Won this book off of Giveaways and only then found out it was a sequel. So, naturally, I had to request it at the library and spend nearly a month waiting to get my hands on the first book, Indigo Springs. In the end, however, I think it was still worth the wait.

Blue Magic was a decent sequel to Indigo Springs. I think, like many people, I preferred the first over the second. The writing was still enjoyable and I loved how Dellamonica continued to create this fantastical world for Astrid and her people in Indigo Springs. All the new places and magical objects were really wonderful and fit right in with my impression at the end of Indigo Springs--of this new fantastical world just about to begin. The addition of Juanita as a main character was great, although I didn't really like Ev's sections in the book as much. I can see that it was necessary in order to understand what was going on in the real the whole time, but still, not nearly as much fun as watching Juanita squirm or Astrid...be Astrid (by which I mean creepy and entertaining and magical). Not super satisfied with the ending and I could go on nitpicking, but I won't because overall it was an enjoyable read and to me it was worth it just for all of the 'playing around with magic' bits. ( )

This is the sequel to Indigo Springs and I believe the final book in the Astrid Lethewood series. This was a much more linear and well-thought out book than Indigo Springs. I enjoyed the creative ideas in this book, even though at times the writing was still a bit ambiguous.

This book details the story of how Astrid is trying to control the release of magic from the well so that it doesn't destroy the world. It also focuses on Sahara's trial and her followers. In addition to that Will’s children have been stolen by their mother who is a follower of Sahara and Will is desperate to save them. The story is told from many different perspectives and it worked well for this book.

This is a much more linear story than in the previous book and not quite as hard to follow. It was also a very creative story; I love the idea of leaking magic creating an eco-disaster of epic proportions.

Astrid is struggling, she is the keeper of the well. She is trying to release magic slowly so that the world won’t be destroyed. The release of the magic is inevitable...but if it can be somewhat controlled the fall-out might not be quite as bad. She also needs an heir to pass the magic on to and she hopes it will be Will (the negotiator who worked with Astrid in the first book).

While Astrid struggles to try and heal the world Sahara is trying to rule it. Sahara is egotistical and pretty much insane. As time goes on the military is beginning to figure out that Sahara isn’t the one with power...Astrid is.

Adding to the chaos are the people trapped in the other place, the place where the blue magic flows from. They want to get out but if Astrid lets them all out at once the magic will explode into the world and destroy it.

In this book we get to know all of the characters much better than we did in the first book; they all become very real and very interesting.

The real strength of this story is the creative idea behind the world being irreversibly contaminated with a long contained magic. Also Astrid builds a community which is focused on letting people do what they want to do, it ends up being an interesting type of society.

There is a lot going on in the story and, as with the previous book, the story gets a bit ambiguous at points. Sometimes it’s a bit confusing to figure out what’s going on. Still I thought it was worth dealing with this confusion to read the outcome of this very creative and interesting premise to a story.

Overall this was an intriguing urban fantasy read. It won’t be for everyone because the story can still be a bit ambiguous and confusing at times. This book was much more well thought out and linear than the first book, Indigo Springs. We also get to learn a lot more about these characters and really get to engage with them. Recommended to those who want to read some urban fantasy that’s a bit different and has an eco-twist to it. ( )

The premise: ganked from BN.com: This powerful sequel to the A.M. Dellamonica's Sunburst Award -- winning contemporary fantasy Indigo Springs starts in the small town in Oregon where Astrid Lethewood discovered an underground river of blue liquid -- vitagua -- that is pure magic. Everything it touches is changed. The secret is out -- and the world will never be the same. Astrid’s best friend, Sahara, has been corrupted by the blue magic, and now leads a cult that seeks to rule the world. Astrid, on the other hand, tries to heal the world.

Conflicting ambitions, star-crossed lovers, and those who fear and hate magic combine in a terrible conflagration, pitting friend against friend, magic against magic, and the power of nations against a small band of zealots, with the fate of the world at stake.

Blue Magic is a powerful story of private lives changed by earthshaking events that will ensnare readers in its poignant tale of a world touched by magic and plagued by its consequences.

My Rating: Worth Reading, with Reservations

This is a slower read than Indigo Springs. My experience was handicapped by the fact that I read the first book back in 2009 and I've forgotten a lot of uber-important detail, and while Dellamonica does a good job keeping my head above the water, my lack of details meant I was dog-paddling to the end instead of making any solid headway. The addition of U.S. Marshal Juanita Corazón was awesome, whereas Astrid wore on my nerves. The trial scenes were quite interesting to me, though the scenes where Astrid is trying to stave off the "Small Bang" weren't as engaging. Yet it all comes together in a shockingly intense climax, one that had me glued to the book. The resolution is solid, but I do hope that this installment wraps up the overall story. It feels as though that should be the case. Overall, I'm happy with Dellamonica's work, despite this book not wowing me as much as Indigo Springs did, but I'm eager to see what else the author has in store.

Spoilers, yay or nay?: Nay. My own thoughts on the book are a wee bit muddled in my head, so I'm going to talk more about my reaction to the book as a whole and less about particular plot points, though there will be TINY spoilers in this regard. The full review may be found in my blog, which is linked below, and as always, comments and discussion are most welcome.

REVIEW: A.M. Dellamonica's BLUE MAGIC

Happy Reading! ( )

I read the first book in this series back when it was first published late 2009. I loved it when I read it. I remember thinking it was original and magical. So when the sequel popped up on NetGalley, I didn't hesitate to request it. I started Blue Magic and realized there were many things I had forgotten about Indigo Springs. It took about a quarter of the book for me to keep characters straight and to remember who did what and what had actually happened in the previous book. But I kept at it and the more I familiarized myself with the story, the more I was sucked in.

There's a lot happening in this book. But the gist - hundreds of years ago, magic (a blue goo called Vitagua) was pushed from the real to the unreal by magic-hating Fyreman. Now it and the people frozen within it want out. They will do this with the help of Astrid Lethewood. She knows she can't stop it and really I don't think she wants to, but she can see many many people will die upon its violent release. She is working to prepare the world and its people for the return of magic.

We have multiple viewpoints - Astrid, Astrid's mother Ev, Will Forest, and Juanita. I probably found Juanita the most interesting character. She ends up in vulnerable position and must make hard decisions (as do they all). But I liked the way she fights those who would push her to do things she doesn't want to do and how she will do anything for those she loves. And we have Sahara Knax - Astrid's former best friend and love, who has made herself into a goddess with thousands of followers and Astrid's enemy. She's selfish, immoral, and plain crazy. Astrid must deal with the magical contamination of the world, her crazy ex-best friend and her followers, the government, present day Fyreman, her confusing attraction to Will, and the magic showing her two futures, one where she burns to death and another with a happy ending.

And Dellomonica does it all so beautifully. This book is dreamlike and magical. The dialogue is brilliant, though confusing at times. Characters will have conversations without giving full disclosure to the reader. But I trusted Dellamonica to eventually clue me in on what they were talking about and I was never disappointed.

I labelled this book urban fantasy, but the book description labelled it contemporary fantasy. That is probably a better description. It's bewitching and wonderful. Plus it takes place all over the real and unreal world.

Favorite quote - "No! We figure it out. Will, there's still going to be cars and email and plastic surgery. It's just there'll also be magical cures for cancer, and, you know, sea monsters."

ARC provided through NetGalley. ( )