"In case of emergency, break into chant." I started laughing when I read this. There are a LOT of emergencies in this book, so much so that you would think the Authority would produce a CD.Zayvion wakes up from his coma, Allie teams with Terric and Shame (want to know more about them) and they try to close the gates that are popping up everything. A new type of adversary comes through the gates and the Authority must deal with them. Battles are fought and relationships strengthened."That pain might be a part of me, but I refused to let it be the only thing I was. I was not a broken doll." Independent. Vulnerable. Loyal. Truthful. Resilient. All these words help describe who Allie Beckstrom is, but the two words that came to mind frequently while I was reading was 'stubborn' and 'clueless'. I lost track of how many times Allie told people not to tell her what to do. Allie thinks that she's an ass-kicker but the truth is, she's a light-weight when it comes to using magic. I believe Shame asked her why she was using Magic 101 on her Dad, but she doesn't know anything more powerful. She gets her ass kicked, a LOT, though she insists that she can take care of herself. Case in point: an adversary paralyzes Allie and it's her father taking over control who saves her. Later on, a similar thing happens and again it's her dad taking over that saves the day. Allie gets magically locked in a car during a huge battle and it is Terric and Shame who save the day. The Inn is attacked and everyone trapped inside defends and/or attacks except for Allie who is forced to hang back and narrates the battle to the reader. The more I think about it, the more I realize that she doesn't really DO anything. It's her Dad who's doing everything. What Allie does is hound really well. If you need magic tracked and the source parsed, Allie's your gal. If you need to save the world, talk to her dad who's possessing her. This is a weakest link of an overall enticing series. It's a good thing Allie's other attributes and secondary characters, LOVE Shame and Stone, help keep this novel from being a forgettable story.Good but not great. 4.5 I feel like im getting bogged down in magic detail and im really confused. I love the world and the magic, but its quite complicated, even though I can see that the author has made a significant effort to clarify in this one. So many people - so many different types , and when they are all going for it at once, I get lost. Shame is a dream and I could never give a book less than 4.5 that he stars in :)
What do You think about Magic At The Gate (2010)?
This series is soooooo good!! Great magical battles, amazing characters and story lines!! Awesome!
—Heaven
Book 5. See book 1 for a more complete review of the series.
—mnatilda
Another solid chapter in Allie's life story
—elcab
