Red Magic [Kindle Edition]

I really didn't care for this book. It's not that it was written poorly or anything of that sort. It was sort of unbelievable for me. I feel badly writing a bad review because I know that the author worked hard on it and has a skill I don't have. So any review I post, it's based purely on my opinion, not on any personal skill of mine. So, now for the spoiler part.

First of all, the heroine was a feisty, independent woman (that's great!) but she solved her arguments by running away from them. She ran away from her father when he said something she didn't like and she ran away from her husband whenever she didn't care to hear what he said. Now granted, she was only 16 when she got married, so that was within the realm of believable.

However, the book is going along at a normal pace, it shows her growing up and coming to terms with the fact that she does love her imperfect husband. Then it shows her growing closer to the horse master. Their relationship was along the lines of completely weird with her having an odd attraction to, but fearful of the horse master. Then, suddenly, she's traveling towards her husband (a soldier) and her eagerness to reach him, she foolishly decides to look for him while he's on a raiding mission. Not only does she refuse the sound advice of her escort, they ALLOW her to go with a small group of soldiers and of course, she's captured.

This is where the book gets completely weird, with witchcraft (obscure references just a couple of times previously), she's placed in a harem (where somehow, she lives for a month and is never used as a concubine), then is saved by the horse master, who then contrives to use her to lure her husband to his death. Supposedly her husband was his friend, a good friend that had been to war together, that had been saved by her husband. That completely contradicts the middle eastern philosophy of life and hospitality.

Of course, she had been trained not only as a master rider, but also a swordsman and her husband finds her fighting her way to him, in the thick of battle, having killed several able soldiers. The ending becomes more bizarre in that when she returns she's haunted by strange flashes of memory and heavy sleep. Then, she stands there imagining herself married to the horse master and starts crying. Her husband comes in and understandingly and miraculously knows she was thinking about the horse master and says, "Ir was about Rossman, wasn't it? I miss him too." A surprisingly forgiving attitude towards one who tried to steal and rape your wife, murder you and caused your loyal friend and servant to die as well. The ending is neatly wrapped and they all lived happily ever after.

This book would have been much better had the story not had the part where she was kidnapped and put into a harem. A completely unnecessary addition. It would have been lovely to watch her grow up and learn to accept an imperfect husband and live happily ever after.

Exceptionally well-written and -researched, "Red Magic" is the story of a young girl's transformation from being a tempermental and rebellious tomboy to a resolute woman with determination and her own desires. Forced to marry a man she doesn't love, Caterina is determined to show her husband, Christoph, just how she regards him as an unrepentant rake, an opinion that is somewhat justified. With her marriage to Christoph, Caterina's journey takes her through betrayal and danger. And all the while, the reader is desperately hoping that Christina will find love and happiness at the end.

Author Julie Waldron has done a superb job of making the reader feel as if she is there. We sense the seasons, smell the budding flowers and feel the blinding snow.

"Red Magic" is not your typical historical romance. For one thing, the setting is quite different from anything I've read in the genre and it proved highly enjoyable, especially through the artistry of Juliet Waldron's prose and unique voice. As a reader, I love books that transport me to places and times that are unfamiliar. Eighteenth century Austria during its conflict with the Ottoman Empire provided one of those rare opportunities to experience the mountains, culture and daily life through the eyes of Catrina and Christoph, who find love and acceptance despite their differences...and expectations. If you like a love story with a healthy helping of adventure that carries you back in time, read "Red Magic."