from the first paragraph! It feels a bit like a really good tabletop roleplaying game session. The world is interesting, the action is good, the story is not too see-through or complex. also like the modern feel to the fantasy world – it made it quite refreshing.
I like the description style – sometimes telling speaks better to the imagination than showing… “the architects have gone for imposing and spooking” that gives me as the reader the freedom to imagine how the house looks rather than a half page long description that just makes me bored. I
My review of Bewitched and Betrayed by Lisa Shearin
Bewitched and Betrayed is a highly entertaining adventure fantasy read. It is high paced and a great summer read.
My review from 2014 of Bewitched and Betrayed by Lisa Shearin
Title: Bewitched and Betrayed
Author: Lisa Shearin
Series: Raine Benares, book 4
Genre: Fantasy, adventure fantasy, sword and sorcery(?), metropolitan fantasy
Bewitched and Betrayed is the fourth book in the Raine Benares series – so I of course like the series, or I wouldn’t have continued this long, now would I? The series is quite light in tone, if not in content. There are tons of clever banter, smoking hot men (and women), magic, political intrigue and all the good stuff I love in light fantasy novels. I am even so luck that this book had the series first smoking hot sex scene (yeah!).
One of the interesting things about this series is the fact that Raine is an elf, not a human, which is surprisingly unusual in fantasy novels (not aimed at small children). It does make a difference in her psychology that she is not human. It also really colours her prejustments, because it colours her culture.
It is not the kind of book that is super deep or will leave you with things to ponder for weeks, however it is great fun, high paced and very entertaining. In other words a good summer read. It has been my companion while doing crafting projects for the larp that I am going to later this month.
The stats: Title
Published: 2010 by Ace
Length: 366 pages
Read: June 30 to July 09, 2014
Author: Female, white, USA
The protagonists: Raine Benares, elf, white, straight, magic user, able-bodied.
This review was originally posted: July 9, 2014. Updated and edited June 30, 2023
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