Industrial Magic

by Kelley Armstrong

Paperback, 2004

Status

Available

Call number

813.6

Publication

Bantam (2004), 528 pages

Description

Fiction. Horror. Literature. HTML: In the aftermath of her mother's murder, Paige Winterbourne broke with the elite, ultraconservative American Coven of Witches. Now her goal is to start a new coven for a new generation. But while Paige pitches her vision to uptight thirty-something witches in business suits, a more urgent matter commands her attention. Someone is murdering the teenage offspring of the underworld's most influential cabals - a circle of families that makes the mob look like amateurs. And none is more powerful than the Cortez Cabal, a faction Paige is intimately acquainted with. Lucas Cortez, the rebel son and unwilling heir, is none other than her boyfriend. But love isn't blind, and Paige has her eyes wide open as she is drawn into a hunt for an unnatural-born killer. Pitted against shamans, demons, and goons, it's a battle chilling enough to make a wild young woman grow up in a hurry - if she gets the chance..… (more)

User reviews

LibraryThing member CheriePie69

Wow, Kelley's books just keep getting better and better. In this installment of the Otherworld series, which also features Paige as narrator as Dime Store Magic did, Paige and Lucas travel across the US hunting a murdering villian whose targets are the children of the Cabal. New characters are

introduced, the action keeps up a good pace, and right up until the end, you're left wondering what will happen next. The only bad thing I can say is that since Kelley's writing style makes you not want to put the book down, I tend to get very little sleep when I'm reading one of her books! :)

I'm looking forward to Haunted, book 5 of the Otherworld series, which features Eve as the narrator and is due in the US in June 2005.

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LibraryThing member Unreachableshelf

The second of the Paige books, and the one that truly convinced me I need to read all the whole series, even if I don't buy all of them. Although the narrators change, the story and the lives of the characters progress through every book. This was also the first book I read featuring Elena except

for Bitten, and I have to say that I like her a lot better through Paige's eyes than I do when she is the narrator. Unfortunately, this makes me skepitcal as to whether or not I will like Eve and Jamie as much in their own books as I do through Paige's eyes.

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LibraryThing member reannon

Fourth in Kelley Armstrong's Women of the Otherworld series, and perhaps the best yet. Paige Winterbourne, her partner Lucas Cortez, and their ward Savannah are trying to create a life for themselves. Lucas is the son and heir of the powerful Cortez Cabal. There are five cabals of sorcerers who are

wealthy and powerful almost beyond imagining. But someone is killing the children of cabal employees, and Lucas and Paige accept the task of investigating.

Excellent suspense, and good characters, including the sexy necromancer Jaime Vegas. Lucas' father, Benecio, is also an intriguing character, a very powerful man driven in part by the need to gain his son's approval. Recommended.

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LibraryThing member Tudorrl

These books just get better and better. I hated having to put this one down for things such as work, food, sleep etc!

Paige and Lucas are helping the Cabal as a serial killer is slowly working through the Cabal chilren - and its up to them to catch the killer.

Plenty of twists and turns - and a

welcome return for Elena and Clay (Yay!).

READ THIS SERIES!! You have been told.....

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LibraryThing member SimonW11

Children of members of the Cortez Cabal a sort of magical mafia are being killed.Paige Winterbourne a witch and and friends are manouvered into investigating.
Well written fourth in a series that managed to supply all the back story I needed without being obtrusive

LibraryThing member EowynA

Sequel to Dime Store Magic about a witch who loves a sorceror, and the complications of their lives, which includes solving crimes against supernaturals. Fun fluff.

LibraryThing member bluerose

Haven't read in a while, I remember suffering a bit from middle-book-itis but ok as part of the series

LibraryThing member TheBooknerd

As this book focuses on Lucas and his family, you know I liked it.

LibraryThing member bookwormteri

An excellent piece of fantasy. I highly recommend this book and the others in her series.

LibraryThing member ToxicMasquerade

Sometimes during the book, I felt like hitting someone. If you read it or have read it, then you might understand why. I felt bad for the people, even though it's a book. I don't like reading through Paige as much as Elena, but, Paige isn't all bad. I really love Savannah's character the most. But,

still a great book.

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LibraryThing member hoosgracie

Fourth in the Women of the Otherworld series; second mostly featuring Paige Winterborne. Good continuation of previous book – Dime Store Magic. In this story, Paige ends up helping the Cabals – Mafia like groups of sorcerers – when their a serial killer starts attacking their children.

LibraryThing member benfulton

The first Armstrong I've read, and I thought it was really good, so I'm disappointed to read all the reviews that say this is one of her best. This book is something of a Harry Potter for adults; there's a lot of groovy fantasy stuff, interesting non-human characters, and a hidden world inside this

one, but the characters get to do things like have sex and swear. I guess we get to think of that as "character development".

I didn't buy into the plot at first, as it got too much into the Grishamesque running-from-mysterious-and-powerful-enemies, but it seemed to come together more as I got further in the book, and I suspect if I'd read the first in the series it would have come together better. I'll be keeping an eye out for that first one; bet it's worth reading too.

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LibraryThing member ravenfire

I liked this one even more than Dime Store Magic. I do think it could have been a bit shorter, it lagged in a couple of places. I was really happy that the wolves were back, even if it was just for a bit. I talked about missing Elena as the narrator in the last book, but now I think I love Paige

just as much. Kelley Armstrong has a way of making you fall in love with her main characters.

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LibraryThing member pacey1927

"Industrial Magic" is the 4th book in Kelley Armstrong's "Women of the Otherworld" series and the second of which to prominently feature witch and ex-Coven leader Paige and her boyfriend Lucas Cortez. The story here focuses on the Cortez Cabal run by CEO Benito Cortez, Lucas's father. Lucas is

Benito's illegitimate but much loved son. Lucas tries to fight what the Cortez Cabal stands for. They are a `business' of supernatural species and they mainly concern themselves with not so legitimate acts in the name of supernatural self preservation. When Cabal teenager's start missing and soon turn up dead, neither Lucas nor his witch love can turn away the Cabal's plead for help. The mystery heats up as Paige and Lucas start their own brand of investigation. The plot is weaker here than in Dime Store Magic and I think the book took longer than it should have for me to get through it. Paige is tenderhearted, yet strong. Her capacity to love and her eye for injustice are admirable. Of course, we knew that a couple of books ago when she took in recently orphaned 15 year old witch, Savannah. Lucas is also high on my hero list, but I found him to be more bland here than usual. The introduction of a new female character was interesting and I look forward to reading a "Women of the Otherworld" title down the road, where it appears she is to be featured in a main role. We also get a closer look at several characters introduced previously. A visit or two from Elena, Clay, and Jeremy round off a huge assemble cast of characters. I do have to mention that while I enjoyed `their' books, "Bitten" and "Stolen", I like Paige and Lucas better as main characters. Another side note, in such a fantasy tale, readers have to be happy to suspend disbelief, but a negative I must mention is in regards to a scene that is far over the top, even for this series. I'm sure it is a set up for the next book, so I hope the idea gels better with me as the series progresses. Kelley Armstrong does a great job of pulling together a paranormal mystery with top-notch characterization. The fact that she changes points of view only keeps her from getting stale. Any of my complaints stand, but shouldn't lead you to believe this is anything but a great read.

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LibraryThing member simmererdown

I really start to like Paige in this book.

LibraryThing member hailelib

Once again featuring Paige and Lucas but also featuring Eve, Jamie, Cassandra and Savannah with smaller roles for Clay, Jeremy and Elena. But the Cabal also has a leading role and we discover more about its workings, especially the group led by Benicio Cortez. We also get a first look at the

organization of the Afterworld which will lead us right into Haunted. Someone is targeting the adolescent offspring of various employees of the Cabals and Benicio asks Paige and Lucas to investigate. An Otherworld take on the serial killer type of suspense story and one I enjoyed reading.

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LibraryThing member Black_samvara

All part of a Women of the Otherworld series featuring werewolves, witches and demons. Not startlingly well written but enjoyable and the characters grow on you.

LibraryThing member LisaMaria_C

I love Armstrong's Women of the Otherworld series, which are mostly first person Urban Fantasies written from a female point of view. That said, I certainly have my favorites, and the two novels centering on Paige Winterbourne and Lucas Cortes definitely rank for me as the ones I loved the most. I

could understand readers having other favorites, the novels are all good reads. However, I just happen to like Paige, and the themes of a "cabal" of male sorcerers organized in something resembling a corporation and the relatively less powerful female witches in opposition. Paige is a witch--Lucas, the romantic interest, is a sorcerer. The first novel involving them was Dime Store Magic which should be read before this one. I find both books a fun, engrossing read that combine urban fantasy with elements of romance and mystery. (And it's nice reading an urban fantasy not centered on vampires or werewolves.)

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LibraryThing member dbree007

Paige Winterbourne, young witch forming new coven, falls in love with the enemy, mysterious murders of sons of the cabal.

LibraryThing member crazybatcow

It's even slower than book 3 in this series was. Very dry and a bit on the boring side, though there were fewer 'lectures' on subjects in this book.

Nothing very exciting happens - the characters, basically, spend the entire book 'investigating' so it's like a detective book, and they don't even

use their supernatural powers very much. And this whole Cabal thing is just boring... we heard all about Lucas being such a "good guy" among all those evil sorcerers in book 3, why do we have to cover the same ground again in book 4?

I think I'll skip the next book(s) in this series until they get back to some butt-kicking werewolf activities because if I wanted to read a mystery/detective novel, I'd go buy one of them.

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LibraryThing member CynDaVaz

So far, I've really enjoyed Kelley Armstrong's Women of the Otherworld series. However, by this, the fourth book, there are some things that are starting to annoy me more than I'd like (hence the 3 star rating, rather than my usual 4/5 for the series).One - the narrator for the 3rd and 4th book has

some issues that I really wish she'd clear up: laughing ... she really must STOP doing the little chuckle or laugh sounds. I mean seriously, a narrator does NOT always have to literally laugh just because the author says a character has laughed. One has to be pretty gifted to pull off a fake laugh and this woman is not. I literally roll my eyes every time she does it. Another thing about her ... sometimes when she vocalizes Paige's voice, the character comes off as smarmy, or Pollyanna or something. I can't describe it, but it's really grating on me to the point that I'm beginning to dislike Paige herself. Also, the way she vocalizes when Paige says "Uh huh" is another annoyance. It's okay a time or two, but every single darn time, she uses the same snarky expression and it's like fingers down a chalkboard. With the other voices, however, she does a pretty good job (not counting the stupid chuckle sounds she makes whenever their character laughs).Two - the insertion of a political jab by the author at one point towards the end wasn't necessary, and ultimately added even more irritation to a growing aggravation towards Paige. Three - I'm picking up on some repetitive patterns of dialogue among different characters, so it almost makes them sound like the same person. This isn't anything major, but I definitely noticed it this time around.Anyway, I know there are a few more quibbles I've got about the book; granted most of my complaints here are regarding the narrator - and unfortunately, if a narrator goofs up badly, it does have an effect on the overall enjoyment of the book they're reading. I hope they changed narrators after this, but I doubt it. Guess I'll find out whenever I get to the next book.

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LibraryThing member sch_94

This book had everything! I was pulled in from the very first pages and couldn't escape until I'd read the last word. Like all of Mrs. Armstrong's books, I'd say this one is definitely worth the time and the money!

LibraryThing member RavenswoodPublishing

Kelley Armstrong is a progeny when it comes to supernatural writing. Her books leave you breathless with their racy romances, the constant struggles, and the exciting stories. She does all of this effortlessly and you have no choice but to plummet without stumbling straight into her world. She has

created such a strong presence in all of her characters that everything about them makes them seem real! You get so caught up in their stories that you feel you are a part of them. I cannot say enough good things about Kelley!

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LibraryThing member kayceel

Fantastic! Paige and Lucas are back, this time to solve the murders of Cabal children. And soon Savannah is on the hit list.

Smart, sexy fun!

LibraryThing member scarlett78

I liked Dime Store Magic better, but getting to know the Cabals was pretty cool. I would love to see a future book with Savannah and her dealings with the Cabals.

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