Reviewed by me for Reader’s Favorite.
With every vampire movie and book focusing on a love story between a young girl and centuries-old, yet dashing, vampire, C. Gockel has changed the game in Magic After Midnight by choosing a woman in her fifties in the leading role. Although this is not a vampire based book, the basic ingredients are the same. Count Darerick Razvano, aka Dare, is a night elf who has been sent to earth with a mission and he hates being compared to a vampire. What instigated this comparison in the first place? Well, the night elves, like vampires, require human blood for their survival. They do not need a lot of blood though. However, with the involvement of blood in the equation, they are getting a mixed response from humans. Some want them while some want magic to disappear from the earth. While Dare is struggling to come up with a solution that would ensure his race’s survival, he comes across a brave and intelligent woman, Marcia. She is not a young woman but that does not bother him even a bit. Marcia, too, feels drawn toward Dare but she has her reservations and insecurities with all the right reasons. For instance, when they are in public, people assume her to be Dare’s mother. Dare’s appearance is definitely deceiving. Anyway, they both have an intense desire to be together but they can’t even openly admit their longing to themselves, let alone to each other. As if the survival and heart issues weren’t enough, the queen of love and war is out to start a war to rule all the realms. Dare must stop her or risk losing everyone he holds dear.
Magic after Midnight by C. Gockel is my current favorite in the fantasy genre. The story-telling of the author is so gripping that I could imagine myself amidst all the chaos, heartbreaks, and magic. The characters connected to me with so much ease that I cared about them. Although I have no experience in this area, Marcia’s struggle with raising teenage kids wrinkled my forehead as well. I wanted to ground Cindy every time she disrespected or misunderstood her mom. I wanted to sit down with Dare and Marcia and make them confess their feelings to each other. The references to much well-known fiction, like Harry Potter, in the dialogues, brought a smile to my lips. Dare’s ancient lifestyle and his reluctance to accept his lack of knowledge of latest technology made me laugh. But when the action starts, it starts in full swing with a lot of magic, blood, and tragedies. I would recommend this book to the fans of magic, romance, humor, and fantasy.
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