I am enjoying this series. I find the magic to be interesting and I like the majority of the characters. Of course, some are not meant to be liked. It was nice to see Lila learn to trust people at least a little. I knew who the current villain was pretty on in the story, but that doesn't bother me. I appreciate that the author ties up a story arc in each book while leaving the overarching story plot to continue throughout the trilogy. Nothing frustrates me more than cliffhangers at the end of each book. I listened to the Audible version and the narrator did a fabulous job with the voices. I am looking forward to the next book. ( )

I enjoyed this book even more during this re-read than I did the first time around. It is amazing that I can forget the entire plot of a book that I have read in just a few years but apparently I can so I almost felt like I was reading this book for the first time. Once I started listening to this book, I didn't want to stop because I was really curious about how things would work out. I am so glad that I decided to revisit this series in audio.

This is the second book in the Black Blade series which really should be read in order since this book builds on the events from the previous installment. There are a lot of things going on and Lila, Devon, Felix, and the rest of the characters are keeping their eyes open for anyone looking to harm the Sinclair Family. The annual tournament that the families participate in is about to begin and Lila is chosen to participate and represent the Sinclair Family. Of course, there are few other things going on that they will need to deal with while the tournament plays out.

I grew to like the characters even more with this book. I have really enjoyed learning more about the characters and there were some pretty big revelations in this book. While I didn't remember what really happened in the story, I did find that there was one character that I never fully trusted so I did wonder if I might have subconsciously known that this character wasn't what they appeared to be. I found the story to be really exciting and the mystery did keep me guessing.

Brittany Pressley continues to do an excellent job with the narration of this series. I had no problem listening to her performance for hours at a time. I thought that she brought a lot of excitement to the story in her reading and I loved all of her character voices. I feel like I enjoyed this book even more because of her narration.

I would recommend this book to others. This is such a fun series that is filled with quite a bit of excitement. I cannot wait to dive into the final book in the trilogy. ( )

A good book that could have been better if more monsters and magicks. and less family (think "mafia") plotting. Somewhat as expected (middle book of series) because there's more backstory on people, developing relationships and eventually even the discovery of exactly what big bad villain is plotting. Way more people are let in on her "secret" including by her personally -- which was weird because she and others have been spending so time hiding it.

And early on a really weird mention of Devon's supposedly deceased Daddy being in Lawrence's sword as if the first book had already revealed that. Could be my old lady memory, but all I remember first book saying about his Daddy was that he was dead. No mention of being reincarnated as/into Lawrence's sword. That's one status update I wish goodreads hadn't destroyed because I quoted the exact passage *shrugs* ( )

Estep's Dark Heart of Magic is yet another exciting read in her Black Blade series. I have to say that I haven't read an Estep book that I haven't absolutely loved, and this book is no different. Lila finds herself volunteered for the Tournament of Blades representing the Sinclair family, and as she faces the challenges of the tournament Lila also is trying to solve two mysteries (who is killing magical monsters and what is Victor Draconi up to). These mysteries keep Lila on her toes as she tries to win the tournament despite the different obstacles thrown her way.
Dark Heart of Magic is a fast paced adventure that captures the reader's interest from the very beginning and never lets go. I love how Estep combines action, adventure, suspense, drama, and mystery keeping the reader engaged anxious to see what happens next. Lila is very well developed in this second book building upon what happened in book one by letting Lila allow the other characters in whereas before she tried to keep them at arm's length. I liked how Lila is becoming more of a member of the Sinclair family and becoming stronger for it. Overall Dark Heart of Magic is an amazing read that I would most definitely recommend both to young adults as well as adults because Estep is such a great storyteller. I am looking forward to checking out Lila's next adventure.

Received a copy of Dark Heart of Magic through NetGalley for an honest review. ( )

Read for Review (Gift from author)
Overall Rating: 4.50
Story Rating: 4.50
Character Rating: 4.50

Read It Rate It Thoughts: Dark Heart of Magic took everything I loved about Cold Burn of Magic and turned it up a notch. I felt that Lila is getting more comfortable being part of a team and watching that is a wonderful. I think though just like in Elemental Assassin series, that it is the characters around Lila that make the book shine. Jennifer is the best at writing a supporting cast. None of them are one-dimensional, they all have layers that are important to the story. Even the bad guys are layered and that always adds to the story. Especially in Dark Heart of Magic. I won't give anything away but that last 1/3 made me gasp more than once. The culmination of the games and finding answers made me go "WHAT" and really want the next book now. This was so very good and delivered on every level.

Part of my Read It, Rate It, File It, DONE! Reviews ( )