Review for "Reckless Magic"

"Reckless Magic" is the first book in Rachel Higginson's "Star-Crossed series." To date the series is made up of four books.
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The simplistic cover is a wash of watercolor blue. There are darker shades of blue criss-crossing the cover coming in from the corners; abstract tree trunks and branches. In the center of the page a crescent moon hovers over what looks like white cherry blossoms  which might possibly be pear blossoms instead. The words Reckless Magic looking slightly rough around the edges is layered on top of the blossoms. The cover is hardly impressive and does nothing to build my desire to read the story it hides. It honestly screams self-published which while nothing to be ashamed of (I'm self published myself remember) does little to instill a sense of confidence in the work from the reader's standpoint. In the author's shoes I might invest a little more in artwork.
"Reckless Magic" starts with a prologue introducing us to a world of magic and intrigue. Twins are separated from birth in an attempt to save them from whatever is hunting their parents. The boy goes with a violet eyed aged woman named Angelica and the girl stays with the dark haunted man Amory. The story jumps forward and we meet Eden Matthews, our heroine. She's deeply troubled struggling with supernatural powers she can't even begin to understand. Terrified of herself and what she might do at any moment her last chance at a normal life is the prep school Kingsley. But Kingsley brings its own unique set of challenges including a young boy named Kiran who she feels inexplicably drawn to. But nothing is what it seems not Eden, not Kiran, and definitely not Kingsley.

What I liked:

• The story line was pretty good and rarely slowed to the point of disintrest.
• The battle scene was great, its a pity there was really only one.
• I giggled a couple of times at the porn star teacher reference.

What I didn't like:

•  Technically there were still several proofreading errors most of them weren't too bad but a couple were a little more jarring
• The author overused certain terms and indeed certain situations repeatedly. For instance the 'electricity' in Eden's veins
• I can't imagine that even given the problems she was going through at the time that Eden really wouldn't have noticed someone magically picking up their pencil or reading her mind or closing a door. Could she be that self absorbed?
• She keeps forgetting about her magic putting herself in stupid situations that she could easily remedy. If you had just discovered your magic how easily would you forget?
• Except for the grandfather thing there were absolutely no surprises. I spent the majority of the time wishing that Eden would just figure it out instead of putting herself in incredibly stupid situations repeatedly. 
• The voice and tone of the entire book was rather immature. 
• I can't help but think if Amory had just raised her to begin with or sent her with someone other than a human or even a human that would tell her about her heritage; as they had done with Avalon that life for Eden would have been considerably easier. Or if once they knew she was getting her powers he'd just sat her down and explained the whole thing. Really it should have only took one prep school for that happen.

 The plot line was interesting enough that I looked into the next books in the series. I would actually like to know if she ever figures out the Oracle thing, if their parents are alive, if there's anything else Amory has been hiding from her, and if Kiran is truly a good guy or a bad guy. At the time of this review "Reckless Magic" is available for Kindle for free. The subsequent books in the series are not free. Hopeless Magic at $2.99 ;  Fearless Magic at $3.99; and Endless Magic at $4.99. Since "Reckless Magic" just barely squeaked by, I'm not going to get the others unless they come up for free. I couldn't find Rachel Higginson's website.
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3 out of 5 smilies
I wouldn't recommend this book to anyone other than teen readers. I don't think very many adults would enjoy the writing style.

Synopsis: "16 year old Eden Matthews has been in and out of private schools for the last two years. She can't seem to stop herself from closing them down. Kingsley is her last chance to finish high school and the last private school willing to accept her.
She is focused on just getting through graduation until she realizes Kingsley is not like the other private schools she's been to. The students may be different, but so is she. And after meeting Kiran Kendrick, the boy who won't leave her alone and seems to be the source of all her problems, she is suddenly in a world that feels more make-believe than reality.
To top it off, she is being hunted by men who want to kill Kiran and her best friend Lilly is taken away to a foreign prison. Eden finds herself right in the middle of an ancient war, threatening everything she loves. She alone has to find a way to save her best friend and the boy who has captivated her heart.
Reckless Magic is an intricate story about mystery, adventure, magic and forbidden love. Eden Matthews is an unlikely heroine determined to save the world and be with her one, true love before it's too late."