Magic's Design

December 15, 2008
A sweetly satisfying love story barely manages to compete with a myriad of fantasy elements in this stand-alone from C.T. Adams and Cathy Clamp (the Tales of the Sazi series). Upon awakening from one of her periodic blackouts, Ukrainian egg artist Mila Penkin meets the injured Talos Onan, an Overworld Police agent bent on capturing Vegre, a criminal who escaped a magical underground prison. To her surprise, Mila heals Talos psychically. She soon learns that her mother stole her memories and discovers her connection to the ailing Sacred Tree of Life. Mila turns her healing magic to reviving the tree while helping Talos to thwart Vegre's evil plot. Some subtle foreshadowing builds powerfully, but too often the focus on small details and confusing political machinations means the bigger picture is lost.

February 15, 2009
Unexplainable blackouts make everyday activities others take for granted a big challenge for Mila.She couldnt imagine her life becomingmore bizarreuntilher lodger disappears through a magic portal and two men appear in her stead. Talos had traced his comrade topside only to lose her to an enemy bent on gaining absolute power. Heneeds Milas help, and she is just starting to remember her long-buried powers.C. T. Adams and Cathy Clamp join forces under a new name, but their trademark intricately detailed and densely complex fantasy romance continues in a novel perfect for readers who lovesci-fi but are just dipping their toes into romance.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2009, American Library Association.)