Waitress finds out ~she's magic.And it was also magical how this went from an awed Ooohh! to a disappointing Oh. Started strongly, with a female lead that is NOT perfect but reasonably likeable and a good case of a fantasy plot. What was not convincing, though? The DETAILS! And you know what they say about details: Zey are vairy impohtant.Or perhaps it was that I found it hard to immerse my self in a fantastical world that is ADULT. Maybe I've just read (and re-read and watch!) too much YA that it's hard for me to bite stories that feature approaching-30s characters with powers. (Please don't ban me here for being age-ist I HAVE A PETER PAN SYNDROME). Maybe this would have been better on screen. Or as a graphic novel! That said, I would definitely fall for the tricks once they're visual! (Lol obvs my imagination can't handle this book right now.) A waitress at a greasy spoon crushes on the cook and discovers her magical abilities as evil threatens the town she loves.I listened to this in audio and found it pretty disappointing overall. Amanda Ronconi does a superb job with the narration fortunately. If I'd tried this in print it would have been a big fat DNF. The plot was average. The standard good vs evil fare. Unoriginal but okay. But I found the characters dull and thought the hero and heroine had zero chemistry.Liv has wanted Tobias forever, but I never could figure out what she saw in him. I wondered for a while if he even was the hero of the book. Both characters claim they can never be together, but their reasons are vague and silly. At one point Liv's best friend reveals that she and Tobias have done the nasty. That's not what keeps Liv from getting together with him, but it sure would have kept me from it. She veers into TSTL territory more than once, including trying to take on the villain by herself and yelling "Stop it!" at said villain multiple times during their showdowns.Several other elements bothered me as well. Having the sole person of color be the pure-evil villain? Not cool. Liv's magical powers are so unpredictable that her decision to fight the villain is laughable. And her pining for Tobias comes across as more pathetic than romantic.Ms. Ronconi was able to salvage this trainwreck but barely. Her performance elevates this above the two-star rating I would have given it in print. This book was definitely not for me.
What do You think about A Little Night Magic (2012)?
A really cute book, made even better by narrator Amanda Ronconi. Review to come.
—underground
A fun read.... kind of Harry Potter meets romantic comedy.
—Crystal
A little fluffy, but overall a decent book...
—Brittney
