Magic Lost, Trouble Found (Raine Benares Book 1)

For Raine Benares, standing around in a stinking alley isn't the least she would do to watch the back of her friend Quentin Rand as he gets himself into yet another scrape. As well intentioned as her Samaritan act is, by the end of the night, she's going to wish it had been less than the least. A sorceress elf with average Seeker abilities, Raine makes a living finding things. Doesn't matter if the 'thing' is animal, vegetable, or mineral, she can generally find it. It, along with one or two other skills, are modest talents for her modest power level. Thanks to Quentin's thieving, however, Raine's power is about to get a serious upgrade.Soon several big, evil bad guys in Mermeia are hunting for Raine and the necklace she's wearing, and they're wielding the sort of power that doesn't leave anything alive in its wake. That necklace sure isn't a style she'd pick for herself, but as much as she'd love to get rid of the damned thing, she can't. Quite literally. Now she's got to keep herself alive, but more important to Raine, keep her friends and family out of the path of a legendary evil intent on world domination. All in a day's work for Raine. She hopes.Raine's predicament thrusts her and her friends into sticky situation after sticky situation, forcing her to deal with everything from bloodthirsty fire fairies to goblin politics. I enjoyed it. Lisa Shearin has created a rich, textured world of varying beauty and danger well populated with what I'd consider true characters - individuals who practically leap off the page with their vibrancy. Even the erstwhile thief Quentin, more of an ancillary character than anything, is imbued with a very three dimensional presence, so the heavy hitters in the character pool feel very much like living, breathing - and sometimes terrifying - people.Shearin presents Magic Lost, Trouble Found in first person POV with Raine as the narrator. For two thirds of the book, I appreciated the subtle world building and development of mythos, introduction of characters, and definition of conflict that Raine's dry, sardonic, and occasionally self deprecating wit offered me as a reader. The first third of the book, however, wasn't included in that. I spent that third feeling at turns overwhelmed and confused by what felt quite a lot like exposition overload. I could tell that Shearin tried to temper that admittedly necessary information dump with the action of Quentin's theft and the danger of the goblin forces and more, and it's entirely possible that a reader who is more familiar with fantasy novels might be used to the necessary world building and set up, but I don't read a lot of fantasy and it seemed overwhelming to me.That sense of being squished under the weight of a world being born lessened, though, and by forty percent in, I was so invested in the story and the characters that the rest of the book passed quite quickly (too quickly...though, that may be my new addiction talking) and as pleasantly as possible, considering the happenings. I admit, it took a little longer for me to come to terms with what felt like a nearly unemotional Raine Benares. Because the book is told from Raine's POV, her thoughts and impressions dominate the direction and plot of the book. Whether it's writing style or character trait or author's choice, those thoughts and impressions were quite devoid of any and all emotional expression, no matter how dire the straights or how intense the situation. A descriptive narrative painted pictures, defined characters, outlined - then fleshed out - the world, but not once did I get a sense of how Raine felt about what she was 'explaining' for the reader. Don't get me wrong...I appreciated her wit, I was impressed with her devotion to her family and friends - even the friends she doesn't totally trust...or only trusts so far. I was more than impressed by the fact that Raine is intelligent and intensely likable for that very fact alone, but she's also no one's victim, even when in peril, and I just love that about her. Get a sense of how she felt about things, though? Not so much.That's an important distinction, actually, because knowing what a lead character thinks is absolutely vital to understanding that character and the world they're in, and it's vital to the story they're telling. It's imperative, period. But it's finding out how they feel that allows me as a reader to really connect emotionally to a character and their story. I can appreciate a story with my mind. I can like and admire authors who tell comprehensive, imaginative, original stories. I'm often quite dedicated to stories that I think are well told on a technical level. But all of that is strictly mental.Make me feel as a reader and you own me. That's when characters do more than come alive, they grab me by the throat - ignoring my kicking and screaming - and drag me into their world, forcing me to feel with them, experience with them, all the joys, sorrows, triumphs and losses. That's when my enjoyment of a book transcends such academic terminology as 'appreciate' and 'admire' and becomes more like 'maniacal and devotional worship to characters and story and series.' Magic Lost, Trouble Found didn't quite get there. Maybe the series won't ever get there, but I mention it because towards the end of the book, I started to feel tuggings in that direction. Something about the last twenty to twenty-five percent of the book gave me a better understanding of Raine's emotional state and feelings about what was going on. It was still a bit dry emotionally, but less arid than it had been for the majority. I'm looking forward to seeing if that's a trend that continues into the next book,  Armed & Magical (Raine Benares, Book 2) . Not to mention, I can't wait to spend more time with characters that I really came to enjoy, even with their propensity to fall into trouble.Originally reviewed on One Good Book Deserves Another.

This series seems to be most often described as regular fantasy with a decidedly urban fantasy heroine, complete with charming (at times self deprecating) sense of humor. I would agree with this assessment. Raine's internal dialogue is very much in keeping with urban fantasy trends. She'll be the first one to tell you, she's one part disreputable imp, two parts defender of all that is good. And she can handle anything that comes her way.And the excellent part is--all kinds of heinousness comes her way and she handles it with aplomb (and the aforementioned sense of humor). Raine Benares is a seeker, finder of lost things and/or people. Raine's family name is a bit on the infamous side and, for the most part, Raine is just fine with that. In the opening scene of the book, she and her rake of a cousin Phaelan find themselves fighting off goblin shamans in an attempt to protect Raine's sometime partner and thief extraordinaire Quentin. Just what Quentin has stolen remains a mystery, but it soon becomes crystal clear every agent of evil in the vicinity would like to get their paws on it. Turns out the object is an ancient amulet which finds its way around Raine's neck and refuses (rather gruesomely) to be removed. Enter the Conclave Guardians, an elite force of healer-magicians whose job it is to retrieve the amulet and stash it back under lock and key. Stat. Dangerous and colorful characters abound, including the powerful Mychael Eilieson--Paladin of the Guardians--and Raine's friend Tamnais Nathrach--shady nightclub proprietor and former member of the goblin royal family. Oh and, by the way, these aren't your run-of-the-mill goblins. You want these goblins to sit down and stay awhile.What a pleasant surprise this book was and how well-timed a read. A funny, delectable treat smack dab in the middle of winter. Raine is extremely likeable and I appreciated that she always seemed fully cognizant of her own motivations and never persisted in sugar-coating them or in being stubborn beyond all reason. In that way she reminded me of Kate Daniels from Ilona Andrews'  Magic Bites (Kate Daniels, Book 1) . Like Kate, Raine appears to have a few secrets she's not interested in revealing, even to her closest confidantes. I have a few suspicions and look forward to finding out more as the series progresses. All of the side characters felt fully formed and like people/elves/goblins/what have you that I'd like to have around, and certainly want to read more about. And, while I would really rather the love triangle not drag out anywhere near as long as the whole Morelli-Stephanie-Ranger fiasco has, I have to say I am a hopeless Babe and am therefore (unsurprisingly) firmly in the Team Tam camp. Mychael is nice. Of this there is no doubt. But, aqua eyes aside, there's just no contest. This really is a delightful, addictive debut novel and I am very happy to have the sequel sitting on my nightstand.

I stumbled across this while looking up a different book & decided to give it a try. It has a young-ish feel, but isn't YA (as a mom who's raised 5, I would only share it with my older teens at best).The world build and characters are likeable and interesting. There's a lot left open-ended, which makes for some convenient plot direction, but it's done plausibly enough not to annoy.The plot is serious, but there's a wry tone & frequently quippy dialogue that keep it from getting too grim.There's a bit of redundancy in the telling. There are also a few times a character says something but then continues as if they'd never said it - as if perhaps the scene had been changed & those parts had been missed in editing.Technically, this probably deserves a 4, but I enjoyed it enough to bump it to a 4.5 because my highest priority in reading is how well it succeeds at entertaining me, & while it's a little wobbly in places, it was still quite enjoyable - with the added promise of sequels!***Romance level/Parental caveat: passionate kisses, nothing graphic. As stated above, I wouldn't share it with any younger than older teens at best. There's nothing explicit or graphic, but the attitudes towards intimacy are very secular & casual/recreational. The heroine has an ongoing, limit-pushing attraction/flirtation with one character that continues even while beginning a relationship with another character.

This book was good. However, it was extremely difficult to get into. This was actually my second attempt at reading it; the first time I gave up halfway through in frustration. The reason for my annoyance at the time was that I just couldn't get a grasp on who each character was because they've all got such ridiculously long and hard to pronounce - and remember - names. Three names each in some cases. Here's an example of said stoopid names: Nachtmagus Nigelius Nicabar - that's one guy. Did she fall on her keyboard or what? So I just kept getting completely lost and confused. I decided to try it again though, because underneath all that I could see the story was good and worth persevering with. I just had to wait until I was in a more patient mood. Once you do get to know the characters and the world Shearin has created, I can imagine this is a series that you can get totally engrossed in.It's fantasy, written in a sort of historical, swashbuckling pirate-type setting. Our protagonist, Raine, is quite likeable. She has a personality that would suit urban fantasy. She's practical, logical and has a good sense of humour. I'm going to read the next one and see if the slight hint of romance I detected goes any further... I hope so.Edit: I've since carried on with this series and it's excellent.

Yes, the cover is rubbish and the title is stupid but actually 'Magic Lost, Trouble Found' is a pretty good read, 4 stars is maybe a little overzealous but my generosity is for the wit and style Shearin has used to sell her first novel. The pacing is fast, there is much well placed action, some nice inserts of sarcastic humour even a little darkness. This is more fantasy than anything but being set in the murky city of Mermeia it has an urban feel to it.The book follows a short span of Reine Benares life as she tries to work her way out of a rather tricky situation...She's a seeker, she finds things and has moderate magical ability, this doesn't bother our heroine and the fact that thanks to a friend of hers she gets lumped with a powerful stone that exponentially enhances her magical skills doesn't sit well with her. This book thrives on the difficult and sometimes funny situations are heroine gets into, she lands into one mess after the other but it's her attitude that really makes this book shine; she's a lead that exudes a great deal of control not only in herself but in how she manages to effect the situations she's manpowered into without being in your face and gun-ho, she's clever, thoughtful and her first person narrative works well.The narrative is descriptive and never fails to give a good sense of the various settings which thus become claustrophobic and atmospheric although the fantasy world itself does seem a bit narrow and although I can't put my finger on why, rather dull.The secondary characters all have their archetypal places in the book and therefore fit in perfectly. We have the father figure/mentor, a youthful sibling type, an innocent who grows up over the course of the book and - now this formula grates on me - two opposing love interests, one who, you guessed it is dark, the other light. But the characters and plot develop very nicely and the next book is set up whilst giving this a good ending.This isn't the best out there in the urban fantasy vein; the world isn't inventive enough nor the lead given enough depth to make her truly compelling but all in all it's exciting, fun and quirky, with a decent lead and a witty style that engages, making the experience of reading about Reine and her troubles definitely enjoyable if not when looked at objectively a brilliantly written and inventive novel. My review proberly seems a little muddled but it comes down to this, I'm not blind to the fact that the book isn't original, challenging etc but I choose to read it and liked it because I pick this kind of book to relax and be entertained and `Magic Lost, Trouble Found' exceeded magnificently in this regard.

a new fantasy series of books begins with magic lost, trouble found, introducing main character raine benares. living in a typical fantasy city she is an elf lady and a seeker. a lady who finds magic objects for people. even though they may need to remember the old saying about being careful what you want. streetwise and cunning, she's caught up in a recovery of an object gone wrong. and as a result gets stuck with a deadly artefact and all sorts of people on her tale who are to get it.The book runs for roughly 342 pages and is pretty much self contained although there's room for further adventures for the main character come the end.Alas I can't quite give this five stars because whilst the main character is appealing and there's some nice ideas and decent world building here I didn't find it as smooth a read as I was expecting. The prose didn't quite grab and there are a lot of strange character names to take in.But view this as a promising first novel and it's just about enough to make me try more by the writer. So I have her second book on order.

I purchased this book more in the hope that I would like it more than the expectation.Without equivocation I will state that I really enjoyed it. Shearin has created a distinct world that is uniquely hers, and that is always a good start.I tend not to be a fan of first-person works, especially when attampts are made at humour. All too often the author creates a character who seems to think he or she is witty and funny, but is in fact rather tedious.Raine Benares is the exception; she IS at times both witty and funny and I look forward to reading more about her.This book is not long and I suspect the majority of readers will get through it in a couple of days; however this and the second book "Armed & Magical" are but the beginning of what I presume wil be a series much like Salvatore's Drizzt Do'Urden books.Buy it and enjoy; You won't be disappointed.

This is a single, well-written story. It is written as though narrated by the main character, who has a tongue-in-cheek sense of humour throughout. The characters are good and, more importantly, the world in which they live is rich and interesting. The characters possess various magical abilities that puts them into broad categories (seeker, guardian, spellsinger, etc.) - all of which I found to be quite original and well thought-out.There are several places where it is difficult to know which character is supposed to be speaking, and in a few places the plot elements make very little sense... but overall the book is well worth reading if you like to see a strong female as a central character.