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Evelyn Harbinger is a heck of a lot older than she looks. At 149 years of age, Eve can still iron out the wrinkles on a Saturday night, turning heads and taking more than phone numbers as the foxy, dark-haired girl she used to be. She and her sisters have spent the better part of their lives using their powers for only the highest good--Eve herself spied for the Allies in Paris and Berlin--but in their golden years, the beldames are free to enjoy themselves however they please. When Eve meets Justin at her favorite curiosity shop, though, her games are over. Justin looks and acts uncannily like Jonah, her partner on the most dangerous mission of her career--and the great love of her life. Experts in espionage, Eve and Jonah gave up their one chance at happiness to advance the Allied cause, and no man has measured up ever since. Justin is unsuspecting but equally smitten, and Eve is much too headstrong to listen to the common-sense warnings of her coven. Meanwhile, another beldame has accused Eve's sister Helena of killing her own husband sixty years before, and Eve, disguised as her younger self, spends more and more time with Justin to take her mind off the growing pile of evidence that suggests her sister isn't the pure-hearted matriarch she appears to be. Eve knows her family has every reason to disapprove and that falling in love with an ordinary man can only end in despair, but she can't give up the boy who might be Jonah--because this time, she just might be able to keep him. A delightfully romantic adventure set between a supernatural version of present-day New York City and the epic backdrop of World War II, Petty Magic proves that the real fun starts when beldames and mortal men dare to fall in love.… (more)
User reviews
To employ the phrase "page turner" is to conjure up mental images of bestselling thrillers, cover art with protagonists hanging from cliffs both literal and metaphorical, and those authors who crank out
Each chapter is rich and savory, and ends on just the right point. The characters are familiar and lovable, even while occasionally maddening in forgivable ways. The plot is both fun and somber, funny and emotional, and achieves a perfect balance of tension. In short, this book was masterfully written.
DeAngelis has come along way since her last novel, Mary Modern, which was equally creative and well fleshed out. I can't wait to see what's next for this author. One barely dares to hope that her books, already uniquely rich and singular in her genre, can get better from here.
I thoroughly enjoyed the originality of this book and the wonderful Harbinger sisters. It has many unexpected twists and some quite a bit of humor. I particularly liked the rules of magic that the dames must follow, and the flashbacks to World War II. I chose this book because of Camille DeAngelis' first book [Mary Modern] was so original (though it had some plot holes), and I found that Petty Magic had the same fresh originality without the flaws.
I enjoyed this novel. It was an interesting take on witches and witchcraft. I loved
The plot of the novel was two-fold. There’s the plot of Evelyn-in-the-past. This aspect of the plot follows Evelyn through her historic travels in Nazi Germany. It is during this time that she meets and falls in love with Jonah, the love of her life. There’s also the plot of Evelyn-in-the-present. This aspect of the plot deals with Evelyn and her developing relationship with Justin, a man who reminds her entirely too much of Jonah. The two plots run in tandem. Present day events trigger Evelyn’s remembrance of the events of the past. DeAngelis beautifully weaves the two timelines together to tell one cohesive tale.
My only issue with this novel was that it read fairly slowly. I am a very fast reader, but for some reason, this novel took me a very long time to read and it felt like it was dragging on for a long time. That is not to say I didn’t absolutely enjoy the story, but I think the pacing could have
Overall, I enjoyed this book very much. I would definitely recommend it!
Modern day New York witch Eve Harbinger
This alone would make a charming story. However Ms. DeAngelis throws in some WWII background and a 60 year old murder mystery and soon the story becomes as cluttered and difficult to manuever through as the Curiosity Shop where Justin works. By the second half of this book I found myself skimming through whole sections to get back to the parts I found interesting. Not my favourite way to finish a book.