Author: Melissa F. Olson
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Published on: October 13, 2015 by 47North
Fitting into the Old World isn’t going very well for Boulder boundary witch Allison “Lex” Luther: she may have earned a place in a vampire’s service, but now it seems as if every supernatural creature in town has found a reason to hate her. And when Lex and her partner are assigned to investigate the suspicious disappearance of two vampires during the night of the full moon, they find themselves with more questions than answers.
Was it murder…or mutiny?
The crusade for answers will lead Lex all over the Colorado Old World, from a prison cell for a broken werewolf to a haunted Denver brothel. And when Lex determines the responsible party, the hunt is just beginning: something has been awakened in Boulder, something as old and powerful as it is terrifying. Only the woman with death in her blood can stop what’s coming.
Rookie boundary witch Lex Luther is back in this second installment of the Boundary Magic series. It starts not long after the events of the previous book. Lex is still getting used to her new life as a powerful witch. And things aren’t too easy. Most of the other Boulder witches are rather frigid toward Lex. They fear her for the death magic in her blood. Despite this, Lex notices that something else is bothering the witches. Not even Hazel Pellar—the leader witch—can explain what it might be.
Maven is also back, and with an increased role. She's Lex's boss and the cardinal vampire of Colorado. The two struck up an alliance in the previous book. Lex became Maven's fixer in exchange for the protection of her baby niece, Charlie Wheaton. And now, Maven has an assignment for Lex. There is a situation going on in the state border. Some of Maven's vampires have gone missing. Lex heads there with Quinn (her vampire love interest and Maven's right hand). Their bond has grown quite a bit since the events of the previous book. Quinn has already done things for Lex without expecting anything in return. And Lex falls for Quinn more every day despite only being able to see him when the sun is down.
Another major secondary character returns. He’s Simon Pellar, one of Lex’s new friends. Simon is a professor at the local university and has biology knowledge. He also likes to research Old World evolution. When Lex finds out about some strange deaths around Boulder, she thinks they might be supernatural. She and the police call upon Simon for help. His findings conclude that the deaths were indeed magic-related (though he does not tell this to the police). What’s more shocking is how the people died. It seems the situation at the state border isn't the only thing Lex has to worry about.
As I mentioned, Maven becomes a lot more prominent in this book. She takes her new status seriously despite having been reluctant to rule over a territory. Maven is hundreds of years old yet looks barely twenty. She's easily the most powerful character in the series so far. Lex is a powerful witch in her own right, too. She discovers her boundary powers come with a great perk. She can communicate with Sam, her dead twin sister. Lex can summon Sam nearly at will, visiting her in dreams. I liked these scenes, as you see a different side of Lex. Unlike her, Sam is mellower and more outgoing. Being dead grants Sam access to certain knowledge, but an unseen power keeps her from divulging too much. Still, even her cryptic tips could prove useful.
With threats coming from multiple sides, Maven and Lex are spread rather thin. I was eager to see who was behind it all. Boundary Lines was a great follow-up in the Boundary Magic series. It was cool to see Lex learn more about her powers. Another thing I liked about the book is Maven’s increased role. She’s an intriguing character, wise and probably as old as Carlisle Cullen. When a character has been alive that long, I’m always curious to learn how they see the modern world. Maven blends in flawlessly. I also liked that the Boundary Magic series doesn’t involve demons. That puts me off witch-related fiction like the Chilling Adventures of Sabrina TV show. This series isn’t that dark, which I liked.
My rating: ★★★★ 1/2
4.5 stars - A fantastic page-turner!
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