It’s that time of year again — time to talk about Ellie Di Julio‘s Forgotten Relics series. I’ve been blessed to be one of Ellie’s beta-readers for each of these books, and I thoroughly recommend them. Considering how much I loved her early work, she keeps improving, which is highly suspicious.
It began with a prequel, #0 in the series — Inkchanger, our introduction into this world of magic.
Then, the world expanded with the key protagonists of our tale in #1 — The Transmigration of Cora Riley
October 2014 brought the next instalment, and the return of an old friend from Inkchanger in #2 — The Sword of Souls
And today, #3 — Mirror of Ashes is released.
“Glittering snow, twinkling lights, carols in the air—Christmas is the most wonderful time of the year.
Or it would be if Cora Riley wasn’t neck-deep in magical crime and double shifts at the Supernatural Cases Division.
Two weeks after losing the Sword of Souls, her friends deployed across the nation on top-level missions, Cora finds herself walking the beat alone in DC, wondering if she’s the hero of this story after all. Loneliness, exhaustion, and a perplexing romance threaten to drive her back into the darkness she fought so hard to escape.
But the pity-party comes to an abrupt end when Cora makes a horrific discovery at headquarters that sends her racing to New York City. There, Jack Alexander’s assignment to the Japanese ambassador clicks with Manny Boxer’s spontaneous combustion case to reveal a new facet of Eris’ plot: an ancient artifact the local vampires are literally dying to get their hands on.
The hunt is on to find the Mirror of Ashes. But who is hunting whom?”
~
The Mirror of Ashes is the third (or forth, including the prequel) book of the Forgotten Relics series, and it was a joy to be taken back into the world of the Special Cases Division. Following on from the last book, we have a mystery to solve, new worlds to explore and a much wider experience of the FBI through new character perspectives.
Ellie’s writing style draws you right in, and I found myself reading beyond chapter breaks even when I’d told myself to stop at the next break. The pace is full of action, yet nothing is rushed, and as usual, Ellie pulls off little plot twists that keep you guessing as the story progresses.
Through spending time with secondary characters, we explore the world even further, complete with poetic phrases and memorable descriptions of new supernatural creatures. I really loved getting to see more of the other agent’s personalities and histories, and the cast is well-balanced for humour, problem-solving and seriousness.
Di Julio manages to weave her story through character arcs, complex-magic descriptions and action plot fantastically to result in my favourite of her books.
Do us all a favour and go buy it, okay?
Five stars.
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Buy for Kindle: Amazon.com / Amazon.co.uk
Buy as EPUB
Buy as Paperback: Amazon.com / Amazon.co.uk
Add to Goodreads
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About The Author
Ellie Di Julio currently lives in Hamilton, Ontario with her Robert Downey, Jr. lookalike husband and their two cats. Between nerd activities like playing Final Fantasy or watching Top Gear, she enthusiastically destroys the kitchen and tries to figure out what it’s all about, when you really get down to it. She also writes urban fantasy novels for romantic nerds filled with pop culture references and sexy secret agents.
You can find Ellie’s books on Amazon and Barnes & Noble, and the lady herself on EllieDi.com, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, and Goodreads. For bonus good karma, join Team Patreon to support her evil schemes writing adventures.
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