Review: Soul Magic by Poppy Dennison

Reviewed by Fehu
Soul Magic (Triad #3) by Poppy Dennison
Dreamspinner Press
Novel: 220pgs
3.75 Pants Off

Blurb:
Blood runs soul-deep. Cormac hasn’t been the same since the night the High Moon Pack was attacked. With his magic weakened, he’s consumed by a bloodlust he hasn’t felt since he first became a vampire. His need to replenish his power makes him a danger to his last remaining family member, and his hunger makes him careless. And that’s just the beginning of his troubles. Feeding from pack beta Liam Benson was supposed to slake his appetite, not leave him craving more.

Simon Osborne and Gray Townsend are trying to fight a being history says shouldn’t exist—one with all three types of magic. The pack must use all of their resources to combat the mysterious triad, even turning to the shady Council of Mages for help. While Cormac struggles to reconcile his past failures with his current desires, Simon must attempt the impossible: an alliance between mind, body, and soul.

Review:
This is the third and last book in an interesting paranormal trilogy was very much looking forward to reading or it. Simon and Gray are back and finally we find out about the attacker! Secondly Cormac and Liam are the new couple and I have wanted to read this one for a long time.

The story begins right where the last book ended and it helps a lot to understand and to fully appreciate this story if you read them all in one go.  I began the series after the first book came out and it’s been a while until this one so I did go back and it was nice to read the trilogy without months of waiting in between.

So let’s recap: Simon and Gray are attacked and the members of the were-council are unhappy with what they witness, namely Simon’s abilities to influence the pack with his magic. Mage-council reacts to the plea for help and finally sends a representative. But what has been troubling them all this time? It's Cormac who has the answer to this question or more precisely his past is catching up with him and some event in the past are now explained in a new light. All species have lived separated but it wasn't always the case and the Mage-council at least knows what happened to cause the division in shifters, mages and vampires. New information is brought to light, new alliances are formed, new romances and of course there is a showdown - Good vs. Evil.

Plot wise the final part of the trilogy didn't disappoint, but, I anticipated Cormac’s romance story and to tell the truth from the way it was written, I didn't buy it. Liam is a nice character, but his interest in Cormac seemed rather sudden. Plus Cormac himself is totally OOC (out of character) when he is going out to hunt. First he is dignified old vampire Dracula style and then he is the club slut, seems a bit strange to me. Also the romance part was short, after the entire wait for that pairing, it was somewhat anti climatic. Of course there was the need to finish the main plotline, but still I thought it was a bit rushed in the end. What I didn't like was the ending, not really, all are happy, but it's a big time leap and I didn't feel it was necessary in this case. Still the book in itself was a nice finish for this series.

Should You Read It? Only if you have read the first two books, then it's a must, but it's not a standalone and it would make a lot of sense to read just this one.

Review: Book #2 Body Magic