Counterfeit Magic by Kelley Armstrong

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Author's Website
Copy obtained: bought it
Series?: a novella set in The Otherworld, just before book #11 Waking The Witch
Rating: 8/10

"The first rule of a supernatural fight club? Don’t kill your opponent.

When the fighters come with lethal spells, werewolf strength and half-demon powers, that can be a lot tougher than it sounds. It’s hard to attract talent if they know they might not leave the ring alive. So when fighters at a California club start dying … it’s bad for business.

Witch detectives Paige Winterbourne and Savannah Levine take the case. Going undercover in the power-heavy arena of the fight club is a welcome change of pace for Paige, relegated to the role of The Wife as her husband struggles to find his place in his family’s Cabal—the corporate Mafia of the supernatural world.

As Paige is drawn deeper into new and dangerous corners of her world, she quickly discovers the greatest threat isn’t the killer in her sights. It’s something much, much closer to home. And this is one fight she can’t afford to lose."

Counterfeit Magic is a limited edition novella that Kelley has written for Subterranean Press, which includes a few, very beautiful, images inside to go with the story as well. This is the second novella she's produced this way, the first being Angelic, which had an even tinier print run. I never bought that one, but as soon as Kelley made mention of Counterfeit Magic back in the summer I ordered a copy. I'm so glad I did!

Counterfeit Magic is narrated by Paige as she and Savannah work to solve their latest case involving a death that seems to be linked to a supernatural fight club. Paige has never been my favourite character or narrator, but she has grown on me with each appearance and I enjoyed her more than ever here. Paige is smart and tough, but she's not a fighter, making her very different to most of Kelley's narrators.

While this is a very good short story on it's own, with a good plot and some nice twists, I enjoy Kelley's shorts more for the extra glimpse of the characters we get. The chance to see how certain people are doing and maybe see little things from a different point of view. That was very much the case here. Counterfeit Magic is set just before Waking The Witch, which is narrated by Savannah. It shows some things Savannah mentioned in more detail, and also gives the chance to see Paige's perspective of Savannah right before she takes the reins as narrator. I love the switch up and seeing the differences in perspective. The relationship between Savannah and Paige kind of fascinates me because it's not quite mother/daughter, not quite sibling, but somewhere between the two. I'm looking forward to seeing more of the two of them together, but from Savannah's POV, in the next full book, Spell Bound (out late July/early August 2011).

As with any of Kelley's books, you wouldn't have to read this to understand events in later books, but it does give that little bit of extra insight which I love. I did enjoy the plot with the case they were working on, although I felt it was left a little bit rushed and unfinished almost. But it did come secondary to getting to know the latest events in the characters lives for me, and in that respect, it's a fantastic novella!

Tales of the Otherworld by Kelley Armstrong

Tales of the Otherworld is the second collection of short stories from Kelley set in her Otherworld. All but one of these stories first appeared on her website several years ago as free extras for her readers, but then she was offered a deal where the profits when to a charity, so they were taken off and put in to two collections. Men of the Otherworld which has been out for a year, and this one.

I love this collection! Some of the stories are only 15-20 pages long, but even those contain a lot and give some great back ground to some characters we don't see much of. As well as those set before or between her main Otherworld books. A fantastic addition to her series.

The stories:
Rebirth: the story of how Aaron became a vampire. Outside this, don't know much about him, this short story made me really love him.
Bewitched: the all new story for this collection which follows black witch Eve Levine as she meets enemy and potential ally sorcerer Kristof Nast. Brilliant back story for the characters which explains a lot and made me really want to reread the books where both characters appear, even if briefly.
Birthright: Logan discovers his heritage with an...interesting meeting with alpha werewolf Jeremy Danvers. One of the only times we really see Logan, and I love his characters. Wish there could be more of him.
Beginnings: how Elena Michaels meets and falls in love with Clayton Danvers, and his ultimate betrayal. Oh my gosh. Quite possibly my favourite of Kelley's stories full stop. A fantastic addition to the series all on it's own.
Expectations: Lucas Cortez is feeling the weight of his family's name, despite trying to escape it. Set well before we meet Lucas in Dime Store Magic, giving us a decent insight in to some of his motives for how he does things. I liked this story, but not one of my favourites. I like Lucas fine, but don't find him as interesting as some other characters. His interaction with Eve is well worth reading though.
Ghosts: Set during some events near the end of Bitten (1st Otherworld book, I don't want to give away spoilers) from Jeremy's POV. I love the insight to the Alpha's head.
Wedding Bell Hell: Lucas and Paige planning their wedding. Funny and sweet story which again adds to their overall story in the series.
The Case of El Chupacabra: Sean Nast (son of Kristof Nast, half brother to Savannah Levine) brings a case to Lucas and Paige to investigate. Didn't actually read this when it was online, but having read it now, I wish I had. Fantastic short story.

Overall, a must have if you're a fan of the series.

Rating: 9/10