Customer Reviews
are we reading the same thing? - By: The Treesong, 19 Nov 2008 
Readable? Yes. But has far too much going on, & keeping up with the names was quite a taskin itself! Once you got going it was fine, but it did feel like the author was trying to hard to make it jam packed with action that it lost the feel of reality (in fantasy!).
I wasn't sure even after finishing the book if I liked the story writtenin Raine format, it lacked real understanding of the other characters.
Read if you have nothing else to read.
Surprisingly enjoyable - By: MKJ, 01 Oct 2008 
I purchased this book morein the hope that I would like it more than the expectation.
Without equivocation I will state that I really enjoyed it. Shearin has created a distinct world that is uniquely hers, & that is always a good start.
I tend not to be a fan of first-person works, especially when attampts are made at humour. All too often the author creates a character who seems to think he or she is witty & funny, but isin fact rather tedious.
Raine Benares is the exception; she IS at times both witty & funny & I look forward to reading more about her.
This book is not long & I suspect the majority of readers will get through itin a couple of days; however this & the second book "Armed & Magical" are but the beginning of what I presume wil be a series much like Salvatore's Drizzt Do'Urden books.
Buy it & enjoy; You won't be disappointed.
Plesantly Surprised - By: Mrs. K. Brookbank, 12 Sep 2008 I have started this book about 3 times but lost interest. This time I persevered & found that it wasn't that bad. The plot moved swiftly & smoothly. The ending was made for a sequel. Hopefully we will find out more about each of the Charachters, this book seemed to be a whirlwind of activity without too much information or history about them.
An enjoyable read - By: Stephanie Martinez, 04 Jul 2008 While the cover of the book put me off somewhat, I recently took the plunge & purchased this anyway. As fantasy novels go, its light-hearted tone & brevity make a refreshing change. If you want something that's a relatively quick read, with a good sense of humour, then you could do much worse than this book. It gets off to a good start, although it introduced a lot of characters & concepts a bit too quickly for my liking. The pace is quick & although the plot becomes slightly predictable that hardly detracts from the all-round sense of fun.
The characters are generally likeable, although it took me some time to warm up to our heroine. The ending is also very abrupt - while you expect it to lead directly on to the sequel, I would have liked a bit more resolution & came away feeling a bit dissatisfied. Nevertheless, it's a good start to the series & is good value for money - I look forward to reading the sequel.
Light fantasy entertainment to unwind with and enjoy - By: Jessica, 11 Apr 2008 Yes, the cover is rubbish & the title is stupid but actually 'Magic Lost, Trouble Found' is a pretty good read, 4 stars is maybe a little overzealous but my generosity is for the wit & style Shearin has used to sell her first novel. The pacing is fast, there is much well placed action, some nice inserts of sarcastic humour even a little darkness. This is more fantasy than anything but being setin the murky city of Mermeia it has an urban feel to it.
The book follows a short span of Reine Benares life as she tries to work her way out of a rather tricky situation...She's a seeker, she finds things & has moderate magical ability, this doesn't bother our heroine & the fact that thanks to a friend of hers she gets lumped with a powerful stone that exponentially enhances her magical skills doesn't sit well with her. This book thrives on the difficult & sometimes funny situations are heroine gets into, she lands into one mess after the other but it's her attitude that really makes this book shine; she's a lead that exudes a great deal of control not onlyin herself butin how she manages to effect the situations she's manpowered into without beingin your face & gun-ho, she's clever, thoughtful & her first person narrative works well.
The narrative is descriptive & never fails to give a good sense of the various settings which thus become claustrophobic & atmospheric although the fantasy world itself does seem a bit narrow & although I can't put my finger on why, rather dull.
The secondary characters all have their archetypal placesin the book & therefore fitin perfectly. We have the father figure/mentor, a youthful sibling type, an innocent who grows up over the course of the book & - now this formula grates on me - two opposing love interests, one who, you guessed it is dark, the other light. But the characters & plot develop very nicely & the next book is set up whilst giving this a good ending.
This isn't the best out therein the urban fantasy vein; the world isn't inventive enough nor the lead given enough depth to make her truly compelling but allin all it's exciting, fun & quirky, with a decent lead & a witty style that engages, making the experience of reading about Reine & her troubles definitely enjoyable if not when looked at objectively a brilliantly written & inventive novel. My review proberly seems a little muddled but it comes down to this, I'm not blind to the fact that the book isn't original, challenging etc but I choose to read it & liked it because I pick this kind of book to relax & be entertained & `Magic Lost, Trouble Found' exceeded magnificentlyin this regard.
