Magic Scars

Magic Scars

by C.L. Schneider

5 out of 5

Synopsis
They took it all: his will, his memories, his freedom, his magic. 

Imprisoned by his enemies, tortured and drugged to keep his magic suppressed, Ian Troy returns to a world as marred and broken as he is. Ravaged by the reign of her new High King, Draken of Langor, Mirra’kelan’s citizens live in fear. The Shinree, misled by Jem Reth’s promises, are no longer slaves, but they are far from free. Thrust together by necessity, refugees from all realms have banded together and formed alliances never before thought possible. They share a common goal: freedom from oppression. And a common, fragile hope: Ian Troy.

But as Ian struggles to put the pieces of his life back together, he finds he is not the same man as before. Afflicted by an unsettling, personal transformation, he strives to discover the truth behind his connection to The Crown of Stones. He searches for answers among the ruins of the past and uncovers ancient secrets that may have altered the course of his entire race.

The Price of Ian’s magic and his addiction have never been higher.

Magic-Scars, the second installment in the Crown of Stones trilogy, is available now on Amazon in paperback and for Kindle.

Review
After he is defeated, drugged, and thrown into a high-labour prison; it is only a matter of time before someone tries to break Troy out. After all, there are too many people that want his help; and too many people he's pissed off, for fate to leave him be.

Yeah, I suppose it was ok...
When I read Magic Price (click here for my review), I took my time because I wanted to enjoy it, rather than sneaking a bit of reading in here and there.
For Magic Scars - everything else got put on the back-burner, and all focus was on Ian Troy for three days solid. I just couldn't tear myself away!

It starts a couple of years after the end of the first book. A certain somebody has been raising a rebel group, with the aim of breaking the hold Draken and Jem Reth have over the land; and now that group is strong enough to need Troy and what's left of the Crown of Stones.
After that, well, I thought it was all brilliant! There's a return of all the best characters from the first book - and I loved the return of Krillos - easily one of my favourite characters this time round.
Everyone is coming terms with what has happened to them in the last couple of years, whether it is fighting for freedom, or having to make the hard choice.

We get to see some interesting sides of Troy's character in this book. His kayn'l induced amnesia allows you a glimpse of what the man would be like without the lifetime of being betrayed and used as a weapon. Which was pretty endearing.
Then you got to see what he's like when he embraces his Reth lineage and his link with the Crown. Yeah, not so endearing.

The first book felt like a cross between a road trip and a bromance, as Troy travelled with his companions, slowly learning to trust, and trying to discover who the big bad is, and what they're capable of.
The second book feels much stronger. The world that Schneider has created feels real, as does the danger.
The storyline is not afraid to hit you where it hurts. There were moments where loss and grief, where I wanted to shout at the author. There was also a moment of realisation late in the book, where I wanted to pat her on the back and say "you bloody clever bastard". 

The problems that I had with the first book were still present, just to a lesser degree. I still felt that the different nationalities lacked distinction. And the majority of women were still mainly concerned with whether or not they are riding the magic pogo-stick that is Troy's dick.
To be fair, Sienn is much more distant; and the introduction of Kit and Lirih means that not all women are distracted by him. And when it did happen anywhere else, it made me chuckle more than anything else.
There are still instances in this book where Troy decides not to just kill the bad guy, and have a cliche chat instead.

I really want to rave on about this book, but I don't want to spoil the slightest thing for you people. Definitely a series to check out!

Btw - that ending - not fair. Next part, please.

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