"A Fast-paced rollercoaster ride set in a Imaginative World"
Sulis Sayre is a Healer from one of the most respected and
oldest families in
The Balance. Her grandfather is a Guardian and Council
member, her grandmother a
Healer and Priestess, her mother a High Priestess, and her
brother a Guardian.
With connections like these, one would think Sulis would be
leading the life of
Riley in her role as a Healer of The Balance. But neither
her family background
nor her Healing abilities can bring back the self-
confidence that she's lost
after allowing Janus to corrupt her brain and ruin her
reputation. When Adept Diana is suddenly contacted by California
Magick's damaged Bedrock
requesting help and a healer, Sulis is given the assignment
against her wishes.
She has already approached her grandmother about joining
the Daughters of
Goddess, an austere sect within The Balance, whose sole
purpose is to serve
Goddess -- no communication with the outside world,
including family, not to
mention followers must shave their heads. Sulis no longer
has faith in her
ability to heal, and believes she doesn't deserve to serve
Goddess in the "easy"
way she has been. Joining DOG would be a form a penance but
for Sulis's
grandmother who tries to talk her out of joining the
radical group. Llyr is a Mage and former Stronghold Rat without the
connections or Balance
blood running through his veins to which Sulis lays claim.
He is, however,
magically gifted and prides himself on his self-control.
His current assignment
involves the study of Bedrock, something else of which he
takes great pride.
When he is summoned to assist Sulis in healing California
Magick's Bedrock, not
only his pride and self-control are put to the ultimate
test, but his very
sanity as he is forced to face a painful past that involved
a cheating fiancee
and Llyr's almost losing his life in the explosion at
California Magick two
years previous. Sulis' reputation as "easy" precedes her. Llyr sees her as
a spoiled Balance
tramp and resents the assignment, but cannot say no to the
Council, as his sole
purpose in life since he became a Mage apprentice is to
serve Goddess in any way
he can. He's of course tickled pink -- NOT -- when the
Council insists that he and
Sulis must become bondmates in order to successfully
fulfill the duties of their
current assignment of healing the Bedrock. To make matters
a hundred times
worse, Goddess has sanctioned Sulis and Llyr's bonding only
after they have
assured her that they will be bondmates in every sense of
the word and not "fake
it": specifically, they must become sexually intimate. When Sulis is visited by a dead but unfortunately not quite
departed Shiva -- a
magickally powerful follower of the evil Queen and Win and
Diana's opponent in
"Magick" -- Llyr is forced to open up about his past, more,
reveal that his
future wife was murdered and sacrificed to the evil Queen
by Dion (aka Shiva)
after Llyr had discovered the pair in bed together. Sparks fly between Sulis and Llyr immediately, but not
necessarily of a good
variety. As time goes on, however -- learning each other's
quirks, past mistakes,
weaknesses, and secrets -- and they work together to heal
Bedrock, their true
feelings are soon revealed, and Goddess' wisdom in bringing
them together is
once again proven right. Mary Taffs has once again created an exciting magical world
where good always
triumphs over evil, but not without a life-and-death
struggle, and true love is
well-worth the heartache it takes to attain it. The Glossary of terms at the end of the book is a nice
bonus that makes this
"Healing Magick" an enjoyable stand-alone for first time
readers of the series
who may pick up the book out of sequence. Peopled with engaging, intelligent and strong hero and
heroine, and colorful
multi-dimensional secondary characters the driving force
behind a suspenseful,
fast-paced rollercoaster ride set in the well-delineated
and imaginative world
of The Balance, "Healing Magick" is a must read and
welcomed addition to the
series.
Reviewed by Gracie McKeever
Posted June 8, 2004
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