Laughing at Magic : London’s Edge Book 1 by Celine Jeanjean #NewRelease

I’ve always had the tendency to act first and think later, which sometimes lands me in trouble. Actually, make that often. Which is why I’ve lost yet another job, and why when I come across a maltreated hyena chained up in someone’s backyard I rescue her, name her Penelope, and take her home.

So when I discover the existence of a magical community in London, I’m faced with two options: either leave it alone and go back to hunting for yet another dead-beat job with regular humans, or see if I can swing myself a position with a bit more magic and a bit more interest.

Guess which option sees me ringing a doorbell on a stranger’s door at eleven at night? Unfortunately for me that stranger turns out to be an independent vampire caught up in a turf war with some other magical faction, and I land myself right in the middle of it all.

Given that my getaway vehicle is a car that craps out when it reaches fifty miles per hour, I’m going to have to deal with this head on and find some other creative way out of this mess. And that’s when I discover that I have a kind of magic of my own. Well, things are about to get interesting…

My Review

Laughing at Magic is the first of a new series of books about Pree (Priscilla) whom I met in Book 6 of The Razor’s Edge Chronicles, when Apiya came to London. Pree and Apiya were old school friends, both forthright, brave young women with zany clothes and distinctive personalities. Pree had never left England, perhaps because she is so close to her loving family, of Mum, Dad, two brothers and several cats, living in a council house in Staines. But her lack of a job means she must return home with her eclectic clothes stored in bin bags inside her ancient but reliable car.

As Pree tries to turn her life around she answers an advert to improve her aura. Unfortunately, this leads her to the residence of a vegetarian Vampire who discovers that she is impervious to his hypnotism. Soon she is involved in an attack by a group of “touched” individuals who look nerdy but have magical powers. It would seem she too has been “touched by magic” in an unusual way and they want her to be part of their faction.

The plot takes a while to develop as we get to know Pree and her family and she discovers how she can use her power to help people. Her true gift is her quick mind and her ability to persuade others to do as she wishes, but she seems unaware of this.

The most delightful part of the story is Pree’s relationship with a hyena whom she rescues from mistreatment, but how can she hide a fierce animal in plain sight? Her conversations with Mary, a Victorian ghost who refuses to crossover to the other side until she has a proper tombstone, add amusement, especially when she takes Mary into the 20^th century.

The context of this story is less exotic and more mundane than Celine Jeanjean’s previous novels but the characterisation makes this an enjoyable read.

Laughing At Magic at Amazon UK

Celine Jeanjean’s website