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There are currently 17 member reviews
for The Magic of Untamed Hearts
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Helen B. (WINTHROP, ME)
The Magic of Untamed Hearts
This is the third novel in Gilliland's Wild Magic series, telling the story of sister number three, Sky. This book is better than number two, but not as good as the debut novel. There are some great ideas present: a character that can communicate with animals and who is discovering that she is autistic, a hidden sisterhood of witches, hidden rooms in an old church, a love story and the reality of a family with many different personalities.
Sadly none of these pieces are brought to the depth they deserve. Instead there are chapters upon chapters of sex scenes and some (imho) cringy dialogue. The first novel concentrated more on Sage's story and gift, the second book really moved into the spicy sex scenes, and this book follows suit. The first three pages alone made it almost a DNF for me. I really wanted it to be like Sage's story and know more about the magic and what could be done with it. longed to hear more about the 'cult' and the secret rooms…
However, if you like spicy and spicy dialogue mixed in with a bit of several story lines then this series and book will work for you; it didn't for me. Thank you to Bookbrowse.com, NetGalley and Berkley Publishing for ARC in exchange for a fair and honest
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Vivian H. (Winchester, VA)
Started Strong-
This book started off strongly with Sky being a fascinating character and her initially charming and intriguing and Adam being charming with an appreciation for Sky's idiosyncratic behaviors. However, about 2/3 of the way through I found myself flipping through pages looking for the next interesting interaction. This story had so much potential but left me feeling annoyed. Perhaps it would have resonated differently if I'd read the first two books of the series.
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Elizabeth in Oregon
Missed Opportunity
There was a really good idea here but the book was a disappointment. The mystical elements of the family's gifts and Sky's 8 year slumber were great and ostensibly the story catalyst but sadly were not fleshed out. The resulting hostility of the town (a bit over the top IMO) was introduced on page 1 and is the reason for the fake dating with Adam but it was mostly dropped. Characters changed unrealistically or unearned - sisters ignore me but after one talk we're besties, aunt neglected me as a child but up in my business now, selfish grandma came around. The dating app was ridiculous - why would Sky continue to talk to someone from her own town after the Chapter 1 experience with Grayson? And the coven story was a transparent Book 2 hook. So basically a lot of half-completed plot points. That said the writing itself isn't terrible.
Finally, the sex scenes were the most descriptive sections of the book which unbalanced the story. The sexting was abruptly introduced. And I was a bit surprised that someone so inexperienced went from 0 to 60 in 10 seconds! If that is the story you want to write then go for it and streamline/drop the other aspects.
