Author: Melissa F. Olson
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Published on: March 19, 2019 by 47North
Years ago, boundary witch Allison “Lex” Luther made a promise to an alpha werewolf. Now, just when the supernatural community in Colorado is enjoying a period of hard-won peace, the alpha turns up at Lex’s door to call in his marker. Two of his pack members have disappeared in the Colorado sand dunes, and he needs safe passage to hunt for them.
With her friend Simon Pellar along for backup, Lex ventures into the dunes to search for the missing couple…but what they find is only the opening move in an ambitious assault against those who hold power in the Colorado Old World. An old enemy has returned to tear their peace apart, and Lex is soon embroiled in politics she doesn’t understand, from a time before she had magic.
To save her friends and her way of life, Lex will have to cross every line she’s drawn since learning what she is—and it may still be too late.
After taking a break from the series, Melissa F. Olson is back with the latest Boundary Magic novel. This book takes place a while after the events of Boundary Born. The Old World has enjoyed a good period of peace. Things have been so calm that the protagonist, boundary witch Lex Luther, is chomping at the bit. Maven (her boss and the cardinal vampire of Colorado) hasn’t had any big assignments for Lex in a while. Lex is eager to do something a little more exciting than running errands. Little does she know, she’s about to find out how real the proverb “be careful what you wish for” is.
An unexpected visitor comes calling at Lex’s house. He’s Ryan Dunn, the alpha of the Cheyenne werewolf pack. Lex owes him an old favor, and he’s come to collect. Ryan wants Lex and Quinn (a vampire enforcer and Lex’s boyfriend), as Maven’s representatives, to escort him to the Dunes. A couple of his wolves went missing there. When Lex calls Maven to let her know, the latter only gives the go-ahead because of the owed favor. The operation needs to be done in secrecy, though. At least that isn't out of Lex's and Quinn's experience.
An old character gains more prominence in this book. She’s Mary Hollis, a werewolf in Ryan’s pack. She had a minor role in Boundary Lines. Mary is about the same age as Lex, but she struck me as wiser and more cautious. She’s also quick to defend fellow werewolves. They have a dark history, so Lex and others see werewolves in a bad light. Lex’s dead twin sister Sam (they can chat thanks to boundary magic) advises her not to write off all wolves as evil. That's noble on Sam's part, considering it was a werewolf that killed her. The Cheyenne wolves can be trusted, at least, because Maven vouches for them.
The trip into the Dunes uncovers a shocking development. Before Lex can figure out more, someone strikes against Dunn. The ambush makes it to the news, putting Maven in a compromising position. The witch clans of Colorado now know that Maven has had a secret arrangement with wolf packs and with Clan Pellar of Boulder (Lex’s witch friends). This endangers a covenant Maven and the witches have honored for seventeen years.
Despite the urgency of the situation, Maven mostly stays behind the front lines. She leaves Lex and Quinn to sort almost everything out. It felt a little odd, until Maven explained more about Old World politics to Lex. The main antagonist is operating from outside Colorado. That means Maven can’t get involved. If she were to send her forces on an offensive strike, the Old World community would see it as an act of war. Maven doesn’t completely leave Lex and Quinn alone, though. She authorizes several missions and even goes on a few herself. There’s also a scene where readers get to see a new side of Maven. If nothing before had convinced me of her goodness, this would have. During a visit to Lex’s house, a dog approaches Maven. The latter is awed, as most animals fear vampires. Maven happily pets the dog, commenting that she misses animals. This was very telling of her character. Even though Maven is centuries old, she hasn’t lost her humanity, at least not completely.
There’s a new character who aids Lex during her missions. She’s Katia, Lex’s biological aunt and fellow boundary witch. Her appearance came out of nowhere to me. Katia wasn’t mentioned in any of the previous books. There’s a large time gap between Boundary Born and this book, so Lex must have got to know Katia during that time. The two are familiar enough that Lex let Katia have one of her pets. Katia is nowhere near as powerful as Lex, but she still proves a valuable ally.
As several years have passed since book one, a certain character is gaining a larger role. She’s Charlotte Wheaton, Lex’s niece. Charlie is a null (a person who can cancel out all magic around them) and the reason Lex works for Maven. Charlie was a baby when Lex first learned she’s a witch. Now, Charlie has grown up a bit and can even talk rather well. She helps during one of Lex’s missions thanks to her null status. The scene was adorable, as it involved one of Maven’s vampires sleeping in a light-proof box in Lex’s basement. Charlie didn’t find this the least bit strange.
Boundary Broken is just as good as the previous entries in the series. The wait was definitely worth it. I liked returning to the Old World and following Lex Luther and her friends on their adventures. This fictional universe is also getting richer, and I'm all for it. The Old World Chronology has become my favorite urban fantasy series. Boundary Broken is book ten overall (counting only the full-length novels). I strongly recommend it to urban and magical fantasy fans.
My rating: ★★★★ 1/2
4.5 stars - A fantastic page-turner!
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