Unsympathetic Magic (Esther Diamond #3)

This was a good return to form form to the Esther Diamond series after the second (which duplicated the sense of suspense I got from the first book, but less of the humor). The new characters are richly developed, and the author does an excellent job of informing/enterainign the audience with a new culture, and its magical mythology. The climax is terse and astounding, and I was trying to guess the identity of the villain all the way to the end.

Resnick has definitely found her feet in the new genre she has undertaken. But up front? I’m not a real fan of the spirit world. I’ve seen too much and know too much about it. That doesn’t make this book any less readable or enjoyable. Even though I was not comfortable with the subject matter, I nevertheless was very impressed with the well-researched and well-represented ton of facts about the Vodou religion. That’s one of the many things I appreciate about Resnick’s writing. She informs as well as entertains. As to the story, poor Esther — she and Lopez can’t seem to get it together. They really are made for each other, and the book ends with them once again separated. I am very much enjoying how Resnick is fleshing out her fledgling characters in this new series and appreciate how very likable she makes the good ones and and you really want to boot the bad ones.That’s how real her characters are.

I’ve just started reading the Esther Diamond series, and have to say that it’s fun to read some urban fantasy that’s not dark, dismal, full of angst, and sex-ridden. This particular installment is a little heavy on the teaching about vodou (voodoo, vaudun), but I thought that the author portrayed the belief system well and in general kept the story moving. Esther isn’t, and isn’t trying to be, the biggest badass out there; she knows what she is and accepts that she has limitations. I’m enjoying the perspective on the acting profession and the pitfalls thereof.

Each of the previous books has explored a different aspect of magic, and that’s been fun as well. I’m hoping to see further development of the characters within the recurring cast as Esther’s adventures continue. I’d recommend this book to anyone who wants a quick but enjoyable read.

Poor Esther, even when she gets a good role something bad happens. While she is playing a hooker on The Dirty Thirty TV show zombies, angry spirits and a voodoo curse threaten everything. Enter Esther’s sometime boyfriend Connor Lopez, a New York City detective and Dr. Maximilian Zadok , a 350 year old sorcerer whose day job is to protect New York City. Again this is a set up for disaster. Connor does not believe in magic and Esther is right in the middle of a plot full of good and bad magic. Will these two ever get together?

This is the third book in the Esther Diamond series. I found it to be slow going at first but once the pace picked up it was filled with fun and humor. Unsympathetic Magic can be read as a stand-alone but I recommend starting with the first book. The other two books in the series are Disappearing Nightly and Doppelgangster.

I LOVE this series. I’ve been enjoying urban fantasy for many years now, but have gotten fairly bored with most of the dark, angsty, kick-ass heroines therein… and also with the standard weres and vamps.

This series is different. Esther has no occult powers at all- just a habit of getting herself into weird mystical situations. She tends to have a sense of humor about it, though, and that shows- these books have nice bantering. The secondary characters are usually lots of fun, too.

I’ll admit that the on-again, off-again romance with Lopez is getting a bit repetitious… but Resnik writes it well, and I hope at some point there’s a change from the current stalemate.

These books are a lot of fun, and great to read when life becomes fraught.

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